Chicago starting pitcher Aaron Civale may have struggled in his first few starts after joining the White Sox, but that’s a distant memory now.

Civale will look to continue his impressive run when the White Sox begin a three-game series against the visiting Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

Cleveland has won seven of its past eight games to pull within 1 1/2 games back of the third AL wild-card spot. The Guardians were off on Thursday after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Mets on Wednesday.

Chicago was swept in three games by the host Seattle Mariners to start the week and has lost four in a row overall. The White Sox went 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position in an 11-inning, 4-3 loss on Thursday.

White Sox center fielder Luis Robert Jr. went 3-for-4 in the defeat and is batting .377 with four homers, 14 RBIs and nine stolen bases since July 11. Robert has reached base safely in 23 straight games.

“When he stayed here post-(trade) deadline, there was kind of a sigh of relief from everybody,” White Sox pitcher Davis Martin said. “Because he is the heartbeat of our outfield, of our defense, of our lineup.”

The White Sox face a tough matchup against Civale, who is settling in nicely with his new team after being traded from the Milwaukee Brewers for Andrew Vaughn on June 13. In his past three starts, Civale (3-6, 3.99 ERA) has allowed seven hits with no earned runs across 17 1/3 innings.

The 30-year-old right-hander tossed 6 1/3 scoreless innings while permitting one hit, walking two and striking out eight in a 1-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday.

“Total control,” White Sox manager Will Venable said. “Got a lot of swing-and-miss on the curveball. The fastball was good, the cutter. He was just in total control. Did a great job, outstanding.”

Carlos Santana is 1-for-15 against Civale, who is 1-0 with a 3.24 ERA in three career starts vs. Cleveland. He had a no-decision against the Guardians on July 13 after allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings.

The Guardians will counter with Tanner Bibee (7-9, 4.51 ERA) in the series opener. The 26-year-old right-hander received a no-decision after giving up four runs over 4 2/3 innings against the Minnesota Twins on Saturday.

Bibee is 2-0 with a 5.40 ERA across 16 2/3 innings over three career starts vs. the White Sox. He beat Chicago on July 12 after throwing 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball.

The Guardians’ bullpen will be rested after Gavin Williams came within two outs from a no-hitter in a 4-1 win over the Mets on Wednesday.

Cleveland’s offense also delivered, amassing a total of 22 hits and 14 runs during the three-game sweep.

“I’m just proud of the way our players played this week,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “Our team shows up and wants to win every day. It’s not easy to come to New York and win three games.”

The White Sox will be without Chase Meidroth this weekend after the rookie infielder was placed on the 10-day injured list on Thursday due to a right thumb contusion. Meidroth had made just one substitute appearance since being hit by a pitch on July 30.

“Obviously I want to play,” Meidroth said. “It’s frustrating as heck. Trying to push through it, but it was not going as fast as I wanted it to. We’ll take it day-by-day and give it a go again next week.”

–Field Level Media

Atlanta catcher Drake Baldwin will try to continue building his case for National League Rookie of the Year on Friday when the Braves host the Miami Marlins in the second game of a five-game series.

Baldwin had two homers and five RBIs on Thursday as the Braves erased a four-run deficit to beat the Marlins 8-6 and tie the season series at 3-3.

“He reminds me of (former Atlanta catcher) Brian McCann a lot,” Braves manager Brian Snitker said. “Mac came up and was above his years in age behind the plate and as an offensive player, and Drake is right there with him.”

Baldwin, 24, is batting .287 with 13 homers and 46 RBIs. He is alternating games between designated hitter and catching, sharing backstop duties with veteran Sean Murphy.

Snitker said about Baldwin’s Rookie of the Year prospects, “He’s right there in all the categories, and at the end of the year, if he keeps going like this, it wouldn’t surprise me a bit.”

One of Baldwin’s biggest challengers for the honor is in the opposing dugout this weekend. Marlins catcher Agustin Ramirez, 23, is hitting .242 with 17 home runs and 52 RBIs.

