CLEVELAND -- The White Sox were one strike away from taking a significant step in their quest for an American League Central title. But Brayan Rocchio and the Guardians prevented it in dramatic fashion.
Chicago closer Grant Taylor allowed a two-run double to Rocchio on an 0-2 pitch with two outs in the ninth inning to give the Guardians a 7-6 victory over the American League Central leaders on Tuesday night.
The White Sox (77-74) will carry a half-game advantage over Cleveland (77-75) into Wednesday's series finale at Progressive Field. Chicago already owns the head-to-head tiebreaker between the teams.
“We’ll see how fast we can flush this one, but in this case, you can’t,” White Sox pitcher Davis Martin said. “I think feeling this fully tonight is something you have to do. It sucks because we were one pitch away.
“The offense was getting big hits. We were making pitches, getting out of jams. Things were going our way. Baseball doesn’t always reward you for doing everything right.”
Taylor was called upon for a two-inning save after working a clean eighth. The right-hander permitted a leadoff single to Nathaniel Lowe and walked Patrick Bailey with one out before retiring Petey Halpin on a weak grounder.
After two quick strikes to Rocchio, Taylor threw a 100.9 mph sinker that was driven toward the left-field corner. It landed just beyond the reach of Sam Antonacci, scoring pinch-runners Daniel Schneemann and David Fry to end the game.
It was Rocchio’s second walk-off hit off Taylor this season, following a ninth-inning solo homer on July 2.
“He’s got two strikes on him. It’s the right pitch call,” Chicago catcher Kyle Teel said. “Grant is throwing 101 mph. It just is what it is. I like the pitch call. Grant put it in a good spot. It just is what it is.”
White Sox manager Will Venable delicately discussed Antonacci’s route on the play, which was clearly awkward, saying: “We just weren’t able to make it, going over to his right. But that’s not the reason we lost the game.”
Antonacci, who made his 105th start in left field as a rookie, was much more direct.
“It was pretty [awful], to be honest,” Antonacci said of his route. “It’s got to be caught. I’ve got to clean it up. It’s the big leagues. You can’t make that type of route.”
Strong performances by Miguel Vargas and Martin were overshadowed by the defeat, which saw Chicago overcome 3-0 and 4-2 deficits. Vargas drove in three runs, including a two-run single in the sixth off Hunter Gaddis that put the White Sox ahead, 6-4.
Martin tossed 5 1/3 innings, allowing one earned run on a Travis Bazzana homer and one unearned run while working as a bulk reliever behind opener Chris Murphy. The righty came out of the bullpen for the first time this season after 26 starts.
“It’s just an ego thing [not starting], but you don’t want to put your ego ahead of the team,” Martin said. “Our goal is to go to the playoffs and do well, so to be able to use this as a process is going to help, because we’re a young team.”
In the wild AL Central race, both teams have actually improved their playoff chances during the series. Cleveland now holds a 1 1/2-game lead over the Rangers for the third and final AL Wild Card position, with the Blue Jays falling two games behind.
That means the White Sox have a two-game cushion over Texas, in addition to their small edge over the Guardians. That provided some consolation after a gut-wrenching loss that left Chicago's clubhouse subdued and silent -- except for the sound of someone seemingly striking a wall.
“When you get to play a kid’s game for work, it’s exciting, and anybody here would tell you that,” Antonacci said softly. “Two teams fighting it out for the division, I don’t know how you can’t be excited.”