It’s safe to **** ume the White Sox and Guardians will spend the next few months battling each other for the top spot in the American League Central. The Sox came out ahead in the first meeting between the two teams, taking the first two games of this week’s three-game series.
In all, the games were decided by a total margin of three runs. A 6-5 walk-off win on Monday, holding tight to a 2-1 victory Tuesday, and then staging a ninth-inning rally to tie Wednesday’s game before falling short in extras, 4-3. Nothing about the series was easy or simple, and at no point did the White Sox seem unable to compete.
That’s probably indicative of how these matchups are going to go until the season ends.
“It was a great series,” manager Will Venable said. “To be able to win a series against these guys means a lot. At the same time, we were challenged a lot throughout this series and some things that we can grow from and learn from. Some things we’ve got to clean up.”
What hurt the White Sox most on Wednesday was stranding runners in scoring position. They went 0-for-9, and the majority of those run-scoring opportunities came in the last three innings of the game. In the tenth, the Sox had the bases loaded with just one out, but Chase Meidroth’s ground ball turned into a force out at home, and then Braden Montgomery grounded out to first base to end the game.

The White Sox waited until the last minute to tee off on Cleveland closer Cade Smith in the ninth inning once more, but could not convert a run with the bases loaded in the 10th, falling 4-3. As if to indicate dismay with leaving an attainable sweep on the table, the rain that initially delayed today’s contest almost three hours) started pouring. As a result, the two teams are again tied for first.
Both teams experienced traffic on the basepaths in the second, Erick Fedde with back-to-back walks, and Tanner Bibee with a hit-by-pitch and single. Both pitchers escaped their jams to leave it knotted at zero. The White Sox would again put two runners on in the third with singles from Sam Antonacci and Miguel Vargas, but the pair were left stranded when Andrew Benintendi hit into a fielder’s choice.
A single, an error, and a walk would load the bases for Cleveland in the top of the sixth, with no outs. Kahlil Watson singled on a line drive straight to Antonacci, whose throw to Kyle Teel in an attempt to cut down the second runner out at home short-hopped the catcher. That was all for Fedde, and surprisingly Brandon Eisert inherited two runners on and one out and was able to stun batters for back-to-back strikeouts, escaping the jam.
In the seventh, Teel got his first hit since coming back two days ago, and Colson Montgomery helped out with a double. With ducks on the pond a sac fly from Braden Montgomery sent Teel home, making it 2-1. Randal Grichuk came off the bench, but with that move, the Guardians went back to their bullpen to replace lefty reliever Erik Sabrowski. Grichuk launched a ball to center, but with a diving catch, Steven Kwan ended the rally.
Joe Rock came on to pitch in the Chicago eighth and struggled with his command. Petey Halpin started Rock’s outing with a single, and Kyle Manzardo walked. Rock was able to get a strikeout and a fly out, but walked Daniel Schneemann to load the bases and then walked in a run to keep the bases loaded for Kwan. Thankfully, Kwan has been struggling and left the bases loaded after going down swinging.

CHICAGO (AP) — Khalil Watson singled in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning for his third RBI of the day, and the Cleveland Guardians survived a ninth-inning collapse to beat the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Wednesday.
In a game delayed by rain at the start for 2 hours, 40 minutes, Watson singled to left off Grant Taylor (2-1) to score automatic runner Petey Halpin from third and help Cleveland tie Chicago for the AL Central lead.
Braden Montgomery and Randal Grichuk homered off majors saves leader Cade Smith with two outs in the ninth to tie it for Chicago. Smith had two of his three blown saves this season in this series.
Shawn Armstrong (2-1) got the final out of the ninth and pitched out of a bases-loaded jam in the 10th.
Guardians starter Tanner Bibee threw six shutout innings, scattering three hits to extend his streak of scoreless innings against the White Sox to 15.

Editor's note: Wednesday's game between the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox at Rate Field in Chicago is being delayed by rain. We will update with more information as it becomes available.
Fueled by successive one-run victories over the rival Cleveland Guardians, the Chicago White Sox have won nine consecutive home series.
On Wednesday afternoon, June 24, Chicago will try for a sweep in an American League Central showdown that has seen the team grab a one-game division lead over Cleveland.
The White Sox have won 22 of their past 26 games at Rate Field entering the finale of a three-game series.
"The fans, you know," Chicago manager Will Venable said of the crowds, which have averaged 26,017 in the first two games of the series. "These guys respond to our fans, who are coming out and just doing a great job of giving them energy, and we've seen it every night we've been here."

