C.J. Kayfus and Jhonkensy Noel homered, helping Parker Messick and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 3-1 on Saturday night. Kayfus connected for a two-run shot in the second against Davis Martin (6-10).

The White Sox exceeded (very low) expectations and two of our Chicago writers examine where they fit in the Chicago-disappointment pantheon.

Chase Meidroth and Will Robertson singled in the third inning Friday. Those were the only two hits for the Chicago White Sox in a 4-0 loss to the Cleveland Guardians.

Colson Montgomery and Kyle Teel drove in two runs each to back 5 2/3 scoreless innings from fellow rookie Shane Smith, and the Chicago White Sox beat the Tampa Bay Rays 5-1 in the rubber game of the series.

On Friday, the Chicago White Sox were only able to generate two hits against Cleveland in their shutout loss. They needed just four batters to best that total on Saturday against starter Parker Messick,

It wasn't all smooth this season, though, as Altavilla exercised the opt-out clause in his contract in March and then re-signed on a minor league deal a few days later. He was then released by the White Sox again in May without making a major league appearance, but then re-signed, this time on a major league contract.

The Chicago White Sox entered Friday ranked in the top five in several offensive categories since the All-Star break.

This story was excerpted from Scott Merkin's White Sox Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.