Chicago White Sox are in a dire situation — 6 games back with 13 to play — after an 8-2 loss to the Cleveland Guardians

A fan yelled, “Urgency,” after Amed Rosario beat Chicago White Sox third baseman Yoán Moncada’s throw to first in the first inning Wednesday.

The Cleveland Guardians had it on display.

The Sox did not play up to that level and find themselves in a dire situation after an 8-2 loss in front of 22,606 at Guaranteed Rate Field.

It was a tough evening defensively for Moncada, who was charged with an error during the Guardians’ two-run first. And it was an uninspiring performance all around for the Sox, who fell to six games behind the Guardians in the American League Central with 13 games remaining. Cleveland’s magic number to clinch the division is seven.

The Sox have lost the first two of a critical three-game series.

Tuesday’s game was a hard-fought 10-7 defeat in 11 innings. Wednesday’s didn’t feature that same intensity early.

The Sox nearly got out of a bases-loaded situation in the first when Oscar Gonzalez hit a grounder to third. Moncada stepped on the bag but didn’t make a clean throw to first while trying to complete a double play. Steven Kwan scored on the play, while Josh Naylor advanced to third on the throwing error.

Naylor scored on Andrés Giménez’s infield hit on a ball Moncada couldn’t field cleanly.

Moncada narrowly avoided a collision with left fielder Andrew Vaughn on a Naylor pop-up to begin the third. Vaughn didn’t make the catch and was charged with an error.

Naylor scored on a Giménez single, the first of three Guardians runs in the inning.

Kwan hit a solo homer in the fourth against Sox starter Lance Lynn, making it 6-0. Lynn allowed six runs, three earned, on nine hits with three strikeouts and a walk in six innings.

Naylor added a two-run homer off José Ruiz in the seventh.

Moncada homered in the fourth and Gavin Sheets had an RBI single in the seventh for the Sox. Otherwise, Guardians starter Triston McKenzie was in control, allowing two runs on six hits with 13 strikeouts and two walks in eight innings.

The Sox will try to salvage the series finale Thursday with Johnny Cueto starting against Shane Bieber.

()

Source: Berkshire mont