Indians Rout White Sox, 12-1
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Carlos Santana's grand slam capped a six-run third inning off Chicago ace Chris Sale and the Cleveland Indians defeated the White Sox, 12-1, on Friday night.
Cody Anderson (5-3) allowed one run -- Melky Cabrera's fifth-inning homer -- in 6 2/3 innings.
Francisco Lindor, continuing his late push for AL Rookie of the Year, hit a solo homer in the seventh and went 3-for-5.
Cleveland, which scored five runs in the eighth, entered play trailing Houston by four games for the second wild-card spot in the AL and moved back to .500 (73-73). The Indians have won 15 of 22.
Sale (12-10) was charged with seven runs, one earned, in seven innings. The left-hander, who hasn't won since Aug. 21, struck out nine and leads the AL with 259.
Second baseman Carlos Sanchez's fielding error made all the runs Sale allowed in the third unearned. Mike Aviles and Michael Brantley put Cleveland ahead with RBI singles before Santana delivered with his second career grand slam.
Anderson recorded a career-high six strikeouts and won his third straight start. The rookie right-hander is 3-0 with a 2.36 ERA in five starts since coming off the disabled list (strained left oblique) on Aug. 26.
After Roberto Perez reached on a one-out single in the third, Sanchez booted Jose Ramirez's ground ball. Lindor struck out, but Aviles blooped a hit to center field for a 1-0 lead.
Brantley, who came into game 4 for 29 with 12 strikeouts in his career against Sale, lined a single to left that scored Ramirez.
Santana slugged an 0-1 pitch deep into the bleachers in left for his 16th home run.
Lindor, who had an infield hit in the first, homered to right to lead off the seventh, his 10th of the season.
The White Sox swept a four-game series in Cleveland in July, outscoring the Indians 26-5.
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