CLEVELAND (AP)—Asdrubal Cabrera(notes) has become the Cleveland Indians’ best
offensive shortstop in more than 60 years.

Cabrera drove in five runs and Jeanmar Gomez(notes) won his fifth straight start
for Cleveland as the Indians beat the Chicago White Sox 11-2 on Thursday night
to remain in second place in the AL Central.

Cabrera hit a three-run homer and two-run single, tying his career-high for
RBIs and giving him 92 for the season. That’s the most by an Indians shortstop
since Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau drove in 106 on the way to winning AL MVP
honors and leading Cleveland to its last World Series title—in 1948.

“It’s remarkable what he’s been doing,” Indians manager Manny Acta said.
“What a night! This guy has been putting together some really good numbers.”

Cabrera’s seventh-inning homer put Cleveland ahead 8-2 and was his 25th of
the year, one more than the previous club record for a shortstop by Jhonny
Peralta(notes) in 2005.

“I’m excited and pretty happy about that,” said Cabrera, who entered this
year with 18 homers in 387 career games. “I don’t think too much about (getting
100 RBIs). I’ll just do the best I can and after the season see what numbers I
get.”

Travis Hafner(notes) reached a milestone number, too, singling for his 1,000th
career hit, and Kosuke Fukudome(notes) added three RBIs as Cleveland moved 1 1/2 games
ahead of the White Sox.

Hafner, in and out of the lineup due to a series of injuries the past four
seasons, was grateful for the fan ovation after being replaced by pinch-runner
Cord Phelps(notes) following his single.

“It was a very special moment,” Hafner said. “I never thought about it
until somebody said before the game I had 999. Then I thought about guys getting
3,000 hits. That’s 200 for 15 years, just mind-boggling.”

Gomez (5-2) gave up one earned run and four hits over six innings. Since
being recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Aug. 30, the right-hander is 5-0 with a
1.80 ERA.

“We’re not handing out jobs in September, but he’s put himself in the
mix,” Acta said of Gomez’s chances of joining the Indians’ rotation in 2012.
“He threw well.”

Fukudome’s two-out, two-run single off Philip Humber(notes) (9-9) in the fifth
inning broke a 2-2 tie.

Fukudome drove Humber’s second pitch of the game over the wall in right for
his fifth homer. Four pitches later, Jason Kipnis(notes) hit his seventh for a 2-0
lead.

“I have never had that happen to me, the first two batters of the game
going deep,” Humber said.

It was the fourth time in Indians history and only the second time at home
that Cleveland opened a game with two homers. Graig Nettles and Vada Pinson did
it on June 19, 1971, at old Cleveland Stadium.

An error by Cabrera at shortstop helped Chicago tie it at 2 in the fifth.

With two outs and runners on first and second, Juan Pierre(notes) singled home
Alejandro De Aza(notes). Cabrera took the throw from right fielder Fukudome and threw
wildly trying to get Brent Morel(notes) at third. Third baseman Jack Hannahan(notes) tracked
down the ball and fired home, but Morel slid in safely with an unearned run.

The White Sox almost caught a break in the bottom half. Humber had retired
14 straight until Hannahan drew a two-out walk and apparently scored on a
slicing drive down the left-field line by Ezequiel Carrera(notes) that looked like an
RBI triple. Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen argued that a fan reached over a
railing and touched the ball. The umpires huddled, agreed, and sent Hannahan
back to third, ruling that Carrera got a ground-rule double.

Fukudome’s soft line drive to left scored them both anyway.

Humber gave up seven runs and eight hits over six innings.

“He made a couple of bad pitches,” Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen said.
“He got ahead in the count and left a couple of balls up and it hurt him. Most
of the time he has been out there he has given us a chance to win.”

