White Sox hope Quintana can tame Indians (Jun 11, 2017)
CLEVELAND -- In the final game of their series with the Indians in Cleveland on Sunday, the Chicago White Sox send to the mound left-hander Jose Quintana, who has had a tough 2017 season but has historically pitched well against Cleveland.
In 12 starts this season, Quintana is 2-7 with a 5.30 ERA. One of those losses was a 3-0 setback to the Indians on April 21. Quintana pitched six innings, allowing one earned run on five hits, with 10 strikeouts and two walks.
In his career, Quintana has made 20 appearances (18 starts) against the Indians and is 7-4 with a 2.63 ERA.
Cleveland's starter Sunday will be Carlos Carrasco, who in 11 starts this year is 5-3 with a 3.36 ERA. Carrasco has already made two starts against the White Sox this season and pitched well in both games. He is 1-0, allowing one earned run, seven hits and one walk while striking out 15 in 15 innings.
In his career, Carrasco has faced the White Sox 19 times (18 starts) and is 4-9 with a 4.89 ERA.
Carrasco has been struggling in his recent starts. Over his last four appearances, he has a 6.75 ERA.
The Indians and White Sox split the first two games of the series. Cleveland won 7-3 on Friday night, and the White Sox bounced back to win Saturday 5-3.
Chicago manager Rick Renteria is understandably anxious to push the envelope whenever the last-place White Sox have a chance at a victory. They came into Saturday's game having lost eight of their previous nine contests.
In Saturday's game, with the chance to snap a three-game losing streak, the White Sox ran the bases aggressively, and Renteria brought closer David Robertson into the game in the eighth inning. Robertson recorded his first two-inning save since Sept. 3, 2011, when he was a member of the Yankees.
Chicago's aggressiveness resulted in the White Sox making five outs on the bases, three at third base, and two at home.
"We were super aggressive on the bases, which we want to be, but that was not good. A little reckless," Renteria said.
On the other hand, the White Sox manager wants his team to be aggressive running the bases, but within reason.
"We're going to try to score runs," he said. "If the other team makes a perfect throw, that happens."
The Indians, meanwhile, continue to be very sporadic offensively. Designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion has broken out of his slump. He has hit home runs in each of the last two games, but Francisco Lindor is in the second month of an extended slump.
Lindor hit .309 in April, .245 in May, and is hitting just .156 in June.
"He hit some balls out of the park (early in the season) and I think he started to get into pull mode," manager Terry Francona said. "But he's too good of a hitter not to get hot."
