Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Indians fall to White Sox
WHITE SOX 8, INDIANS 0
CHICAGO — Cleveland rookie Aaron Civale gave up home runs on consecutive pitches in the fourth inning and the Indians fell into perilous position in the playoff race Thursday night, losing to the Chicago White Sox 8-0.
The Indians dropped two games behind idle Tampa Bay for the second AL wild-card spot. Both teams have three games left — Cleveland visits playoff-bound Washington while the Rays are at Toronto, which 29 games below .500.
A day after the Indians were beaten by Chicago 8-3, they managed just four hits against an emergency pitcher making his first big league start and the White Sox bullpen. Cleveland lost for just the third time in its last 10 games. The White Sox are 20 games under the break-even mark.
Civale (3-4) entered his 10th major league start with a 1.82 ERA, and didn’t allow a hit until Yoan Moncada lined a single to center with one out in the fourth. The 24-year-old right-hander then walked Zack Collins before James McCann hit his 18th home run for a 3-0 lead.
Daniel Palka, who entered 7 for 77 (.091) this season, lined Civale’s next pitch into the right field bullpen for his first homer of the season and first of two on the night. That prompted manager Terry Francona to relieve Civale with Carlos Carrasco.
Civale was charged with four runs on three hits in 3 1/3 innings and failed to pitch at least five for the first time in the majors.
Palka later connected again. He hit 27 home runs as a rookie last year, but didn’t have an extra-base hit this season until tagging the Indians. The Indians were shut out for the 14th time even though Chicago’s Jose Ruiz was pressed into his first major league start when rookie Dylan Cease was scratched minutes before the first pitch with a left hamstring strain. Cease warmed up in the bullpen and the switch was announced after the righthander walked to the dugout.
The Indians loaded the bases with two outs in the second against Ruiz, but reliever Josh Osich got Francisco Lindor to line out to end the Indians’ best threat of the night. Osich (4-0) went on to toss 31/3 hitless innings for the win.