Notes: Chicago won the season series 11-7. … White Sox SS Omar Vizquel(notes) and
Cleveland DH Jim Thome(notes) exchanged the lineup cards—a first for both former
Indians teammates who have a combined 44 seasons and 5,388 games in the majors.
“I hope it’s not the last time we see these guys on the same field somewhere,”
Guillen said. “The next stop for both is the Hall of Fame, but they can still
play.” … The Indians will salute Thome on Friday for surpassing 600 career
homers and his other contributions. Before Thursday’s game, Acta said the
41-year-old Thome would start at DH in Hafner’s place Friday. “Even if Hafner
hits three homers tonight, Jimmy is playing,” Acta said. “Well, maybe three
homers would change my mind.” … The last time the Indians hit two homers to
open a game, Grady Sizemore(notes) and Casey Blake(notes) did it in Kansas City on May 23,
2007. … RHP Justin Masterson(notes) (12-10) will oppose RHP Carl Pavano(notes) (8-13) on
Friday night when Cleveland opens a four-game home series against Minnesota. …
The White Sox open a three-game series at home against Kansas City on Friday
with RHP Zach Stewart(notes) (2-5) facing Royals LHP Bruce Chen(notes) (11-8).

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The White Sox gave the Indians fits throughout the season series. But the Tribe had plenty of fun at their expense in the finale Thursday night.

The Indians received quality performances from numerous players in posting an 11-2 victory at Progressive Field.

The Indians (77-78) lead the White Sox (76-80) by 1 1/2 games for second place in the AL Central behind champion Detroit.

Chicago won the season series, 11-7, including a 15-10 victory in the season opener April 1 in Cleveland. The closer was pretty much all Cleveland thanks in large part to:

• Asdrubal Cabrera. He hit a three-run homer and two-run single. The homer set a franchise single-season record by a shortstop (25).

• Kosuke Fukudome. He went 2-for-4 with a homer, a walk and three RBI. He also  made a diving catch.

• Jeanmar Gomez. He worked six strong innings to win his fifth straight start and improve to 5-2. Gomez gave up the two runs (one earned) on four hits — and looked good doing it. He ran his fastball in on lefties and had tight spin on his slider.

• Travis Hafner. He notched his 1,000th career hit and was responsible for two runs scored.

• Jason Kipnis. He followed Fukudome’s blast in the first with his own against White Sox righty Phil Humber, giving the Indians back-to-back homers to begin a first inning for just the fourth time in franchise history.

• Gomez allowed one hit through three — a two-out single up the middle by Tribe nemesis Juan Pierre in the third. It was Pierre’s 21st hit against Cleveland this season. The next batter, Alexei Ramirez, broke his bat and grounded to Gomez.

The White Sox scored two in the fifth to tie the score, 2-2. One of the runs was unearned because of Cabrera’s throwing error. Pierre — surprise — delivered an RBI single.

The Indians regained the advantage in their half of the fifth. Jack Hannahan drew a two-out walk and was speeding around the bases as Ezequiel Carrera lined a triple down the left-field line. As the ball kicked up into the railing, Hannahan scored easily.

White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen argued that the play should have been ruled a ground-rule double and Hannahan returned to third. The umpires huddled and agreed.

Fukudome made sure it did not hurt Cleveland by dumping a single into left-center. Pierre and his pop-gun arm had no shot to throw out Carrera.

Hafner’s heads-up running helped make it 5-2 in the sixth. He tagged from second to third on a one-out fly ball, putting him in prime position to score on Matt LaPorta’s slow roller through the hole at second.

The Indians opened it up in the seventh. Cabrera hit a three-run homer, his 25th in 589 official at-bats. Cabrera set the franchise single-season record for homers by a shortstop, passing Jhonny Peralta, whose 24 came in 2005.

Last season, Cabrera hit three homers in 381 at-bats.

The next batter, Hafner, ripped a double to right-center — his 1,000th career hit. He received a standing ovation and was applauded again as he exited the field for pinch-runner Cord Phelps. Phelps scored on Grady Sizemore’s single.

Cabrera hit a two-run single in the eighth, matching his career-best. It is the fourth time this season that an Indian has driven in five runs in a game.

The Tribe bullpen worked three hitless innings.

Neither Indians DH Jim Thome nor White Sox infielder Omar Vizquel played, but they did exchange lineup cards before the game. 

CLEVELAND –

A long day ended on a high note for the Chicago White Sox.

