CHICAGO (AP) — Mike Clevinger combined with three relievers on a four-hitter, and the Chicago White Sox topped the Cleveland Guardians 3-1 on Saturday night for their fourth straight win of the season.
Clevinger allowed one run in 4 2/3 innings in his second Major League start of the season. The right-hander, who signed a one-year, $3 million contract with Chicago on April 4, struck out five and walked none.
Then the bullpen took over.
Tim Hill (1-0), Jared Shuster and John Brebbia combined for 4 1/3 hitless innings as the last-place White Sox improved to 9-6 since their 3-22 start. Shuster got six outs before Brebbia fielded the ninth for his first save since June 8, 2018 for St. Louis in Cincinnati.
“These guys never stopped working. They never stopped fighting,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “They’re very close there. They play together. Now they expect to win… and that’s the key.”
The 33-year-old Clevinger pitched two-plus innings Monday night in Tampa Bay. But this time he looked much better.
“Felt more like myself. A little bit more in sync,” he said. “We saw some things (with) the biomechanical report that came back that we were able to fix between those two starts.”
Cleveland wasted a sharp performance by Triston McKenzie (2-3), who threw 6 2/3 innings of four-hit scoring. The Guardians lost for the fourth time in five games.
“Just having the opportunity to go out there and give the team innings was at the forefront of my mind,” McKenzie said, “and I think I did a good job of that tonight.”
Josh Naylor was responsible for Cleveland’s only run with an opposite-field drive to left with two outs in the fourth. It was his 11th home run of the season.
Clevinger took off on Gabriel Arias’ single in the fifth, and Hill struck out pinch-hitter David Fry with a swing for the final out of the inning.
“We’re on a bit of an offensive rampage right now and we’ve got to find a way,” Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said.
Andrew Benintendi provided an insurance run for the White Sox with a sacrifice fly against Scott Barlow in the eighth.
“The first month and a half has been tough for all of us, but we’re all going to get through it together,” said infielder Nicky Lopez, “and you can tell we’re enjoying it right now and we’re reaping the rewards.”
Chicago jumped out in front in the second. Paul DeJong reached on a one-out infield single and scored from first base on Lopez’s double into the right field corner. Lopez went to third base on an error by right fielder Will Brennan and ran home on Martín Maldonado’s single to left.
It was Lopez’s first RBI in his 33rd game of the season. Maldonado was hitting just .095 (6 for 63) entering the day.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: INF Danny Mendick (lower back tightness) walked for the game. “He should leave at some point and play a few games in the minor leagues and we’ll see how that feels after that,” Grifol said.
NEXT ONE
Cleveland left-hander Logan Allen (3-2, 6.41 ERA) and Chicago right-hander Michael Soroka (0-4, 6.34 ERA) begin Sunday’s series finale. Allen was tagged for seven runs in 2 1/3 innings in a no-decision against Detroit on Tuesday night. Soroka is looking for his first win in his first season with the White Sox.
