Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians

During a recent television broadcast outside of Chicago, right-hander Davis Martin heard about one of the announcers still trying to figure out where the White Sox are in terms of their 2026 success. “That’s fine. That’s where we are at,” a smiling Martin told MLB.com. “We are going to play for ourselves and we don’t really listen to the outside noise.” With 73 games remaining, here’s where the White Sox reside. They lead the American League Central by one game after defeating the Guardians, 7-6, on Sunday. The series finale victory gave the White Sox a split in this four-game set, winning the last two and navigating a rain delay of 1 hour and 27 minutes, which included an hour to get the Progressive Field warning track into playable shape. The White Sox arguably are the biggest surprise in baseball, coming off three straight seasons with 100-plus losses. But what has been said and written countless times over the past couple of months is worth repeating: An important series one week before the All-Star break certainly matters but isn’t the South Siders’ endpoint. “This whole series has felt like a playoff series,” said shortstop Colson Montgomery, who homered for a second straight game. “But then I look at the calendar and we are not even past the All-Star break yet. It’s a good learning experience for down the road.” “To be honest, there are a lot of things we still want to prove to a lot of people,” Martin said. “We will keep doing our job and keep playing and having fun enjoying each other. It’s gotten us this far and it’s going to continue to carry us.” Kyle Teel got the White Sox going in the first inning with a two-run blast to left off Tanner Bibee. The catcher has hit in eight of his 11 games since making his season debut on June 22, returning from a right hamstring strain suffered while playing for Team Italy during the World Baseball Classic and a right knee issue encountered during his rehab assignment.