GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: B Logan relieved M MacDougal.
SITUATION: 6 RUNS IN, A CABRERA ON FIRST, C BLAKE ON SECOND, 2 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5
CLEVELAND 8 BOTTOM, 8TH

DUE UP FOR CLEVELAND: G Sizemore (.280, 1-FOR-4)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">CHI WHITE SOX (5) VS CLEVELAND (8) - END 8TH - IN PROGRESS

CHI WHITE SOX ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Owens cf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .239
J Fields lf 4 0 1 2 0 1 3 .240
P Konerko 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .262
J Thome dh 2 0 1 1 2 0 0 .274
J Dye rf 4 0 1 1 0 1 4 .248
A Pierzynski c 4 0 0 0 0 2 3 .260
A Gonzalez 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1 5 .220
D Erstad 1b-lf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .264
J Uribe ss 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 .216
D Richar 2b 3 2 2 0 1 1 0 .198

Totals 30 5 8 5 6 6 17

BATTING: 2B - J Owens (6, F Carmona); J Uribe (12, F Carmona); D Richar (3, A
Fultz). S - J Owens. SF - J Fields. RBI - J Fields 2 (53), J Dye (67), J Uribe
(53), J Thome (71). 2-out RBI - J Thome. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - J Uribe 1, A Gonzalez 4, J Fields 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Owens (22, 3rd base off F Carmona/V Martinez).


CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 5 2 1 0 0 0 3 .279
F Gutierrez rf 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .274
T Hafner dh 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .255
V Martinez c 4 0 1 2 0 0 2 .306
C Gomez pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .314
R Garko 1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 2 .303
J Peralta ss 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .271
J Michaels lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264
a-K Lofton ph 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 .299
C Blake 3b 4 1 2 3 0 1 0 .265
J Barfield 2b 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .244
b-A Cabrera ph 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .286

Totals 32 8 8 8 4 4 8

a-walked for J Michaels in the 8th; b-grounded to first for J Barfield in the
8th.

BATTING: 2B - C Blake (30, M MacDougal). RBI - F Gutierrez (25), V Martinez 2
(96), R Garko (50), K Lofton (31), C Blake 3 (64). 2-out RBI - V Martinez, R
Garko, K Lofton, C Blake 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Garko
1, G Sizemore 1. Team LOB - 5.


----------------------------------------------------
CHI WHITE SOX - 000 023 00 -- 5
CLEVELAND - 000 002 06 -- 8
----------------------------------------------------

CHI WHITE SOX ip h r er bb so hr era
M Buehrle 7 4 2 2 0 4 0 3.47
E Wassermann 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 3.12
M Myers 0 1 2 2 1 0 0 4.03
M MacDougal 0 2 3 3 3 0 0 6.49
B Logan 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.40

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
F Carmona 6 7 5 5 6 4 0 3.31
A Fultz 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.70

M Myers pitched to 2 batters in the 8th.
M MacDougal pitched to 5 batters in the 8th.

IBB - J Thome (by F Carmona). HBP - T Hafner (by M Buehrle). Pitches-strikes:
M Buehrle 97-65; E Wassermann 9-5; M Myers 8-2; M MacDougal 25-7; B Logan 4-2;
F Carmona 103-61; A Fultz 27-19. Ground balls-fly balls: M Buehrle 7-10; E
Wassermann 1-1; M Myers 0-0; M MacDougal 0-0; B Logan 0-1; F Carmona 11-3; A
Fultz 2-2. Batters faced: M Buehrle 26; E Wassermann 3; M Myers 2; M MacDougal
5; B Logan 1; F Carmona 31; A Fultz 7.

UMPIRES: HP--John Hirschbeck. 1B--Laz Diaz. 2B--Mike Dimuro. 3B--Chris
Guccione.

Weather: 70 degrees, clear. Wind: 10 mph, in from right.</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHI WHITE SOX 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 5 8 0
CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 8 8 0 (TOP 9)

CURRENT PITCHERS: CHA - BOONE LOGAN
CLE - AARON FULTZ

DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J THOME (.274, 1-FOR-2, 2 BB, RBI)
J DYE (.248, 1-FOR-4, RBI)
A PIERZYNSKI (.260, 0-FOR-4)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: K Shoppach catching.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5
CLEVELAND 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J Thome (.274, 1-FOR-2, RBI)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: K Lofton in left field.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5
CLEVELAND 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J Thome (.274, 1-FOR-2, RBI)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: A Cabrera at second base.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5
CLEVELAND 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J Thome (.274, 1-FOR-2, RBI)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - PITCHING CHANGE
CLE: RAFAEL BETANCOURT (3-0, 1.55) STARTING THE 9TH
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 8

