Guardians 3, White Sox 2. Cleveland survives a tense finish on Brayan Rocchio’s game-ending defense after Bo Naylor bets the seventh with a solo shot to take the lead. Chicago’s bats labored most of the night, rallying late but falling short as Gómez navigated five innings and the Sox’ mix of Cecconi and Eisert were edged by timely Guardians plays. Next up: Baltimore visits for a pivotal series that could reshape the wild-card race.

Colson Montgomery has Chicago buzzing with power and defensive instincts at short, drawing Byron Buxton’s praise as he mirrors a veteran’s at-bats early in his rookie year. His four straight Aug homers and second-half pace (16 HR) highlight fantasy upside, even as strikeouts (28.4%) and chasing (32.8%) show obvious regressions to clean up. Yoendrys Gómez answered with a bounce-back five-inning start, but control remains an issue. Chicago also shuffled the 40-man, recalling Cannon and Gilbert while placing Hudson on IL and designating Wilson.

Buxton’s compliment and Montgomery’s progress set the stage for a young core with upside, while the Sox rely on bullpen and depth moves to stay in the race. In the homer-heavy second half, Montgomery sits among the leaders, while observers watch how Chicago leverages the rook’s bat and glove in the coming weeks.

Gómez opened with three walks as Chicago’s pitching struggled in a 10-2 loss to the Yankees. Grisham’s grand slam in the fourth capped a night of free passes. Rodón returned to his former park and delivered six innings of one-run ball, drawing an ovation. Montgomery returned to the lineup and Quero went 2-for-4 with a walk, but the White Sox’ skid continued—four straight losses with 10+ runs allowed in three straight games. Robert Jr. and Vargas miss time, tightening an already thin lineup.

Yankees take a five-game win streak to Chicago as Carlos Rodón faces Yoendrys Gómez in a Friday night affair.

Austin Wells is back behind the plate for New York while Ben Rice shifts to first—Goldschmidt sits, opening a small lineup shakeup. Gómez, once a Yankee prospect, has found a groove with Chicago after waivers. Rodón has been effective but hasn’t routinely gone deep into games since the All-Star break, leaving fantasy managers eyeing the Yankees’ bullpen more than usual. The night promises a tense, edge-of-seat duel with late-inning implications.