I listened to a fair chunk of this game while driving back to the airport. One more bullet-point recap, and we'll be back to regularly scheduled programming on Monday.
*Michael Kopech lost his 10th game of the year, but as we know from watching the White Sox this season, to dwell on the pitching is to miss that the offense isn't really up to the ask. Aaron Civale and three Cleveland relievers limited the Sox to a double, three singles and three walks, resulting in just five at-bats with runners in scoring position. They went 0-for-5.
*Cleveland's defense had a say in the proceedings. Will Brennan made a couple of sliding catches in right field, and Andres Giménez and José Ramírez both made leaping grabs. But all of that fine work only robbed the White Sox of singles, and nothing greater.
*Meanwhile, the Guardians took advantage of Michael Kopech's poor control earlier, and poor command later. He walked five batters over the first two innings, including four second-inning walks -- three with two outs -- to give Cleveland the lead in the second.
*Then came the homers, solo shots by Steven Kwan and Ramírez in the fifth inning. Kopech finished with three runs over five innings, which could've been worse considering he walked five and threw just 45 of 93 pitches for strikes.
*Declan Cronin made his MLB debut, and while he only allowed a hit and a walk over two innings, he allowed that hit after a walk in the form of a Ramírez two-run homer that sealed the deal in the seventh. He also was charged with an error when he slipped fielding a ball.
*Edgar Navarro also made his MLB debut and pitched around a pair of singles with his first two strikeouts.
*The Guardians had to settle for a split of a team that traded away five pitchers, which I suppose means they're a .500 team through and through.
