Jose Ramirez hit a game-ending three-run home run off Jose Ruiz in the 10th inning as the Chicago White Sox suffered a crushing 5-3 loss to the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday at Progressive Field.
The Sox scored twice in the top of the 10th, but the Indians answered with four in the bottom of the inning as the Sox (34-21) lost for the fourth time in five games.
Adam Engel drove in James McCann with a triple to give the Sox a 2-1 lead in the 10th. Nick Madrigal followed with an RBI single, making it 3-1.
Matt Foster retired the first two batters in the bottom of the 10th. Francisco Lindor knocked in a run with a two-out double. Foster walked Cesar Hernandez, and the Sox called on Ruiz. Ramirez ended the game with his 17th homer of the season.
The Sox magic number to clinch the American League Central remains four.
Sox starter Reynaldo Lopez had his strongest outing since returning from the Schaumburg training facility. He allowed one run on three hits with three strikeouts and two walks in five innings.
The Sox optioned Lopez to Schaumburg on Sept. 3, and he returned Sept. 10. His ERA has gone from 8.38 to 4.68 in three starts since returning.
He surrendered a solo home run to Hernandez in the first.
The Sox threatened in the fifth against reliever Adam Plutko, loading the bases with one out. Madrigal hit a grounder back to the mound, and Plutko fired to catcher Roberto Perez, who threw to first for an ending-inning double play.
Jose Abreu got to Plutko in the sixth with a solo homer to right-center, his 19th of the season, to tie the game. Abreu leads the AL with 56 RBIs.
Codi Heuer struck out two in two innings and Garrett Crochet had one strikeout in the eighth to keep the game tied.
The Sox had runners on the corners with two outs in the ninth, but Nick Wittgren struck out McCann to end the inning. Alex Colome pitched a perfect ninth, sending the game to extra innings.
Sox manager Rick Renteria said the plan was to bring Colome back in the 10th, but he had a back spasm and couldn’t go back out.
Ramirez’s home run gave the Indians their sixth win in eight meetings against the Sox this season.
———
©2020 Chicago Tribune
Visit the Chicago Tribune at www.chicagotribune.com
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.