Indians, White Sox end series in Chicago
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.