White Sox Deal Bauer, Indians Another One-Sided Loss 8-1
PAUL LADEWSKI, Associated Press
CHICAGO (AP) — Cleveland Indians pitcher Trevor Bauer didn't care for the outcome on Tuesday night, but based on his performance, he liked his chances for the rest of the regular season and beyond.
Todd Frazier and Carlos Sanchez each drove in two runs in a seven-run sixth inning, and the Chicago White Sox handed the division-leading Indians their second straight lopsided loss, 8-1 on Tuesday night.
Bauer (11-7) allowed just one run on a pair of singles over five innings before a few well-placed hits did him in.
"I feel like I didn't deserve to have that happen," said a frustrated Bauer, who was penciled in to start the third game of the playoffs. "They got six hits (off him) tonight. Only two of them were in the strike zone. That's as good as I been in months. Baseball is a (screwed-up) game."
Manager Terry Francona agreed that Bauer had "as good as stuff" as the right-hander had this season.
"They just started bunching hits, and they came in a hurry," Francona said. "I thought (Bauer) was getting frustrated toward the end. "
The White Sox had seven hits, drew two walks and sent 12 batters to the plate against three pitchers in their highest-scoring inning of the season. The Indians, who have allowed 19 runs in two games, maintained a six-game lead over Detroit in the AL Central after the Tigers lost to Minnesota 8-1.
"I mean, we're gonna lose games," said Francisco Lindor, who went hitless. "The way we're losing games is not right. ... But we're OK. I guarantee you we'll be OK."
Jose Quintana (12-10) held Cleveland to five hits over eight innings, including Brandon Guyer's solo homer in the second in Chicago's fifth win in seven games.
Tied at 1, Bauer walked Adam Eaton to lead off the sixth. Four hits followed, with Jose Abreu driving in the first run and Frazier getting his career-high 92nd RBI to chase Bauer.
Avisail Garcia then delivered an RBI single, Sanchez tripled and Eaton doubled in a run in his second time up to end Dan Otero's night. Joe Colon came in and gave up a walk before Melky Cabrera grounded out to end a half-inning that took more than 30 minutes.
Abreu's two-out bloop single in the first made it 1-0 and extended Chicago's scoring streak to nine consecutive innings after an 11-4 rout Monday.
Bauer then retired 12 straight before hitting Sanchez with a pitch in the fifth.
Quintana struck out six and walked one to continue his career-best season.
"I was trying to stay loose," Quintana said. "They scored a lot of runs (in the sixth), so then I just wanted to throw strikes."
TOMLIN'S RETURN
Struggling Cleveland RHP Josh Tomlin will start Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 30. He went 0-5 with an 11.48 ERA in August before being taken out of the rotation. Tomlin said "the end result is on me" and added he needs to make quicker in-game adjustments.
"Hopefully, the down time not just physically but mentally gave him a chance to think about things," Francona said. "He'll be OK."
DOG DAYS
White Sox 2B Tyler Saladino heard barking between pitches in the first inning and wheeled around. He saw more than a thousand dogs in the outfield stands as the White Sox set a record for most dogs to attend a sporting event.
The team announced 1,122 dogs attended, which was confirmed by the Guinness Book of Worlds Records.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Indians: Guyer (sore knee) was struck by a pitch in the fourth and removed from the blowout three innings later. He was expected to be available Wednesday. ... Yan Gomes (shoulder) caught nine innings and went 2 for 4 in a playoff game for Double-A Akron. Gomes is expected to come off the disabled list Friday. "He won't be ready to catch every day, but having him back will be really nice," Francona said.
White Sox: DH Justin Morneau (stiff neck) was out of the lineup and 1B Abreu moved to DH after getting hit in the nose and tweaking his ankle in separate plays Monday. "There's a laundry list of things he did last night that makes him DH today," manager Robin Ventura said. Morneau could return Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Tomlin (11-8, 4.85 ERA) faces LHP Carlos Rodon (7-8, 3.80). Rodon is 5-0 with a 1.85 ERA in his last seven starts.
(Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
