Three Observations From Guardians Win Over White Sox, 5-3

Joey Cantillo takes a perfect game into the seventh inning in the Cleveland Guardians' win over the Chicago White Sox.

Sep 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians catcher David Fry (6) celebrates in the dugout after his home run during the third inning at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

Game one of this three-game series is in the books as the Cleveland Guardians took down the Chicago White Sox, 5-3, in the opener.

Here are three observations and takeaways from Cleveland's latest win.

Joey Cantillo Close To Perfection

Joey Cantillo couldn't have pitched a better game against the White Sox. If he had, it would've been a perfect game, which the rookie southpaw did take into the seventh inning.

The first 20 batters for the White Sox had no answers for Cantillo and his offspeed barrage. Cleveland's starter tallied a career-high ten strikeouts against the White Sox and recorded a total of 14 swings and missed as well. The most of the whiffs came from the chanegup which was his best pitch all night.

Cantillo has faced some tough opponents through the first four starts of his career, but this game showed he can be a productive pitcher in the big leagues.

Sep 9, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Joey Cantillo (54) in the dugout after the fifth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images

More Missed Opportunities For Cleveland

The Guardians won, which is a good thing. However, they only won by two runs when it could've been much more. They had plenty of opportunities to extend their lead against Chicago but couldn't convert on those or get the big hits.

Cleveland was 1-for-14 as a team with runners in scoring position. This includes loading the bases with one out of less multiple times throughout the night.

The Guardians can get away with this against a team like the White Sox, but it can't be a habit that continues heading into the playoffs.

Johnensy Noel's Patience

The Guardians had a couple of solid individual performances in this win. One player who stood out was Jhonkensy Noel because of his patience at the plate.

Noel has always been known for his power and swing-and-miss rate during his time in the minors. While that has still been the case for him at the major league level, Noel has shown some positive signs of patience at the plate, too.

The power hitter walked twice on Monday night, one of those walks coming with the bases loaded. Noel can become a truly dangerous hitter if he can learn to be patient like this consistently.