DUE UP FOR CHWHITESOX: J THOME (.274, 1-FOR-2, RBI)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL AT CLEVELAND - MID INNING UPDATE
PLAY: R Betancourt relieved A Fultz.
SITUATION: 0 RUNS IN, NONE ON, 0 OUTS
CURRENT SCORE: CHI WHITE SOX 5
CLEVELAND 8 TOP, 9TH

DUE UP FOR CHI WHITE SOX: J Thome (.274, 1-FOR-2, RBI)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHI WHITE SOX 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 5 8 0
CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 x 8 8 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: CHA - MARK BUEHRLE, EHREN WASSERMANN (8TH), MIKE MYERS (8TH), MIKE
MACDOUGAL (8TH), BOONE LOGAN (8TH) AND A.J. PIERZYNSKI

CLE - FAUSTO CARMONA, AARON FULTZ (7TH), RAFAEL
BETANCOURT (9TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ, KELLY SHOPPACH (9TH)

HOME RUNS: CHA - NONE

CLE - NONE</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">AL FINAL
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
- - - - - - - - - - - -
CHI WHITE SOX 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 5 8 0
CLEVELAND 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 6 x 8 8 0 (FINAL)

BATTERIES: CHA - MARK BUEHRLE, EHREN WASSERMANN (8TH), MIKE MYERS (8TH), MIKE
MACDOUGAL (8TH), BOONE LOGAN (8TH) AND A.J. PIERZYNSKI

CLE - FAUSTO CARMONA, AARON FULTZ (7TH), RAFAEL
BETANCOURT (9TH) AND VICTOR MARTINEZ, KELLY SHOPPACH (9TH)


WP - AARON FULTZ (4-2)
LP - MIKE MACDOUGAL (1-5)
SAVE - RAFAEL BETANCOURT (1)

HOME RUNS: CHA - NONE

CLE - NONE


TIME: 3:01 ATT: 38,325

PROBABLES: CHA - JAVIER VAZQUEZ (11-7, 3.89)
CLE - PAUL BYRD (13-5, 4.43)</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">CHI WHITE SOX (5) VS CLEVELAND (8) - FINAL

CHI WHITE SOX ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
J Owens cf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .239
J Fields lf 4 0 1 2 0 1 3 .240
P Konerko 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .262
J Thome dh 3 0 1 1 2 0 0 .273
J Dye rf 5 0 1 1 0 2 4 .248
A Pierzynski c 5 0 0 0 0 2 3 .259
A Gonzalez 3b 3 0 0 0 1 1 5 .220
D Erstad 1b-lf 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 .264
J Uribe ss 4 1 1 1 0 0 2 .216
D Richar 2b 3 2 2 0 1 1 0 .198

Totals 33 5 8 5 6 7 17

BATTING: 2B - J Owens (6, F Carmona); J Uribe (12, F Carmona); D Richar (3, A
Fultz). S - J Owens. SF - J Fields. RBI - J Fields 2 (53), J Dye (67), J Uribe
(53), J Thome (71). 2-out RBI - J Thome. Runners left in scoring position, 2
out - J Uribe 1, A Gonzalez 4, J Fields 1. Team LOB - 9.

BASERUNNING: SB - J Owens (22, 3rd base off F Carmona/V Martinez).


CLEVELAND ab r h rbi bb so lob avg
G Sizemore cf 5 2 1 0 0 0 3 .279
F Gutierrez rf 4 0 1 1 0 1 1 .274
T Hafner dh 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 .255
V Martinez c 4 0 1 2 0 0 2 .306
C Gomez pr 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 .314
K Shoppach c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .267
R Garko 1b 4 1 1 1 0 1 2 .303
J Peralta ss 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .271
J Michaels lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 .264
a-K Lofton ph-lf 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 .299
C Blake 3b 4 1 2 3 0 1 0 .265
J Barfield 2b 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 .244
b-A Cabrera ph-2b 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .286

Totals 32 8 8 8 4 4 8

a-walked for J Michaels in the 8th; b-grounded to first for J Barfield in the
8th.

BATTING: 2B - C Blake (30, M MacDougal). RBI - F Gutierrez (25), V Martinez 2
(96), R Garko (50), K Lofton (31), C Blake 3 (64). 2-out RBI - V Martinez, R
Garko, K Lofton, C Blake 3. Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - R Garko
1, G Sizemore 1. Team LOB - 5.


