Game 45: White Sox 9, Indians 3

Jeanmar Gomez was shaky all evening, and finally the White Sox broke the game open as he tired. The bullpen didn't help matters, either.

Gomez struggled last time he faced Chicago, giving up eight runs in 6.2 innings (most of it coming in the early innings). This time it was largely the same, though Gomez kept the damage relatively contained. It took him roughly 55 pitches to get through the first two innings, and although he gave up three runs on two home runs, it could have been much worse. Gomez was taken deep by Adam Dunn in the first inning for a two-run shot and in the second by A. J. Pierzynksi for a solo homer. Instead of his normal quick at-bats, Gomez struggled to put batters away, his control not nearly up his usual standards. In Dunn's case, the pitch wasn't that bad, but he allowed him swinging room; on the Pierzynski homer, he missed badly, putting the pitch down and over the plate.

After the second homer (which opened the second inning), he allowed two of the three next batters to reach, but retired the next two batters, leaving Adam Dunn on-deck as the inning ended. After that he settled down, retiring the White Sox in order in the third and fourth innings and getting through the fifth without much trouble. He retired the first two batters in the sixth, but then walked the next two; that was his and Indians' undoing. Alexei Ramirez singled in a run, and he was pulled in favor of Jairo Asencio, who made a bad situation by walking the first batter he faced and allowing a two-run single. By the time the sixth inning ended the Indians were down 6-2.

With the Indians already down 4 and the back end of the bullpen used heavily in the Detriot series, Asencio was brought back for another inning, and allowed another three runs to put the game completely out of reach.

The offense managed just two runs off first-time starter Jose Quintana, who went six innings, allowing four hits and three walks while striking out four. The lineup looked a lot different, with Travis Hafner back in Cleveland dealing with a leg injury and Michael Brantley getting the night off. Before the game was over, both Asdrubal Cabrera (hamstring) and Carlos Santana (head) was out of the lineup, both pulled for precautionary reasons. Juan Diaz, who replaced Cabrera in the seventh, made his major-league debut. Diaz was recalled for the weekend series to give the Indians some infield depth, and it turned out he was needed right away.

Source: FanGraphs