CHICAGO — Rajai Davis‘ two-run homer in the fifth inning put Cleveland ahead to stay, Jose Ramirez hit his second long ball of the day and Juan Uribe also went deep to lead the Indians to a 5-1 victory over the Chicago White Sox and a doubleheader split Monday night.
Davis’ shot to left field off Erik Johnson (0-2) on a 3-0 fastball snapped a 1-all tie. That was enough offence for Cody Anderson (1-3), who struck out a career-best nine over seven innings as the Indians snapped a three-game skid.
In the opener, Brett Lawrie broke a fifth-inning tie with a three-run homer, Todd Frazier hit his 14th of the season and the White Sox held on for a 7-6 victory.
Ramirez homered on the last pitch he saw in the opener and the first of the second game for Cleveland, which finished the day with six homers.
The second game featured two pitchers called up from Triple-A to make the start, and Johnson tired. He allowed five runs and six hits in 6 2/3 innings.
Frazier doubled and scored on Melky Cabrera‘s single in the third for the White Sox, but Anderson was dominant from there, retiring the final 13 batters he faced.
In the first game, Austin Jackson had three hits and two RBIs, Mat Latos (6-1) allowed three runs over six innings and David Robertson pitched a hitless ninth for his 12th save.
Marlon Byrd‘s two-run homer in the fifth off Latos tied it at 3 a half-inning before Lawrie sent Mike Clevinger‘s fastball into the left-field seats.
“I saw a bunch of pitches, sliders and curveballs, and it allowed me at 3-2 to get a fastball and I didn’t miss it,” Lawrie said.
Lawrie also singled and walked three times. Frazier’s solo shot in the first was his second in two days and gave him the AL lead.
Clevinger (0-1) gave up seven hits over five innings in his second big league start.
“I felt like, especially with this offence scoring those runs, I was killing the momentum,” Clevinger said. “This one was on me.”
Mike Napoli had a solo homer and an RBI groundout in the makeup of an April 10 rainout. Jose Ramirez’s two-run homer in the eighth off Matt Albers got the Indians within a run.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Indians: RHP Joba Chamberlain was placed on the disabled list with a strained chest muscle. LHP Ryan Merritt was recalled from Triple-A Columbus. … RHP Carlos Carrasco (hamstring) threw 50 pitches in three simulated innings Monday morning and is scheduled to make a three-inning appearance Friday at Class A Lake County. … Manager Terry Francona said OF Michael Brantley (shoulder) will begin swinging a bat Tuesday.
White Sox: 2B Carlos Sanchez, who went 0 for 5, was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte after the first game to make room for Johnson.
DEFENSIVE GEMS
Cleveland RF Michael Martinez caught a liner in right and threw out Cabrera at the plate in the first game. Uribe threw out Jackson at home on a grounder to third in the eighth inning of the second game.
NEEDED PRODUCTION
Frazier, acquired from Cincinnati in an off-season trade, has one more home run than all of Chicago’s third basemen combined in 2015.
SO MANY GAMES
The opener was the Indians’ 18,000th game. The second game marked the same milestone for the White Sox.
UP NEXT
White Sox ace Chris Sale (9-0, 1.58 ERA) seeks to become the majors’ first 10-game winner Tuesday night in a matchup of unbeaten pitchers. RHP Josh Tomlin (6-0, 3.56) is off to the best start for a Cleveland pitcher since Cliff Lee was 6-0 in 2008.
