Chicago White Sox head into the All-Star break a season-high 33 games under .500 with a 6-5 loss to Cleveland
There were mistakes, like pitcher Aaron Civale failing to cover first base on a potential ending-inning double play. That kept the sixth inning alive for the Cleveland Guardians, and Kyle Manzardo followed with a go-ahead three-run home run.
The Sox showed fight, rallying twice to tie the score and force extra innings.
But the Guardians reclaimed the lead in the 10th when Angel Martínez scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Steven Kwan, and Cleveland held on to defeat the Sox 6-5 in front of 24,680 at Rate Field.
The Sox head into the All-Star break with a 32-65 record. They are 8-22 in one-run games.
'Today just kind of felt like an embodiment of the first half where we were out there competing, making plays, making pitches, doing everything well in all phases and making some mistakes that cost us,' manager Will Venable said. 'Too much to overcome.
'For our guys to continue to fight, we've seen that all year. Today was another great example of them continuing to push and battle.'
The Sox led 3-0 after five innings. The Guardians loaded the bases with one out in the sixth. José Ramírez hit a chopper to first baseman Miguel Vargas, who fired to second for an out. It might have been tough to double up Ramírez, but the Sox didn't have that option as Civale didn't cover first.
'It was just a mental error,' Venable said. 'He's upset about it. He understands his job there and that he didn't do his job.'
A run scored on the play. And Manzardo followed with a three-run home run to put the Guardians ahead 4-3. That was the last pitch for Civale, who allowed four runs on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in 5 2/3 innings.
'Just got to take accountability for not getting over there and covering first,' Civale said. 'Had a chance to get out of it with that, had a chance to get out of it after that, just one pitch away. So not ideal. But at the end of the day, can't forget what we did the first five innings and have to learn from the sixth.'
The Sox tied it in the bottom of the sixth with a solo home run by Andrew Benintendi. The designated hitter went 3-for-3 with an intentional walk.
'Going the other way (for a single) my first at-bat kind of timed me up for everything else,' Benintendi said. 'Felt pretty relaxed up there.'
Cleveland went back ahead in the eighth when Kwan scored on a sacrifice fly to center by Ramírez. The Sox tied it again with a two-out RBI double to left by Luis Robert Jr. against reliever Cade Smith. The Guardians intentionally walked Benintendi to get to Robert.
'That guy's not an easy at-bat,' Benintendi said. 'He hit it hard, found the inside of the (third-base) bag. That was a big hit.'
Kwan gave the Guardians a 6-5 lead in the 10th with his sacrifice fly. The Sox didn't have a third rally in them, and they went to the All-Star break with nine losses in their last 13 games.
Venable said before the game that, 'There's been some really good stuff' from the Sox in the first half.
'Number one, just the competitive spirit and really coming every day to work and compete and play hard has been something that through some tough stretches we've continued to do,' Venable said. 'Been really proud of the group as they've really connected and built something within the clubhouse that they go out and are proud of every day they go out on the field. So that's been something that stands out.'
With Sunday's loss, the Sox are 33 under .500 for the first time this season. But last season, the team didn't have 32 wins until Sept. 4.
'One thing to take away is we're in every game, it seems like,' Benintendi said. 'We're right there. There's things that we can work on, obviously. I'm sure we'll think about it over the break and come back ready to play.
'Look at where we were last year compared to this year. It's a tough game, and you've got to take your wins where you can. Baby steps. Guys are getting their feet wet and experiencing this level and playing more. It can only go up from here.'
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