Guardians Stun White Sox 9-5, Even ALDS Behind Six-Run Sixth

The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Thursday at Rate Field, turning a 2-1 ALDS lead into a 2-2 deadlock behind a six-run sixth inning. The loss snapped Chicago's chance to clinch the series at home and pushed the matchup to a winner-take-all Game 5.

Our premium pick: LOSS. We played the White Sox moneyline, and it never looked right. Hagen Smith lasted just 0.2 innings, walking three and recording zero strikeouts before the bullpen inherited traffic it couldn't strand. Chicago's 2-1 series edge was the story we sold; Cleveland's bats made it irrelevant.

Run line, White Sox +1.5: LOSS. A four-run margin buried the cushion early.

Total, Under: LOSS. Two starters with strong season numbers pointed under. Instead, Cleveland hung nine runs on the board and the game sailed past the number.

Props: Munetaka Murakami over 0.50 walks cashed — two walks against a lefty, exactly the split-driven free-pass profile we highlighted. Angel Martínez under 0.50 hits also won: 0-for-3 with one strikeout, another same-handed fade that held. Randal Grichuk over 0.50 hits lost; he went 0-for-2 with a strikeout against the lefty he'd torched all year.

The takeaway: Smith's 28-inning sample was always going to be volatile, and a control meltdown in an elimination-adjacent spot is the risk that small samples hide. The platoon props held up, but backing a rookie starter's command in a playoff game is a different bet than backing his ERA. Next time, the walk rate matters more than the highlight reel.