Danks goes 9 as White Sox beat Indians 6-1

[September 29, 2009]  CLEVELAND (AP) -- Gordon Beckham drove in three runs to help John Danks earn his first win in more than a month and the Chicago White Sox beat the Cleveland Indians 6-1 on Monday night.

Danks' first career complete game gave Chicago its third win in four games following a stretch of seven losses in eight games.

Cleveland came in one-half game ahead of last-place Kansas City in the AL Central after sweeping a three-game series from Baltimore. The Indians, trying to avoid a last-place finish for the first time since going a franchise-worst 57-101 in 1991, are 6-20 in September. A year ago, they went 32-17 down the stretch to finish at .500 -- giving hope to Cleveland fans that the Indians could return to contention after winning the division in 2007.

Danks (13-10) allowed three hits and one run, striking out seven in his first complete game at any level since being drafted in 2003 by Texas. Shin-Soo Choo hit his 19th homer leading off the seventh to break up the left-hander's bid for his first career shutout.

Danks bounced back from being hit hard in an 8-6 loss to Minnesota on Tuesday in which he gave up seven runs and eight hits, including a career high-tying three homers, in six innings. He had been 0-2 in five starts since beating the Boston Red Sox on Aug. 27 -- but set a career high in wins, one more than he had last year.

The White Sox took a 3-0 lead in the second against Aaron Laffey (7-8) without hitting the ball hard. They loaded the bases on three consecutive one-out singles -- then scored three times without hitting a ball out of the infield.

Brent Lillibridge topped a two-out slow roller that third baseman Jhonny Peralta charged but could not field cleanly between the foul line and the mound. It was ruled an RBI single.

Laffey then hit DeWayne Wise with a pitch to force in a run and Beckham grounded a ball up the middle that was fielded behind second base by Jamey Carroll. Wise slid in safely before shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera took the flip from Carroll at the bag as another run scored.

Beckham's two-run double off Jensen Lewis made it 5-1 in the ninth. Beckham then scored on a throwing error by center fielder Trevor Crowe, who fielded Paul Konerko's single and threw home wildly. Beckham went to third when catcher Lou Marson retrieved the ball and tossed it past Lewis attempting to cover home.

Danks held the Indians hitless until Choo doubled with two outs in the fourth, finally reversing his fortunes against Cleveland. He had been 1-5 with a 5.63 ERA in nine previous starts against the Indians, posting a 10.54 ERA in losing his last three.

Laffey lost his fifth straight start, allowing three runs and eight hits over 7 1-3 innings. Cleveland has totaled 12 runs of support during the five losses. The left-hander is 0-5 in seven starts since beating Minnesota on Aug. 16.

NOTES: Cleveland signed 15 Latin American teenagers, two from Panama, six from Venezuela and seven from the Dominican Republic. ... Indians manager Eric Wedge said rookie LHP David Huff will not pitch again this season. Wedge said Huff, whose 11 wins lead the club, had reached an innings limit prescribed for young pitchers. ... White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said RHP Gavin Floyd, bothered by a sore hip for a month, probably won't pitch again this season. Floyd is 11-11 with a 4.06 ERA in 30 starts. ... Choo has hit .329 (52 for 158) with six homers in his last 39 games.

[Associated Press]

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