----------------------------------------------------
CHI WHITE SOX - 000 023 000 -- 5
CLEVELAND - 000 002 06x -- 8
----------------------------------------------------

CHI WHITE SOX ip h r er bb so hr era
M Buehrle 7 4 2 2 0 4 0 3.47
E Wassermann (H, 4) 2/3 1 1 1 0 0 0 3.12
M Myers (H, 6) 0 1 2 2 1 0 0 4.03
M MacDougal (L, 1-5; B, 3) 0 2 3 3 3 0 0 6.49
B Logan 1/3 0 0 0 0 0 0 4.40

CLEVELAND ip h r er bb so hr era
F Carmona 6 7 5 5 6 4 0 3.31
A Fultz (W, 4-2) 2 1 0 0 0 2 0 2.70
R Betancourt (S, 1) 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.52

M Myers pitched to 2 batters in the 8th.
M MacDougal pitched to 5 batters in the 8th.

IBB - J Thome (by F Carmona). HBP - T Hafner (by M Buehrle). Pitches-strikes:
M Buehrle 97-65; E Wassermann 9-5; M Myers 8-2; M MacDougal 25-7; B Logan 4-2;
F Carmona 103-61; A Fultz 27-19; R Betancourt 12-9. Ground balls-fly balls: M
Buehrle 7-10; E Wassermann 1-1; M Myers 0-0; M MacDougal 0-0; B Logan 0-1; F
Carmona 11-3; A Fultz 2-2; R Betancourt 1-1. Batters faced: M Buehrle 26; E
Wassermann 3; M Myers 2; M MacDougal 5; B Logan 1; F Carmona 31; A Fultz 7; R
Betancourt 3.

UMPIRES: HP--John Hirschbeck. 1B--Laz Diaz. 2B--Mike Dimuro. 3B--Chris
Guccione.

T--3:01. Att--38,325.
Weather: 70 degrees, clear. Wind: 10 mph, in from
right.</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">** CONFIRMED **
AL
CHI WHITE SOX 5
CLEVELAND 8 FINAL</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHI WHITE SOX (5) AT CLEVELAND (8) - HOW THEY SCORED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CHI WHITE SOX 5TH: D Richar singled to left center. J Owens doubled to
left, D Richar to third. J Fields grounded out to shortstop, D Richar scored.
J Thome intentionally walked. J Owens stole third. J Dye singled to left,
J Owens scored, J Thome to second. A Pierzynski grounded out to first, J Thome
to third, J Dye to second. A Gonzalez grounded out to third. (2 Runs, 3 Hits,
0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 2, CLEVELAND 0.

CHI WHITE SOX 6TH: D Erstad walked. J Uribe doubled to right, D Erstad
scored. D Richar walked. J Owens sacrificed to pitcher, J Uribe to third,
D Richar to second. J Fields hit sacrifice fly to left, J Uribe scored. J Thome
singled to left center, D Richar scored. J Dye flied out to right. (3 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 6TH: C Blake reached on infield single to pitcher. J Barfield
singled to center, C Blake to second. G Sizemore grounded into fielder's
choice to first, J Barfield out at second, C Blake to third. F Gutierrez
singled to right center, C Blake scored, G Sizemore to third. T Hafner hit by
pitch, F Gutierrez to second. V Martinez grounded into fielder's choice to
third, G Sizemore scored, T Hafner out at second, F Gutierrez to third.
R Garko struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5,
CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 8TH: E Wassermann relieved M Buehrle. A Cabrera hit for
J Barfield. P Konerko at first base. D Erstad in left field. A Cabrera grounded
out to first. G Sizemore singled to right. F Gutierrez flied out to center.
M Myers relieved E Wassermann. T Hafner walked, G Sizemore to second.
V Martinez singled to right, G Sizemore scored, T Hafner to third. M MacDougal
relieved M Myers. C Gomez ran for V Martinez. R Garko singled to left, T Hafner
scored, C Gomez to third. J Peralta walked, R Garko to second. K Lofton hit
for J Michaels. K Lofton walked, C Gomez scored, R Garko to third, J Peralta to
second. C Blake doubled to right, R Garko, J Peralta and K Lofton scored.
A Cabrera walked. B Logan relieved M MacDougal. G Sizemore flied out to left.
(6 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 8.</div>

 

AL: CHI WHITE SOX at CLEVELAND

<div class="pre">~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
CHI WHITE SOX (5) AT CLEVELAND (8) - EVENT LOG
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chi White Sox Starting Lineups -- J Owens CF, J Fields LF, J Thome DH, J Dye RF,
A Pierzynski C, A Gonzalez 3B, D Erstad 1B, J Uribe SS, D Richar 2B, M Buehrle LHP.

