Game Recap 5/23/23 | Guardians Lose 4-2 vs White Sox

Observations from the Game

3 things Guardians 4-2 loss to Chicago White Sox:

1 – 7th inning of doom, Part I

Guardians entered the inning up 2-1, but a series of mistakes cost the Guardians.  First was a leadoff infield single hit to Amed Rosario who could not get the ball out of his glove to make the throw at first.   After a double to have 2nd and 3rd with no one out, a grounder was hit to Jose Ramirez who bobbled the ball not getting anyone out, tying the game, extending the inning. 

2 – 7th inning of doom, Part II

With runners on 1st and 3rd, and rookie pitcher Logan Allen struggling to get outs, one would think manager Terry Francona would go to the bullpen.  He did not, and Allen promptly walked Clint Frazier, the first walk of the game,to load the bases, and the next batter Romy Gonzalez ripped the first pitch down the left field line to give Chicago a 4-2 lead.  Francona should have lifted Allen, did not, and paid the price. 

3 – Bullpen strong

Back-to-back strong games from the bullpen going three innings and only giving up one hit, no runs. In particular, Enyel De Los Santos was very impressive, striking out the side with runners on 2nd and 3rd.

Game Summary

In Tuesday night’s game, Romy González’s clutch double in the seventh inning shattered the tie and propelled the Chicago White Sox to a 4-2 victory over the Cleveland Guardians.

Facing rookie Logan Allen (1-2), González delivered a powerful hit that broke the 2-2 deadlock, leaving manager Terry Francona potentially regretting his decision to keep Allen on the mound for one batter too many.

Yasmani Grandal also contributed to the White Sox’s success with a home run. Despite their slow start of 7-21, the team has now won six of their last eight games, keeping them in contention within the wide open and competitive AL Central division.

Chicago’s comeback rally provided much-needed support for Dylan Cease (3-3), who secured his first win since April 10 after enduring eight winless starts. Cease, a right-handed pitcher, threw six solid innings. Keynan Middleton and Joe Kelly each pitched an inning, and Kendall Graveman closed out the game in the ninth inning, earning his fourth save of the season.

The Guardians’ rookie, Will Brennan, managed a solo home run in the game.

Cleveland briefly took a 2-1 lead in the sixth inning thanks to Josh Naylor’s RBI double. However, the White Sox responded emphatically in the seventh, scoring three runs.

Allen began the inning by allowing a leadoff single to Andrew Vaughn, followed by a double from Andrew Benintendi. Grandal then hit a ground ball that star third baseman José Ramírez mishandled, resulting in an error that allowed Vaughn to score.

Despite having reliever Enyel De Los Santos ready in the bullpen, Francona chose to stick with Allen, who walked Clint Frazier, loading the bases. Francona’s decision backfired when González punished him with a double to left field, driving in two runs.

Allen had retired the first 11 batters he faced before encountering trouble. In the fifth inning, he had Grandal down to two strikes, but the Chicago catcher unleashed a powerful 414-foot home run. Grandal had been batting .354 (17 of 48) in his last 14 games leading up to the match.

Brennan, who unintentionally hit a bird with a batted ball in Monday’s game, celebrated his second homer of the season in the third inning by rounding second base and mimicking a bird’s wings with a finger-wiggling gesture aimed towards the Cleveland dugout. This playful gesture marked his response to the unfortunate incident from the previous game.

Up Next

Wednesday – Game 3 vs White Sox at 1:10 PM EST.