Palka's walk-off blast lifts White Sox over Indians

[August 11, 2018]  Daniel Palka hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to lift the host Chicago White Sox to a 1-0 win over the Cleveland Indians on Friday night at Guaranteed Rate Field.

Palka drove his 18th homer of the season over the left field wall on a 1-2 count. It marked the White Sox's second walk-off shot of the season, following Trayce Thompson's game-winning blast May 3 against the Minnesota Twins.

Left-hander Jace Fry (1-2) earned his first career win in relief. He joined his teammates as they ran on the field to congratulate Palka.

Right-hander Neil Ramirez (0-2) took the loss after giving up the opposite-field blast.

White Sox starter Carlos Rodon pitched eight scoreless innings to maintain his remarkable performance over the past six weeks. The 25-year-old southpaw scattered four hits, walked two and struck out five while recording his sixth consecutive quality start. Since July 1, he is 2-0 with a 1.27 ERA, having allowed six earned runs in 42 2/3 innings.

Rodon matched the longest scoreless outing of his career. He also pitched eight scoreless innings Sept. 25, 2016, at Cleveland.

Indians starter Shane Bieber also had a strong outing. The rookie right-hander fanned eight in 6 2/3 scoreless innings. He pitched around three hits and two walks as his ERA dropped from 4.58 to 4.24.

White Sox second baseman Yoan Moncada played well after he was demoted to the No. 8 spot in the lineup for the first time since joining the club in 2017.

 White Sox right fielder Daniel Palka (18) hits game winning home run against the Cleveland Indians at Guaranteed Rate Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Moncada walked in the second and doubled in the fifth, but his teammates could not capitalize. He entered the series with a league-leading 163 strikeouts and a .122 batting average since the All-Star break.

Indians designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion left the game early because of what the team described as left arm discomfort. Teammate Melky Cabrera pinch hit for him in the fourth inning and finished 0-for-2 with a walk.

Encarnacion, 35, is hitting .229 with 25 home runs and 81 RBIs in 104 games this season. He drew a walk in the first inning and swiped second base as part of a double steal in which Francisco Lindor took third.

--Field Level Media

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