CLEVELAND — Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber couldn’t stop the Chicago White Sox. Carlos Carrasco joined the club on Saturday night.
Chicago scored five times in the first inning off Carrasco, three of them before making an out, in cruising to a 10-3 victory over the Indians.
The White Sox have won the first three games of the series by a combined 24-4 margin, pushing Cleveland back into last place in the American League Central Division.
"They’ve outplayed us in every way," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "They’ve hit better than us, they’ve pitched better than us. They’ve completely held us down. We’ve got about 12 hours to figure out how to change that if we want to win one against them."
Carrasco (10-8) turned in the third straight poor performance by a Cleveland starter, allowing a season-high six runs in four innings. The right-hander came within one strike of throwing a no-hitter at Tampa Bay on July 1, but is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in four subsequent starts.
Chicago plated six runs against Bauer in the series opener, then scored six more Friday against AL Cy Young Award winner Kluber.
"Everything I threw, they hit it real easy, so I don’t know what was wrong," said Carrasco, who struck out five. "Maybe I was tipping (pitches), that’s my guess, so I’m going to look at the video before my next start."
Rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor had two hits for the Indians, who have lost five in a row at Progressive Field and own the worst home record in the AL at 19-29.
White Sox left-hander Chris Sale (9-5) earned the win, scattering seven hits over seven innings while allowing two runs. He also struck out seven to raise his season total to an AL-high 170.
"That was awesome tonight," Sale said. "It’s a good feeling sitting in there, before you even throw your first pitch, you’ve got a five-spot. It was fun to watch."
Rookie third baseman Giovanny Urshela, Jesus Aguilar and Ryan Raburn each drove in runs for Cleveland, which trailed 8-1 in the middle of the seventh. Five of the Indians’ eight hits were doubles, but they were just 2 for 11 with runners in scoring position.
Chicago tacked on four runs off relievers Jeff Manship, Austin Adams and Ryan Webb, capping another rough evening for the hosts.
"You know what? There’s nothing we can do about it now," Carrasco said. "They’re playing real good, and we need to be better tomorrow."
PIONEER
The Indians unveiled a statue of Larry Doby, the first African-American player in the AL, before the game. Doby also played for Chicago and became the second black manager in the majors with the White Sox in 1978. Pitcher Jim "Mudcat" Grant, who was Doby’s roommate with the Indians, said he kept his cool most of the time. "He’d get a little angry," Grant added. "If pitchers threw at your head as often as they did at his, you’d be angry, too."
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: 1B Jose Abreu (right index finger) said he is no longer experiencing soreness after re-bruising his finger on July 11 at the Cubs. The injury dates back to mid-May.
Indians: 2B Jason Kipnis (neck stiffness) was not in the lineup, but Francona believes the two-time AL All-Star will play in the four-game series finale Sunday.
UP NEXT
White Sox: LHP Carlos Rodon (3-3) opened his rookie season with two wins, but has gone 1-3 with a 6.98 ERA in his six subsequent starts.
Indians: RHP Danny Salazar (8-5) has alternated wins and losses over his last five starts, posting a 2-3 record and a 4.31 ERA since June 23.