Alexei Ramirez’s seventh-inning single broke the game’s final tie and led Chicago to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night, giving the White Sox a split of the day-night doubleheader.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s solo home run and six strong innings from Fausto Carmona gave Cleveland a 4-3 win in the first game.

The teams, who were eliminated from the AL Central race last week when Detroit clinched the division, are battling for second place. The Indians lead the White Sox by 1½ games.

Trailing 4-0 in the fifth, Chicago scored a run in the fifth and two runs in both the sixth and seventh.

“It made the day a little bit nicer,” manager Ozzie Guillen said. “We were down right away and I thought the whole day was going to be very long. We fought back and won the game.”

Matt Thornton (2-5) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win in the second game and Chris Sale went the final 1 2-3 innings for his seventh save.

Cleveland took a 4-3 lead into the seventh before Chicago rallied against rookie reliever Zach Putnam (0-1). Tyler Flowers started the rally with a single and took third on Gordon Beckham’s third double of the game. Juan Pierre’s groundout tied the game before Ramirez’s bloop single to center over a drawn-in infield gave Chicago the lead.

Beckham became the first White Sox player to have three doubles in a game since Aaron Rowand in 2005.

“It’s one of those days I’ve been searching for,” Beckham said. “Unfortunately, it comes with eight games left. I’m glad we came back and won that game. We showed some fight.”

“It’s nice to see this kid swing the bat the way he did,” Guillen said of Beckham. “He was kind of down the last couple of days. We’re all glad he got those hits.”

Both teams started rookies in the second game. Dylan Axelrod, making his second major-league start, allowed four runs in 4 2-3 innings for the White Sox while Zach McAllister, in his third big-league start, gave up two runs in 5 1-3 innings for the Indians.

Cleveland used four rookie pitchers in the second game, which led to problems finding the plate. Putnam hit Paul Konerko in the hip in the seventh inning. Josh Judy hit Beckham in the back and Ramirez in the shoulder in the ninth. Guillen wasn’t happy seeing so many of his players get drilled, but didn’t think it was intentional.

“I don’t think they were throwing at them,” he said. “It’s a bunch of kids up from the minor leagues. You can do nothing about it. All you can do is run to first base and get the trainers.”

Cleveland managed one hit off Axelrod through three innings before scoring four times in the fourth. Jim Thome’s RBI single gave Cleveland the lead. Matt LaPorta’s run-scoring double and sacrifice flies by Grady Sizemore and Jack Hannahan completed the scoring.

McAllister held the White Sox scoreless until the fifth when Beckham’s RBI double scored Chicago’s first run. Alejandro De Aza’s two-run double off Rafael Perez in the sixth cut the lead to one.

Cabrera strained his back while batting in the eighth inning of the first game and didn’t play in the second game.

Carmona (7-15) allowed three runs in six innings and won for the first time since Aug. 17.

Travis Hafner and Kosuke Fukudome also homered off Gavin Floyd (12-12), who hasn’t won since Aug. 29.

Hafner’s two-run homer in the first gave Cleveland the lead, but Chicago tied the game in the second on Adam Dunn’s RBI double and De Aza’s run-scoring single.

Cabrera’s home run put Cleveland ahead and was his 24th of the season. Cabrera, who entered Saturday’s game against Minnesota in an 0-for-20 slump, has eight hits in his last 13 at-bats. He leads the Indians with 87 RBIs, eclipsing his previous career high of 68 in 2009.

“I’m really happy with what I’ve done, but I haven’t thought too much about it,” he said. “I think we’ve had a good season, and it’s not over yet.”

NOTES: The first game was the makeup of a July 23 rainout at Progressive Field. … Guillen says LHP Mark Buehrle will start Wednesday night. Buehrle (11-9, 3.74 ERA) has sore biceps after being hit with a ball in his last start. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-2, 4.56) will start for the Indians. … Guillen played most of his regulars in Tuesday’s first game. … The Indians are playing nine games in seven days on their final homestand of the season. Cleveland played a makeup game with Seattle on Monday and will play another day-night doubleheader against Minnesota on Saturday. … The Indians recalled RHP Corey Kluber from Triple-A Columbus.

