Guardians or White Sox will pay for agonizing slugfest to force Game 5 | Opinion
· Yahoo Sports
CHICAGO — The big winner in Game 4 of the ALDS was the Tampa Bay Rays.
Visit asg-reflektory.pl for more information.
Seriously. The Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox burned through their pitching staffs just to get to a Game 5 on Saturday, Oct. 10, when they'll both likely have to do it all over again. Then one of them will have to head straight to Florida for Game 1 of the ALCS on Monday, Oct. 12, the arms of their pitchers hanging by a thread.
The Rays, meanwhile, are chilling, having completed their sweep of the New York Yankees on Wednesday, Oct. 7. They could enjoy Cleveland's 9-5 win that forced Game 5, watching their would-be opponents beat each other up while the Rays pitchers are getting another breather and manager Kevin Cash is lining up his pitching staffs and batting order exactly how he wants them.
No word on whether the Rays are sipping margaritas and mai tais while they wait.
This wasn't how it was supposed to go. The upstart White Sox, the first team to reach the playoffs after consecutive 100-loss seasons, had rolled through the first four games of the postseason, sweeping the Houston Astros in the wild-card round and taking the first two games against the Guardians in Cleveland.
They returned to Rate Field triumphant, having two games to get one win and clinch their first postseason series at home since 1906.
But this is what happens when one team lacks experience and adequate pitching and the other is desperate. Chicago and Cleveland used 15 pitchers who threw a total of more than 350 pitches. In the sixth inning alone, when Cleveland erupted for six runs, Anthony Kay, Grant Taylor and Bryan Hudson threw 31 pitches.
And after giving up a lead-off homer to Miguel Vargas and a walk to Munetaka Murakami to start the ninth, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt had to bring Gavin Williams in from the bullpen, too. After he'd pitched three days earlier.
Oh, the two games in Chicago each lasted longer than 3 hours, too. There aren't enough ice baths and stim machines in the world that's going to erase all those aches and pains. Especially when there's a flight, albeit a short one, involved.
The Rays were going to be favored in the ALCS, anyway, having finished the regular season as the American League's best team. Regardless if they face the White Sox or the Guardians, their job just got a whole lot easier.
Follow USA TODAY Sports columnist Nancy Armour on social media @nrarmour.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Guardians or White Sox will pay for agonizing slugfest to force Game 5 | Opinion
Our editors independently choose our recommendations. Some content is produced with paid support from a third party, however our editorial decisions remain independent. If you buy through our links, the USA TODAY Network may earn a commission. Prices and availability may change.