CLEVELAND — The stage was set for the White Sox. The bases were loaded and they needed two runs to tie the game in the ninth inning. A seemingly dormant offense had picked up momentum off one of MLB's best closers in the Guardians’ Emmanuel Clase.
Third baseman Miguel Vargas rocketed a single to left field that scored one and looked to have scored the tying run until right fielder Mike Tauchman pulled up lame rounding third base. Instead of a tie game, it was game over.
The Sox fell 3-2 for their seventh consecutive loss Wednesday. Tauchman — who returned to the lineup on Sunday (right hamstring tightness) after being on the injured list since March 27 (retroactive to March 23) — eased up as he rounded third.
After catcher Austin Hedges applied the tag for the final out, Tauchman slammed his helmet in frustration and fell to the ground in discomfort. The team announced that the injury was right hamstring tightness.
No comeback. No rally. Another loss.
The club placed Tauchman on the 10-day injured list before Thursday's finale against the Guardians.
Mike Tauchman injured himself rounding third. He was the tying run for the White Sox pic.twitter.com/kToYHdTZl4
— Jomboy Media (@JomboyMedia) April 10, 2025
“It’s unfortunate,” manager Will Venable said. “[I] hope Mike’s all right. The outcome in the game speaks for itself and is disappointing. But you get past that first three innings for us — really good job by [reliever Mike Vasil] there and our bullpen to give us a chance. And then again, quality at-bats against one of the best pitchers on the planet.”
Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said he knew the play was going to be close until he saw Tauchman pulling up.
“You never want to see a guy pulling up like that, especially when the game’s on the line,” Kwan told reporters. “You have to know that was really hurting him.”
In addition to Tauchman’s injury, catcher Korey Lee twisted his left ankle in the sixth as he attempted to return to first base. Lee stayed down on the field, writhing in pain.
On top of injuries, starter Sean Burke was inefficient with his command, throwing three innings, allowing three runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts.
Burke said he had a “pretty bad” outing. He walked the first two batters on eight pitches before settling in and getting Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo to pop out and fly out, respectively.
But he gave up an RBI single to Jhonkensy Noel and threw a wild pitch to bring home the second run in the first inning.
Then in the third, he allowed a solo homer to Santana. Burke was frustrated he couldn’t go deeper into the game.
“I’ve said before every single time I go out there, I want to put my team in a position to win, and I just didn’t do that tonight,” Burke said.
He didn’t give the team a chance to win, but the bullpen did. Vasil, Penn Murfee and Fraser Ellard combined to throw five scoreless innings.
With a bullpen not known for its steadiness providing standout pitching, the offense still couldn’t come through. The Tauchman play was unfortunate, but the Sox squandered numerous opportunities to score.
The Sox were 3-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base. Over their seven-game losing streak, the Sox have scored just 15 runs.
“Had a base hit to score the tying run and obviously we weren’t able to push it across,” Venable said. “Proud of those guys for giving us a chance there at the end.”
