CHICAGO -- White Sox ace Chris Sale entered Tuesday's battle of unbeatens with more hype than Josh Tomlin, his mound counterpart from Cleveland. It's understandable with Sale's pedigree, nine straight wins and 1.58 ERA. But it was Sale who got the early hook and Tomlin who cruised to his seventh straight victory during the Indians' 6-2 win at U.S. Cellular Field.
Sale breezed through the first 2 2/3 innings, striking out five, but then walked Jose Ramirez as the culmination of a 10-pitch at-bat. Francisco Lindor, who is 8-for-16 lifetime against Sale, singled and Mike Napoli tripled home two runs on a ball that fell in between left fielder Melky Cabrera and center fielder Austin Jackson. The Indians scored three in the third and three more in the fourth, with Sale lasting 3 1/3 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits, while striking out seven and walking four.
Before Tuesday, Sale had given up 12 runs in 68 1/3 innings. Tomlin, meanwhile, limited the White Sox to two runs on five hits over eight innings, striking out six and walking one. The Indians have won two straight in this four-game set and have Corey Kluber on the mound going for the series win Wednesday. The two teams are tied at 20 losses, although the White Sox hold a 1 1/2-game lead.
Scott Merkin has covered the White Sox for MLB.com since 2003. Read his blog, Merk's Works, follow him on Twitter @scottmerkin, on Facebook and listen to his podcast.
Cody Stavenhagen is a reporter for MLB.com based in Chicago and covered the Indians on Tuesday.
This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
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