Miguel Vargas hit a go-ahead solo home run in the sixth inning and Sean Burke pitched effectively into the seventh as the Chicago White Sox edged the visiting Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Tuesday.
Chicago secured a series victory against Cleveland while taking a one-game lead on the Guardians atop the American League Central. Cleveland came to town with a one-game edge in the division.
Left-hander Parker Messick delivered 7 2/3 innings of two-run ball, but the Guardians were unable to support him, losing for the fourth time in five games.
Kahlil Watson and Austin Hedges contributed two hits apiece to help the Guardians out-hit the White Sox 6-3. But Chicago benefited from a timely attack, with no moment more clutch than Vargas' at-bat leading off the sixth.

The White Sox are back at Rate Field after an abysmal road series (losing six of seven) that pushed them back to second place in the American League Central. Facing two divisional rivals this week, the White Sox have a chance to move past the Guardians again, but the next two series are do-or-die and could prove whether or not this team is legitimate or falling apart at the seams.
Thankfully, we have some good news: Kyle Teel is back! With his return, though, comes a sacrifice to the baseball Gods, meaning Edgar Quero has been optioned to Triple-A Charlotte. Teel has been mashing in Charlotte, finishing with a line of .500/.529/.750 in 16 at-bats with the Knights. Quero, on the other hand, has been struggling both behind the plate and at the plate.
Anthony Kay (6-2) is on the mound tonight with Kyle Teel behind the plate and batting third. Kay will look to bring his ERA back down after a rough few starts recently. The rest of the lineup is consistent with what we've seen for the past two weeks, so not a lot of surprises.
Gavin Williams will start for the Guardians. Williams is 9-4 with a 3.83 ERA and is sitting at 103 strikeouts on the season so far.
First pitch is 6:40 p.m. CT. You can watch the game on CHSN or listen on ESPN Chicago 1000.

Fantasy managers will be treated to a deep list of two-start options this week. Even without an obvious headliner, there are at least five pitchers who warrant strong consideration and a few others who make sense in the right situation. On the hitting side, the Red Sox and Mets should meet the needs of anyone who is looking for immediate help.
Zebby Matthews, Twins, 15% (vs. LAD, vs. COL): Matthews has logged a 4.78 ERA that has been heavily influenced by a pair of 7-run disasters. The 26-year-old has notched a quality start in each of his other five appearances, and his 34:9 K:BB ratio is an impressive mark. Homer prevention has been the main problem for Matthews, both this season (1.7 HR/9 rate) and throughout his brief career. If he can survive a start against the high-scoring Dodgers at the outset of the week, he could thrive against a Rockies offense that typically struggles on the road.
Andre Pallante, Cardinals, 42% (vs. ARI, vs. MIA): Pallante has always ranked among the league leaders in groundball rate, and is showing some skill improvements this year by producing a career-best 19.3% strikeout rate. Because he gives up plenty of contact, the right-hander will always be a weak option in the WHIP category. But he has become a serviceable innings eater on a team that has played better than expected, which makes him a viable option in 12-team leagues for two home starts this week.
Anthony Kay, White Sox, 13% (vs. CLE, vs. KC): Although he struggled in a tough matchup at Yankee Stadium last time out (4 IP, 4 ER), Kay has produced respectable results (3.77 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 40:14 K:BB ratio) in nine starts since the calendar flipped to May. The southpaw finished six innings just twice this season, and the combination of a poor 7.0 K/9 ratio and inability to work deep into games gives him a low ceiling. That being said, he has favorable matchups this week, especially with the Guardians working without José Ramírez.
Mitch Keller, Pirates, 31% (vs. SEA, vs. CIN): Keller is having a disappointing season that includes his worst ERA since 2021 and worst WHIP since 2022. While the right-hander must take responsibility for a small drop in his strikeout rate, the biggest reason for his struggles is a 63.1% strand rate that is the second-worst mark among qualified pitchers. Keller won't make the cut in many leagues this week due to his bust potential, but with two starts at his pitcher-friendly home park, he is a better option than many will realize.

