Guyer, Kluber fuel 9th straight win
CHICAGO — Corey Kluber continued to strikeout batters at a record-setting pace on a breezy Saturday night on the south side of Chicago. But when the game was decided Kluber was no longer involved in the decision.
Brandon Guyer, however, was — in a big way. MLB’s human target was hit by a pitch from Gregory Infante in the ninth inning with the bases loaded to give the Indians their ninth straight victory with a 5-4 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.
Guyer, who has led the American League in hit by pitches for three straight seasons, took an pitch off his upper body to score Carlos Santana from third with the winning run. Cody Allen pitched the ninth for his 18th save.
The win went to Andrew Miller (4-3), and he walked the tightrope to earn it after relieving Kluber in the seventh with the score tied at 4. Miller pitched 1 ⅔ innings, stranding five runners and striking out three.
Miller ended the seventh by striking out Kevan Smith with the bases loaded. In the eighth, with runners on first and third thanks to a throwing error by Jose Ramirez from third base, Miller struck out Yomer Sanchez to end the inning.
The White Sox have lost 14 of their last 15 games, and 17 of 19.
Kluber struck out 12 in 6 ⅓ innings, while allowing four runs on nine hits.
He has struck out eight batters or more in 11 straight starts for a franchise record that he keeps extending every time he takes the mound. It is the longest such streak since Pedro Martinez’s streak of 11 straight starts from June 20 to Aug. 16, 2002.
It was the 10th time Kluber has struck 10 batters or more in a game this season. He has 161 strikeouts in 114 ⅔ innings for the season. In his last 11 starts, he has struck out 10 batters or more nine times.
The Indians struck quickly, taking a 4-0 lead through three innings off Miguel Gonzalez. The big inning came in the third when they scored three runs and sent eight batters to the plate.
Jose Abreu took a big chunk out of that lead with a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the third off Kluber, and the White Sox made it 4-4 in the sixth against Kluber on consecutive two-out doubles by Hanson and Tim Anderson.
The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Yan Gomes.