The Chicago White Sox feel like they're turning a corner.
The fuel behind their three-game winning streak heading into Saturday night's visit from the Cleveland Guardians?
Power and solid starting pitching.
Chicago hit three solo home runs in Friday's 6-3 victory against Cleveland. The power display secured at least a split of the four-game weekend series between the American League Central rivals.
Korey Lee and Paul DeJong blasted back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning and Andrew Vaughn went deep in the eighth for his first home run of the season.
Chicago's bullpen yielded two long balls of its own before holding on for the victory.
Cleveland is aiming to avoid its first three-game losing streak of the season. The Guardians have lost two in a row five times in 2024.
Strong starting pitching from the White Sox has led to Cleveland's current skid. Right-hander Erick Fedde (Thursday) and lefty Garrett Crochet (Friday) both pitched six shutout innings to boost Chicago to victory in the first two games of the series.
"Just part of the game," the Guardians' Tyler Freeman said Friday. "Their starters are good starters. We haven't been doing our job, and we know that. And we're going to come back tomorrow and be ready to do some damage."
Freeman got Cleveland on the board with a solo home run in the seventh inning. Jose Ramirez, who had two hits, added a two-run blast in the eighth for his second homer of the series.
Although they haven't produced a victory in the series, the Guardians still are touting their resilience against the White Sox's bullpen.
"That's just who we are as a team," Freeman said. "We're not going to quit. If a team puts up 10 on us, we're going to put up 11. So that's our mentality. There's no quit in us."
Chicago is starting to attest. After needing 32 games to reach six victories, the White Sox have won five of their last seven games and have their second three-game winning streak of the season.
On Saturday, they'll turn to right-hander Mike Clevinger. He struggled Monday in his season debut, an 8-2 road loss to the Tampa Bay Rays.
Clevinger (0-1, 13.50 ERA) threw just 54 pitches while allowing four runs (three earned) and six hits in two-plus innings. He signed with Chicago after spring training and aimed to build his stamina in the minor leagues before rejoining the White Sox, with whom he was 9-9 with a 3.77 ERA last season.
"It was really cool to get in here and feel the energy in this clubhouse again," Clevinger said. "You feel the rush, and you're ready to get back to work and get back in the group.
"I just really appreciate (manager Pedro Grifol's) belief in me and him wanting me back. That goes a long way with me."
Clevinger is 2-2 with a 3.38 ERA in five career starts against the Guardians.
Right-hander Triston McKenzie (2-2, 3.97 ERA) will get the call for Cleveland on Saturday.
McKenzie is coming off five innings of one-run ball in a no-decision against Detroit on Monday.
He defeated the visiting White Sox on April 8, scattering three hits in 5 2/3 shutout innings. He is 3-2 with a 5.01 ERA in 11 career meetings (10 starts) against them.
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