The Cleveland Guardians drop both this series and the season series against the Houston Astros in another one run loss. Slade Cecconi fell to 3-6 with today's loss. Both Astro's runs came off of Cecconi in his 6.0 innings of work. Yordan Alvarez hit a home run in his first at bat in the first inning. In the bottom of the fourth, things got dicey for Cecconi. He allowed a lead off walk and back-to-back singles to account for the second Houston run. He got out of the inning and worked two more relatively calm innings, earning himself a quality start.
Colin Holderman and Hunter Gaddis both pitched clean innings of relief, both striking out one. Hunter Gaddis did give up a single, but otherwise had a solid outing.
The Guardians offense only recorded four hits and two walks the entire game. Bazzana continued to solidify his position as the lead off hitter with a lead off single on the third pitch of the game. Brayan Rocchio hit a one-out single to follow Bazz's hit and both runners advanced on a wild pitch. However, with two-outs, both runners were left in scoring position.
In the top of the fifth, Petey Halpin hit a one-out triple to get into scoring position as the batting order turned over to the top.
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HOUSTON (AP) — Yordan Alvarez hit his American League-leading 25th home run, Kai-Wei Teng threw six solid innings and the Houston Astros beat the Cleveland Guardians 2-1 on Sunday.
Alvarez hit a solo shot to right-center off Slade Cecconi in the first inning. It was his first home run since he hit two at Kansas City on June 12, snapping a streak of seven games without a homer.
Isaac Paredes, who had three hits, had an RBI single in the fourth, but the Guardians cut the lead to 2-1 in the fifth on an groundout by Travis Bazzana that drove in Petey Halpin, who had tripled.
Teng (4-6) yielded one run and four hits with four strikeouts to snap a three-start losing streak. Teng had allowed at least three runs in each of his previous four starts.
Steven Okert pitched a scoreless seventh, Bryan King threw a perfect eighth and Josh Hader pitched the ninth for his fifth save.

TODAY’S GAME: The Houston Astros (36-42), who have won three of their last four series, will play the rubber game of their three-game set with the Cleveland Guardians (41-36) today in a Father’s Day matinee at Daikin Park.
RHP Kai-Wei Teng (3-6, 4.31 ERA), who tossed 2.2 scoreless innings against the Guardians back in April, will get the start for the Astros today opposite RHP Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.60 ERA) and the Guardians.
MY WAY OR THE KAI-WEI: RHP Kai-Wei Teng has split his season between the bullpen (13g) and rotation (8 starts), posting a 4.31 ERA (26ER/54.1IP) and a .232 opponent average with 58 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched.
Teng is new to the Astros, as he was acquired from the Giants this offseason in exchange for minor leaguer C Jancel Villarroel.
A native of Taiwan, Teng is the second Taiwanese-born player to appear with the Astros in their history, joining RHP Chia Jen-Lo, who made 19 relief appearances with the Astros in 2013.

Travis Bazzana recorded his first career four-hit game and first multi-homer game while Joey Cantillo worked a career-high-tying eight innings as the visiting Cleveland Guardians rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Saturday, June 20.
Bazzana finished 4-for-4 with three runs and five RBIs — also a single-game best. The former first overall draft pick homered in the first and fifth innings and carried the offense alongside Kyle Manzardo, who finished 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBIs.
Cantillo (6-3) logged more than six innings for the first time this season en route to his third quality start. Cantillo allowed one run on four hits and struck out a season-high-tying nine batters.
Bazzana started the scoring with haste, drilling the first pitch of the game from Astros right-hander Spencer Arrighetti (7-3) out to right-center field. Bazzana spotted the Guardians a 1-0 lead with his second career leadoff home run and sixth homer of the season.
Arrighetti appeared to settle down after the Bazzana blast and retired six batters in a row. But even after receiving some help from his defense in the third, Arrighetti faltered that inning.

Spencer Arrighetti’s (L, 7-3) May dominance has been followed by significant June struggles, and tonight was no exception.
Arrighetti’s first pitch of the game was drilled out to right center for a solo homer by Travis Bazzana to give the Guardians a 1-0 lead.
Houston tied the game in the bottom of the second. Back-to-back singles by Isaac Paredes and Jose Altuve to open the frame gave the Astros runners on 1st & 2nd with no outs. Yainer Diaz followed with an RBI single scoring Paredes, with Altuve advancing to third. Houston could do no more damage that inning, however, as Cam Smith flew to shallow left and both Jake Meyers and Brice Matthews struck out to end the inning.
Missing out on that kind of opportunity to have a big inning would immediately come back to haunt the Astros.
In the top of the 3rd, Kyle Manzardo hit a 2-run homer of a 91.6 MPH four-seam fastball from Arrighetti to give the Guardians a 3-1 lead.

