Chicago: Gordon Beckham homered, Conor Gillaspie singled home another run and the Chicago White Sox outlasted the Cleveland Indians 2-1 despite the departure of ace Chris Sale after just three innings in a game twice delayed by rain on Tuesday night.
Beckham finished 2 for 4, adding a double in the first inning.
Chicago have won eight of 12 to get back to .500 (27-27). The White Sox are 6-3 against Cleveland this season after losing 17 of 19 to their American League Central rival in 2013.
Mike Aviles went 1 for 2 with a walk and drove in Cleveland’s run.
Scott Carroll (2-3) worked three scoreless innings in relief to get the win. Ronald Belisario worked a perfect ninth for his third save in five chances.
The anticipated matchup between Sale and Justin Masterson was cut short. The game began 41 minutes late because of rain and then was stopped again after the third inning. That delay lasted 1:58 and neither starter was able to continue.
Sale, in his second start following a month on the disabled list with a flexor strain, seemed headed for another special outing after allowing just one hit in six scoreless innings last week against the Yankees.
He was nearly perfect in his three innings, with the only blemish a one-out walk to Aviles in the third inning.
The ace left-hander needed just 40 pitches record nine outs. His potential pitch count was a topic of conversation in the pregame media session when manager Robin Ventura was asked for a number.
“Somewhere between 127 and where he was at last time,” Ventura joked.
Sale threw 127 pitches April 17 in his last start before going on the DL. He threw 86 pitches against the Yankees last week.
Masterson (2-4) was able to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the first. The White Sox then touched him up for a run in the third inning when Gillaspie drove in Adam Eaton with a single to centre.
Beckham made it 2-0 after the rain delay when he cranked solo homer leading off the fifth. Cleveland got on the board in the seventh when Aviles hit into a fielder’s choice to score Lonnie Chisenhall.
