Indians-White Sox Preview
By JEFF MEZYDLO STATS Senior Writer
After roughing up the staff ace of the Chicago White Sox, the Cleveland Indians look to hand budding star Jose Quintana a third straight defeat. The left-hander will try to keep the visiting Indians from taking this four-game set with a third consecutive victory Wednesday. Chris Sale's bid for a 10-0 start ended early on Tuesday night when Cleveland (24-20) tagged him for six runs and seven hits in 3 1/3 innings of a 6-2 victory. "They had some good at-bats against him,'' Chicago manager Robin Ventura said. ''It just seemed like everything was a little harder than normal.'' Despite losing the first game of Monday's doubleheader, the Indians have scored 17 runs and hit seven homers in the series. Trying to get within one-half game of the AL Central-leading White Sox (27-20), Cleveland now looks to get the best of Quintana (5-3, 1.98 ERA). Quintana allowed more than two runs for the first time in nine starts Friday, surrendering four along with eight hits in 6 1/3 innings of a 4-1 loss to Kansas City. "I (tried) to get down in the zone, but I missed a couple pitches,'' he said. ''That's what (happens) when you miss the zone.'' Quintana's teammates haven't helped by scoring one run in each of his last two outings after he received an average of 4.73 runs of support in the first seven. He allowed two runs over 22 innings to win two of his three starts against the Indians last season. He tossed a seven-hitter in a 6-0 victory at Cleveland on July 24 in his final 2015 start against them. "I think Quintana is kind of going under the radar because of Sale," Indians manager Terry Francona told MLB's official website. "But he is just having a hell of a year. He's commanding, he attacks the strike zone, he doesn't throw the ball over the middle of the plate. "We've seen him (be) really good, and I've heard some comments from other teams, and they were like, 'Whoa.'" Carlos Santana is 4 for 23 (.174) against Quintana and Yan Gomes is 1 for 15. Mike Napoli, though, is 3 for 9 with a double and a home run against him. With two hits and two RBIs on Tuesday, Napoli is 5 for 14 with six RBIs and five runs against Chicago this season. Corey Kluber (3-5, 4.10) went 0-2 with a 5.32 ERA in three starts against the White Sox last year, but he yielded a run and struck out 12 in nine innings of a 2-1, 10-inning loss in his most recent outing at Chicago one year ago last week. The right-hander gave up nine runs in 9 1/3 innings of his two starts prior to beating Boston on Friday, allowing a run in each of the first two innings and lasting seven in a 4-2 victory. "That's what your ace is supposed to do, but it's easier said than done,'' Francona said. Jose Abreu is 10 for 28 with two doubles and three home runs against Kluber and Melky Cabrera is 9 for 19 with three doubles. Abreu had three hits Tuesday after going 2 for 20 in the previous five contests. |