CLEVELAND (AP) - John Danks won’t have to see the Cleveland Indians again until next season. No one would blame Chicago’s left-hander for being happy about that.
Danks fell to 5-14 against the Indians after allowing three runs in five innings in Sunday’s 6-3 loss.
“They weren’t as aggressive early in their at-bats as they were the last couple of days, and I wasn’t able to force then to swing,” said Danks (7-13). “Give them credit for that. They were patient and were able to wait me out, and before you know it my pitch count is up, and I’m out of the game.”
Danks is 1-5 in eight starts since beating the New York Yankees on Aug. 1. Lonnie Chisenhall’s two-run homer keyed Cleveland’s three-run third.
Danks allowed seven hits, struck out three, walked two and was pulled after throwing 110 pitches.
“The home run was the big one,” White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. “They made him work. Today his problem was the pitch count. That and the home run. You’ve got to keep it in the yard. He gave us an opportunity to win, he just ran out of innings, due to his pitch count.”
Danks blamed himself for the home run, Chisenhall’s first in 52 at-bats off a left-hander this season.
“I was hoping to go inside on him, but it was up and it looked like he was ready for it,” Danks said. “I didn’t fool him much.”
The White Sox (70-78) lost two of three in the series. Indians starter Josh Tomlin threw 5 2-3 scoreless innings.
Jose Abreu’s two-run single in the seventh off Zach McAllister gave him 95 RBIs. Abreu is hitting .333 (25 for 75) with six homers and 15 RBIs in 19 games against the Indians this season.
Alexei Ramirez added an RBI groundout in the eighth off Bryan Shaw.
“We couldn’t get anything off Tomlin,” Ventura said. “He was able to get out of some innings when we had guys on base. We tried to climb back into it late, but then let it slip away again.”
Cleveland scored three times in the sixth off Zach Putnam.
Indians closer Cody Allen struck out pinch-hitter Gordon Beckham to start the ninth. Carlos Sanchez grounded out and Adam Eaton struck out.
Eaton extended his hitting streak to nine games with a first-inning single. He’s batting .381 (16 for 42) in that stretch and is hitting .374 (34 for 91) over his last 22 games.
Chicago went 10-9 against the Indians this season, including a four-game sweep in Ohio from July 23-26 in which they outscored the Indians 26-4. Chicago finished 6-3 in Cleveland.
LONG DAY AHEAD
The White Sox play a day-night doubleheader in Detroit on Monday to make up a June 27 rainout.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Indians: 3B Giovanny Urshela (sore right shoulder) was out of the lineup for the fourth time in five games.
UP NEXT
White Sox: Chicago plays a day-night doubleheader in Detroit on Monday. RHP Jeff Samardzjia, who has one win since July 28, starts the opener. RHP Erik Johnson is scheduled to start the night game.
Indians: RHP Danny Salazar will start the opener of a three-game series at Minnesota on Tuesday.
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