Carlos Santana homers to help the Guardians top the White Sox 4-2 in doubleheader opener

CHICAGO (AP) — Carlos Santana hit a tiebreaking two-run homer in the sixth inning, and the Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 4-2 on Friday in the opener of a split doubleheader.

Angel Martínez and Daniel Schneemann also connected for Cleveland in its fourth consecutive victory. Logan Allen (6-7) pitched six innings of one-hit ball.

With two out and a runner on first, Santana hit a 418-foot drive to center off Tyler Alexander (4-9) for his 11th homer this season. The 39-year-old first baseman went 1 for 19 in his previous five games.

Luis Robert Jr. homered for Chicago, which finished with two hits in its fourth loss in five games.

The doubleheader was scheduled after Thursday night's game was postponed because of rain.

Cleveland jumped in front when Schneemann and Martínez hit back-to-back homers off All-Star Shane Smith in the second. Martínez went deep for the third consecutive game, giving him eight on the year.

Chicago tied it at 2 in the bottom half. Mike Tauchman reached on a one-out walk before Robert drilled his ninth homer, a 378-foot drive to left with an exit velocity of 111.1 mph.

Cleveland retired 19 consecutive batters after Robert went deep. Colson Montgomery broke up the string with a two-out walk against Hunter Gaddis in the eighth, but pinch-hitter Andrew Benintendi flied out to the warning track in the corner in right.

Emmanuel Clase handled the ninth for his 20th save in 24 chances.

Edgar Quero bounced to second for the final out of the game, stranding a runner on second.

It was Allen's first win since June 18. He went 0-3 with a 3.57 ERA in his previous three starts.

Gavin Williams (5-4, 3.61 ERA) starts for Cleveland in the second game, and fellow right-hander Jonathan Cannon (3-7, 4.50 ERA) goes for Chicago.

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Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert Jr. (88) runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert Jr., right, celebrates with Mike Tauchman (18) after hitting a two-run home run during the second inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Cleveland Guardians, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Cleveland Guardians' Carlos Santana celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Cleveland Guardians' Carlos Santana runs the bases after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

Cleveland Guardians' Carlos Santana, right, celebrates with José Ramírez, left, after hitting a two-run home run during the sixth inning of the first baseball game of a doubleheader against the Chicago White Sox, Friday, July 11, 2025, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)

ADEN, Yemen (AP) — Saudi warplanes have reportedly struck on Friday forces in southern Yemen backed by the United Arab Emirates, a separatist leader says.

This comes as a Saudi-led operation attempts to take over camps of the Southern Transitional Council, or STC, in the governorate of Haramout that borders Saudi Arabia.

Tensions between Saudi Arabia and the UAE rose after the STC moved last month into Yemen’s governorates of Hadramout and Mahra and seized an oil-rich region. The move pushed out forces affiliated with the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces, a group aligned with the coalition in fighting the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.

Meanwhile, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen accused the head of the STC of blocking a Saudi mediation delegation from landing in the southern city of Aden.

The STC deputy and former Hamdrmout governor, Ahmed bin Breik, said in a statement that the Saudi-backed National Shield Forces advanced toward the camps, but the separatists refused to withdraw, apparently leading to the airstrikes.

Mohamed al-Nakib, spokesperson for the STC-backed Southern Shield Forces, also known as Dera Al-Janoub, said Saudi airstrikes caused fatalities, without providing details. The Associated Press couldn’t independently verify that claim.

Al-Nakib also accused Saudi Arabia in a video on X of using “Muslim Brotherhood and al-Qaeda militias” in a "large-scale attack " early Friday that he claimed sepratists were able to repel.

He likened the latest developments to Yemen’s 1994 civil war, “except that this time it is under the cover of Saudi aviation operations.”

Salem al-Khanbashi, the governor of Hadramout who was chosen Friday by Yemen's internationally recognized government to command the Saudi-led forces in the governorate, refuted STC claims, calling them “ridiculous” and showing intentions of escalation instead of a peaceful handover, according Okaz newspaper, which is aligned with the Saudi government.

Earlier on Friday, al-khanbashi called the current operation of retrieving seized areas “peaceful.”

“This operation is not a declaration of war and does not seek escalation,” al-Khanbashi said in a speech aired on state media. “This is a responsible pre-emptive measure to remove weapons and prevent chaos and the camps from being used to undermine the security in Hadramout,” he added.

The Saudi-led coalition in Yemen demands the withdrawal of STC forces from the two governorates as part of de-escalation efforts. The STC has so far refused to hand over its weapons and camps.

The coalition's spokesperson Brig. Gen. Turki al-Maliki said Friday on X that Saudi-backed naval forces were deployed across the Arabian Sea to carry out inspections and combat smuggling.

In his post on X, the Saudi ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed al-Jaber, said the kingdom had tried “all efforts with STC” for weeks "to stop the escalation" and to urge the separatists to leave Hadramout and Mahra, only to be faced with “continued intransigence and rejection from Aidarous al-Zubaidi," the STC head.

Al-Jaber said the latest development was not permitting the Saudi delegation's jet to land in Aden, despite having agreed on its arrival with some STC leaders to find a solution that serves “everyone and the public interest.”

Yemen’s transport ministry, aligned with STC, said Saudi Arabia imposed on Thursday requirements mandating that flights to and from Aden International Airport undergo inspection in Jeddah. The ministry expressed “shock” and denounced the decision. There was no confirmation from Saudi authorities.

ِA spokesperson with the transport ministry told the AP late Thursday that all flights from and to the UAE were suspended until Saudi Arabia reverses these reported measures.

Yemen has been engulfed in a civil war for more than a decade, with the Houthis controlling much of the northern regions, while a Saudi-UAE-backed coalition supports the internationally recognized government in the south. However, the UAE also helps the southern separatists who call for South Yemen to secede once again from Yemen. Those aligned with the council have increasingly flown the flag of South Yemen, which was a separate country from 1967-1990.

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Associated Press writers Bassem Mroue in Beirut and Fatma Khaled in Cairo contributed to this report.

Southern Yemen soldiers of Southern Transitional Council (STC) at a check point, in Aden, Yemen, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025. (AP Photo)