CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Guardians might be leaking a little oil as they near the All-Star break. They wasted two leads Tuesday night. The bullpen, a source of strength through the first half, showed a crack or two.
But they still have two things working for them -- the late innings and Progressive Field. Pinch-hitter Bo Naylor delivered Andres Gimenez on a sacrifice fly in the ninth inning to beat the White Sox, 7-6. It was their fifth walk-off win of the season and gave them a 27-9 record at home.
Naylor was 0 for 4 as a pinch-hitter before he skied Michael Kopech’s 3-2 pitch to center fielder Luis Robert Jr. Robert didn’t even make a throw home. Gimenez opened the inning with a single, took second on a ground out and went to third on Kopech’s wild pitch.
The Guardians had lost four of their last five games before Tuesday. They are 4-4 against the White Sox. The win went to Emmanuel Clase (4-1), who retired the White Sox in order in the ninth.
The Guardians took a 6-3 lead in the sixth on shortstop Paul DeJong’s throwing error and a two-run homer by Tyler Freeman off White Sox starter Chris Flexen. Josh Naylor, with the score tied 3-3, started the rally with a one-out double to left. David Fry sent a bouncer to DeJong at short with Naylor breaking for third.
Instead of taking the easy out at first, DeJong tried to get Naylor at third, but his throw hit Naylor in the back. The ball deflected into foul territory as Naylor scored and Fry went to second on the error. Free.