Sox Sluggers Shut Down Indians
The White Sox were off to a strong start just like opening day, scoring five runs in the first two innings before Edwin Jackson allowed the Indians to score three. Chicago held Cleveland in their place and kept the runs coming before ending the game ahead 8-3.
Edwin Jackson extended his mastery of Cleveland, Gordon Beckham and Carlos Quentin had two RBIs apiece and the Chicago White Sox beat the Indians 8-3 on Saturday for their first 2-0 start since 2005 - when they won the World Series.
Jackson, who is 8-0 in his last nine starts against Cleveland, allowed two earned runs and five hits in six innings. He had one shaky frame, and that wasn't all his fault as two errors on one play by third baseman Brent Morel helped the Indians score two in the second.
Chicago jumped out to a 5-0 lead in two innings against Carlos Carrasco (0-1), who recovered and hung around until the seventh.
Travis Hafner homered for Cleveland in front of a crowd of 9,853 - the smallest in Progressive Field since the ballpark opened in 1994.
Jackson must wish he faced the Indians every time he took the mound. Of the right-hander's 49 career wins, eight have come against Cleveland. He's 4-0 in his seven starts at Progressive Field, and the 27-year-old hasn't lost to the Indians since 2007, when he was with Tampa Bay.
Chicago's bullpen bounced back after a brutal opener, when it gave up six runs in three innings. Chris Sale and Sergio Santos combined for three scoreless innings.
Picking up where they left off after Friday's 15-run outburst, the White Sox wasted little time in taking a 5-0 lead after two innings. Chicago's hitters seemed to extend their batting practice routines into the game against Carrasco, who was hit hard early.
Chicago scored four times in the second on Alexei Ramirez's RBI single, Beckham's two-run base hit and an RBI groundout by Adam Dunn. Carrasco was on the cusp of being sent to an early shower, but he got bailed out when third baseman Jack Hannahan made a diving catch to snare Alex Rios' line drive to end the inning with two runners on.
The Indians closed to 5-3 in the second on Hafner's blast into the right-field bullpen and Hannahan's two-run single, which was set up by Morel's miscues. With a runner at first, he bobbled Buck's grounder and threw the ball into the photographer's pit.
Jackson settled down after that, allowing just two hits over the next four innings.
Juan Pierre's RBI single made it 6-3 in the sixth, and Quentin doubled home two insurance runs in the seventh off reliever Chad Durbin.
Carrasco was named the No. 2 starter after a strong spring. The right-hander allowed seven runs and 10 hits in 6 2-3 innings, the second bad outing by a Cleveland starter after ace Fausto Carmona was battered for 10 runs in three innings on Friday.
Paul Konerko's sacrifice fly put the White Sox ahead 1-0 in the first, when even Chicago's outs were rockets against Carrasco.
Notes: The previous smallest crowd was 10,071 on April 14 last season against Texas. ... The Indians and White Sox both had home runs reviewed on opening day. Cleveland manager Manny Acta has no problem with the umpires taking an extra look on TV. "I'm for it," Acta said. "That's just about the only thing I'm for on replays. I think it sometimes becomes a joke because you know the ball went out, but you just want to give the benefit of the doubt to video and not trust your eyesight. It's there, so why not use it." ... The 25 combined runs scored Friday were the most in an opening-day game since 1983, when San Diego beat San Francisco 16-13. ... White Sox LHP John Denks is expected to start on Sunday despite a tooth infection that required a dentist's visit in Cleveland.
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