Cleveland Indians Trounce the Chicago White Sox 13-2

The Cleveland Indians trounced the Chicago White Sox by a score of 13-2 Saturday night as the bats came alive early and never let up. The win moves the Indians 37-30 on the season while the loss drops the White Sox to 33-35. The Indians will remain in first place in the American League Central after starting the day a half game up on the Kansas City Royals while the White Sox remain in fourth in the division.

Indians starter Danny Salazar continued his dominant ways this season with another masterful start (although it really wasn’t needed thanks to the offense). He moved to 8-3 on the season with the victory after working 6 2/3 innings allowing just two runs on five hits. He struck out seven and walked just one on the night. His ERA actually rose tonight, going from 2.19 to 2.23 on the season. The only runs Salazar allowed on the night came in the top of the 6th inning on a two-run home run off the bat of Jose Abreu, his 10th of the season. 

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The Tribe’s bullpen picked up where Salazar left off, pitching 2 1/3 scoreless.  Joba Chamberlain got the final out of the 7th inning (a strikeout) and then Tommy Hunter and Dan Otero each worked a scoreless inning close out the blowout win for the Indians.

The offense took out their frustration of the previous four games tonight, erupting for 13 runs on 15 hits. In their previous four games, the Indians scored just ten runs and hadn’t scored more than four in a game since Sunday in Los Angeles. The Indians jumped on White Sox starter James Shields scoring five runs in the first inning. Francisco Lindor drove in the first run on an RBI single to score Carlos Santana. One batter later, Mike Napoli delivered the big blow, a three-run home run to right field. It was Napoli’s team-high 15th home run of the season. The Indians got another run on an RBI single by Tyler Naquin, the ninth man to bat in the inning, making it 5-0.

The Indians would score three more in the second inning when they knocked out Shields after just 1 2/3 innings. Juan Uribe, in his first game back, singled home Lindor to make it 6-0 Indians. Reliever Matt Purke would come on and walk in the Tribe’s seventh run as Yan Gomes walked with the bases loaded. The third run of the inning was a gift by White Sox catcher Dioner Navarro who threw the ball away on an attempted pickoff at third base, allowing Uribe to score making it 8-0 innings. That would close the book on Shields who allowed eight runs on the night on seven hits and three walks.

The Indians weren’t done, scoring two more in the 4th inning and three in the 6th inning off relievers Matt Purke and Matt Albers. Naquin, who went 3 for 3 and reached base five times, tripled home a pair in the 4th inning, making it 10-0 Tribe.  In the 6th, Juan Uribe hit a two-run home run to center, scoring Jose Ramirez and then Tyler Naquin followed with his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot making it 13-2 Indians. Naquin would finish the night with four RBI and was a double shy of the cycle.

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The Indians will go for the sweep of the White Sox tomorrow afternoon at Progressive Field. First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 pm as Carlos Carrasco (2-2, 3.40 ERA) is set to take on lefty Carlos Rodon (2-6, 4.28). The Indians have now beat the White Sox five times in a row. The Indians will next welcome the Tampa Bay Rays to town for a three-game series starting Monday.