Indians 12, White Sox 1
CLEVELAND -- Carlos Santana's grand slam off Chris Sale capped a six-run third inning as the Cleveland Indians rolled to a 12-1 win over the Chicago White Sox on Friday night at Progressive Field.
All six runs in the inning were unearned, but they all counted as Sale (12-10) lost his third consecutive start. Rookie right-hander Cody Anderson (5-3) pitched 6 2/3 innings, allowing one run to get the win.
Rookie shortstop Francisco Lindor also homered for Cleveland, an opposite field solo shot leading off the bottom of the seventh inning, Lindor's 10th homer of the year.
Sale held Cleveland scoreless on one hit in five of the first six innings. But in the fateful third inning the Indians sent 10 men to the plate and six of them scored, all of them unearned runs due to an error by second baseman Carlos Sanchez.
Anderson allowed base runners in every inning. In addition to giving up five hits he also walked five. But the only run he allowed was a solo homer by designated hitter Melky Cabrera in the fifth inning. Anderson struck out six. In three September starts he is 3-0 with a 1.78 ERA.
Sale pitched seven innings, throwing 116 pitches and giving up seven runs, one earned, on eight hits. He struck out nine and walked three.
In the eighth inning the Indians feasted on the Chicago bullpen, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring five runs. That rally included a two-run single by designated hitter Chris Johnson.
Sale was making his fourth start against Cleveland this year. In the first three he gave up a total of six runs in 22 innings. In this one he gave up six runs in one inning. All six runs, however, were unearned.
After retiring the leadoff hitter in the bottom of the third inning in a scoreless game, Sale gave up a single to catcher Roberto Perez. Second baseman Jose Ramirez hit a grounder to second baseman Carlos Sanchez that should have been a double play, but instead it rolled through Sanchez's legs for an error.
Sale struck out Lindor for the second out, but third baseman Mike Aviles singled, scoring Perez with the first run of the game. Left fielder Michael Brantley followed with a single to left field, scoring Ramirez to give the Indians 2-0 lead.
Right fielder Ryan Raburn drew a walk, loading the bases. Santana then unloaded them by belting a grand slam over the left-field wall, and suddenly the Indians were leading 6-0.
Chicago got a run back in the fifth inning on Cabrera's 11th home run, a solo shot on a 0-2 pitch from Anderson.
NOTES: White Sox LHP Chris Sale's 250 strikeouts at the start of play Friday were the second most in the majors behind Clayton Kershaw's 264. Sale is attempting to become just the second White Sox pitcher to lead the majors in strikeouts. Ed Walsh led in 1908 and 1911. . . The White Sox have used eight starting pitchers this season. That's tied with Baltimore for the fewest in the American League. . . Indians 2B Jason Kipnis was not in the starting lineup due in large part to his .236 a career average vs. White Sox LHP Chris Sale. . . In the Indians' 72 wins before Friday their pitchers held opposing teams to 161 runs, an average of 2.2 runs per game.