CHICAGO -- The euphoria enveloping Rate Field in the ninth inning on Wednesday stood in stark contrast to the heart-sinking feeling likely permeating the Guardians’ first-base dugout and its fanbase.
The Guardians carried a two-run lead over the White Sox into the ninth inning. They had Chicago down to its final out. But in the blink of an eye, consecutive pitches from Cleveland closer Cade Smith ended up in the outfield seats, turning the ballpark into a tinderbox.
The back-to-back home runs and swift kick to the stomach could have done the Guardians in. Instead, they got off the mat and pulled out a 4-3 win over the White Sox in 10 innings to avoid a three-game sweep.
“We needed that win really badly,” said right-hander Shawn Armstrong, who entered in relief of Smith and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Cleveland (42-39) left Chicago (41-38) with a series loss in the two clubs’ first head-to-head meeting this season. It finished its nine-game road trip 3-6, but managed to maintain a share of first place in the AL Central.
If Wednesday and the series at large is an omen for what’s to come this summer, we’re in for quite a ride.
“It just shows that this team is resilient,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “This team can fight. Nothing's going to knock us down. … We're going to have some speed bumps, but we're going to always show up ready to win.”
Smith has been a lockdown closer for the Guardians all season. He leads MLB in saves (24) and had converted 21 straight opportunities entering Wednesday, dating to a blown save on April 14.
Smith retired Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth to start the ninth. He was locked in a 1-1 count with Braden Montgomery when the outfielder belted a solo home run to center field. Before you could gather your breath, Randall Grichuk sent Smith’s next pitch to the left-field seats.
“Grichuk hitting that homer over my head,” Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said, “especially on the first pitch, that sent a chill down my spine. It kind of got the blood flowing.”
Vogt noted Smith left a four-seamer over the plate to Montgomery and then a sweeper in the zone to Grichuk. The right-hander then allowed a single to Jacob Gonzalez and walked Sam Antonacci. Armstrong relieved Smith and got the game to the 10th inning.
Rookie Kahlil Watson delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 10th to put the Guardians back in front. The 23-year-old finished the day 2-for-4 with three RBIs. In the series, he went 5-for-9 while logging his first career hit and his first career home run. He accounted for six of Cleveland’s 10 RBIs.
“I think I’ll forever remember Chicago. First everything [in my career],” Watson said. “I think that whenever I play here, I’ll do something good, probably, too. Yeah, I love this city now."
The Guardians scoring just one run in the top of the 10th left Armstrong to complete a high-wire act in the bottom of the inning. He made his own life tougher by issuing consecutive walks to Kyle Teel and Colson Montgomery.
Armstrong then got Meidroth to ground into a force at home and Braden Montgomery to ground out to first baseman Kyle Manzardo, who dove headfirst into the bag to record the out. The right-hander credited pitching coach Carl Willis for calming him during a mound visit after his second walk of the 10th.
“He said, ‘Hey, have fun,’” Armstrong recalled. “He's like, ‘Quit rushing, stay back, have fun.’ It’s a lot easier said than done, but it just collectively gave me a breath. It was time to make pitches and have fun doing what [I’m] doing.”
The Guardians arrived in Chicago looking for a series win. By Wednesday, they were reeling. This was a tough road trip, which came immediately after Cleveland lost José Ramírez, Chase DeLauter and Angel Martínez to the injured list.
A trip that started on a sour note nearly ended with an absolute gut punch. The Guardians will breathe a sigh of relief as they head back to Cleveland for a 10-game homestand, which will culminate with a four-game set against the White Sox.
They know Chicago is going to continue to be a major challenge this summer.
“That's a really good team over there,” Vogt said. “They played us really tough, obviously, and they're not going anywhere. Neither are the other teams in our division. It's going to be a fight all year. It's going to be a lot of fun to watch.”