Miguel Vargas hopes he is heating up as the Chicago White Sox continue their series against the host Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday.
The White Sox third baseman slugged his 31st home run on Monday, a two-run shot during a decisive six-run sixth inning as Chicago won 7-3 in the opener of a three-game set.
It was only Vargas’ second extra-base hit since Aug. 21, but it helped the White Sox (77-73) clinch the season-series tiebreaker over the Guardians (76-75). First-place Chicago has a 1 1/2-game lead over second-place Cleveland in the American League Central.
“I haven’t done that (homered) for a long time,” Vargas said. “It’s great to have that (feeling) back. We haven’t played the best baseball lately, but we’ve stuck with it.”
Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said of the White Sox’s big inning, “They have a really good offense. When you have a really good offense, the game isn’t over until you get that 27th out.”
White Sox manager Will Venable is embracing his team’s opportunity to be involved in meaningful games down the stretch.
“This is what you signed up for and why the season is so special,” Venable said prior to the Monday game. “I’m pretty sure no one thought we were going to be in this position. We’re going to go out there, let it all hang out and try to win some baseball games.”
Even with the series-opening setback, Vogt believes the Guardians are prepared for the stretch run.
“This team is not going to get down about one loss,” Vogt said. “We have two more in this series. We know what we are up against. We know it’s an 11-game sprint to the finish.”
Cleveland will wait to see if left fielder Angel Martinez is available for the Tuesday game. After an awkward check swing in the seventh inning, Martinez grabbed his side.
He later struck out swinging and exited the game when the Guardians returned to the field on defense.
“We pulled Angel out of precaution,” Vogt said. “He’s got some right side soreness.”
Left-hander Davis Martin (9-7, 4.05 ERA) is scheduled to start for the White Sox on Tuesday. He took a 4-2 home loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, giving up one run on four hits and two walks while striking out one over five innings.
In six career starts against Cleveland, Martin has struggled, going 1-3 with a 6.56 ERA. In two outings vs. the Guardians this year, he has no decisions and a 6.23 ERA.
Venable wants the White Sox’s pitching staff to be aggressive against the Guardians’ lineup.
“You have to attack the zone against these guys,” Venable said. “That’s the number one thing. You can’t walk them.”
The Guardians are set to counter with left-hander Foster Griffin (15-5, 3.65), who is tied for third in the majors in wins. In his latest outing, a 9-5 loss at Baltimore on Wednesday, Griffin was roughed up for eight runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out four in 2 1/3 innings.
Griffin tossed a gem in his only career start against the White Sox when he was a member of the Washington Nationals on April 26. He fired seven shutout innings but wound up with a no-decision, allowing two hits and two walks while striking out eight.
–Field Level Media
