CLEVELAND (AP) - Carlos Rodón was far from perfect, and that was perfectly fine with him.
Rodón followed up his no-hitter - and near perfect game - last week against Cleveland by hanging on for five innings and José Abreu homered twice, leading the Chicago White Sox to an 8-5 victory on Tuesday night.
Rodón (3-0), pitching in short sleeves despite temperatures dropping into the 30s and snow on the way, worked around five walks, giving up a homer and throwing 110 pitches - four fewer than in his gem on April 14.
“Definitely a grind,” Rodón said. “They made it hard. I was just trying to eat as many innings as I could. You could tell they were battling on every pitch.”
The left-hander gave up two runs and three hits. Rodón joined Eddie Cicotte (1917) as the only pitchers in club history to face the same team in his next start after throwing a no-hitter. He was the first to do it since the Angels’ Jered Weaver in 2012.
Abreu hit solo homers in the fourth (a 458-footer) and seventh innings. Manager Tony La Russa said he might keep “the big fella” in the DH slot on Tuesday.
“I’m superstitious and I want to DH him,” La Russa said. “We’ll see what he says.”
Tim Anderson connected for a two-run homer off Zach Plesac (1-3) and Yasmani Grandal’s two-run shot in the seventh put the White Sox ahead 7-2.
Jordan Luplow homered for the Indians, who scored twice in the ninth and stranded 13. Luplow also set an early tone against Rodón by drawing a nine-pitch walk to start the game.
The Indians made Rodón work harder, but still didn’t do enough to beat him.
They had him in trouble in the fourth, loading the bases with none out on an error, catcher’s interference and walk.
Rodón struck out two, and could have been in bigger trouble when César Hernández ripped an RBI single. But Josh Naylor, who was on second, got thrown out at the plate when he ran through third-base coach Mike Sarbaugh’s stop sign.
“We had some big spots,” Luplow said. “We need to pick each other up. But we battled. We drew walks when we could. It was tough conditions. I think we’re on the brink. I think we’re close. Hopefully the flood gates open here soon.”
Rodón lost his bid for a perfect game last week when he hit Indians catcher Roberto Pérez on the foot with one out in the ninth.
However, he finished up the 20th no-hitter in club history and solidified his place with the Sox after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2019, pitching poorly last season and not being tendered a contract before re-signing.
On Tuesday night, he walked two in the first, one in the second and extended his string of no-hit innings against the Indians to 11 before Luplow led off the third with his fifth homer.
“He’s showing a lot of guts in the way he competes,” La Russa said of Rodón.
Abreu’s rocket shot to left - it landed four rows from the top of the bleachers - put the White Sox ahead 3-1 in the fourth.
EATON SUSPENDED
During the game, MLB announced that White Sox outfielder Adam Eaton has been suspended one game for triggering a benches-clearing incident against the Indians last week - the day after Rodón’s no-no.
Eaton thought Indians shortstop Andrés Giménez pushed him off the bag on a force out in the first inning. He shoved Giménez, setting off some more pushing.
Hernández and Indians first baseman Jake Bauers were fined undisclosed amounts.
FIRST TIME
A day after making his pitching debut in Boston, White Sox catcher Yermín Mercedes made his first career start at first base.
Mercedes dropped a throw for an error in the fourth, and was replaced in the fifth. He fouled a ball off his left foot in his the second.
SOX MOVE
Before the game, the White Sox purchased right-hander Alex McRae’s contract from their alternate training facility and optioned right-hander Zack Burdi.
The 28-year-old McRae made two relief appearances with the White Sox in 2020.
TRAINER’S ROOM
White Sox: La Russa said an MRI taken on RHP Lance Lynn showed no damage and he expects the 33-year-old to pitch once his stint on the injured list ends. Lynn was placed on the 10-day IL with a strained right trapezius on Sunday. “All signs are good going forward with him,” La Russa said.
UP NEXT
The weather forecast doesn’t look promising, but the Indians will start RHP Aaron Civale (3-0, 2.18 ERA). La Russa remains undecided on his starter for Wednesday.
___
More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
Please read our comment policy before commenting.