The Chicago White Sox recorded their fourth straight win with a 3-1 victory over the Cleveland Guardians on Saturday. White Sox pitching limited the Guardians to just a solo home run while the offense provided a pair of early runs and a late insurance marker.
Tag-Team White Sox Pitching
Mike Clevinger made his second start of the season and fared much better than his debut outing. The right-hander struck out five across 4.2 innings with Josh Naylor's fourth-inning solo homer as his only blemish.
Clevinger threw 52 strikes on 73 pitches before manager Pedro Grifol lifted him for Tim Hill with two outs in the fifth inning. Hill pitched 1.1 scoreless innings before handing it off to fellow southpaw Jared Shuster, who delivered two spotless frames.
John Brebbia took the ball in the ninth and recorded a 1-2-3 inning that ended with a strikeout of Will Brennan to lock down the save.
Unlikely Sources of Scoring
The White Sox scored two runs in the second inning as a pair of struggling offensive players delivered.
Paul DeJong started the rally with a one-out single and scored when Nicky Lopez laced a triple into the right-field corner.
Martin Maldonado plated Lopez by sneaking a single through the left side of the Guardians' infield.
The White Sox tacked on an insurance run in the eighth inning on Andrew Benintendi's sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Vaughn, who led off with a single and advanced to third on Eloy Jimenez's double.
News and Notes
The White Sox are 9-6 in their last 15 games and have won three of their last four series. It's been a breath of fresh air after an abysmal 3-22 start to the season.
Bryan Ramos continues to shine in his first taste of MLB action. While he was held hitless on Saturday, he flashed the leather on an excellent ranging play in the top of the eighth.
Danny Mendick will begin a rehab assignment soon as he works through a back issue that resulted in a trip to the 10-day injured list.
What's On Tap Next?
The White Sox look to sweep the four-game weekend series from the Guardians on Sunday. Struggling righty Michael Soroka will start for the Sox against Guardians' southpaw Logan Allen. First pitch is at 1:10 PM CT and the game will air on NBC Sports Chicago.
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