LDN - Sports

Ramirez, Santana help Indians beat White Sox and push win streak to 12

[September 05, 2017] CHICAGO -- Jose Ramirez homered again, rookie Francisco Mejia got his first hit and the Cleveland Indians keep on winning.

Carlos Santana also hit a home run and Trevor Bauer pitched 6 1/3 strong innings as the Indians extended their season-high winning streak to 12 games with a 5-3 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Monday.

Ramirez, who went 5-for-5 with three doubles and two home runs Sunday, hit his 23rd home run in the eighth inning.

"We're happy, we're relaxed, we're having a good time, we're united and that's something that's really important," Ramirez said through an interpreter.

Bauer (15-8) struck out nine, walked one and allowed two runs and three hits for his career-high eighth straight win.

Santana, Francisco Lindor and Roberto Perez had two hits apiece for the Indians, who have outscored opponents 84-21 during their streak and improved to 34-16 since the All-Star break.

Cody Allen issued two walks in the ninth before securing his 24th save in 28 chances.

White Sox starter James Shields exited in the seventh inning with a right knee contusion after getting hit with a line drive by Mejia. Shields (2-6) is listed as day to day after X-rays were negative.

After he was checked out by White Sox staff, Shields was able to walk off the mound. He allowed four runs in 6 1/3 innings.

"I feel all right," Shields said. "It's a little sore, but everything came out all right. I think maybe a few inches and I might have been in some trouble."

Jake Petricka replaced Shields and allowed an inherited runner to score on Lindor's RBI single for a 4-2 Indians lead.

Things got chippy between White Sox right fielder Avisail Garcia and Bauer during the game. During Garcia's at-bat in the fourth, Bauer motioned for Garcia to get back in the box and then gestured for him to return to the dugout after the strikeout. In the sixth, Bauer began walking off the mound after throwing what he thought was a third strike, but Garcia eventually drew a walk and flipped his bat.

"I don't know. He speaks Spanish so I couldn't tell," Bauer said about what Garcia said. "But he likes to run his mouth ... talking like, 'They don't throw me fastballs, all they do is throw me breaking balls.' He said it before. I'm not sure he knows that the rules of this game say you can throw whatever pitch you want. So he started yapping at me."

Garcia didn't speak to reporters.

"I threw him a first -pitch slider, he fouled it off, stared right at me, said something while he was nodding his head like, I'm right on you or something," Bauer said. "So I told him, 'if you're that confident, step back in the box, let's go, get back in the box.' Then he fouled off another one he should have hit and it was right down the middle and he missed it. He looked at me and started nodding again so I threw him a curveball and he swung and missed, so I decided to remind him of the rules of the game, that three strikes, you're out, you can go sit back in the dugout.

"To his credit, he took it like a champ. He put his head down and shut his mouth and he walked back to the dugout. Good for him."

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Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) celebrates his home run during the second inning against the Chicago White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Santana hit his 22nd home run to lead off the second inning. Yandy Diaz followed with a double and scored on Perez's double.

Mejia, who started at designated hitter in the eighth spot, singled for his first major league hit and RBI in the fourth to extend the Indians' lead to 3-0.

"I feel super happy for him because first of all he's so young, but he's also from my town," Ramirez said. "But he's a really good hitter."

White Sox enter fielder Adam Engel robbed Austin Jackson of a solo shot with a leaping catch with his glove over the wall in the fifth inning. Engel bounced off the wall, lost his cap and held onto the ball.

"I thought I had a chance," Engel said. "The wind was blowing out a little bit so I thought I actually had a little more room before the ball but the wind here carries a bit. Carried it further than I thought it was going to."

The White Sox pulled within one on Rymer Liriano's two-run homer in the fifth inning. It was his first home run with the team and second of his career. His first was in 2014 with the Padres.

Chicago got within one again on Liriano's RBI double in the seventh.

"He was really good," Indians manager Terry Francona said about Bauer. "He hung a breaking ball for the two-run home that because of the score all of a sudden was 3-2, but other than that he was pretty good. I thought he could have kept going. We need to get (Joe Smith) in there and not have so many days off."

NOTES: Indians CF Bradley Zimmer is in the concussion protocol program after he was injured attempting a catch in Saturday's game against Detroit. He was expected to participate in a full day of activity Monday before possibly returning Tuesday, manager Terry Francona said. Zimmer may not have a concussion, but he had vision issues, Francona said. ... Indians OF Jay Bruce (stiff neck) missed his third straight game. ... Indians rookie C Francisco Mejia started at designated hitter against the White Sox and DH Edwin Encarnacion got rest. ... Indians RHP Adam Plutko was optioned to Class A Lynchburg to pitch more with the Triple-A season ending, Francona said. ... White Sox 2B Yoan Moncada (right shin contusion) and 3B Nicky Delmonico (right wrist sprain) are doing well, participating in baseball activities and are close to a return, manager Rick Renteria said.

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