Joey Cantillo stellar in relief to beat Athletics

Antonacci scored Chicago’s first run of the contest when he drew a leadoff walk against Astros reliever AJ Blubaugh before crossing the plate on a sacrifice fly from Munetaka Murakami. He padded Chicago’s early lead with a bases-loaded single to left field that brought home a pair of runs. He was also hit by a pitch, reaching base safely in half of his four plate appearances before being lifted for a defensive replacement in the eighth inning. They’ll attempt to close out the best-of-three series at Daikin Park on Wednesday.

Velázquez put Houston on the scoreboard with a pinch-hit blast against White Sox reliever Sean Newcomb that slashed their early deficit to three runs in the fifth inning. The 27-year-old corner outfielder has seen opportunities against lefties since being claimed off waivers back in early August.

Murakami opened the scoring with an RBI sacrifice fly in his first career postseason at-bat before helping to manufacture two additional runs when he reached base and came around to score in the fifth and seventh innings, respectively. The 26-year-old rookie slugger finished the regular season with 35 home runs in 553 plate appearances, effectively silencing any fantasy analysts who questioned whether his contact issues would hold him back in his big-league debut.

Meidroth made an instant impact after missing Chicago’s final three regular-season games. He delivered a pair of hits, including a fifth-inning RBI single that gave them a commanding 5-0 advantage at the time.

Taylor came back out to protect a three-run lead in the final frame after needing 36 pitches to record the final out of the seventh inning and make it through a challenging eighth where he allowed one run on a pair of hits and a throwing error. It looked for a moment like he could be in danger when he issued a leadoff free pass to Christian Walker. Yet, he managed to settle down immediately afterwards, striking out Lucas Spence and Cam Smith before winning a seven-pitch battle against Nelson Velázquez to end the ballgame. He wound up throwing a career-high 54 pitches to record the final seven outs. It was a herculean effort that helped spark Chicago to their first postseason win since 2021.

Smith scattered a pair of singles and required just 38 pitches (28 strikes) to navigate three extremely impressive frames. The 23-year-old top prospect, who was selected fifth overall in the 2024 draft, notched only one strikeout but still managed to turn in a borderline dominant performance in his first taste of the postseason. He wrapped up the regular season with a pristine 1.29 ERA and 41/16 K/BB ratio across 28 innings of work out of Chicago’s bullpen. He figures to be available, if needed, for a potential winner-take-all Game 3 matchup on Thursday.

Blubaugh walked three of the five batters he faced and allowed one run to cross the plate when Munetaka Murakami lifted an RBI sacrifice fly to right field. He was lifted for southpaw Bryan King after throwing just 27 pitches. The Astros wound up burning through eight different relievers to cover a series-opening bullpen game.

Mantiply will elect free agency and get a head start on the offseason after being removed from Toronto’s roster last week. The 35-year-old veteran reliever posted a respectable 3.33 ERA across 27 innings last season.

Sánchez will head to free agency this offseason after a six-game stint with the Diamondbacks where he went 2-for-15 after being claimed off waivers from the Blue Jays in mid-September. The 28-year-old corner outfielder hit just .260/.318/.416 with eight homers and one steal in 299 plate appearances before Toronto decided to pull the plug. He should be able to land on his feet as a strong-side platoon outfield option somewhere this offseason.

Kelly will remain with Chicago as organizational depth after passing through waivers unclaimed. The 26-year-old lost his spot after the Cubs claimed Julian Aguiar from the Reds over the weekend. He made one appearance in the big leagues earlier this season, tossing 1 1/3 scoreless frames.