CHICAGO — Jo Adell had a bases-clearing triple among his two hits, Jose Ramirez added two hits and two RBIs, and seven pitchers tallied 19 strikeouts as the Cleveland Guardians defeated the Chicago White Sox 9-3 on Wednesday in Game 3 to stay alive in their American League Division Series.
Cleveland avoided elimination behind an 11-hit attack that eclipsed the seven hits the Guardians collected in the first two games of the series.
Chicago leads the best-of-five ALDS 2-1 but missed an opportunity to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since the 1906 World Series. The White Sox went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Game 4 is Thursday in Chicago.
Guardians closer Cade Smith had five strikeouts while working the final two innings. Foster Griffin struck out seven in 2 2/3 innings and Tim Herrin fanned the side in a perfect seventh. Chicago’s Munetaka Murakami, Tristan Peters and Colson Montgomery each had three strikeouts and four other White Sox whiffed twice.
Ramirez doubled in the fifth for his first hit of the series and contributed a sparkling defensive play in the sixth. With the bases loaded and a run in, Chicago’s Miguel Vargas smashed a two-out liner to third on a 3-2 pitch. Ramirez dove to his left to snare the drive and preserve a 5-3 lead.
Ramirez’s two-run triple in the eighth put the game away before a raucous crowd of 40,590, most of whom were hoping to see the resurgent White Sox advance to the American League Championship Series after three consecutive 100-loss seasons.
White Sox opener Sean Newcomb retired the side on 10 pitches in the first and faced the minimum in the second after Nathaniel Lowe lined into a double play at third base.
Playing at Rate Field for the first time since the regular-season finale Sept. 27, the White Sox scored a first-inning run on Kyle Teel’s RBI double.
Chicago appeared to have Guardians opener Daniel Espino on the ropes but Cleveland stranded two runners in scoring position to end the inning. Espino struck out Chase Meidroth before yielding to Foster Griffin, who caught Peters looking.
Griffin (1-0) helped Cleveland flip the script on Chicago’s early postseason mastery of bullpen games. The left-hander recorded seven of his eight outs via strikeout while allowing one run and two hits in 2 2/3 innings.
Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio had two hits apiece for the Guardians.
Hudson (1-1) took the loss as White Sox pitching issued 10 walks.