Alexei Ramirez’s seventh-inning single broke the game’s final tie and led Chicago to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night, giving the White Sox a split of the day-night doubleheader.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s solo home run and six strong innings from Fausto Carmona gave Cleveland a 4-3 win in the first game.

The teams, who were eliminated from the AL Central race last week when Detroit clinched the division, are battling for second place. The Indians lead the White Sox by 1 1/2 games.

Matt Thornton (2-5) pitched 1 1/3 innings for the win in the second game and Chris Sale went the final 1 2/3 innings for his seventh save.

Cleveland took a 4-3 lead into the seventh before Chicago rallied against rookie reliever Zach Putnam (0-1). Tyler Flowers started the rally with a single and took third on Gordon Beckham’s third double of the game. Juan Pierre’s groundout tied the game before Ramirez’s bloop single to center over a drawn-in infield gave Chicago the lead.

Both teams started rookies in the second game. Dylan Axelrod, making his second major-league start, allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings for the White Sox while Zach McAllister, in his third big-league start, gave up two runs in 5 1-3 innings for the Indians.

Cleveland managed one hit off Axelrod through three innings before scoring four times in the fourth. Jim Thome’s RBI single gave Cleveland the lead. Matt LaPorta’s run-scoring double and sacrifice flies by Grady Sizemore and Jack Hannahan completed the scoring.

Singles by Jason Donald and Carlos Santana started the inning. Thome singled sharply past a diving Paul Konerko at first base to score Donald. After Shelley Duncan walked to load the bases, Sizemore’s fly ball to left was deep enough to score Santana.

LaPorta’s line drive to right was misjudged by Dayan Viciedo, who got a bad jump and broke back too late to make the catch. Hannahan’s fly ball to center scored the inning’s final run.

McAllister held the White Sox scoreless until the fifth when Beckham’s RBI double scored Chicago’s first run. Alejandro De Aza’s two-run double off Rafael Perez in the sixth cut the lead to one.

Cleveland’s pitchers hit three Chicago batters in the second game.

Cabrera strained his back while batting in the eighth inning of the first game and didn’t play in the second game.

Carmona (7-15) allowed three runs in six innings and won for the first time since Aug. 17.

Travis Hafner and Kosuke Fukudome also homered off Gavin Floyd (12-12), who hasn’t won since Aug. 29.

Hafner’s two-run homer in the first gave Cleveland the lead, but Chicago tied the game in the second on Adam Dunn’s RBI double and Alejandro De Aza’s run-scoring single.

Cabrera’s home run put Cleveland ahead and was his 24th of the season. Cabrera, who entered Saturday’s game against Minnesota in an 0-for-20 slump, has eight hits in his last 13 at-bats.

NOTES: The first game was the makeup of a July 23 rainout at Progressive Field. … White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says LHP Mark Buehrle will start Wednesday night. Buehrle (11-9, 3.74 ERA) has sore biceps after being hit with a ball in his last start. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-2, 4.56) will start for the Indians. … Guillen played most of his regulars in Tuesday’s first game. … The White Sox are 9-6 against the Indians with three games to play in the season series. … Hannahan was a defensive replacement at third base in the eighth inning of the first game, his first appearance since straining his left calf Sept. 4. He started the second game. … C Lou Marson struck out in all three at-bats. … The Indians are playing nine games in seven days on their final homestand of the season. Cleveland played a makeup game with Seattle on Monday and will play another day-night doubleheader against Minnesota on Saturday. … The Indians recalled RHP Corey Kluber from Triple-A Columbus.

By The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — Asdrubal Cabrera’s leadoff home run in the fourth broke a tie game, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Fausto Carmona (7-15) allowed three runs in six innings and won for the first time since Aug. 17.

Travis Hafner and Kosuke Fukudome also homered off Gavin Floyd (12-12), who hasn’t won since Aug. 29. Chicago has lost eight of its last nine games.

The teams, who were eliminated from the AL Central race last week when Detroit clinched the division, are battling for second place. The Indians lead the White Sox by 2½ games.

Hafner’s two-run homer in the first gave Cleveland the lead, but Chicago tied the game in the second on Adam Dunn’s RBI double and Alejandro De Aza’s run-scoring single.