The pitching matchup for the Friday game features a pair of right-handers — Atlanta’s Bryce Elder (4-8, 6.03 ERA) and Miami’s Edward Cabrera (5-5, 3.24).

Cabrera has gone 5-4 with a 2.32 ERA over 15 starts since the beginning of May. He has 83 strikeouts and 23 walks in 81 1/3 innings while limiting the opposition to a .213 batting average during that span.

In his most recent outing, Cabrera pitched six innings against the New York Yankees on Sunday and allowed only one run on two hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out seven.

“We expect that now, and so does Cabby when he goes out there,” Miami manager Clayton McCullough said. “He has so many weapons he trusts in.”

Cabrera is 1-1 with a 3.50 ERA in four career starts against Atlanta. He beat the Braves when he last faced them on Aug. 4, 2024, as he fired five scoreless innings and fanned eight in a 7-0 Miami win.

Elder bounced back from a horrendous start on July 27, when he allowed eight runs in 2 2/3 innings at Texas, to throw 6 2/3 innings and permit just two runs at Cincinnati on Aug. 1. Elder was more effective at getting ahead in the count and pitched well against the Reds despite taking a loss.

“I think I threw more strikes,” Elder said. “Throwing more strikes, kind of make them make decisions and made them swing early. I kind of just accepted if I’m going to get beat, I’m going to get beat with this. I’m not going to back myself in a corner again and then get beat with one hit. They were going to have to string some together.”

In nine career starts against the Marlins, Elder is 2-3 with a 3.46 ERA. He took a loss against Miami on June 22 when he gave up five runs on a season-high 10 hits over 5 1/3 innings.

Atlanta could be getting two of its star players back very soon.

Left-hander Chris Sale threw a 30-pitch simulated game on Thursday and reported no issues. He is expected to make at least one rehab start before returning to the active list.

Right fielder Ronald Acuna Jr. took batting practice on Thursday and appeared to be recovering well from the strained right calf that forced him onto the injured list last week.

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Reds will try to avoid losing any more ground in the National League postseason race as they turn to hard-throwing right-handed rookie Chase Burns for a matchup with the host Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night.

The Reds will aim to even the four-game series after being blanked 7-0 by the Pirates and their ace, Paul Skenes, on Thursday.

Burns (0-3, 6.04 ERA) has impressed with his velocity and high strikeout numbers since making his major league debut on June 24, but he has yet to secure his first victory.

He will try to change that when he opposes Pittsburgh right-hander Mitch Keller (5-10, 3.89 ERA), who has won his past four decisions and has not taken a loss since June 21.

The Reds, who have dropped back-to-back games, are 1-6 in games Burns has started since calling him up in the wake of Hunter Greene’s injury.

Burns, whom Cincinnati picked second overall in the 2024 draft out of the Wake Forest, had his start on Saturday at the Speedway Classic in Bristol, Tenn., cut short after one inning due to inclement weather. Burns pitched a perfect inning against the Atlanta Braves, striking out two.

This followed a start on July 28 against the Los Angeles Dodgers during which he gave up three runs on six hits and one walk while striking out 10 over 5 2/3 innings. It was the third consecutive start in which he fanned 10 batters.

Burns’ fastball touched 100 mph or more 12 times vs. the Dodgers.

However, Burns, who will face the Pirates for the first time, has allowed plenty of hard contact. Thirteen of the 30 hits he has yielded in 28 1/3 innings have gone for extra base, including eight home runs.

“We’re trying to build for the future with him and win now with him,” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “I think the kid is doing a really good job. I really do. I think his future is so bright because there’s going to be things he does better. But in the meantime, we’ll take it.”

The Pirates will try to exploit that weakness in Burns, although they are still the worst team in the majors in terms of OPS (.651) and slugging percentage (.347) and have the fewest home runs (83) and runs scored (414).

They will look to Keller to deliver a quality start, as he did the last time he faced Cincinnati. Keller allowed only two runs (one earned) on six hits and one walk while striking out five over six innings on May 19 in a game the Reds won 7-1.

Keller is 3-6 with a 5.75 ERA in 18 career starts against Cincinnati.