Cleveland Starting Lineups -- G Sizemore CF, F Gutierrez RF, T Hafner DH,
V Martinez C, R Garko 1B, J Peralta SS, J Michaels LF, C Blake 3B, J Barfield 2B,
F Carmona RHP.

Umpires -- John Hirschbeck (HP), Laz Diaz (1B), Mike Dimuro (2B),
Chris Guccione (3B).

Gametime Weather: 70 degrees, Clear, wind in from right at 10 mph.


CHI WHITE SOX 1ST: J Owens walked. J Fields singled to right, J Owens to
third. J Thome walked, J Fields to second. J Dye struck out swinging.
A Pierzynski struck out swinging. A Gonzalez struck out swinging. (0 Runs,
1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 0, CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 1ST: G Sizemore flied out to left. F Gutierrez popped out to
shortstop. T Hafner grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHI WHITE SOX 0, CLEVELAND 0.

CHI WHITE SOX 2ND: D Erstad grounded out to second. J Uribe flied out to
center. D Richar struck out looking. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 0,
CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 2ND: V Martinez grounded out to second. R Garko flied out to
center. J Peralta flied out to center. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHI WHITE SOX 0, CLEVELAND 0.

CHI WHITE SOX 3RD: J Owens grounded out to shortstop. J Fields grounded
out to third. J Thome grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors)
CHI WHITE SOX 0, CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 3RD: J Michaels flied out to left. C Blake struck out looking.
J Barfield grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 0,
CLEVELAND 0.

CHI WHITE SOX 4TH: J Dye grounded out to third. A Pierzynski grounded out
to second. A Gonzalez walked. D Erstad singled to left, A Gonzalez to second.
J Uribe grounded out to third. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 0,
CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 4TH: G Sizemore popped out to shortstop. F Gutierrez struck out
swinging. T Hafner singled to right. V Martinez grounded into fielder's
choice to shortstop, T Hafner out at second. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors)
CHI WHITE SOX 0, CLEVELAND 0.

CHI WHITE SOX 5TH: D Richar singled to left center. J Owens doubled to
left, D Richar to third. J Fields grounded out to shortstop, D Richar scored.
J Thome intentionally walked. J Owens stole third. J Dye singled to left,
J Owens scored, J Thome to second. A Pierzynski grounded out to first, J Thome
to third, J Dye to second. A Gonzalez grounded out to third. (2 Runs, 3 Hits,
0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 2, CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 5TH: R Garko flied out to left. J Peralta flied out to center.
J Michaels flied out to right. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 2,
CLEVELAND 0.

CHI WHITE SOX 6TH: D Erstad walked. J Uribe doubled to right, D Erstad
scored. D Richar walked. J Owens sacrificed to pitcher, J Uribe to third,
D Richar to second. J Fields hit sacrifice fly to left, J Uribe scored. J Thome
singled to left center, D Richar scored. J Dye flied out to right. (3 Runs,
2 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 0.

CLEVELAND 6TH: C Blake reached on infield single to pitcher. J Barfield
singled to center, C Blake to second. G Sizemore grounded into fielder's
choice to first, J Barfield out at second, C Blake to third. F Gutierrez
singled to right center, C Blake scored, G Sizemore to third. T Hafner hit by
pitch, F Gutierrez to second. V Martinez grounded into fielder's choice to
third, G Sizemore scored, T Hafner out at second, F Gutierrez to third.
R Garko struck out swinging. (2 Runs, 3 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5,
CLEVELAND 2.

CHI WHITE SOX 7TH: A Fultz relieved F Carmona. A Pierzynski struck out
looking. A Gonzalez grounded out to shortstop. D Erstad flied out to center.
(0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 7TH: J Peralta grounded out to third. J Michaels struck out
looking. C Blake flied out to left. (0 Runs, 0 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5,
CLEVELAND 2.

CHI WHITE SOX 8TH: J Uribe flied out to right. D Richar doubled to left.
J Owens grounded out to third, D Richar to third. J Fields struck out
swinging. (0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 2.

