Right-hander Justin Masterson can flip the script from his last meeting with the Chicago White Sox tonight when his Cleveland Indians head to U.S. Cellular Field to conclude a key American League Central series.
The Indians dropped Tuesday's opener, but rallied for a 4-1 in the middle game Wednesday, pulling 1 1/2 games ahead of the White Sox in the Central race and climbing within two games of the front-running Detroit Tigers.
Fausto Carmona pitched into the ninth inning for the Indians and allowed one run on four hits and three walks in 8 1/3 innings. He also struck out six in his first winning decision since July 18.
Chris Perez recorded the final two outs of the game to earn his 26th save of the year and the Indians' seventh win in 11 contests.
Mark Buehrle (10-6) allowed four runs on 12 hits and two walks in 7 1/3 innings. It was the first time in 19 starts that Buehrle allowed more than three runs, keeping him tied with Frank Smith (1909) for the longest single- season streak in White Sox history with 18.
Masterson. a second-round pick of the Boston Red Sox in 2006, dropped a 4-2 decision to the White Sox in Cleveland on July 24 after allowing an earned run on four hits in seven innings.
The defeat dropped his career mark against Chicago to 2-4 in 13 appearances, in which he's allowed 14 earned runs on 52 hits in 63 innings.
The San Diego State product is 1-0 in four outings since that loss, allowing three runs or less in all four starts while pitching at least seven innings twice.
Cleveland is 7-3 in his last 10 starts.
For the White Sox, Texas-born righty Philip Humber starts against the Indians for the first time in his big-league career. The 28-year-old has come out of the bullpen against Cleveland twice and pitched one full inning while allowing three hits and two runs with a walk and a strikeout.
Humber's been used almost exclusively in a starting role this season - 22 appearances, 20 starts - and has posted a 3.67 earned run average, nearly a half-run better than his career 4.12 mark.
In 26 big-league appearances before 2011, Humber started once.
He hasn't not won since July 2 against the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field and the White Sox are 4-6 in his last 10 appearances.
Chicago has won seven of its nine meetings with the Tribe this season.
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