Indians 10, White Sox 4: Miguel Gonzalez, bullpen cave in

The White Sox were officially eliminated from postseason contention today, and the chance of a winning season is also out the window.

Throw in an injury to Adam Eaton, and the list of moral victories might be as short as the list of actual victories now.

Miguel Gonzalez, the last White Sox pitcher to throw a quality start, hung a couple of 0-2 pitches to start the fifth inning, triggering an avalanche of Cleveland runs that turned a 4-2 lead into a 6-4 deficit. Juan Minaya then gave up the first of his big league career in that inning, along with another one in the sixth. Coupled with regression for Dan Jennings, the Indians scored four in a second consecutive inning to truly put the game out of reach.

Melky Cabrera gave the Sox a quick 2-0 lead in the first with a homer, and after Jose Ramirez answered with one of his own to tie it in the bottom of the fourth, Avi Garcia answered by muscling one over the wall in right for the game’s third two-run shot.

Alas, the Sox needed much more against Trevor Bauer and didn’t get it. They also lost Adam Eaton midway through the game. He made a great catch in center starting off the sixth inning, but he hit the wall pretty hard. He wasn’t available to talk after the game, and various Twitter relays involved his hip, his back and a concussion test.

Fortunately, there’s only a little more than a week left, and the Sox don’t need him for anything important. They have to go 9-0 to finish .500, and 5-4 to top their win total from last year. Based on the way they’re playing right now, both seem unlikely.

Record: 73-81 | Box score | Highlights