Astros' 3X Gold Glove first baseman is 'perfect fit' for Guardians originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Cleveland Guardians will be without an MVP-caliber hitter for several weeks.
Third baseman Jose Ramirez underwent surgery to repair a broken hamate bone. Ramirez is the clear leader of Cleveland's offense. Who will step up in his absence?
The Guardians could also search for offensive upgrades at the trade deadline. The Athletic's Jim Bowden wrote Thursday that the front office will also look to add at least one power bat.
"The Guardians ideally need another impact power bat with first base or designated hitter the most logical spots," Bowden wrote. "If the Astros decide to trade first baseman Christian Walker, Cleveland would be the perfect fit in a deal."

The Milwaukee Brewers are looking for a sweep of the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday afternoon, as they’ll also look to lock up a 5-1 homestand against the Phillies and Guards.
After a closely fought 2-1 win in Tuesday’s series opener, the Brewer bats came alive last night to win 9-4 against Cleveland ace Gavin Williams. They’ll try to keep things rolling today in a matchup of rookie southpaws, with Shane Drohan getting the start opposite the Guardians’ Parker Messick.
Drohan, 27, is making his fifth start of the season and fourth consecutive appearance from the rotation. In those last three outings, he’s totaled 15 1/3 innings against the Giants, Rockies, and Phillies, allowing nine runs on 17 hits and three walks while striking out 16 in a pair of blowout victories and a high-scoring loss. For the season, he has a 3.59 ERA, 2.72 FIP, and 44 strikeouts over 42 2/3 innings.
Messick, 25, was a second-round pick in 2022 out of Florida State. He debuted last August but held rookie status through this season. His stats in 2025 and 2026 are nearly identical, so I’ll summarize them as a whole: over 21 career starts, he has a 2.69 ERA, 3.21 FIP, and 120 strikeouts across 120 1/3 innings, totaling 3.7 bWAR. He’s coming off a pair of losses, though, as he allowed eight runs (seven earned) on 10 hits and four walks over 11 1/3 innings in losses to the Rangers and Yankees. He struck out four batters in both of those outings.
In some negative injury news, we’ve learned that Quinn Priester, who has missed the entire season while dealing with thoracic outlet syndrome, has opted for “season-ending first rib removal surgery,” that will keep him out eight to 10 months until he’s fully healthy. Priester has had multiple rehab stints in the last two months, but he’s struggled with command, with a 15.75 ERA on 24 walks and 22 hits over just 16 innings over eight appearances. Here’s what he had to say about the injury:

The Milwaukee Brewers had the lead right from the jump and never gave it up as they cruised to a 9-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians and have a chance to sweep tomorrow.
Christian Yelich led this game off with an opposite field home run off Gavin Williams, taking a curve ball down and away to the Brewers bullpen for a 1-0 lead. They weren’t done in that first inning, however. William Contreras and Jake Bauers drew two out walks and Sal Frelick drove them both home with a booming double to right-center.
Then in the 2nd, Cooper Pratt delivered the first hit of his major league career, shooting a single through the right side of the infield.
“I heard the crowd and it was sick” Pratt said postgame as he retold the story of his first career hit.
David Hamilton would bunt Pratt over, then Yelich would drive him in with a single to left center. Yelich would later score on a Brice Turang double and very quickly it was 5-0 Brewers after two innings.

Jackson Chourio and Christian Yelich homered as the Milwaukee Brewers downed the visiting Cleveland Guardians 9-4 on Wednesday, June 17.
Milwaukee jumped out to a 5-0 lead, with three runs in the first inning and two in the second before Daniel Schneemann brought the Guardians within one by hitting a grand slam in the fourth off Brandon Sproat.
Chourio answered in the bottom half with a two-run homer off Gavin Williams (9-4) to put the Brewers up 7-4. The homer was Chourio's sixth in his past seven games and his 10th of the year.
Milwaukee's highly touted shortstop prospect Cooper Pratt, who recently signed an eight-year, $50.75 million contract, produced his first career hit in the second inning and added an RBI single in the eighth that made it 9-4. Pratt went 0-for-3 in his debut on June 16.
The NL Central-leading Brewers moved a season-high 19 games above .500 with their third win in a row and second straight to open the three-game series.

