CHICAGO (AP) — Lane Thomas had four RBIs and the Cleveland Guardians held on behind their bullpen to beat the Chicago White Sox 6-4 on Wednesday for a three-game series sweep.
Austin Hedges added a solo home run for the AL Central-leading Guardians, who moved 4 1/2 games ahead of second-place Kansas City when the Royals lost 4-3 in 11 innings at Yankee Stadium. Cleveland and New York are tied for the best record in the American League.
The Guardians finished 6-3 on a three-city trip that included stops in Kansas City and at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles.
“I feel incredible about it,” first-year Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt said. “This was a tough road trip, this late in the year to be gone through three cities and play some tough teams."
Chicago dropped a franchise-record 15th straight at home, lost its 17th in 19 overall and was swept for the 24th time. At 33-114, the White Sox are closing in on the post-1900 record for losses — 120 by the 1962 New York Mets in their inaugural season.
Thomas drove in his four runs on a pair of infield singles with two outs when Cleveland runners on second and third were in motion and able to race home. He beat out a tapper to third, then a hard bouncer that second baseman Lenyn Sosa ranged to corral at the edge of the outfield grass. He had three hits overall.
“Not only are our baserunners busting, you know, down the line ... they were thinking score right off the bat,” Vogt said. "That's the baserunning we talk about from spring training.
“That's how these guys always run the bases. They don't take any out for granted.”
Thomas is batting .405 (15 for 37) with three homers and nine RBIs in September.
“That's a good 10-day stretch," Thomas said. “I'm just going to try to keep being consistent with the work and build off what we're doing right now. It's been fun and I feel like we're winning some games right now. So just keep that, you know, just carry that through the rest of September.”
Steven Kwan had two hits and scored twice. Sosa and Bryan Ramos each had two hits for Chicago.
Nick Sandlin (8-0), the first of four Cleveland relievers, got four outs for the win. Starter Matthew Boyd allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits, striking out nine in 4 1/3 innings.
The Guardians bullpen allowed just two hits. Emmanuel Clasé worked around a single in the ninth for his 44th save.
Chicago’s Davis Martin (0-4) yielded five runs on six hits in three innings.
“Everybody pissed,” Martin said. “Every time we go score four runs for me, it's like, hey, that's well in the ballpark for us to get a victory. It's my job to set the tone.”
The White Sox cut their deficit to 5-4 in the third inning, scoring three of four runs unearned following Andrés Giménez's throwing error. They loaded the bases with none out, then scored on Sosa’s single, Boyd’s balk, Vargas’ groundout and Dominic Fletcher’s infield hit.
Cleveland tacked on an insurance run in the eighth.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Guardians: RHP Ben Lively is expected to make his next scheduled start, on Sunday against Tampa Bay, after being hit on the outside of his right thigh by Dominic Fletcher’s liner in the second inning of his start on Tuesday. Lively left the game after he briefly lost feeling in the leg, but said he only suffered a painful bruise. “It could have been a lot worse,” Chris Antonetti, Guardians president of baseball operations said. … RHP James Karinchak, out all season with right shoulder inflammation, has joined Triple-A Columbus on a rehab assignment and is expected to pitch in “competitive games,” Antonetti said.
White Sox: OF Andrew Benintendi didn't start (maintenance), but pinch hit in the eighth.
UP NEXT
Guardians: RHP Gavin Williams (3-8, 5.25) faces Tampa Bay RHP Ryan Pepiot (8-6, 3.66) on Thursday in the opener of a four-game series in Cleveland on Thursday.
White Sox: LHP Garrett Crochet (6-11, 3.83) starts on Friday against Oakland. The Athletics hadn't named a starter for the opener of their six-game visit to Chicago — with three against the White Sox followed by three at the Cubs.
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb