White Sox lose 9-5 to the Guardians on Aug. 9 as Aaron Civale struggles. Despite a Brooks Baldwin HR, the skid hits five as focus shifts to Sean Burke.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
Another early hole, another uphill night. The White Sox fell 9-5 to the Guardians at home, their fifth straight loss and eighth in the last 12. Aaron Civale saw a 15-inning scoreless run evaporate in 3 1/3 rough frames (8 H, 9 ER, 2 BB, 1 K), and although the bullpen steadied things, the deficit was too steep. Brooks Baldwin kept swinging a hot bat with his seventh homer, and Curtis Mead drove in two, but Chicago slipped to 42-74 and sits 24.5 games behind first-place Detroit. With the series still to close, the focus turns to rookie righty Sean Burke, who draws the finale against Cleveland’s Joey Cantillo.
“Five straight losses, eight of the last 12 — and 24.5 games back. The wins matter, but the auditions matter more.”
Cleveland blitzed Aaron Civale early and never looked back. After entering with 15 straight scoreless, Civale couldn’t locate to the edges and paid for misses in the zone, surrendering nine runs on eight hits in 3 1/3. The Guardians stacked quality at-bats, forced traffic, and converted chances. To their credit, the Sox bullpen stemmed the tide and limited further damage, but there wasn’t enough runway left to mount a full comeback.
The offense kept punching despite the deficit. Brooks Baldwin launched his seventh homer—a solo shot in the third—to continue a quiet, productive stretch that’s forcing his way into future plans. Curtis Mead’s two-run single reminded everyone why the front office keeps betting on his bat-to-ball and gap power. Nights like this are small reminders the Sox are auditioning pieces for 2026 and beyond—even when the scoreboard says otherwise.
It’s five straight losses and eight in the last 12, a stretch that has crystallized where the Sox are in their timeline: growing pains and thin margins. The record drops to 42-74, and the club remains in the AL Central cellar, 24.5 games behind Detroit. The path forward isn’t about quick fixes; it’s about stacking competitive innings, especially early, and taking incremental wins in development and decision-making.
The Sox announced rookie right-hander Sean Burke (4.23 ERA) will start the series finale against lefty Joey Cantillo (2-2, 4.37). Burke has flashed the ingredients—tempo, competitiveness, and enough swing-and-miss—to justify these reps. The key against Cleveland: get ahead and stay out of fastball counts where their contact game excels. For a club searching for traction, a clean first two innings from Burke would go a long way toward resetting the series tone.
No big swings at the deadline means the Sox farm remains 21st in MLB. That’s not a death sentence, but it does put pressure on development to do the heavy lifting. The headliners are strong: LHP Noah Schultz continues to look like a rotation pillar in the making; OF Braden Montgomery brings middle-of-the-order potential when healthy; and SS Colson Montgomery remains a key infield cornerstone candidate. The takeaway: impact is coming, but it will arrive on the backs of internal growth more than headline trades—at least for now.
Process over panic. In the near term, it’s about clean starts, continued reps for Baldwin and Mead, and giving Burke the lane to learn at the big-league level. The Sox don’t have much room for error, but they do have opportunities to define roles for 2026. If the bullpen keeps limiting damage and the young bats keep stacking quality plate appearances, there’s value to be squeezed from a tough stretch—value that can carry into the winter and beyond.
Chicago’s margin is thin, but the mission is clear: stop the early leaks, let the kids play, and bank data for the future. Sean Burke’s start against Joey Cantillo is the next checkpoint in that process. A crisp opener, a couple of timely swings from Baldwin and Mead, and—finally—a chance to exhale before the next series.
