Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians Pick & Prediction AUGUST 6th 2023
Jacob Hoffman
The visiting Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Guardians will try to put aside their bad blood when they meet in the rubber match of their three-game series on Sunday.
Both teams engaged in a wild, bench-clearing brawl on Saturday night, resulting in the ejection of three players, both managers and a third-base coach.
Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez slid head-first into second base and between the legs of Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson after delivering an RBI double in the sixth inning.
Both players exchanged words before punches were thrown, the last of which knocked Anderson on his back.
"I think he's been disrespecting the game for a while," Ramirez said through an interpreter. "As soon as the play happened, he tagged me again really hard, more than needed. His reaction was that he wanted to fight. I had to defend myself."
Cleveland manager Terry Francona said he also noticed Anderson trying to irritate his players the past two games, particularly young first baseman Gabriel Arias.
"I did know that there were some things going on between Anderson and Gabby that our guys didn't appreciate," Francona said.
White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said, "I'm going to let MLB figure this out, they've got some work to do."
Anderson was not made available to the media after the game, though Grifol said he was not injured in the fight.
White Sox infielder Elvis Andrus said the team fully supports Anderson.
"We love Timmy," he said. "He plays with passion and gives 100 percent on the field. Stuff like this happens."
The White Sox led 5-1 at the time thanks to four home runs and held on for a 7-4 victory, ending a five-game losing streak.
Jesse Scholtens, a 29-year-old rookie right-hander, is scheduled to start the series finale for the White Sox.
Just three of his 17 appearances this season have come as a starter.
Scholtens (1-4, 3.07 ERA) went six innings in his most recent appearance on Tuesday. He held the American League West-leading Texas Rangers to one run and three hits with six strikeouts and one walk, but took the loss in the 2-0 defeat.
Scholtens retired the first nine batters he faced before allowing a single to Marcus Semien to begin the fourth inning.
"Any time somebody steps on the field they have the opportunity to prove to everyone in baseball that they belong at this level," Grifol said. "He's done a really good job of that."
Scholtens threw five innings of relief against the Guardians on May 22 and took the loss after surrendering just one run and two hits.
He earned a hold against Cleveland in his last relief appearance on July 29 after throwing a scoreless sixth inning in a 7-2 win.
Cleveland plans to start Xzavion Curry, who has also been used predominantly in a relief role this season, making 25 of his 28 appearances out of the bullpen.
Curry made his last start on July 28, holding the White Sox to one run and two hits in three innings, but the Guardians did not provide any run support, and he took the loss in the 3-0 defeat.
Curry has made four appearances (one start) against the White Sox in his career and is 0-1 with a 2.45 ERA.
--Field Level Media
Chicago White Sox vs. Cleveland Indians Recap AUG 6TH 2023
Elvis Andrus had a tiebreaking two-run single in the ninth inning as the visiting Chicago White Sox rallied for a 5-3 victory Sunday against the Cleveland Guardians in the deciding game of a three-game series.
Cleveland closer Emmanuel Clase (1-6) tried to protect a 3-2 lead in the ninth, but the first two batters, Eloy Jimenez and Andrew Vaughn, singled. After a pair of strikeouts put the Guardians an out from the victory, third baseman Brayan Rocchio made back-to-back throwing errors to first, allowing the tying run to score.
Andrus then rolled a single up the middle to score two more runs for a 5-3 lead.
Andrus had three hits for Chicago, which had lost five of six.
White Sox starter Jesse Scholtens allowed three runs (two earned) and six hits in six innings. The 29-year-old rookie right-hander struck out six and walked one in just his fourth start in 18 appearances this season.
White Sox reliever Sammy Peralta (1-0) earned his first major-league win and Jimmy Lambert pitched the ninth for his first major-league save.
Cleveland starter Xzavion Curry made just his fourth start this season to go along with 25 relief appearances and the right-hander went five innings for the first time since his season debut on April 3.
Curry allowed two runs and four hits, striking out four without a walk.
Gabriel Arias homered for the Guardians, who have lost five of six.
Andrus doubled off the wall in left to start the game. One out later, Luis Robert Jr. tripled high off the wall in center to give Chicago a 1-0 lead. Eloy Jimenez followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.
Kole Calhoun doubled to lead off the fifth. Arias then stepped up and lifted an 0-2 fastball over the fence in left-center field to tie the score 2-2.
Rocchio followed with a double off the right-field wall. Myles Straw then hit a one-hopper back to the mound and the ball went off Scholtens' bare hand and caromed to Andrus at short. His throw was wide of first, allowing Rocchio to score the unearned run for a 3-2 lead.
Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson, who was knocked to the ground by a punch from Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez at the start of a bench-clearing brawl on Saturday night, did not play.
--Field Level Media