It is safe to say that the Indians won’t be sorry to see their work against the Chicago White Sox done after Thursday’s action. Chicago has gone a healthy 11-6 vs. The Good Guys thus far in 2011, including picking up victories in the last two games of this four-game series that wraps up at Progressive Field at 7:05.
This game becomes a battle for second place, with Cleveland holding a half-game lead over the South Siders.
Jeanmar Gomez gets the call tonight, looking for his fifth straight victory in what is becoming quite the audition to find a spot in the rotation in 2012.
Gomez, in those four victories, has gone 24 total innings and allowed only five earned runs. That translates to a nice 1.88 ERA over that span.
Included in Jeanmar’s run was a win in Chicago on September 9, when Gomez went six innings and surrendered two runs on six hits in an 8-4 Tribe win.
Philip Humber will be on the mound for the White Sox. Humber (9-6) has faced the Indians four times in his career, including two starts, and is still looking for his first decision vs. the Tribe. Humber has worked a total of only 8.1 innings against Cleveland, and has a 4.32 ERA.
After tonight’s game the Minnesota Twins come to town beginning Friday night for a four-game series that will wrap up the Indians’ home schedule for 2011. Included in the set with the Twins will be a day-night doubleheader on Saturday. Then it will be off to Detroit for three games to finish the season (or, rather, finish the season for Cleveland).