Sox sweep up with 6-2 win over Indians
Before hitting the road after an emotional weekend series against the Cubs at U.S. Cellular Field, manager Ozzie Guillen stressed the importance of this week's games at Cleveland and Kansas City.
"I think this is going to be the biggest week we have," Guillen said. "And depending on how we play, then (general manager) Kenny (Williams) makes that decision and (chairman) Jerry (Reinsdorf) makes that decision."
The obvious decision heading up to the July 31 nonwaiver trade deadline is whether to add or subtract.
If the start of the road swing is any indication, the Sox might be welcoming a new face or two before the end of the month.
Thanks to another strong start from Jose Contreras and a big hit from backup catcher Ramon Castro, the White Sox rolled to a 6-2 victory over the reeling Indians on Wednesday night at Progressive Field to complete a three-game sweep.
Contreras (3-7) pitched 8 innings and allowed 2 runs on 5 hits.
Since coming back from Class AAA Charlotte on June 8, the big right-hander is 3-2 with a 2.17 ERA.
"We've seen it before," Guillen told reporters after the game. "Jose is just throwing strikes right now with everything. The split-finger, that pitch is dancing. He's in a groove right now."
Castro hit a 3-run homer off Cleveland starter Jeremy Sowers (2-6) in the sixth inning as the White Sox won their fifth straight and pulled within 3 games of the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central.
"That guy's got some pop," Guillen said of Castro. "People don't realize it because he's not playing every day. But you see him take batting practice, he's a strong kid. He can hit it a long way."
The Sox got some potentially bad news in the eighth inning when shortstop Alexei Ramirez came out of the game with a sore right finger. He is not expected to play at Kansas City tonight, and Guillen indicated Ramirez would need to have X-rays.
"This kid has got to be hurt because he's not going to take himself out of a game just because," Guillen said. "Hopefully it's just soreness."
Ramirez was 3-for-4 with 1 RBI Wednesday. Over his last 11 games, he is batting .386 (17-for-44) with 3 HR and 9 RBI.
Scot Gregor's game tracker
White Sox 6, Indians 2
Wednesday's grade: A. On Sunday, manager Ozzie Guillen said it's still too early to believe the Sox have turned the corner. But they continued to play like a contender in their third straight win over the reeling Indians.
Contreras comes through: Jose Contreras bounced back from a tough loss to the Cubs, holding Cleveland to 2 runs on 5 hits over 8 innings. The big right-hander also had 8 strikeouts for the third time in 4 starts.
Serious series: Gordon Beckham 2-for-4 with a double and 1 RBI. In the three-game sweep of Cleveland, the rookie third baseman was 8-for-11 (.727) with 1 home run and 6 RBI.
Scouting report
White Sox vs. Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium
TV: Comcast SportsNet Plus today; Comcast SportsNet Friday and Saturday; Channel 9 Sunday
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
Pitching matchups: The Sox' Mark Buehrle (7-2) vs. Bruce Chen (0-1) today at 7:10 p.m; John Danks (6-6) vs. Zack Greinke (10-3) Friday at 7:10 p.m.; Gavin Floyd (6-5) vs. Luke Hochevar (3-3) Saturday at 12:10 p.m.; Clayton Richard (3-1) vs. Brian Bannister (5-6) Sunday at 1:10 p.m.
At a glance: The White Sox are playing their most consistent baseball of the season as they head into Kansas City for the third and final time this year. The Sox are 4-4 vs. the Royals this season (3-2 at Kauffman). Kansas City has lost 5 of 7 and is tied for the AL lead with 59 errors. Greinke slipped a bit in early June, but he has won his last 2 starts and leads the league in wins and ERA (1.95).
Next: Cleveland Indians at U.S. Cellular Field, Tuesday-Thursday