Guardians clip White Sox 3-1 to avoid sweep

Gabriel Arias went 2-for-4 and helped key a seventh-inning rally that allowed the visiting Cleveland Guardians earn a 3-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Thursday afternoon.

After hitting a solo home run in the fifth to tie the game at 1-1, Arias doubled in the seventh following a Will Brennan single, putting runners on second and third with one out.

With the infield drawn in, Brayan Rocchio hit a chopper to shortstop Tim Anderson, who couldn't field the ball cleanly. Anderson's mishap allowed Brennan to score, and Cam Gallagher followed with a base hit to plate Arias and give Cleveland a 3-1 lead.

Relievers Nick Sandlin and Trevor Stephan held the White Sox at bay until Emmanuel Clase worked around a single in the ninth to record his major-league-leading 15th save.

Sandlin (2-1) earned the win with 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief.

Chicago starter Dylan Cease (2-3) took the loss after surrendering three runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked one and fanned three.

Luis Robert Jr. doubled and singled for the White Sox, who won the first two games of the three-game set. Seby Zavala drove in Chicago's only run with a single in the fourth.

Zavala broke a scoreless tie when he lofted a soft line-drive single to center to score Andrew Benintendi, who had doubled with one out.

It didn't take long for Cleveland to respond, though, as Arias drilled a first-pitch fastball from Cease 406 feet to right center to level things in the fifth.

Chicago looked poised to break the game open in the second. The Sox loaded the bases with no outs, but Guardians starter Logan Allen got Hanser Alberto to pop out before recording a pair of strikeouts to get out of the jam.

Allen ended up lasting 5 2/3 innings, allowing one run on seven hits. He walked one and struck out five.

White Sox reliever Garrett Crochet pitched a perfect ninth in what was his first appearance since Oct. 1, 2021. Crochet missed all of last season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.