Despite his steady performances of late, Keller did not have his best outing the last time he took the mound, on Sunday in Colorado. He gave up five runs on seven hits, including a season-high three home runs, while walking one and striking out four over five-plus innings. Still, he emerged with a 9-5 win.

Even during a run of hard-luck losses over the first three months of the season, Keller remained one of the more consistent pitchers in the Pirates’ rotation. More recently, he owns a 3.56 ERA over 55 2/3 innings since June 10.

“He’s been great, like we’ve said before, he’s pitched way better than his record has shown,” Pirates manager Don Kelly said after Keller’s most recent start.

–Field Level Media

Dominic Canzone singled home the winning run with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning as the Seattle Mariners defeated visiting Chicago White Sox 4-3 Thursday afternoon to complete a sweep of the three-game series.

Randy Arozarena hit a two-run homer for the Mariners, who improved to 6-1 on their 10-game homestand and pulled within 1 1/2 games of division-leading Houston in the American League West. Seattle starter Logan Gilbert went five innings and allowed one run on two hits.

Michael A. Taylor and Brooks Baldwin hit solo shots for the White Sox, who lost their fourth in a row. Starter Shane Smith went five innings and gave up two runs on four hits.

Mariners first baseman Josh Naylor, acquired from Arizona before the trade deadline, left before the start of the fourth inning with shoulder soreness and is considered day-to-day. Naylor appeared to be in discomfort on swings while at bat in the previous inning.

Athletics 6, Nationals 0

Jacob Lopez struck out a career-high 10 batters over 7 2/3 scoreless innings, fueling the visiting Athletics to a shutout victory over Washington.

Colby Thomas belted a two-run shot in the second inning for his first career homer. He also had a sacrifice fly in the fourth. Tyler Soderstrom’s solo homer in the eighth inning extended his hitting streak to a season-best eight games.

Washington starter Mitchell Parker (7-12) was tagged for four runs on six hits over five innings of work as the team suffered its seventh loss in the last eight games.

Pirates 7, Reds 0

Paul Skenes tossed six shutout innings and struck out eight to lead host Pittsburgh to a victory over Cincinnati.

Despite allowing a career-high seven hits (five singles), Skenes (7-8) delivered another dominant performance to bolster his case for the National League Cy Young Award. Jared Triolo and Henry Davis each had two hits and two RBIs to give Skenes more than enough of a cushion to secure a win for the third time in his past four starts. It was Skenes’ third consecutive start with eight or more strikeouts.

Bryan Reynolds, who also had two hits, homered in the first inning off Reds’ starter Brady Singer (9-9), who lasted only 3 2/3 innings and gave up four runs on six hits, walked four and struck out two.

Braves 8, Marlins 6

Rookie Drake Baldwin hit two homers and drove in five runs as Atlanta erased a four-run deficit to beat visiting Miami Marlins in the opener of a five-game series.

Baldwin went 3-for-5 with his 12th and 13th homers. He also knocked in the tying run with a seventh-inning RBI single and scored the go-ahead run later that frame.

Marlins reliever Josh Simpson (2-1) took the loss, allowing two runs, one earned, in one-third of an inning. Graham Pauley hit a two-run homer, his third, to cap off the Marlins’ five-run second inning.

-Field Level Media

Rookie Drake Baldwin hit two homers and drove in five runs as the Atlanta Braves erased a four-run deficit to beat the visiting Miami Marlins 8-6 on Thursday in the opener of a five-game series.

Atlanta ended a three-game losing streak and evened the season series against the Marlins at 3-3. The Braves had lost five in a row at home.

After trailing 6-2 through four innings, Atlanta cut the deficit to one in the sixth on Baldwin’s three-run homer.

Baldwin tied the game with an RBI single in the seventh, then scored the go-ahead run on Marcell Ozuna’s infield hit and a throwing error by shortstop Otto Lopez.

The Braves got an insurance run in the eighth when Jonathan Ornelas singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.

Baldwin went 3-for-5 with his 12th and 13th homers.

Braves reliever Pierce Johnson (3-3) threw a scoreless seventh inning. Raisel Iglesias worked a perfect ninth with two strikeouts for his 15th save.

