Santana, Hafner homer as Indians beat White Sox

[May 03, 2012]  CHICAGO (AP) -- Carlos Santana and Travis Hafner homered to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

Santana hit his fourth homer of the season, a three-run shot in the fifth inning that landed well behind the Indians' bullpen in right field. Hafner added a two-run shot in the ninth.

Jack Hannahan doubled home Michael Brantley with the go-ahead run in the eighth off Addison Reed.

Johnny Damon went 0 for 3 with a walk in his Indians' debut, starting in left field and leading off. The 38-year-old Damon is with his seventh organization in 18 big league seasons, and is 277 hits shy of 3,000.

Damon was replaced in the sixth inning because of what the team called "general cramping."

Four Cleveland relievers combined for three scoreless innings in relief of Josh Tomlin, extending the bullpen's shutout streak to 15 2-3 innings. Joe Smith (1-0) picked up the win and Chris Perez pitched the ninth for his eighth save in nine chances.

Johnny Damon went 0 for 3 with a walk in his Indians' debut, starting in left field and leading off. The 38-year-old Damon is with his seventh organization in 18 big league seasons, and is 277 hits shy of 3,000.

Damon was replaced in the sixth inning because of what the team called "general cramping."

Adam Dunn reached base three times and hit his sixth homer for Chicago. Alexei Ramirez added a two-run single.

Will Ohman (0-1) took the loss in relief.

White Sox starter Phil Humber held Cleveland to three runs in six innings, making key pitches to escape a couple of jams. He was wild all night, walking a career-high six and hitting another.

After throwing the 21st perfect game in big league history at Seattle on April 21, Humber allowed a career-high nine runs in five innings against Boston on April 26.

With Brantley on first in the eighth, Ohman appeared to escape the inning when Casey Kotchman hit a grounder at Dunn, but the ball was ruled foul by first base umpire Eric Cooper. Kotchman then walked and Hannahan stroked a ball up the left-field line.

Humber worked out of a pair of early jams despite walking five and hitting another during his first five innings. He struck out Shin-Soo Choo with the bases loaded to end the first and third innings.

Humber's wildness caught up with him in the fifth. His two-out walk to Asdrubal Cabrera extended the inning. Hafner's single set up Santana's three-run homer, putting Cleveland ahead 3-1.

Dunn's solo homer in the fourth snapped a string of seven straight batters retired by Tomlin. Ramirez hit a two-out single in the fifth to drive in two runs, tying the game 3-all.

NOTES: Choo returned to the lineup after sitting out since April 24 with a groin injury. ... White Sox manager Robin Ventura said that Dylan Axelrod is likely start one game of Chicago's doubleheader at Cleveland on Monday unless he is used in a long relief outing before then.

[Associated Press]

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