CLEVELAND 8TH: E Wassermann relieved M Buehrle. A Cabrera hit for
J Barfield. P Konerko at first base. D Erstad in left field. A Cabrera grounded
out to first. G Sizemore singled to right. F Gutierrez flied out to center.
M Myers relieved E Wassermann. T Hafner walked, G Sizemore to second.
V Martinez singled to right, G Sizemore scored, T Hafner to third. M MacDougal
relieved M Myers. C Gomez ran for V Martinez. R Garko singled to left, T Hafner
scored, C Gomez to third. J Peralta walked, R Garko to second. K Lofton hit
for J Michaels. K Lofton walked, C Gomez scored, R Garko to third, J Peralta to
second. C Blake doubled to right, R Garko, J Peralta and K Lofton scored.
A Cabrera walked. B Logan relieved M MacDougal. G Sizemore flied out to left.
(6 Runs, 4 Hits, 0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 8.

CHI WHITE SOX 9TH: K Shoppach catching. K Lofton in left field. A Cabrera
at second base. R Betancourt relieved A Fultz. J Thome flied out to right.
J Dye struck out looking. A Pierzynski grounded out to second. (0 Runs, 0 Hits,
0 Errors) CHI WHITE SOX 5, CLEVELAND 8.</div>

 

Six-run eighth lifts Indians over White Sox

<h3>CLEVELAND 8, CHI WHITE SOX 5</h3>By Todd Krepop
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Casey Blake and the Cleveland Indianscannot seem to lose these days.


Casey Blake capped a six-run eighth with a two-out, three-rundouble, leading the Indians to an improbable 8-5 victory overthe Chicago White Sox on Friday night.


Cleveland (77-57) extended its winning streak to seven games andmoved five games ahead of the second-place Detroit Tigers(72-62) in the American League Central Division.


Trailing, 5-2, in the eighth, Cleveland went to work againstChicago's struggling bullpen. Ehren Wasserman started theeighth and retired the leadoff hitter before giving up a singleto Grady Sizemore. Wasserman then set down Franklin Gutierrezbefore being lifted for Mike Myers.


The veteran lefthander walked Travis Hafner before VictorMartinez blooped an RBI single down the left field line to bringthe Indians within two runs.


White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen brought in Mike MacDougal, buthe could not stop the rally. Ryan Garko hit a grounder toshortstop that appeared to be the third out, but the ball took awicked hop and bounced over shortstop Juan Uribe's head,allowing Hafner to score.


MacDougal then lost the strike zone as he threw eight straightballs, including a bases-loaded walk to pinch hitter KennyLofton that forced in the tying run.


Blake fell behind 1-2 before working the count full. He thendrove the payoff pitch into the right field corner, clearing thebases and putting the Indians ahead, 8-5.


Aaron Fultz (4-2) pitched the seventh and eighth innings,allowing just one run while striking out two to pick up thevictory. Rafael Betancourt tossed a perfect ninth for his firstsave of the season.


Mark Buehrle entered Friday with a three-game losing streak,struggling in the month of August with a 5.64 ERA. Thelefthander allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings,striking out four without a walk.


Buehrle retired the first 11 batters he faced and 15 of thefirst 16. Hafner's single was the only offense the Indianscould muster until getting to Buehrle in the sixth.

Trailing 5-0, Blake and Josh Barfield began the inning withsingles. After a forceout, Gutierrez drove in the first runwith a base hit.


Buehrle then hit Hafner in the ribs to load the bases forMartinez, but he limited the damage by getting the Indianscatcher to hit a run-scoring groundout and striking out Garko.

Chicago wasted a bases-loaded, none-out opportunity in the firstagainst Indians starter Fausto Carmona but gave Buehrle somerun support with a two-run fifth and a three-run sixth.

Danny Richar led off the fifth with a single and Jerry Owensfollowed with a perfectly placed double over the head of thirdbaseman Blake, who was playing for the sacrifice. Josh Fieldsdrove in a run with a groundout and Jermaine Dye laced an RBIsingle to left to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead.


Chicago took advantage of Carmona's wildness in the sixth towiden their lead. Carmona walked two batters in the inning andUribe delivered an RBI double.


Fields added a sacrifice fly and Jim Thome drove in Chicago'sfinal run with two-out single to center.


Carmona struggled with his control all night, walking acareer-high six batters. The righthander allowed five runs insix innings while striking out four.


It was only the third time this season Carmona has allowed fiveor more runs in a game, with two of those instances comingagainst the White Sox.


Chicago has lost 10 games in a row on the road, its longest skidaway from home since the end of the 1976 season and beginningof the 1977 campaign.