Marlins reliever Josh Simpson (2-1) allowed two runs, one earned, on one hit and one walk in one-third of an inning.

Neither starter received a decision. Miami’s Eury Perez worked 5 1/3 innings and allowed five runs on seven hits — three of them home runs — with two walks and one strikeout. Atlanta’s Carlos Carrasco pitched 5 2/3 innings and yielded six runs on nine hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

The Braves got back-to-back solo homers from Baldwin and Ozuna, his 16th, in the first inning.

The Marlins erased the deficit with a five-run rally in the second, getting an RBI single from Jakob Marsee, a two-run triple from Eric Wagaman and a two-run homer from Graham Pauley, his third.

Agustin Ramirez added an RBI single in the fourth to increase Miami’s lead to 6-2.

–Field Level Media

Looking a whole lot different than the last time their fans saw them in person, the Baltimore Orioles are back home for a weekend series against the Athletics.

The Orioles had a busy stretch of off-field moves near the trade deadline that remade their roster.

They played six post-trade-deadline road games prior to making it back to Baltimore, where they’ll meet the Athletics in the series opener Friday night.

With the roster overhaul, it means new roles and opportunities for many of the Orioles. Among those players is corner infielder Coby Mayo, who appears to become an everyday player with the club.

“Coaching staff (has) been great with me,” Mayo said. “Constant communication and they believe in me, the work that we’ve been putting in. They’re not putting any pressure on me whatsoever. And they know what kind of player I am and what kind of player I can be in this league. Just having confidence in me helps a lot.”

Mayo homered when the Orioles won 5-1 on Wednesday at Philadelphia prior to Thursday’s off day. Baltimore is 2-5 across its last seven games, including a 2-4 road trip.

Interim manager Tony Mansolino of the Orioles said Mayo is bound to experience ups and downs as the team adjusts around him.

“Hopefully, he builds on it going forward,” Mansolino said. “We don’t expect him to become a star player right now. We expect him to become a really good player within the next couple of years.”

Outfielder Tyler O’Neill sat out of Baltimore’s game Wednesday after he sustained a wrist injury Tuesday by banging into the outfield wall pursuing what became a Philadelphia home run. His status isn’t expected to be revealed until Friday.

In the wake of O’Neill’s injury, the Orioles placed Vimael Machin, who has been with Triple-A Norfolk, on the medical taxi squad. He last played in the major leagues in 2022 with the Athletics.

Among the recent roster additions for Baltimore is utility player Vidal Brujan, a speedster who has been well-traveled the past few seasons. He played earlier this season for the Chicago Cubs.

The Athletics won two of three meetings with Baltimore in early June in West Sacramento, Calif.

It has been an encouraging beginning to this East Coast swing for the Athletics, who won two of three games in Washington. That included Thursday afternoon’s 6-0 decision.

Athletics manager Mark Kotsay said the team’s young pitching staff continues to make strides. After Jacob Lopez’s 7 2/3 shutout innings Thursday, the Athletics will send more pitchers with limited big-league time to the mound against Baltimore.

“The more they get out there, the more they pitch, the more they can learn and improve,” Kotsay said.

Colby Thomas smashed his first career home run in that game for the Athletics. Teammate Tyler Soderstrom, who has homered 21 times this season, has drilled long balls in each of the past two games after a nine-game stretch without a home run.

Rookie right-hander Tomoyuki Sugano (8-5, 4.42 ERA) will be the starting pitcher for the Orioles. He has gone more than a month without a loss, recording a 2-0 mark in four starts in that span.

Sugano suffered a June 8 loss to the Athletics, giving up four runs (three earned) in 4 1/3 innings. That marks his fourth-shortest outing among 21 starts.

The Athletics will use right-hander J.T. Ginn (2-3, 4.28 ERA) as their starting pitcher. This will mark his eighth start and 15th outing of the year.

In his last appearance, he yielded a career-high five walks without finishing five innings Saturday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. In parts of two big-league seasons, Ginn has never faced the Orioles.

-Field Level Media