Cabrera’s home run put Cleveland ahead and was his 24th of the season. Cabrera, who entered Saturday’s game against Minnesota in an 0-for-20 slump, has eight hits in his last 13 at-bats. He has homered in back-to-back games.

Fukudome homered with one out in the fifth.

Carmona struck out three and walked two. Relievers Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez, who recorded his 35th save, blanked Chicago over the final three innings.

Chicago’s first four hitters reached against Carmona in the second. Singles by A.J. Pierzynski and Alex Rios started the inning. Dunn, batting .165 when the game began, slapped a double down the third base line that scored Pierzynski. De Aza’s single to right tied the game.

De Aza added an RBI groundout in the sixth. Continued…

Floyd gave up four runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter.

Notes

* The game was the makeup of a July 23 rainout at Progressive Field.

* White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says LHP Mark Buehrle will start Wednesday night. Buehrle (11-9, 3.74 ERA) has sore biceps after being hit with a ball in his last start. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-2, 4.56) will start for the Indians.

* Guillen played most of his regulars in Tuesday’s first game. …

* The White Sox are 9-6 against the Indians with three games to play in the season series. …

* Indians 3B Jack Hannahan was a defensive replacement in the eighth inning, his first appearance since straining his left calf Sept. 4. …

* Lou Marson struck out in all three at-bats. …

* The Indians are playing nine games in seven days on their final homestand of the season. Cleveland played a makeup game with Seattle on Monday and will play another day-night doubleheader against Minnesota on Saturday. … The Indians recalled RHP Corey Kluber from Triple-A Columbus.

By The Associated Press

CLEVELAND (AP) — Asdrubal Cabrera’s leadoff home run in the fourth broke a tie game, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Chicago White Sox 4-3 on Tuesday in the first game of a day-night doubleheader.

Fausto Carmona (7-15) allowed three runs in six innings and won for the first time since Aug. 17.

Travis Hafner and Kosuke Fukudome also homered off Gavin Floyd (12-12), who hasn’t won since Aug. 29. Chicago has lost eight of its last nine games.

The teams, who were eliminated from the AL Central race last week when Detroit clinched the division, are battling for second place. The Indians lead the White Sox by 2½ games.

Hafner’s two-run homer in the first gave Cleveland the lead, but Chicago tied the game in the second on Adam Dunn’s RBI double and Alejandro De Aza’s run-scoring single.

Cabrera’s home run put Cleveland ahead and was his 24th of the season. Cabrera, who entered Saturday’s game against Minnesota in an 0-for-20 slump, has eight hits in his last 13 at-bats. He has homered in back-to-back games.

Fukudome homered with one out in the fifth.

Carmona struck out three and walked two. Relievers Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez, who recorded his 35th save, blanked Chicago over the final three innings.

Chicago’s first four hitters reached against Carmona in the second. Singles by A.J. Pierzynski and Alex Rios started the inning. Dunn, batting .165 when the game began, slapped a double down the third base line that scored Pierzynski. De Aza’s single to right tied the game.

De Aza added an RBI groundout in the sixth.

Floyd gave up four runs and seven hits in 6 2-3 innings. He struck out seven and didn’t walk a batter.

Notes

* The game was the makeup of a July 23 rainout at Progressive Field.

* White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen says LHP Mark Buehrle will start Wednesday night. Buehrle (11-9, 3.74 ERA) has sore biceps after being hit with a ball in his last start. RHP Ubaldo Jimenez (4-2, 4.56) will start for the Indians.

* Guillen played most of his regulars in Tuesday’s first game. …

* The White Sox are 9-6 against the Indians with three games to play in the season series. …

* Indians 3B Jack Hannahan was a defensive replacement in the eighth inning, his first appearance since straining his left calf Sept. 4. …

* Lou Marson struck out in all three at-bats. …

* The Indians are playing nine games in seven days on their final homestand of the season. Cleveland played a makeup game with Seattle on Monday and will play another day-night doubleheader against Minnesota on Saturday. … The Indians recalled RHP Corey Kluber from Triple-A Columbus.