Cleveland Guardians manager Steven Vogt had plenty of praise for the Chicago White Sox's pitching staff after his team lost the first game of the ALDS on Saturday. The White Sox took a 3-0 win on Saturday, but the best performances came from their pitching staff. Hagen Smith led the game off with 2.2 scoreless innings, and Jordan Hicks, Bryan Hudson and Anthony Kay handled the early-middle innings before closer Grant Taylor came in and shut down the Guardians for four innings.
"They were pumping the strike zone, getting ahead, kept us from getting the leadoff guy on. I thought this game was about their pitching. I thought they pitched excellent tonight. ...It was a really well-pitched game by them.” Cleveland only logged three hits during the first game of the series, but still had a few big opportunities during the contest.
The Guardians loaded the bases in both the third and fourth innings, but couldn't convert on either of their chances and only reached base on one more occasion afterwards. White Sox All-Star Munetaka Murakami put his team ahead in the top of the fourth inning, hitting a monstrous, 440-foot homer to take a 2-0 lead. Chicago added some insurance in the seventh inning, as catcher Kyle Teel came all the way around to score from first on a softly hit double down the line from Colson Montgomery.
Now holding a 1-0 lead, the White Sox are in a great spot for the remainder of the series. They're guaranteed to have a shot to win the series when they have their two home games in Game 3 and 4 (if necessary), so they'll be happy with the result from the first game of the set. The White Sox are yet to announce their starters for the next two games, but will have their hands full regardless in the second game of the series.
Gavin Williams, who led the American League in strikeouts during the regular season, will make the start for the Guardians. Behind Williams, the Guardians will look to even up the series before they head on the road against their AL Central opponent. The second game of the series comes on Monday at 5 p.m.
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