How White Sox can still win AL Central after crushing series loss to Guardians

For the first time since before July 4th, the Chicago White Sox are not in first place in the American League Central. What was a 5.5 game lead as recently as mid-August has completely dissolved after the White Sox dropped their fourth consecutive series, losing two of three in Cleveland. With just ten games to go, the White Sox now find themselves trailing the Guardians by half a game with no momentum on their side. It could be the fatal blow to the team’s hopes of a division title, but all hope is not yet lost. 

Things seemed to be heading in the right direction on Monday. The White Sox rode Tristan Peters’ 18-pitch at bat to a huge win in the series opener, clinching the season series and the tiebreaker over Cleveland. After getting down early in the second game, the White Sox battled back to take the lead against the Guardians bullpen. They took a 6-5 lead into the ninth, and with runners at second and third and two outs, Bryan Rocchio did what he does best. Rocchio’s fly ball to left field seemed fairly routine, but Sam Antonacci was positioned shallow and couldn’t quite get there to make the catch, scoring two runs and giving the Guardians the win. That left Wednesday afternoon’s finale as not only the rubber match of the series, but the game that would decide who left the series in first place. 

The White Sox sent Anthony Kay to the mound against Guardians rookie ace Parker Messick, and once again, missed opportunities were the story for Chicago. A one-out triple by Randal Grichuk was left stranded in the first inning, and the White Sox loaded the bases in the fourth but failed to scratch across any runs. With a runner at first and one out in the third, Steven Kwan hit a double play ball that should’ve ended the inning. Instead, Chase Meidroth dropped the ball while trying to tag Petey Halpin and retired nobody. With two outs, Jo Adell ripped a two-run single to give the Guardians the lead.

The White Sox showed more fight, with newly activated Tommy Pham launching a three-run homer to give Chicago the lead, but a second straight bullpen meltdown spelled their doom. Hagen Smith worked a scoreless fifth but walked a pair of Guardians in the sixth. Will Venable turned to Sean Newcomb, who promptly allowed a go-ahead three-run homer to Petey Halpin, who entered the game just 1-for-35 in his career against left-handers. Halpin's homer proved to be the fatal blow, and the White Sox dropped the final game in Cleveland, marking a massively disappointing ending to what started as a promising series for the White Sox. 

The White Sox still control their own destiny in the central with 10 games to play

Both the White Sox and Guardians have three series remaining. For the White Sox, a four-game set against the Detroit Tigers begins Thursday night. The team will have their final off-day of the season on Monday before their final road series in Kansas City. They’ll then head home to face the Rockies to close out the 2026 regular season. The Guardians will have an off-day on Thursday and remain at home to take on the AL-worst Athletics in a three-game series. They will also have their final off-day of the year on Monday before heading out on a six-game road trip to Boston and Kansas City to end the season. 

With one more game than the Guardians and the tiebreaker locked up, the White Sox control their own destiny in the division. If they win all of their final ten games, they’ll be the AL central champion. With the way they’ve been playing over the past couple weeks, that outcome feels highly unlikely, but the point remains the same. The White Sox simply need to match the Guardians record over the season’s final stretch and they’ll still win the division. At the same time, the Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays are creeping closer and closer in the wild card race. A Postseason berth seemed like a virtual lock just a few weeks ago, but it’s very much in doubt now. 

The White Sox have a favorable schedule for their final ten games, but these will not be automatic wins. They’re going to have to play a much stronger brand of baseball than they have over the past month if they want to play October baseball. Hopefully, they boys are up to the task.

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