A Maddux would've been the perfect way for the White Sox to close out their most offensively inept series of the season.
Carlos Carrasco had a chance at the sub-100-pitch shutout when he started the ninth with a pitch count of 88. Alas, the Sox strung out the inning long enough with a pair of singles to both push Carrasco over the 100-pitch count (103) and force a pitching change twith two outs. Cody Allen came in and ensured the same outcome, as Conor Gillaspie hit a soft lineout to center to lock in the team shutout.
So Carrasco followed up a complete game by Corey Kluber and a strong effort by T.J. House, resulting in this line for the Cleveland pitching staff over the three-game set: 28 IP, 18 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 27 K, and one hilarious HBP.
If you tuned out after Scott Carroll gave up a leadoff triple to Michael Bourn, you didn't miss much. He scored two batters later on a Michael Brantley single, and the Indians had all the offense they needed.
That's a shame, because Carroll bounced back for one of his better starts of the season. He ended that inning with a double play and ended up retiring 15 of the next 17. He stranded two runners in the seventh, but the leadoff single he allowed to Robert Perez in the eighth came around to score after a single, sac bunt, intentional walk and groundout.
That was way too much for the Sox to overcome. The Sox only had two scoring threats all day, and only one of them involved a runner in scoring position with nobody out. That's when Gillaspie doubled to lead off the second, and after Alexei Ramirez "got the job done" with a grounder to second, Andy Wilkins struck out and Dayan Viciedo grounded out to end that threat.
Likewise, after Wilkins doubled with one out in the fifth, Viciedo and Jordan Danks both were hopeless against Carrasco. Those two strikeouts started a run of 11 consecutive outs for Carrasco, and had the Indians not had a glimmer of hope in the playoff race, Terry Francona probably would've let him go the distance. And given the White Sox's offense this month, he probably could've done it.
Record: 63-79 | Box score | Play-by-play | "Highlights"