Double Sweep Watch: White Sox, Rays One Win From the ALCS as ALDS Game 3s Take Over Wednesday

CHICAGO — Two series, two closeouts, one Wednesday. The Chicago White Sox are one win from their first American League Championship Series since 2005, and the Tampa Bay Rays are one win from finishing off the New York Yankees in the Bronx. Both Game 3s are today: the Guardians visit the White Sox at 4 p.m. ET, and the Rays face the Yankees at 8 p.m. ET. Both Cleveland and New York are playing for their seasons.

The stakes could not be higher for either road club. The White Sox lead the Guardians 2-0 after 3-0 and 4-3 wins in Cleveland, and the Rays lead the Yankees 2-0 after 1-0 and 5-2 wins in Tampa Bay. In the best-of-five Division Series format, no team has ever come back from an 0-2 deficit without winning three straight — and that is exactly what the Guardians and Yankees must now do.

Game 3 · 4 p.m. ET, Rate FieldThe afternoon: Guardians at White Sox

Chicago’s October has been the story of the postseason so far. The White Sox already swept the Houston Astros — 6-3 and 7-3 — in the Wild Card round for their first playoff series win since the 2005 championship season. Now they are 27 outs from the ALCS, and they get to chase it at home: a win Wednesday would be the franchise’s first postseason series clinch at home since Oct. 14, 1906, when the “Hitless Wonders” beat the Cubs in Game 6 of the World Series at South Side Park, per SportsbookWire.

Game 2 in Cleveland showed why this team is dangerous. The Guardians jumped to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but the White Sox answered with a run in the top of the fourth and three in the top of the sixth to steal the second straight game on the road and take a commanding 2-0 series lead.

The pitching matchup is a study in contrasts. White Sox left-hander Sean Newcomb (2-5, 3.09 ERA in the regular season) makes his second career postseason start, while Cleveland is going with right-hander Daniel Espino as an opener — his first career postseason start, and just his second postseason appearance, per SportsbookWire. Espino posted a 4.11 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings this season, and the Guardians will go all-hands-on-deck behind him, holding Parker Messick and Gavin Williams for potential Games 4 and 5.

“You bet on the person in times like this, and obviously we’ve seen his stuff,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of Espino, per the Akron Beacon Journal. “What Daniel’s been through, there’s nothing that’s going to rattle him or shake him. We’re really excited for Daniel to be getting the ball tomorrow.”

The oddsmakers like Chicago’s chances: FanDuel Sportsbook lists the White Sox (84-78) as -120 moneyline favorites over the Guardians (85-77). Cleveland’s offense has looked lackluster through two games, and the White Sox bullpen will be rested heading into Game 3 thanks to Tuesday’s off day. But the Guardians won the regular-season series 7-6, and as the Beacon Journal noted, the more looks Cleveland gets at Chicago’s relievers, the better their chances become.

Game 3 · 8 p.m. ET, Yankee StadiumThe nightcap: Rays at Yankees

If the afternoon is about a coronation, the night is about desperation. The Yankees swept the Boston Red Sox in the Wild Card — 9-0 and 9-2, outscoring their rivals 18-2 — and have since scored two runs in two games. The Rays’ pitching has strangled them: 1-0 in Game 1, 5-2 in Game 2, and now Tampa Bay is one win from its first ALCS trip since 2020.

The Game 3 matchup: Rays right-hander Nick Martinez against Yankees left-hander Max Fried, with Carlos Rodón lined up for a potential Game 4, per the New York Post. The Yankees are giving Fried the ball with everything on the line — no matter what. Fried’s girlfriend is due to give birth any day now, but he told reporters Tuesday that whatever happens, he will be on the mound.

“If we don’t win, we go home, and this is where you leave everything out on the field,” Fried said Tuesday, via Reuters. “There’s nothing else to save anything for.”

The matchup favors New York on paper: Tampa Bay batted just .248 against left-handed pitching during the regular season, and the Rays owned the sixth-worst OPS against southpaws (.678) while posting the fifth-best mark against righties (.751), per the Post. Fried, fully built up after missing two and a half weeks in August with an elbow bruise, limited the Red Sox to one run on three hits over six innings in Game 2 of the Wild Card series.

But the Rays are the team with the hammer. They won 98 games, clinched their fifth AL East title in franchise history on Sept. 22 — celebrating at Yankee Stadium, of all places — and this is the second time in franchise history they have held a 2-0 Division Series lead. They are seeking just their third ALCS trip in 29 years of existence; the last one came in 2020, when they beat these same Yankees in a five-game ALDS.

“It’s pretty significant,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said of the 2-0 lead, via Reuters. “We’re getting ready to go to a place (where the Yankees thrive). They have a tremendous fan base that really supports them. It’s going to be challenging, but, I mean, we’ve set ourselves up in a good way by getting on a plane here up 2-0.”

“It’s definitely a good feeling to take the first two, but definitely not putting the gas down on these next ones,” Rays outfielder Jonny DeLuca added. “Hopefully, we can get it done Wednesday.”

If necessaryWhat’s next

If the Guardians or Yankees survive Wednesday, Game 4s go Thursday: Cleveland at Chicago at 5 p.m. ET, and Tampa Bay at New York at 8 p.m. ET. Decisive Game 5s, if needed, are scheduled for Saturday — Guardians-White Sox at 5 p.m. ET in Cleveland, Rays-Yankees at 8 p.m. ET in Tampa Bay, per the NBC Sports postseason tracker.

But the teams with the 2-0 leads have history on their side, home crowds behind them, and rested pitching. Wednesday could end two seasons — or set up two do-or-die Thursdays. For the full series picture, see the ALDS Game 3 preview, the sweep-watch story, and Tuesday’s postseason recap.