Carmona, Indians Sink White Sox 7-2

[April 03, 2008]  CLEVELAND (AP) -- Fausto Carmona's sinker was in filthy 2007 form. The right-hander, who emerged from nowhere to win 19 games last season, pitched seven innings in his season debut and Grady Sizemore had three RBIs to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 7-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

With his signature sinker dipping and dancing away from Chicago's hitters, Carmona allowed one run and four singles. He got 16 of his 21 outs on grounders, struck out four and kept Jim Thome in the park, something Indians' ace C.C. Sabathia couldn't do in the opener.

Thome, who homered twice off Sabathia on Monday, grounded into two of Chicago's three double plays and flied to right -- the only fair ball hit into the air against Carmona.

Asdrubal Cabrera had three hits and two RBIs for Cleveland, which made the most of four walks by White Sox starter Javier Vazquez (0-1).

The Indians are 2-0 for the second straight year. It's the first time they've opened consecutive seasons with two wins since 1954-55.

A.J. Pierzynski homered in the ninth for the White Sox.

Carmona's breakout in '07 helped the Indians win the AL Central and beat the New York Yankees in the playoffs. However, with a chance to put away the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS, he lasted just two innings in a Game 6 meltdown, one of the only times he didn't deliver all year.

The Indians are counting on the 24-year-old to come through again.

Carmona was replaced in the eighth by Japanese free agent Masa Kobayashi, who faced just three batters in his major league debut before being pulled. Rafael Perez came in, struck out Thome, walked Paul Konerko to load the bases and then fanned Jermaine Dye.

Vazquez's wildness helped Cleveland score twice in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead.

Sizemore, baseball's current Ironman playing in his 360th straight game, tripled and scored on Cabrera's single to make it 3-1. Jhonny Peralta reached on a fielder's choice and Travis Hafner singled him to third.

Vazquez then walked Ryan Garko to load the bases, and the right-hander put Franklin Gutierrez on with a walk to force in a run.

The Indians added two runs in the sixth off reliever Mike MacDougal on RBI singles by Sizemore and Cabrera.

Sizemore's two-run, two-out single in the second put the Indians up 2-0.

The White Sox could do nothing but pound Carmona's sinker into the dirt, but a pair of grounders and a wild pitch got them within 2-1 in the fifth.

With help from Cleveland's infield, Carmona kept Thome under wraps.

The Indians shifted their infield to the right, with third baseman Casey Blake moving to shortstop and Peralta sliding to second. In the first, Thome grounded to Blake who started a rare 5-6-3 double play. Then, with a runner at first in the fourth, Thome grounded to Blake, who stepped on the bag and threw to first.

Notes: Indians C Victor Martinez (strained hamstring) said his injury isn't as bad as he first feared. He was replaced by Kelly Shoppach, who doubled in three at-bats. ... Just call him Everyday Grady. Sizemore owns the majors' longest active consecutive games played streak. Sizemore's streak is the longest by an Indians player since Toby Harrah (473) from 1979-83. ... Chicago's seven-man bullpen entered this season with 1,502 games of experience. The White Sox opened 2007 with relievers who had pitched in 615 games. ... Vazquez's 1,569 strikeouts since 2000 are the second most in the majors behind Randy Johnson's 1,923.

[Associated Press; By TOM WITHERS]

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