By Ryan Lewis
Beacon Journal sports writer
CHICAGO: Location is everything in real estate, and it’s a pretty significant aspect in pitching.
On the latter, Indians rookie Mike Clevinger learned that the hard way in his second major league start on Monday, as the Chicago White Sox knocked him around in a 7-6 loss in the first game of a doubleheader at U.S. Cellular Field.
In the nightcap, the Indians brought a display of power that Cody Anderson was able to capitalize on as the Indians topped the White Sox 5-1 to earn a split.
Jose Ramirez, Rajai Davis (two-run) and Juan Uribe each hit a home run off White Sox starter Erik Johnson (0-2, 6.94 ERA). Jason Kipnis later added an RBI single.
Anderson (1-3, 6.81 ERA) had his best outing of the season, going seven innings, allowing one run on five hits and striking out a career-high nine. Perhaps most important, he didn’t allow a home run. Anderson had already given up more home runs this season (10) than in 2015 (nine).
In the first inning of the opener, Clevinger started off Todd Frazier with two pitches on the outside part of the plate. The third pitch trailed back inside — not its intended location — and Frazier drilled it for a no-doubt solo home run, his American League-leading 14th of the season.
Later in the fifth came the major blow. With the score tied 3-3 with two runners on, Brett Lawrie worked to a full count.
Clevinger didn’t walk a run in, but he did send his 3-2 offering right down the middle, and Lawrie belted it for a three-run home run.
“He made some costly mistakes over the middle,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Clevinger. “Lawrie’s, that was obviously the biggest one. Those were really costly runs.”
Prior to that home run, the Indians had twice tied it with home runs of their own. In the second inning, Mike Napoli took starter Mat Latos deep for a solo shot to snap a 0-for-19 skid and tie it 1-1. Marlon Byrd later tied it 3-3 with a two-run shot, his fourth of the year.
“I felt like especially with this offense scoring those runs, I was just killing momentum,” Clevinger said. “This one was on me, especially when they put them on the board. I need to bear down and get that next zero.”
The Indians made some defensive mistakes in the seventh, but a great throw nearly made up for it. Davis and Kipnis each made an error to start the inning, and Dan Otero walked Lawrie to load the bases. Carlos Sanchez then sent a line drive to right field, seemingly deep enough to score a run. Michael Martinez caught it and threw a strike to Yan Gomes at the plate in plenty of time to nail Sanchez and keep it a 6-3 game.
“It looked like it had a chance, if not give us a chance to win, to at least make them use [closer David Robertson],” Francona said. “Doubleheader, we’d like to make them use their bullpen, which they did. It actually gave us a chance to win on top of it. That was a really good play.”
Austin Adams entered after throwing two innings on Sunday against Boston and walked in the run that proved to be the difference, putting the White Sox up 7-3, before escaping the inning without further damage.
The Indians fought back, but it wasn’t enough. Carlos Santana started the eighth inning with a walk and Kipnis doubled to center field.
Napoli got one run home with a groundout before Jose Ramirez made it a one-run game with a two-run home run to right field off of Matt Albers.
In the ninth, the Indians came close but couldn’t close the gap. Facing Robertson, Davis opened the inning with a walk and then stole second base as Byrd struck out, putting the tying run in scoring position with one out. Robertson, though, struck out Martinez and got Santana to ground out to end the game.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ and on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/RyanLewisABJ