White Sox 7, Indians 4
CHICAGO -- Carlos Rodon was dominant again and got plenty of run support while leading the Chicago White Sox to a 7-4 win against the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night at U.S. Cellular Field.
Rodon, a talented left-hander the White Sox drafted with the third overall pick in 2014, went seven innings and allowed one run on five hits and a walk. He struck out eight and held the opposing team to no more than two runs for the sixth consecutive outing.
Catcher Rob Brantly hit a three-run home run in the second inning and first baseman Jose Abreu went 3-for-4 with his 26th home run to lead Chicago (66-71), which won for the fifth time in six games.
White Sox right fielder Trayce Thompson finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Carlos Carrasco came off the 15-day disabled list and started for Cleveland (67-70). The right-hander lasted only 2 2/3 innings and took the loss after allowing four runs on four hits and three walks.
Indians left fielder Michael Brantley hit a two-run homer in the eighth, and Jose Ramirez added a pinch-hit homer in the ninth to complete the scoring.
Rodon worked out of a jam in the second inning but had little trouble otherwise. He got better as the start progressed, ringing up four strikeouts during his final three frames.
This start and the five before it were starkly different than the rest of his rookie season, as he hasn't had the command issues he battled most of the season. In his past six starts, Rodon is 3-2 with a 1.76 ERA, 41 strikeouts and 1.02 walks-and-hits-per-inning-pitched ratio.
The second inning was an early turning point. After the Indians failed to score off Rodon with the bases loaded, the White Sox took a 3-0 lead on Brantly's homer in the bottom half of the inning.
Designated hitter Avisail Garcia got the rally started with a line-drive single to left off Carrasco with one out. Thompson followed it with a single of his own to bring up Brantly, who got the start behind the plate to give Tyler Flowers a day to recover from some bumps and bruises.
Abreu made it 4-0 with a one-out homer off Carrasco in the third before the Indians starter issued two more walks and was pulled from the game in favor of left-hander Giovanni Soto.
Cleveland finally broke through for a run in the fifth on a run-scoring single by shortstop Mike Aviles, but Abreu countered with an RBI single of his own in the bottom half to make it 5-1.
NOTES: White Sox GM Rick Hahn said "everything" will be re-evaluated after the season, including coaches and manager Robin Ventura. ... The White Sox recalled 2B Micah Johnson from Triple-A Charlotte. Johnson, 24, started the season in Chicago but was optioned to Charlotte on May 14 to work on defense. ... Indians CF Abraham Almonte was scratched from the starting lineup with a minor right arm issue. INF/OF Michael Martinez took his spot. ... Cleveland also didn't start rookie SS Francisco Lindor. Indians manager Terry Francona wanted Lindor to get a day off after playing through illness Monday. ... Ventura didn't start C Tyler Flowers (jaw, hand soreness) and 1B/DH Adam LaRoche (right patellar tendinitis).