The White Sox owe the Guardians a fruit basket because after another Bronx beatdown, Chicago is barely clinging to first. The Sox got thumped, dropping to 38-34 and torching their positive run differential on the way out.
The night started with some promise. Miguel Vargas, still glowing from his MLB Network cameo with Mark DeRosa, ripped a two-out double in the first.
Then Colson Montgomery battled for 12 pitches, only to pop out. Cue the Yankees: Anthony Kay got two quick outs, then Amed Rosario doubled, and Cody Bellinger smashed a two-run shot to right-center. Just like that, 2-0 hole.
The Sox had their shots, but the clutch hits never came. In the second, Everson Pereira drew a leadoff walk and Edgar Quero singled, only to watch Braden Montgomery bounce into a rally-killing double play. Meanwhile, Kay continued struggling with his command. José Caballero reached after being hit by a pitch in the second, Anthony Volpe tripled him home, and Ali Sánchez added an RBI single, and suddenly it’s 4-0 Yankees. Kay burned through 52 pitches just to escape two innings.
Finally, some life in the third. Chase Meidroth and Randal Grichuk singled, then Colson yanked a pitch from Carlos Rodón into the short porch for a three-run bomb. Suddenly it’s 4-3.

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Christian Yelich and Jackson Chourio homered and the Milwaukee Brewers scored seven runs in the first four innings in a 9-4 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Wednesday night.
Chourio's two-run shot in the fourth gave him six homers in his last seven games.
One night after making his major league debut, Milwaukee's Cooper Pratt got his first hit and scored his first run in the second inning. Pratt also singled home a run in the eighth for his first RBI.
Cleveland wasted a grand slam from Daniel Schneemann as Gavin Williams (9-4) allowed a career-high seven earned runs in five innings. Williams had given up seven runs just once before, in a 9-3 loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers on Aug. 24, 2023. Only five of the runs were earned in that 2023 appearance.
Williams was bidding for his 10th win of the season, which would have enabled him to match Milwaukee's Aaron Ashby for the major league lead.

The Yankees take the field tonight looking to make it two straight over the White Sox following last night’s 12-2 shellacking of Chicago.
New York (44-27) pounded out 16 hits and four home runs, breaking the game open with a four-run third and a six-run fourth inning that effectively buried Chicago (38-33) early. Spencer Jones sparked the offense with a home run and a bases-loaded walk, while Ben Rice (20th HR) and Paul Goldschmidt each launched two-run shots during the decisive fourth inning. Cody Bellinger added a key two-run single and finished with three hits as the lineup produced from top to bottom. On the mound, Gerrit Cole delivered a steady outing, allowing just three hits and two runs over six innings. Chicago’s Davis Martin was knocked out early after surrendering nine runs in 3⅓ innings, as the game got away from the Sox early.
Game 2 of this series features a left-handed duel between the Yankees’ Carlos Rodón and Anthony Kay for Chicago. Rodón has been strong especially of late since returning from the disabled list on May 10. Kay, meanwhile, is 6-1 this season with the bulk of his 4.34 ERA was earned in one start back on June 5 when he allowed six runs to the Phillies in his only loss of the season.
New York is the class of the American League. Full stop. They lead the AL East by 2.5 games over Tampa Bay. Despite the loss last night, the White Sox continue to be the most surprising team in all of baseball. They are now tied for first in the AL Central with the Cleveland Guardians.
The Yankees improved to 20-12 at home while the Sox fell to 14-21 on the road.

The 96th edition of the MLB All-Star Game is right around the corner, and the league’s biggest stars as well as some surprise candidates are making their final pushes toward earning invitations to Philadelphia next month. Not only do we have nearly three months of performance to inform which players warrant a roster spot, but we also have our first round of fan voting results showing which players are in the mix to start on July 14 at Citizens Bank Park.
Our latest power rankings look at players on each team who could be first-time All-Stars this year. These are often some of the best stories during All-Star week, whether they are ascendent young talents appearing in their first of many Midsummer Classics or veterans finally getting their first invite later in their careers. There won’t be room for all of them on the leagues’ stacked rosters, but here are some names to look for as potential first-timers.
AL East: Yankees | Rays | Blue Jays | Orioles | Red Sox
AL Central: White Sox | Guardians | Twins | Tigers | Royals
AL West: Mariners | Athletics | Rangers | Astros | Angels

