CHICAGO -- At this point in the season, the Guardians know they can’t afford to lose another starting pitcher. So, to say the group breathed a sigh of relief when they learned that Ben Lively was OK after taking a comebacker off the leg would be quite the understatement.

The White Sox had only mustered one hit through the first 1 2/3 innings against Lively during Tuesday night’s 5-0 Guardians win at Guaranteed Rate Field. Lively was simply looking to keep that momentum cruising by retiring Dominic Fletcher for the final out of the inning.

What he didn’t know was that Fletcher was going to be the last hitter he faced for the night.

Fletcher laced a 96.4 mph line drive back at Lively, who couldn’t get out of the way. Lively’s right leg was left exposed as he finished following through his motion after releasing his sweeper. The ball appeared to strike Lively squarely on the back of his right leg, prompting him to hit the ground and tumble in pain.

“It hit me and my leg just gave out,” Lively said, “and next thing I know I was on the ground and it was just stinging.”

If Lively was looking for a silver lining while clutching his thigh, where a shiny bruise is destined to show, he peeked up long enough to recognize that the ball somehow ricocheted off of him and rolled directly to first baseman Josh Naylor, who was able to record the final out of the frame.

So, Lively’s mission was accomplished, but it came at a price.

Lively laid in front of the mound as the medical staff hurried to the field to make sure he was OK. He got to his feet and was helped off the field, but he took the last few steps to the dugout on his own. At that point, he was hoping that if he kept moving, he’d have a chance to stay in the game.

He tried to throw while the Guardians were hitting, but by the time the top of the third inning was set to begin, he didn’t feel like he was ready to toe the rubber.

“I was trying to test it all we could and it just started shooting all up and down my leg,” Lively said. “Played the smart game.”

After further examination, the Guardians’ medical team determined Lively had a right thigh contusion, which meant he avoided anything too serious. He’s expecting to make his next start on time and the team doesn’t have to stress about having enough starting pitching (considering Alex Cobb is still down with a blister) at the most crucial point in the season.

The problem was the bullpen was left with seven innings to cover.

Everyone has heard about the hefty workload this group has taken on this year. Everyone has also watched the relief corps thrive no matter the situation. Six pitchers combined to throw seven scoreless frames, allowing just four hits. It helped the Guardians maintain their 3 1/2 game lead over the Royals in the AL Central. And it once again provided reassurance that this group is not running out of gas.

“Those guys stepped up in a huge way,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “They were all efficient, did their job and then some and that was really fun to watch.”

Pedro Avila hurried to get warmed up and came on in the third inning. He worked two frames before passing the ball to Eli Morgan. From there, Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski each took their turns shutting the Chicago offense down to stay in the win column.

“Guys were doing what they’ve done all year, just being dogs and going out there and putting up zeroes and doing their job,” Lively said. “It’s been probably the funnest thing for me to ever watch this season.”

The Guardians now have to be smart with their bullpen usage moving forward, considering the team doesn’t have a day off for nearly two more weeks. But that’s been the story for this group since the start of the season and it’s led them to the best bullpen ERA in the Majors.

So, the team can relish in the fact that Lively avoided injury and remain focused on their quest to win a division title and earn a first-round bye in the playoffs.