The euphoria enveloping Rate Field in the ninth inning on Wednesday stood in stark contrast to the heart-sinking feeling likely permeating the Guardians’ first-base dugout and its fanbase. The Guardians carried a two-run lead over the White Sox into the ninth inning. They had Chicago down to its final out. But in the blink of an eye, consecutive pitches from Cleveland closer Cade Smith ended up in the outfield seats, turning the ballpark into a tinderbox. The back-to-back home runs and swift kick to the stomach could have done the Guardians in. Instead, they got off the mat and pulled out a 4-3 win over the White Sox in 10 innings to avoid a three-game sweep. “We needed that win really badly,” said right-hander Shawn Armstrong, who entered in relief of Smith and pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Cleveland (42-39) left Chicago (41-38) with a series loss in the two clubs’ first head-to-head meeting this season. It finished its nine-game road trip 3-6, but managed to maintain a share of first place in the AL Central. If Wednesday and the series at large is an omen for what’s to come this summer, we’re in for quite a ride. “It just shows that this team is resilient,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “This team can fight. Nothing's going to knock us down. … We're going to have some speed bumps, but we're going to always show up ready to win.” Smith has been a lockdown closer for the Guardians all season. He leads MLB in saves (24) and had converted 21 straight opportunities entering Wednesday, dating to a blown save on April 14. Smith retired Colson Montgomery and Chase Meidroth to start the ninth. He was locked in a 1-1 count with Braden Montgomery when the outfielder belted a solo home run to center field. Before you could gather your breath, Randall Grichuk sent Smith’s next pitch to the left-field seats. “Grichuk hitting that homer over my head,” Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said, “especially on the first pitch, that sent a chill down my spine. It kind of got the blood flowing.” Vogt noted Smith left a four-seamer over the plate to Montgomery and then a sweeper in the zone to Grichuk. The right-hander then allowed a single to Jacob Gonzalez and walked Sam Antonacci. Armstrong relieved Smith and got the game to the 10th inning. Rookie Kahlil Watson delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the top of the 10th to put the Guardians back in front. The 23-year-old finished the day 2-for-4 with three RBIs. In the series, he went 5-for-9 while logging his first