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Cooper Pratt has reached the major leagues 2 ½ months after the Milwaukee Brewers signed the shortstop prospect to an eight-year, $50.75 million contract.
The Brewers called the 21-year-old Pratt up from Triple-A Nashville on Tuesday before opening a three-game series with the Cleveland Guardians. They made room for Pratt by designating third baseman Luis Rengifo for ***** ignment.
Brewers officials showed their faith in Pratt when they signed him on April 3 to an eight-year deal that includes club options for 2034 and 2035. The $50.75 million contract includes escalators that could raise the value by $10 million if he repeatedly finishes high in MVP voting and the team exercises those two options.
Pratt won a Gold Glove as the top shortstop in the minor leagues in 2024 and has continued to play outstanding defense ever since. His hitting is more of a work in progress.
Pratt was hitting .241 with a .349 on-base percentage, six homers, 32 RBIs and 17 steals in 58 games with Triple-A Nashville this season. He batted .238 with a .343 on-base percentage, eight homers, 62 RBIs and 31 steals in 120 games with Double-A Biloxi last year.

After a pair of disappointing losses and a rainout at home against the Guardians, the Tigers hit the road for the Lone Star State, the Bluebonnet State, the Home of the Whopper (I ****** ume) for the opener of a three-game series against the Astros in Houston. It didn’t exactly go as the Tigers initially envisioned it, I imagine, but in the end Detroit came away with a comfortable 9-3 victory on Monday night — and, holy mackerel, did Colt Keith have a night.
Troy Melton woke up with lower-back tightness, so Drew Anderson got the spot start. (Get well soon, Troy. Please.) Anderson has generally been solid whenever in the game he’s been asked to pitch; he made a similar start back on May 20 against Cleveland and he pitched into the fifth, giving up no runs, two hits, and striking out seven. He’s been decent recently, too: in June coming into today, Anderson had pitched 5 2/3 innings, giving up seven hits and two runs across five relief appearances.
Facing the Tigers was Kai-Wei Teng, a right-hander from Taiwan in his first season in Houston. He’s had some mixed results so far in his career in North America, spending time with the Giants the last two seasons. Like almost all of his colleagues on the Houston pitching staff, he’s been walking a ton of batters — about 4.2 per 9 innings — so it was important that the Tigers needed to be patient against Teng to get runners on base.
The Tigers loaded the bases with two out in the first after a pair of walks and a hit-batsman. Keith then got clipped by a very, very wild pitch that nicked his back-foot calf pant-leg to force in a run, putting the Tigers up 1-0. With the bases still loaded, Spencer Torkelson struck out on a sweeper for the third out, and what a strange inning: two walks, two hit-by-pitches, three strikeouts, and no ****** in play. (Do not say Teng “struck out the side.”)
Anderson had a similarly silly first inning: he struck out three, but walked a pair and gave up a single; fortunately there were no runs scored. Sheesh, if you were going to show a young pitcher a tape of how not to pitch an inning of baseball, show him either halves of this one (or both).

Travis Kelce signed baseballs for fans outside Progressive Field after his planned first pitch was postponed due to weather
The NFL star recently became a minority owner of the Cleveland Guardians, his hometown MLB team
Kelce previously called the opportunity to invest in the Guardians a "dream come true" for a Cleveland native
Travis Kelce is showing love to the fans.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 36, took the time to sign baseballs for fans who were waiting outside of Progressive Field ahead of his ceremonial first pitch at the Cleveland Guardians game, despite the matchup getting postponed due to inclement weather.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Mother Nature wrecked havoc on Travis Kelce's scheduled first pitch before Sunday's game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians.
The final game of the weekend series was postponed because of the threat of inclement weather, 40 minutes before the scheduled first pitch
The game will be made up as part of a day-night doubleheader on Sept. 4. The rescheduled game will start at 2:10 p.m. EDT with the regular game at 7:10 p.m. EDT.
It was sunny when the teams and umpire crew met, but weather radar showed a large cell of rain and thunderstorms coming in from the West and lasting for at least five hours.
Kelce was scheduled to throw out the first pitch after it was announced on May 27 that he had purchased a minority stake in the Guardians. The Cleveland native — a three-time Super Bowl champion, four-time All-Pro and fiancé of music superstar Taylor Swift — bought a small share of David Blitzer’s 35% stake. Blitzer can become the controlling owner after the 2027 season or he can wait to exercise that option later.

