3 Takeaways From the Start of Guardians’ Fourth of July Weekend Against the White Sox

The Cleveland Guardians started off a must-win series against the Chicago White Sox on the perfect note, walking off their 2026 divisional rival in the bottom of the ninth inning.

Led by a combination of bats, including Brayan Rocchio's clutch hitting, the Guardians were able to down the White Sox in comeback fashion, 6-5.

“We just need to keep building momentum and keep learning,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “This is a big win. Obviously, any divisional win is big.”

Here are three takeaways from the Guardians' opener of a big-time weekend series:

Cooper Ingle Makes Another Mistake

In the top of the second inning, Cecconi allowed a single to start off the bat of Andrew Benintendi. He would then advance to second off a wild pitch, giving the White Sox a big chance to score the game's opening run.

The next batter, Colson Montgomery, smacked a ball high and deep to left field. Left fielder Cooper Ingle tracked the ball well, got underneath it, but then, when attempting to squeeze his glove and then make a throw immediately to third to hold Benintendi at second, he moved too fast.

He would bobble the ball, letting it fall down to the grass.

Benintendi would move up to third and Montgomery would slide into second, putting two on with no outs.

Fortunately, Cecconi and the Guardians would get out of the inning, but such a mistake by Ingle nearly cost the team and put them behind early.

This isn't the first time the youngster has had a blunder while playing in the outfield. Never being a true outfielder, the organization has tried to transition him out there. Just a few days ago, on Tuesday, Ingle thought that the seventh inning was over, throwing a ball to the crowd, when the inning had just two outs.

His mistake ended up giving the Texas Rangers the go-ahead run.

While it is tough to see yet another head-scratching moment from Ingle, it is hard to imagine that he feels very comfortable out there. The organization must establish the next steps in his young career, especially if they want him to get back on track here soon and close this small chapter.

Brayan Rocchio Activates Rocculy

Standing in the batter's box with the game on the line, yet again, Brayan Rocchio stepped up for the Guardians.

Smacking a ball off the right-field foul pole, Rocchio's two-run home run gave the Guardians a 6-55 comeback win over the White Sox. The crowd roared, Rocchio began to get emotional, and the frenzy that ensued showed just how important his clutch hitting was to the team as they head into a tough weekend series.

“He’s one of the toughest pitchers that I’ve faced, so I gotta be on the fastball every time. He threw my pitch in that situation. I didn't miss it," Rocchio said postgame. "We fight until the last out. That's our identity, fighting to the last out.”

This isn't his first time stepping up in a huge moment for Cleveland, though, as earlier in the season, he helped guide the team to wins with his clutch hitting. At the end of last season, he also hit a game-winning walk-off home run off the right-field foul pole.

And if he keeps this up, it is hard to imagine Progressive Field's staff won't be considering naming that foul pole after him in due time.

Travis Bazzana Unlocks His Bat, Ends 0-13 Streak

Heading into Thursday's outing, the 23-year-old has been relatively quiet at the plate over the previous few outings, posting just one walk and no hits across the previous 14 plate appearances.

But knowing that Cleveland needed to start off the series on a good note, he came to play.

He snapped an 0-for-13 streak with a strong 2-for-3 night with one double, one RBI and one run scored, drawing two walks along the way. Not just hitting with consistency, but also keeping a keen eye at the top of the lineup, gave Cleveland plenty of chances to keep themselves in the game.

While he didn't directly force the team to victory, his gritty at-bats gave Cleveland the stage to stand on to make a comeback happen.

The Guardians and White Sox continue the four-game series on Friday, July 3, at 7:10 p.m. EST from the heat of Progressive Field.

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