Guardians, White Sox Close Series With Cecconi on the Mound

Slade Cecconi, who came within six outs of a no-hitter in his previous outing, will take the mound for the Cleveland Guardians on Sunday as they wrap up a three-game series against the Chicago White Sox.

Chicago will counter with right-hander Yoendrys Gomez (3-2, 5.05 ERA), while Cecconi enters the matchup at 6-6 with a 4.45 ERA. The contest also marks the end of Cleveland’s seven-game homestand.

Cleveland’s Playoff Push

The Guardians (77-71) remain firmly in the American League wild-card hunt, sitting just 3 1/2 games behind the final postseason spot. Their recent surge — eight wins in the past nine games — has been fueled by strong starting pitching, even after trading former ace Shane Bieber to Toronto.

On Saturday, rookie Parker Messick improved to 3-0 with a 1.84 ERA across five career starts, tossing six innings of one-run ball in Cleveland’s 3-1 victory.

“Before the game, the guys said they would take seven shutout innings from me,” Messick said. “I joked that the standard is almost eight or nine shutout innings now, but I would try my best.”

Since shifting to a six-man rotation on Sept. 3, Cleveland pitchers have gone 9-2 with a league-best 1.56 ERA over 98 innings. All nine wins have come when the staff allowed fewer than four runs.

Cecconi’s Challenge

Cecconi has struggled in past matchups with the White Sox, allowing five runs in three innings in an Aug. 10 loss. Still, his recent eight-inning, one-hit gem against Kansas City highlighted his potential. That outing was part of a stretch in which he is 1-2 with a 5.19 ERA over nine starts.

Messick praised the staff’s ability to adapt: “You’re not going to have your best stuff every time out there, so it’s our job to adjust. It’s like they say, everyone has a plan until you get punched in the mouth. Different guys have different plans, so you’ve got to adjust.”

White Sox Look to Rebound

The White Sox (57-92) had been on a high note, winning nine of 11 before arriving in Cleveland. That stretch left them 25-25 since the All-Star break, giving hope they can avoid another 100-loss season. But two straight defeats to the Guardians have slowed their momentum.

In those games, Chicago has been outscored 7-1 while managing only 10 hits. Lenyn Sosa drove in their only run Saturday, but the White Sox fell to Cleveland for the 10th time in 12 meetings this year.

Manager Will Venable acknowledged the grind his young players are facing.
“We understand this is the longest season that most of our guys have ever played,” he said. “Their bodies hurt in ways they haven’t experienced before. It’s another thing they need to go through in getting used to being a major leaguer.”

One exception has been rookie leadoff hitter Chase Meidroth, who is riding a nine-game hitting streak with a .484 average. His 107 hits are the most by a White Sox rookie since Eloy Jimenez in 2019.

Gomez’s Second Look at Cleveland

Gomez has pitched for three teams this year, including the Yankees, with whom he threw three innings of one-run relief against Cleveland on April 21. That remains his only career appearance against the Guardians.