CHICAGO (Interstat) — The Cleveland Guardians used a six-run sixth inning to beat the Chicago White Sox 9-5 on Thursday at Guaranteed Rate Field in Game 4 of the American League Division Series. José Ramírez homered, singled and drove in three runs, and Patrick Bailey added a home run and two RBIs as Cleveland kept its season alive. The White Sox lead the series 2-1, and Game 5 is scheduled for Saturday at Progressive Field. The game took 3 hours, 39 minutes and drew 39,920.

The White Sox struck first in the third inning. Colson Montgomery singled against Cleveland starter Parker Messick, and Chase Meidroth doubled to put runners on second and third. After Randal Grichuk struck out, Miguel Vargas walked to load the bases. Munetaka Murakami then drew a bases-loaded walk that forced in Montgomery. Sam Antonacci followed with a sacrifice fly to right fielder Chase DeLauter that scored Meidroth for a 2-0 Chicago lead. Brenton Doyle lined out to shortstop Brayan Rocchio to end the inning.

Cleveland was held quiet through the first four innings. The Guardians managed a walk from Steven Kwan in the first and a walk from Rocchio in the second, but they could not push a run across. Nathaniel Lowe singled in the fourth, only for Angel Martínez to ground into a double play. Erick Fedde, who started for Chicago, mixed his pitches and kept Cleveland off balance early. He finished with 3 2/3 innings, three hits, two earned runs, one walk and one strikeout.

The Guardians broke through in the fifth. Patrick Bailey hit a line-drive homer to right field to cut the deficit to 2-1. Rocchio lined out, but Kwan singled on a ground ball to center fielder Brenton Doyle. José Ramírez then hit a fly ball to right-center field that cleared the fence for a two-run homer, scoring Kwan and giving Cleveland a 3-2 lead. DeLauter flied out to left fielder Randal Grichuk, and Jo Adell struck out swinging to end the top half.

Chicago answered in the bottom of the fifth. Meidroth walked, and Tristan Peters struck out swinging. Vargas walked, and Murakami singled on a sharp line drive to left fielder Angel Martínez to load the bases. Sam Antonacci was hit by a pitch, forcing in Meidroth and tying the game at 3. Doyle followed with a sacrifice fly to right fielder DeLauter that scored Vargas and put Chicago back ahead 4-3. Kyle Teel walked to reload the bases, but Braden Montgomery struck out swinging to end the threat.

The sixth inning decided the game. Nathaniel Lowe grounded out to open the frame, but Anthony Kay hit Angel Martínez with a pitch. Travis Bazzana doubled on a fly ball to right fielder Braden Montgomery, scoring Martínez and tying the game at 4. Bailey then singled on a ground ball to left fielder Tristan Peters, scoring Bazzana and giving Cleveland a 5-4 lead. Rocchio walked, and Kwan walked to load the bases. Ramírez singled on a ground ball to second baseman Meidroth, scoring Bailey for a 6-4 advantage. DeLauter singled on a line drive to right field, scoring Rocchio for 7-4. Adell capped the rally with a single to right field that scored Kwan and Ramírez, pushing the Cleveland lead to 9-4. Lowe grounded out softly to end the inning. The six-run outburst turned a one-run deficit into a five-run cushion and silenced the home crowd.

Cleveland’s bullpen protected the lead. Erik Sabrowski earned the win with one inning of relief, allowing one hit and striking out one. Shawn Armstrong followed with 1 2/3 perfect innings, striking out two. Hunter Gaddis threw 1 1/3 innings, giving up one hit and striking out one. Parker Messick started and worked 2 1/3 innings, allowing two hits, two earned runs, four walks and five strikeouts. Chicago’s Fedde took a no-decision after 3 2/3 innings with three hits, two earned runs, one walk and one strikeout. Bryan Hudson delivered 1 2/3 hitless innings out of the bullpen. Tyler Davis added two innings, allowing one hit, no earned runs, one walk and one strikeout.

Chicago did not go quietly in the ninth. Miguel Vargas homered on a fly ball to left field to cut the Cleveland lead to 9-5. Murakami walked, and Antonacci singled on a ground ball to center fielder Petey Halpin. Andrew Benintendi struck out swinging for the first out. Kyle Teel then grounded into a force out, with Murakami advancing to third and Antonacci out at second. Braden Montgomery lined out to left fielder Steven Kwan to end the game. The final out preserved a crucial road win for Cleveland.

The Guardians improved to 87-79 on the season. The White Sox fell to 88-80. Sabrowski improved to 6-3, and Kay dropped to 11-10. Ramírez led Cleveland’s offense with a 2-for-5 day that included a home run and three RBIs. Bailey went 2-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Bazzana doubled and drove in a run, while Adell drove in two. Kwan, DeLauter and Lowe also contributed hits for Cleveland. Vargas went 1-for-2 with a home run and one RBI for Chicago. Murakami and Antonacci each drove in a run for the White Sox. Colson Montgomery, Meidroth, Peters, Doyle and Antonacci all recorded hits for Chicago.

Cleveland finished with 10 hits, while Chicago had eight. The Guardians scored in the fifth and sixth, with the sixth providing the decisive separation. Chicago scored twice in the third, twice in the fifth and once in the ninth. The series continues Saturday at Progressive Field, with Chicago holding a 2-1 lead. The Guardians are seeking to extend their postseason run and move closer to an ALCS matchup with the Rays. The White Sox are trying to close out the series on the road.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Cleveland Guardians 8, Chicago White Sox 7. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Chicago with a 51.4 percent probability to win. Cleveland had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of minus 1.5. The total score of 14 went under the over-under line of 7.5.