Game 30: White Sox 8, Indians 1

The only silver lining to this game was that the Indians will have a rested bullpen (aside from Jairo Asencio) as they head to Fenway Park. Jeanmar Gomez may have allowed 8 runs, but he was efficient while being shelled.

The difference from the usual Gomez was apparent from the beginning. Usually a strike-thrower, Jeanmar fell behind Alejandro de Aza and eventually walked him. Adam Dunn, who picked up where he left off in 2010 (obviously 2011's Dunn was an imposter), then destroyed a Gomez pitch over the plate and deposited it in the right field seats.

Gomez got through the next couple innings unscathed, but everything fell apart in the fourth. A leadoff walk to Dunn, singles by Konerko and Pierzynski, a walk to Rios, and a single by Ramirez started the inning. After the first out, two more singles followed, along with a sacrifice fly, before the inning ended. Usually a pitcher who gives up six runs in an inning doesn't stick around to finish the frame, but not only did Gomez do that, he retired eight out of the next ten batters he faced, pitching into the seventh inning.

While Gomez's last three innings were promising, they were promising only in view of his next start, for the game was essentially over by the time fourth inning ended. Jake Peavy, who is finally healthy, limited the Indians to one run in seven innings of work. He doesn't have the velocity on his fastball that he once had, but his stuff is still more than good enough to dominate opposing hitters, especially when he was throwing strikes at the rate he was throwing. He finished his evening with 101 pitches, 69 of which were for strikes.

Source: FanGraphs