The Cleveland Guardians ran into a White Sox lineup that refused to go away Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field, falling 7-6 in a back-and-forth slugfest that saw the two AL Central rivals split their four-game series. Cleveland had won the first two games of the set in dramatic walk-off fashion, but this time the offense could not complete another rally against a Chicago team that answered every Guardians punch with one of its own.
The loss dropped Cleveland to 47-44 on the season and one game behind the White Sox in the division race, while Chicago improved to 4-3 against the Guardians this year.
“Hitting the road,” Guardians posted.
Hitting the road.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/woPXj2cqWV
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 5, 2026
Tanner Bibee came into the start fresh off a dominant June in which he posted a 1.89 ERA, but he never found his footing against a White Sox lineup that punished mistakes all afternoon. Bibee, who entered the day 4-0 in six career starts against Chicago, lasted only four innings while allowing six runs on six hits.
Cleveland’s offense kept firing back all afternoon. Chase DeLauter had an early two-run homer into the right field seats, his eighth of the season and his first since May 17, continuing a torrid stretch since returning from the injured list on June 28 in which he has hit .353 with seven RBI. Kyle Manzardo later walked and scored on a Daniel Schneemann RBI single that briefly gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead before Chicago answered with four straight runs.
Chase DeLauter launches a game-tying blast 💥 pic.twitter.com/Da1sq5eSGM
— MLB (@MLB) July 5, 2026
The biggest swing of the afternoon came in the fifth inning. DeLauter singled for his second hit of the game and Manzardo reached when Montgomery misplayed a ground ball at shortstop, setting the stage for Gabriel Arias to demolish the first pitch into the left field bleachers. The three-run blast, Arias’ seventh homer of the season, tied the game at 6-6 and stood as the longest home run of his career. Chicago had one final response in the sixth, loading the bases against Colin Holderman before eventually pushing across the go-ahead run on a grounder that Manzardo could not turn into a play at the plate in time.
The Guardians will now get a day off before opening a three-game series in Minnesota on Tuesday, sending left-hander Joey Cantillo to the mound against Twins right-hander Taj Bradley.
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