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Cleveland Series Recap
Guardians @ White Sox (3 games) — Sox take the series, 2–1
You came in sitting at 45–70, Cleveland at 57–58… and somehow it ended with the Sox ripping the rug out twice and walking away 47–71 while the Guardians stumbled to 58–60.
If you’re looking for a “season’s lost” vibe, this series didn’t get the memo.
Series snapshot
Theme: Speed + chaos + one absolutely nuclear inning
Finals:
G1 (Fri 8/8): L, 7–3
G2 (Sun 8/10): W, 4–1
G3 (Sun 8/10): W, 7–6 (walk-off)
Game 1 — Cleveland 7, Chicago 3
Chicago actually struck first: Kyle Teel opened the game with a hit, swiped a bag, and came home on a fielder’s choice. For a minute it felt like you might grind Ortiz into a long night.
Then Cleveland hit the gas.
Steven Kwan tied it with a solo shot, then the 4th inning turned into a horror movie:
traffic + an error + a couple of ropes… and José Ramírez emptied the bases with a grand slam.
The Sox didn’t fold — they punched back in the 6th, with Samuel Zavala’s double cutting it to 7–3 and giving the crowd a pulse.
But late, Sewald/Clase slammed the door.
Takeaway: You competed, but Cleveland’s stars did star things… and the one inning got away.
Game 2 — White Sox 4, Cleveland 1
This one was the “hangaround-and-strike” blueprint.
Edgar Quero jumped Jakob Junis early with a 1st-inning homer to put Chicago up 1–0.
Cleveland answered with Manzardo’s HR, and it’s 1–1… until the Sox manufactured a whole rally out of fumes in the 5th:
walks
Vargas being a menace on the bases
a wild pitch
and then Teel ripped a clutch single that cashed in multiple runners and flipped the game.
On the mound, it was a relay race that actually worked:
Cannon got you started, Shuster bridged, and Fraser Ellard brought the finishing kick — high-leverage outs, big strikeouts, no drama.
Takeaway: When the offense can’t stack hits, you manufacture. This was a grown-up win.
Game 3 — White Sox 7, Cleveland 6 (walk-off)
This was the kind of game you’ll reference in September even if the standings don’t care.
The opening haymakers
Teel set the tone immediately: single + steals 2nd and 3rd, then scores on a Vargas double.
Bryan Ramos followed with a solo homer.
And then the 3rd inning happened:
traffic, pressure, one mistake…
Luis Robert Jr. grand slam.
6–0 Sox, Rate Field buzzing like it’s April.
The Guardians’ comeback (because of course)
Cleveland chipped, then surged. Runs came with:
stolen bases
balls in play finding grass
and a few defensive cracks that let momentum breathe.
By the 7th, it was 6–6, with a rain delay in the middle of the mess just to maximize the chaos.
The ninth-inning heist + dagger
Facing Emmanuel Clase, you didn’t “rally” so much as steal the game:
William Bergolla comes in and reaches on an error…
then he goes full chaos goblin: steals 2nd, steals 3rd.
Kyle Teel ends it with a walk-off double.
Takeaway: That’s not just a win — that’s an identity game for a young core.
Stock Up / Stock Down
📈 Stock Up
Kyle Teel — Table-setter, base thief, and the walk-off swing. That’s a fantasy-friendly combo (runs + speed + clutch contact).
Luis Robert Jr. — Grand slam headline, but also the reminder: when he’s locked in, he can tilt a week by himself.
Edgar Quero — Big moments (HR in Game 2), steady presence all series. The bat is playing.
Bryan Ramos — Loud contact shows up again (HR in G3). Power is looking more “bankable.”
Fraser Ellard — Real bullpen value: strikeouts, leverage, and a clean save-type performance.
📉 Stock Down
Inohan Paniagua — Cleveland punished mistakes early; the start turned into survival mode fast.
Team defense — Too many freebies across the set (and Cleveland happily cashed them). This was the difference between “tight series” and “comfortable series.”
Jason Adam (G3) — The bridge got wobbly during the comeback window; still plenty to like long-term, but that outing stung.
News / Transactions
Aug. 11, 2025: Top prospect LF Colson Montgomery promoted to AAA Charlotte.
That’s the kind of move that usually means “we want him facing better pitching now.” If he holds his own for a few weeks, the late-season MLB door starts cracking open.
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