 

Six-run eighth lifts Indians over White Sox

<h3>CLEVELAND 8, CHI WHITE SOX 5</h3>By Todd Krepop
PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer


CLEVELAND (Ticker) - Casey Blake and the Cleveland Indianscannot seem to lose these days.


Casey Blake capped a six-run eighth with a two-out, three-rundouble, leading the Indians to an improbable 8-5 victory overthe Chicago White Sox on Friday night.


Cleveland (77-57) extended its winning streak to seven games andmoved five games ahead of the second-place Detroit Tigers(72-62) in the American League Central Division.


"What a team effort," Blake said. "That was awesome. We justkept scratching away."


Trailing, 5-2, in the eighth, Cleveland went to work againstChicago's struggling bullpen. Ehren Wasserman started theeighth and retired the leadoff hitter before giving up a singleto Grady Sizemore. Wasserman then set down Franklin Gutierrezbefore being lifted for Mike Myers.


The veteran lefthander walked Travis Hafner before VictorMartinez blooped an RBI single down the left field line to bringthe Indians within two runs.


White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen brought in Mike MacDougal, buthe could not stop the rally. Ryan Garko hit a grounder toshortstop that appeared to be the third out, but the ball took awicked hop and bounced over shortstop Juan Uribe's head,allowing Hafner to score.


"When he hit it, I thought it was inning over," MacDougal said."The next thing I know, the ball is in the outfield."

"Sometimes you get lucky in this game," Garko said. "I thoughtit was a routine ground ball to short. I thought I was out."

MacDougal then lost the strike zone as he threw eight straightballs, including a bases-loaded walk to pinch hitter KennyLofton that forced in the tying run.


"After the (bad hop), I couldn't throw the ball where I wantedto," MacDougal said.


Blake fell behind 1-2 before working the count full. He thendrove the payoff pitch into the right field corner, clearing thebases and putting the Indians ahead, 8-5.


"I hit it right over the bag," Blake said. "I was just hoping(the umpire) made the right call."


"The guys put together a great inning and took advantage of theopportunities," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "A lot ofthings had to happen to put an inning like that together."

Aaron Fultz (4-2) pitched the seventh and eighth innings,allowing just one run while striking out two to pick up thevictory. Rafael Betancourt tossed a perfect ninth for his firstsave of the season.


"Fultzy was huge for us," Wedge said. "He threw up a couplezeros in the seventh and eighth, which was big for us. It gaveus an opportunity to come back."


Mark Buehrle entered Friday with a three-game losing streak,struggling in the month of August with a 5.64 ERA. Thelefthander allowed two runs and four hits in seven innings,striking out four without a walk.


"I was making pitches but also getting lucky," Buehrle said. "Imissed with some of my pitches, but they didn't hit them. Itwasn't one of my best outings, but I felt good."


Buehrle retired the first 11 batters he faced and 15 of thefirst 16. Hafner's single was the only offense the Indianscould muster until getting to Buehrle in the sixth.

Trailing 5-0, Blake and Josh Barfield began the inning withsingles. After a forceout, Gutierrez drove in the first runwith a base hit.


Buehrle then hit Hafner in the ribs to load the bases forMartinez, but he limited the damage by getting the Indianscatcher to hit a run-scoring groundout and striking out Garko.

Chicago wasted a bases-loaded, none-out opportunity in the firstagainst Indians starter Fausto Carmona but gave Buehrle somerun support with a two-run fifth and a three-run sixth.

Danny Richar led off the fifth with a single and Jerry Owensfollowed with a perfectly placed double over the head of thirdbaseman Blake, who was playing for the sacrifice. Josh Fieldsdrove in a run with a groundout and Jermaine Dye laced an RBIsingle to left to give the White Sox a 2-0 lead.


Chicago took advantage of Carmona's wildness in the sixth towiden their lead. Carmona walked two batters in the inning andUribe delivered an RBI double.


Fields added a sacrifice fly and Jim Thome drove in Chicago'sfinal run with two-out single to center.


Carmona struggled with his control all night, walking acareer-high six batters. The righthander allowed five runs insix innings while striking out four.


"He just wasn't able to lock it in today," Wedge said. "Hestill battled and gave us a chance to win the game. It neverreally got away from him."


It was only the third time this season Carmona has allowed fiveor more runs in a game, with two of those instances comingagainst the White Sox.


Chicago has lost 10 games in a row on the road, its longest skidaway from home since the end of the 1976 season and beginningof the 1977 campaign.


"It gets to the point where you want to laugh," Guillen said."It's not easy, that's why I was mad a couple of days ago.Sometimes you erupt and sometimes you just take the beating."