Indians at White Sox
Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians hope the comforts of home travel well as the team begins a six-game road trip on Friday with the opener of a three-game series against the spiraling Chicago White Sox. Lindor extended both his hitting streak and the Indians' string of wins to seven games on Thursday with a two-out RBI single in the seventh inning of a 2-1 triumph over the Los Angeles Angels.
Lindor went 11-for-28 during the seven-game homestand and is 29-for-93 this month with nine extra-base hits (seven doubles, a triple, a homer) and 10 RBIs. The 23-year-old looks to continue his good fortune versus Friday starter Derek Holland, against whom he is 4-for-11 with a solo homer. While American League Central-leading Cleveland erupted for 52 runs on the homestand to move a season-high 10 games over .500, Chicago has dropped seven straight at home and 12 of 13 overall. Jose Abreu belted a pair of solo shots in Thursday's 6-3 loss to the cross-town Cubs and is 8-for-21 with three homers in his career versus Friday starter Danny Salazar.
TV: 8:10 p.m. ET, SportsTime Ohio (Cleveland), CSN Chicago
PITCHING MATCHUP: Indians RH Danny Salazar (3-5, 4.79 ERA) vs. White Sox LH Derek Holland (5-9, 5.12)
Salazar authored a gem against Toronto on Saturday in his first start since coming off the disabled list, allowing just one hit and striking out eight over seven scoreless innings before settling for his third straight no-decision. "I wanted to be aggressive," the 27-year-old Dominican told reporters. "My fastball was working. If I'm healthy, I know I can do that. Knowing I'm able to help the team, that was great for me." Salazar didn't feel great after struggling in his last encounter with the White Sox on April 23, permitting four runs and seven hits in a 6-2 loss.
Holland saw his winless stretch extend to six starts on Sunday after permitting three solo homers in 4 2/3 innings of a no-decision at Kansas City. The 30-year-old is 0-3 in his last six outings and 1-6 in his last 10. Holland fared far better in his two turns versus Cleveland earlier this year, picking up the win on April 12 after allowing one hit over six scoreless innings and doing the same after yielding one run and three hits in six frames just 11 days later.
WALK-OFFS
1. Cleveland 1B Carlos Santana has gone deep three times in his last four games and is batting a team-high .328 in July with four homers, 13 RBIs and 11 runs scored.
2. Chicago DH Matt Davidson is 0-for-10 with four strikeouts in his last three contests on the heels of a seven-game hitting streak.
3. Indians CF Bradley Zimmer is 9-for-17 with six extra-base hits (four doubles, two homers) and eight RBIs during his five-game hitting streak.