Liam Hicks (back) MRI comes back clean

The Guardians held an early 2-0 lead in the contest, but trailed 5-2 heading to the home half of the sixth. They scratched out a run there and David Fry swatted a solo homer in the seventh to make it a 5-4 ballgame. It remained that way until the ninth where Rhys Hoskins worked a leadoff walk and Rocchio ambushed a first-pitch fastball from Taylor for his 380-foot (98.4-mph EV) game-winning blast. Rocchio also plated a run with a bases-loaded walk in the third, finishing the night 1-for-4 with three RBI. On the season, he’s now hitting .269/.342/.392 with six homers and 37 RBI.

Bazzana led off the home half of the first with a single but wound up stranded at third. He then opened the scoring with an RBI double in the third inning and scored as Brayan Rocchio worked a bases-loaded walk. Bazzana also walked in the fourth and sixth innings, but the Guardians couldn’t cash him in. The 23-year-old phenom is slashing a solid .251/.346/.420 with seven homers, 26 RBI and 12 stolen bases over 240 plate appearances across his first 56 MLB contests.

Cecconi struck out three batters on the night while issuing one base on balls. He cruised through the first four innings unscathed, but the White Sox got him for three runs in the fifth, including a two-run double by Kyle Teel. Things got worse when he returned for the sixth, as he served up a two-run blast to Chase Meidroth before exiting. Cecconi got six whiffs on 100 offerings on the night, posting a CSW of 23 percent. He’ll carry a 4.44 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a 73/30 K/BB ratio (95 1/3 innings) into his final start of the first half on Wednesday against the Twins in Minneapolis.

Meidroth victimized Guardians’ right-hander Slade Cecconi for a 349-foot (100.6-mph EV) two-run shot in the sixth inning that extended the White Sox’ lead to 5-2. That would be the extent of their offense though. The 24-year-old infielder is now slashing .272/.343/.387 on the season to go along with seven long balls, 29 RBI and two stolen bases (in four attempts) over 355 plate appearances for the White Sox.

Taylor was called upon in the eighth inning with the White Sox clinging to a one-run advantage. He issued a one-out walk to Steven Kwan but escaped any damage and recorded a pair of strikeouts. He was then sent back out for the ninth when trouble ensued. He issued a leadoff walk to Rhys Hoskins, then after retiring Kahlil Watson on a fly ball, served up Rocchio’s game-winning blast. It’s Taylor’s first loss on the season. Hopefully it won’t cost him save chances going forward, as he still seems to be the most capable option at the back of the White Sox’ bullpen.

Martin just could not command the baseball in this one, issuing five free passes in his abbreviated outing. It’s also the first time in 61 career starts that he failed to record a single strikeout. All of the damage done against him came in the third inning as Travis Bazzana smacked an RBI double and Brayan Rocchio worked a bases-loaded walk. Martin threw just 37 of his 73 pitches for strikes, generating just three whiffs and posting a miserable CSW of just 14 percent. He’ll look to bounce back and finish the first half strong as he carries a 9-3 record, 3.08 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 90/29 K/BB ratio (96 1/3 innings) into Wednesday’s matchup against the Red Sox.

May was drilled in the ankle by a batted ball off the bat of Dominic Smith in the opening inning, then remained in the game to face three additional hitters, so it was unclear initially if he was pulled due to injury or ineffectiveness. Either way, he was saddled with five runs on five hits and a pair of walks in just 2/3 of an inning. It sounds like he was able to avoid serious injury though, so he may be able to take his final turn in the Cardinals’ rotation before the All-Star break.

Roberts also noted that the Dodgers’ closer looked “really good” during the session. He remains on track to rejoin the club’s bullpen after the All-Star break, which would shift Tanner Scott back into a setup role.

Hernandez was designated for assignment on Tuesday and passed through waivers unclaimed. It’s unclear if he’ll elect free agency or remain with the Dodgers as excess bullpen depth at the Tripel-A level. The 29-year-old posted a miserable 8.15 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and a 15/12 K/BB ratio over 17 2/3 innings in 12 appearances with the Dodgers.

Ullola made his MLB debut against the Twins on Monday, racking up four strikeouts over two scoreless innings. He then followed that up with three strikeouts over two perfect frames in the series finale on Wednesday. The only logical reason for the demotion would be to keep him stretched out as a starter at the Triple-A level until he’s needed in the same role with the Astros.