Yankees may have found their Aaron Judge replacement and his first home run proved it originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The New York Yankees have spent the past several weeks trying to answer one uncomfortable question:
How do you survive without Aaron Judge?
On Tuesday night in Cleveland, they may have gotten their most encouraging answer yet. Spencer Jones, one of the organization's most intriguing prospects, launched the first home run of his major league career during the Yankees' 3-2 victory over the Guardians. And it wasn't just a home run.
It was the kind of blast that immediately had people mentioning Judge. The 25-year-old crushed a cutter from Cleveland starter Slade Cecconi 443 feet to dead center field with an exit velocity of 112.2 mph, producing one of the most impressive swings by a Yankees rookie in years.

The Chicago White Sox entered their Tuesday matchup against the Atlanta Braves with a 34-31 record.
Not bad, but they needed someone to give them a spark, an extra push as they are in a battle with the Cleveland Guardians for the top spot in the AL Central.
On Tuesday, an unlikely hero emerged. His name is Braden Montgomery.
The White Sox called up the 23-year-old outfielder from their Triple-A affiliate, the Charlotte Knights, just in time to face the Atlanta Braves, the best team in MLB, record-wise.
Montgomery proved that he’s ready for the show. In his major league debut, Montgomery had himself a game to remember. He registered two hits in five at-bats, and accounted for three RBIs. But his moment of glory came when the lights were brightest — Chicago down a run, 5-4, in the 10th inning.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Jazz Chisholm Jr. once again showed why he relishes being the opposing player fans love to hate.
The flashy second baseman quieted chants of “overrated” in Cleveland with a home run in the eighth inning that sent the New York Yankees to a 3-2 victory over the Guardians on Tuesday night.
“I love it. Kind of. I feel like that was the loudest chants all day we heard, so I think it was great,” Chisholm said.
Chisholm admitted the chants got him a little too riled up in the fifth, when he overswung at a couple of pitches and struck out.
He fell behind 0-2 against reliever Tim Herrin leading off the eighth before laying off a couple of pitches and working a full count. On the seventh pitch of the at-bat, Chisholm got a slider in the upper corner of the strike zone and drove it 360 feet into the right-field stands to put the Yankees back on top.

Tarik Skubal is ready for his return to the Detroit Tigers.
The reigning two-time American League Cy Young winner completed a 54-pitch rehab ******* ignment Sunday, June 7, with High-A West Michigan, then threw an additional 15 pitches in the bullpen. He woke up Monday without any concerns, putting him on track to return to the Tigers for Saturday's game against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field.
It's been 34 days since Skubal underwent a minimally invasive surgery from Dr. Neal ElAttrache to remove a bone chip from his left elbow.
"I don't really know if I look at it as ahead of schedule," Skubal said before Tuesday's opener of a three-game series against the Minnesota Twins at Comerica Park. "The doctor, when I had the surgery, told me four to six weeks, so it's not like we're being aggressive. If anything, we're being conservative. If my next one is at the five-week mark, that's right in the honey hole of four to six weeks."
JEFF SEIDEL: What Tarik Skubal did Sunday has an impact way beyond Tigers

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The Yankees won a June game with an October feel. Aaron Boone and Stephen Vogt managed Tuesday night’s contest like a playoff game. The Yankees emptied their bench, both teams had quick hooks on their relievers, and momentum swung back and forth throughout the evening before New York finally emerged with a 7-5 victory in ten innings.
Paul Goldschmidt wasted no time getting the Yankees on the board. After Ben Rice reached base to begin the game, Goldschmidt jumped on a Gavin Williams offering and deposited it into a Yankees fan’s glove just as they emerged from the left-field tunnel for a two-run homer. The blast, his eighth of the season, gave New York an early 2-0 lead and continued a recent stretch of strong play from the veteran first baseman.
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The Yankees added another run in the third inning, though this one came in far less conventional fashion. Trent Grisham crossed the plate when a throwing error by Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio allowed Cody Bellinger to reach safely. Up 3-0 early, the Yankees appeared poised to seize complete control of the game.
However, Will Warren labored through his outing. The Guardians worked deep into counts and in the third inning things unraveled both in front of and behind him. A wild pitch allowed Steven Kwan to score before Rocchio redeemed himself with an RBI groundout. Cleveland eventually pulled even when José Caballero was charged with a fielding error that allowed José Ramírez to score. Of the three runs charged against Warren during the inning, only two were earned as defensive miscues once again proved costly for New York.