Kluber fans 10 as Indians breeze past White Sox
Corey Kluber struck out 10 over six scoreless innings and Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 19 games, the longest in the majors this season, as the Cleveland Indians routed the visiting Chicago White Sox 9-1 on Wednesday afternoon.
Jose Ramirez and Edwin Encarnacion hit back-to-back home runs in the fourth inning as the Indians won their fifth consecutive game. Cleveland swept the three-game series against the White Sox by a combined score of 25-10.
Kluber (8-2) improved to 4-0 with a 0.33 ERA over four starts (27 2/3 innings) against American League Central teams this year. He is now 10-4 lifetime against the White Sox in 21 games (20 starts).
Kluber did not walk a batter and when he struck out Daniel Palka in the fourth inning, he extended his streak to 100 consecutive batters without issuing a walk.
White Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez (1-4) lasted just 2 2/3 innings, giving up seven runs on eight hits. Lopez entered the game 10th in the AL with a 2.93 ERA.
Tim Anderson had two doubles for the White Sox, who have lost six of their last seven games and 11 of their last 13 on the road. Yolmer Sanchez prevented the shutout with a leadoff homer in the ninth, his third. The White Sox’s Jose Abreu went hitless in the series.
Yonder Alonso had three hits as the Indians took control with a five-run third inning, their second five-run inning in the series against the White Sox and their third in their just-completed seven-game homestand.
Brantley went 1-for-3, extending his hitting streak with a first-inning single. He was also hit by a pitch and scored two runs. Brantley is batting .366 (30-82) during his hitting streak with 21 runs scored. The 19-game run is tied for the second-longest hitting streak of his career. He had a 22-game streak in 2012.
Ramirez’s home run was his 17th, one off the major league lead, while Encarnacion hit his 13th. It was the fourth time this season the Indians hit back-to-back home runs.
—Field Level Media