Once again, the Chicago White Sox are facing the Cleveland Guardians in a pivotal series. This time, it's a playoff series, and the winner plays for the American League pennant.
There are a few things the White Sox need to do to get past the Guardians. The Sox were 7-6 in the season series, and most of the games were tight. Chicago did get walked off three times, including in the second game of the last regular-season series. That walk-off on a Brayan Rocchio double that was nearly caught by Sox left fielder Sam Antonacci probably was the reason the Guardians caught the White Sox in the division race and ultimately won the AL Central.
The Sox will be looking for revenge, and Guardians players were heard talking some mess about Chicago when they celebrated their division win. Sox fans, and presumably Sox players, are upset that the Sox swooned in September and allowed a red-hot Cleveland team (24-10 over the final 34, 9-1 over the final 10) to take the divison yet again. That could lead to a fired-up Sox team -- either way, there is no love lost.
Anyway, with the setup out of the way, here's what Chicago needs to do to advance.
Hit Like They Did In Houston
The White Sox were patient and disciplined at the plate, and they strung together hits and put balls in play. They reduced the amount of times they chased pitches. They still struck out more than I'd like, but the offensive approach was good. Balls hit hard in play found holes and caused some Houston misplays that led to runs. A team that's often dependent on slug scored 13 runs in two days with just two home runs. That's a balance approached that they'll need.
Keep The Pressure Up
The one flaw in the Houston series is that the Sox failed to do even more damage at times. If they're up 4-0 and the bases are loaded, the offense needs to keep rolling instead of hitting into a double play. There's no such thing as scoring too many runs.
Score Early, Preferably First
The Sox scored in the top half of the first inning each game in Houston. While the Sox don't need to do this to win, it can't hurt. It will give the hitters confidence, give the pitchers a little more margin for error, and silence a hostile crowd in the first two games in Cleveland.
Attack The Strike Zone
Walks are always killers, but Cleveland especially has made Chicago pay. The Rocchio walk-off, for example, would've merely tied the game had a hitter not walked ahead of him. Sox pitchers need to avoid nibbling.
Slow Kwan And Ramirez
Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez are the two best hitters the Guardians have. Ramirez is a slugger, while Kwan tends to hit his way onto base. If the Sox can keep Kwan off base and keep Ramirez from doing serious damage, the way they held down Jose Altuve and Yordan Alvarez in Houston, they'll be in good shape. Yes, they still need to avoid letting other Guardians like Rocchio hurt them, but that's easier to do if the top two hitters are being held at bay.
Tighten The Defense
The Sox actually weren't too bad defensively in Houston, save for a Game 1 error that lead to a run and made the final innings a bit more stressful. But Cleveland will take advantage of mistakes. The Guardians play smart, which is why a team with hitting that wasn't fearsome all year (except in September) was able to get so hot down the stretch.
Remember That It's October
September is over. The Guardians hot streak might cool off. The Sox swoon is in the past -- and Chicago did win 7 of its final 10 (albeit against bad teams). Whatever happened in September no longer matters. It's a best of five series that starts with each team having a 0-0 record. Yes, the Sox might want to use slipping to the wild card as fuel, but there's no reason to let losing two of three in Cleveland in the last matchup come to their minds. Focus on the now and the Sox will be OK.
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