2026 MLB playoffs: Winners and losers as Guardians stave off elimination vs. White Sox

MLB's postseason continued Wednesday with four potential Division Series clinchers. Regardless of the outcomes, this will be the last day with four games this season, so enjoy it. We won't get more than two games per day moving forward.

On the American League side, the Chicago White Sox and Tampa Bay Rays are trying to finish three-game sweeps over the Cleveland Guardians and New York Yankees, respectively. In the National League, the Los Angeles Dodgers and Milwaukee Brewers will try to close out their series with the Atlanta Braves and San Diego Padres, again respectively, in Game 4.

Here are the final scores and schedule for Wednesday's postseason action:

FINAL: Guardians 9, White Sox 3 (box score); White Sox lead series 2-1

LIVE: Dodgers at Braves (box score); Dodgers lead series 2-1

UPCOMING: Rays at Yankees (GameTracker); Rays lead series 2-0

UPCOMING: Brewers at Padres (GameTracker); Brewers lead series 2-1

To sum up all the Division Series action, we're here to declare a winner and loser from each of the four Wednesday contests. You can find those declarations just below.

Winner: Jo Adell

The Guardians acquired Adell in front of the trade deadline and he's been an RBI machine

As the trade deadline came into focus, the Guardians, looking for cheap help on offense, ended up grabbing outfielder Jo Adell from the Angels in exchange for Double-A catcher Jacob Cozart. In 48 games for Cleveland, Adell posted a 108 OPS+ and drove home 32 runs. In Game 2, he recorded an eighth-inning RBI triple that nearly left the yard.

In Game 3 on Wednesday in Game 3, he came to the plate with two outs, bases loaded and a tied 1-1 score. Adell came through in a big way.

Just like that, it was a 4-1 Guardians lead. Adell also became the 16th player in postseason history to triple in back-to-back games (via Sarah Langs).

Adell's three-RBI triple moved the Guardians' chances to win the game from 52.8% to 78.8%. This was the largest difference-maker in the game, and a monster shift at that.

Loser: White Sox's missed opportunities

The White Sox had plenty of chances for crooked numbers in this one

Playing in front of an electric crowd, ready to clinch a postseason series at home for the first time since 1906 (and we all remember that one, right?), the White Sox had several chances to put up a crooked number and weren't able to come through.

In the first, Sam Anonacci walked and Miguel Vargas singled to give them two runners with no outs. Kyle Teel came through with a one-out double, but Vargas was held at third. Chase Meidroth and Tristan Peters struck out to leave two on base.

Meidroth and Peters started the fourth with consecutive doubles, but the following three hitters were retired, so, again, the White Sox settled for just the one run.

In the fifth, Antonacci singled and Vargas walked. The runners moved up on a grounder and then Teel ripped a line drive toward right field, only to watch it get snared by Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana, who then doubled Vargas off second. The expected batting average on this one makes it even tougher to swallow for the White Sox faithful, as it was .940. This means that 94% of the time a ball hit with that exit velocity at that launch angle ends up as a hit. This was one of the 6% that found a glove.

In the sixth, with two outs, Braden Montgomery walked, Randal Grichuk singled, Colson Montgomery was hit by a pitch and then so was Antonacci. They got a run, but the bases were loaded for their best player, Vargas. He hit a rocket toward left, but Guardians third baseman José Ramírez was able to knock the ball down and get Vargas at first. Vargas hit it hard, with a .580 expected batting average. It just didn't work out.

You never want to come away empty-handed in those innings, and the White Sox were able to get a single run in three of those frames. Still, it feels like there was a lot left on the board here from the home team. An explosion in a single inning could've demoralized the Guardians and ultimately sent them home. Some of the issues were their own fault, and some were bad luck. It all added up to a Game 4 White Sox loss.