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It seems rather impossible that Ryan Raburn entered the game with 80 career RBI against the White Sox, and no more than 25 against any other team.
But as we learn time and time again, it's a very real phenomenon. And it's 82 after today.
Ryan Raburn hit a pair of solo homers off Chris Sale, the first of which tied the game in the fourth inning, and the second of which came in the sixth and stood as the decisive run.
Sale gave up three runs, and all came on solo shots. He surrendered a pair of them in the fourth inning, which negated a 2-0 lead. Mike Aviles started the inning by turning on an 0-2 fastball that was supposed to be high and hitting a no-doubter to left, and then Raburn struck on a slider that wasn't down enough, hitting it a couple rows deep to right center to tie the game.
Two innings later, Raburn jumped on a 2-1 fastball to give the Indians the lead. Sale limited the damage to those three runs and struck out eight over seven innings, but it's hard to say he pitched especially well. The Indians made a lot of loud outs, with Adam Eaton and J.B. Shuck getting plenty of exercise chasing down line drives. Melky Cabrera also added a full-extension diving catch, for that matter.
Trevor Bauer's start was the opposite of Sale's, as he started weak and finished strong. He walked three straight batters to open the second, which turned into two runs on a Carlos Sanchez fielder's choice and a Tyler Flowers sacrifice fly. The Sox didn't get their first hit until the next inning, when Avisail Garcia tripled off the wall in right.
But Bauer settled down and retired 13 of the last 15 he faced, lasting seven innings and holding the Sox to just two hits, both by Garcia. The Sox picked up a third in the ninth, as Trayce Thompson singled with two outs and advanced to second on Cody Allen's wild pitch, but Geovany Soto broke his bat and grounded out to short to end the game.
Bullet points:
*The Sox played error-free ball in the field. Along with Cabrera's diving catch in left, Sanchez made a superb play on the shortstop side of second.
*Flowers had the only other successful day at the plate, with the sac fly and an HBP. But Robin Ventura pinch-hit Leury Garcia for him in the seventh inning for some reason, and Garcia struck out on three pitches.
Record: 65-71 | Box score | Play-by-play | Highlights