Major League Baseball

Samardzija, Cabrera lead White Sox past Indians 8-1

Published Jul. 23, 2015 9:48 p.m. ET

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CLEVELAND (AP) If Jeff Samardzija pitched for the final time in a Chicago uniform Thursday night, he went out on a high note.

Samardzija (7-5), who has been the subject of trade rumors with the July 31 deadline approaching, allowed one run in eight innings and the White Sox rolled to an 8-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians.

''It's not really a big deal,'' he said of the rumors. ''All I can do is go out and increase my value as much as possible and make both sides come out on top. The better I play the better the White Sox will get it return if they do trade me and it's better for me to go to a better situation, but that's out of my hands.''

The right-hander allowed four hits, struck out three and didn't walk a batter. His offense provided him with plenty of help. Melky Cabrera homered from both sides of the plate while Alexei Ramirez and Adam Eaton also hit home runs, helping Chicago break a four-game losing streak

The trade talk certainly hasn't affected Samardzija's performance. He has lasted at least seven innings in nine straight starts and has allowed six earned runs in 31 2-3 innings in his last four. Samardzija was traded from the Cubs to Oakland at last season's deadline and the White Sox acquired him from the Athletics in December.

''With the Cubs it was a long process,'' he said. ''There was a lot of speculation for about a year. That was tough. After you've done it a couple of times you realize it is out of your hands and you just go out there and do your job.''

''There's a lot to like,'' Indians manager Terry Francona said of Samardzija. ''What stands out is his competitiveness. He's a little bit of a throwback. I was hoping they'd trade him (before the game).''

Cabrera hit a leadoff homer in the fourth off right-hander Trevor Bauer (7-5) to break a scoreless tie. He added a two-run shot off left-hander Kyle Crockett in the seventh. Cabrera has homered from both sides of the plate twice in his career, the first time on July 28, 2014, while playing for Toronto against Boston.

Bauer allowed six runs, including three homers, in six-plus innings.

The White Sox had dropped six of seven, including a 3-2 loss to St. Louis on Wednesday when Yadier Molina's three-run triple off closer David Robertson turned the game around in the eighth inning.

''Nice game to have, especially after a tough one yesterday,'' White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. ''Jeff was fantastic. Right out of the gate he looked like he had command. We swung the bats.''

The White Sox jumped on Bauer in the fourth. Cabrera's homer was followed by singles by Jose Abreu and Avisail Garcia. Ramirez then homered into the bleachers in left-center.

WE NEEDED THAT

The White Sox were 4-16 against the Indians at Progressive Field since the start of the 2013 season going into Thursday. Chicago is 17-28 against the AL Central, including a 5-14 mark on the road.

TRAINER'S ROOM

White Sox: INF Emilio Bonifacio was placed on the bereavement list. INF Leury Garcia, who spent the entire 2014 season with the White Sox, was recalled from Triple-A Charlotte.

Indians: DH Nick Swisher (left knee inflammation) was 0 for 2 with a walk in his first game on a minor league rehabilitation assignment at Double-A Akron. He has been on the 15-day DL since June 14.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP Jose Quintana, who leads the majors with 45 no-decisions over the last four seasons, seeks his first victory since July 1, at St. Louis. He is 0-2 in his last three starts.

Indians: RHP Corey Kluber faces the White Sox for the third time this season. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner has 18 strikeouts in 15 innings against Chicago, but is 0-1 with a 4.20 ERA.

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