Chicago, IL (SportsNetwork.com) - Jeff Samardzija escaped several jams and combined with three other pitchers on an eight-hit shutout to lead the Chicago White Sox to a 6-0 win over the Cleveland Indians on Wednesday in the finale of a three-game series.
Jose Abreu hit a solo home run in the first inning for the second game in a row and finished with three RBI against reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber.
Samardzija (1-1) allowed six hits and two walks in six innings and struck out three to earn his first win with the White Sox.
Zach Duke, Dan Jennings and Jake Petricka pitched one inning apiece to secure Chicago's second win in the series.
Kluber (0-2) entered the game with a 2.49 ERA and saw it balloon 1.41 points after giving up 13 hits and six runs in six-plus innings. The Indians have lost all four of the games he's started this season.
"He always keeps a cool head on the mound and it's usually tough to battle against him," said White Sox center fielder Adam Eaton, who had two hits off Kluber. "It won't be the last time we go up against him and we're happy to have this one."
Abreu homered with two outs in the first inning, driving a second-pitch slider the other way over the right-center field wall. It was the reigning AL Rookie of the Year's fifth homer of the season, and fourth solo blast.
Eaton hit a leadoff double in the bottom of the third, went to third on Melky Cabrera's single and scored when Abreu grounded into a double play.
The White Sox took a 3-0 lead in the sixth inning when Avisail Garcia scored on Kluber's wild pitch, and their advantage ballooned to 6-0 with a rally in the seventh that knocked Kluber out of the game.
"I felt fine," Kluber said. "I made some mistakes and probably didn't do a good enough job of pitching inside to keep them off balance for when I did make those mistakes."
Micah Johnson and Eaton hit consecutive singles and Johnson scored on Cabrera's hit to left field. Abreu followed with a two-run double, chasing Kluber for Anthony Swarzak, who retired the next three batters.
The Indians had chances against Samardzija, including in the second inning when Brandon Moss walked with one out and went to third on David Murphy's single.
In the third, Michael Bourn and Jason Kipnis hit consecutive singles and Carlos Santana walked to load the bases before Samardzija got Moss on a fly out to end the inning.
Murphy and Jose Ramirez singled in the fourth inning to put runners on first and second, but Samardzija again escaped without giving up a run. Moss hit a leadoff double for Cleveland in the sixth, but was stranded at third base.
Duke gave up a single and a walk in the eighth inning after Jennings threw a 1-2-3 seventh for the White Sox and Petricka worked around a leadoff walk and a single in the ninth.
Game Notes
The teams split two games in Cleveland last week ... Samardzija faced the Indians for the first time in his career. The former Cubs and A's hurler was acquired from Oakland in December ... The Indians are off until Friday, when they start a three-game series in Detroit ... The White Sox will host Kansas City in a four-game series starting Thursday.
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