MLB playoff winners and losers: White Sox one win from ALCS thanks to a trade from two years ago

The White Sox are now 4-0 this postseason, and they've pushed the Guardians to the brink of elimination

Oct 5, 2026 at 8:21 pm ET • 3 min read

The 2026 MLB postseason continues Monday with Game 2 of both American League Division Series. The Chicago White Sox continued their perfect start to the playoffs, winning again over the Cleveland Guardians to take a 2-0 series lead. The White Sox are now 4-0 in the postseason, with all four victories coming on the road.

The New York Yankees, meanwhile, are trying to even their series against the Tampa Bay Rays behind Cy Young favorite Cam Schlittler.

Since the best-of-five Division Series became a thing in 1995, the team that won Game 1 has gone on to win the series 73% of the time, and 32% of the time the series ended in a sweep. Winning Game 1 doesn't guarantee a series win, but the White Sox and Rays are in the driver's seat at the moment. Here are the final scores and schedule for Monday's playoff action:

• FINAL: White Sox 4, Guardians 3 (box score); White Sox lead series 2-0
• LIVE: Yankees at Rays (GameTracker); Rays lead series 1-0

To sum up all the ALDS Game 2 action, we're here to declare a winner and loser from both games. You can find those authoritative and inarguable declarations just below.

Winner: The Garrett Crochet trade

For the second time this postseason, the three position players the White Sox received in the Garrett Crochet trade with the Red Sox guided them to a win. They did it in Game 2 of the Wild Card Series against the Astros, and in Game 2 of the ALDS on Monday. Those three players -- Chase Meidroth, Braden Montgomery, Kyle Teel -- went a combined 4 for 12 with 3 RBI.

Teel helped the White Sox get on the board with his leadoff single in the fourth inning. He later came around to score Chicago's first run on a Munetaka Murakami single. Montgomery provided the game's biggest blow. He drove a two-out, two-run double to right field in the sixth inning, which flipped a 2-1 deficit into a 3-2 lead for the White Sox. This, as the kids say, is a nice piece of hitting:

Meidroth followed with a single to right to score Montgomery and give the White Sox what proved to be an important insurance run. The Crochet trade bounty had four of Chicago's six hits in Game 2 and either scored or drove in all four runs. Sean Burke, who was not part of the Crochet trade, threw 5 ⅓ innings of one-run ball behind a pair of openers. He struck out six. He was terrific.

The White Sox did not want to trade Crochet two years ago. They'd just lost a modern record 121 games, however, and needed to add talent up and down the roster. So, Crochet was dealt to Boston, and it sure seems like GM Chris Getz nailed the trade. Three of the four players he received in the deal are playing major roles in October. This is how you draw it up.

Pope Leo's White Sox are now one win away from their first ALCS since their 2005 World Series win.

Loser: GuardsBall

It is really, really hard to hit in the postseason. Don't believe me? Teams came into Monday hitting .211/.293/.352 this postseason, and .174/.277/.295 in the Division Series. The pitchers are so nasty, they're well-rested thanks to the built-in off-days, and their matchups are all optimized. Every base hit in the postseason is a tiny little miracle, I swear.

The Guardians, two games into their postseason run, are learning that the hard way. They were shut out in Game 1 and held to three hits. In Game 2, they had only four hits, three of which were singles. To date, Cleveland's biggest offensive play in the ALDS is Sean Newcomb's two-run throwing error in the first inning Monday. Here are two of the three runs the Guardians scored in Game 2 (and in the series):

Including Newcomb's error, four of the first five Guardians reached base in Game 2. Only four of the final 30 reached base, most notably Jo Adell's RBI triple in the eighth inning. With all due respect, this is not a dominant White Sox pitching staff. They've had to cobble it together with openers and bullpen games this postseason. Credit to them for keeping Cleveland in check.

The Guardians are not exactly an offensive powerhouse though. They ranked 24th in runs and 27th in home runs during the regular season. It's the same story every year. The Guardians rally in the second half to win the AL Central, then have a hard time putting points on the board in October. That is certainly the case this year. Three runs on seven hits through two ALDS games. Yeesh.

Cleveland is one loss away from elimination. The Guardians are 2-8 in their last 10 postseason games dating back to 2024.