A brutal finish

The White Sox were one inning from a comeback win in Cleveland. Instead, Brayan Rocchio’s walk-off double gave the Guardians a 7-6 win.

“It sucks”

First place was waiting

Chicago had a chance to clinch a key series and guarantee leaving Cleveland atop the AL Central. The loss pulled the Guardians within a half-game.

Taylor had two strikes

Grant Taylor got Rocchio down 0-2 with two breaking balls. Then he went to a 101 mph sinker above the zone.

Rocchio found space

Rocchio did not crush the pitch, but he lifted it deep toward the left-field corner. The ball stayed just beyond Sam Antonacci’s dive.

Antonacci blamed himself

Replay and tracking showed Antonacci looping inward before correcting his route. He was blunt about a missed chance in a huge spot.

“Got to clean it up. It’s the big leagues.”

Venable saw more

Manager Will Venable refused to pin the loss on Antonacci. He called it a tough play and pointed to the bigger sequence.

“That’s not on Sammy; that’s a tough play”

The pitch stayed debated

Venable questioned giving Rocchio a fastball after he had already hurt Taylor on that pitch this season. Rocchio was ready enough to survive it.

“tried to sneak one by him”

Teel backed the call

Catcher Kyle Teel defended the fastball. With two strikes and Taylor throwing 101, he felt the choice and location were sound.

“I liked the pitch call.”

The ninth erased grit

The ending wiped out Chicago’s fight back from a 3-0 deficit. The Sox had pressured Cleveland’s starter and struck hard against the bullpen.

The opener got hit

Chris Murphy, used as part of Chicago’s league-leading 31st opener game, allowed two early home runs. That put Davis Martin in a hole.

Martin still regretted one

Martin allowed two runs, one earned, over 5⅓ innings. In a one-run loss, his wild pickoff throw that let Rocchio score in the fifth lingered.

Murakami’s slump showed

Munetaka Murakami went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. In a game this tight, his empty night was hard to hide.

“it’s not like moving him in the lineup is going to magically fix his swing”

Arms are taxed

The next game brings Parker Messick and a shot at the AL Central lead. Chicago already used Taylor, Sean Newcomb, and Hagen Smith for multiple innings on back-to-back nights.

No easy shrug

Martin said the Sox should not pretend the loss is fine. His message was to feel it, accept it, then return hungry.

“Feel it as long as you want to feel it and accept it.”