Dominic Fletcher delivered a two-run, tiebreaking double in the eighth inning, and the visiting Chicago White ended a five-game losing streak with a 7-5 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Tuesday after blowing an early five-run lead.
Against Cleveland’s Scott Barlow (0-2) in the eighth inning of a 5-5 game, Chicago’s Korey Lee reached base on a one-out infield single and Andrew Benintendi walked. Fletcher, who replaced Kevin Pillar earlier in the contest, lined a shot that got past Guardians’ right fielder Ramon Laureano and scored both runners before he was thrown out trying for a triple.
Steven Wilson (1-1) pitched a scoreless inning for the win and Michael Kopech retired the final six batters for his second save as Chicago won for the second time in 11 games. Lee and Andrew Vaughn each had two hits with an RBI for the White Sox, who beat an AL Central foe for the first time in nine tries.
The Guardians’ five-game winning streak ended as starter Logan Allen was tagged for five first-inning runs and lasted four innings. Josh Naylor clubbed a two-run homer and Jose Ramirez had three hits with an RBI for Cleveland.
After totaling four hits in Monday’s 4-0 loss at Cleveland, the White Sox recorded five hits and five runs in the first. A run-scoring double hit from Lenyn Sosa and two-run double from Pillar highlighted the breakout frame for Chicago.
The Guardians cut into that 5-0 deficit in their half of the first. With a man on, Naylor lined a Mike Soroka pitch over the right-field wall for his second homer of the season.
In the third, Ramirez delivered a two-out single, moved up on Naylor’s walk and scored when Tyler Freeman lined a single to left field to pull within 5-3. Cleveland tied it in the fourth with a pair of two-out, RBI singles from Steven Kwan and Ramirez.
Four of those runs were charged to Soroka, who lasted 3 2/3 innings.
Chicago lost third baseman Yoan Moncada to an adductor strain while running out a second-inning ground ball. The White Sox already are without Luis Robert Jr. (hip flexor) and Eloy Jimenez (adductor strain).
–Field Level Media