Petricka rejoins Sox 'pen after lengthy rehab By Scott Merkin / MLB.com | June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND -- returned from his rehab assignment and rejoined the White Sox bullpen Friday, after going through what he said felt like 1 1/2 years of injury rehab.

The right-hander missed all but nine games in 2016 due to right hip surgery and had just one scoreless appearance this season before being sidelined by a right lat strain. He worked the eighth inning during a 7-3 loss to the Indians at Progressive Field, allowing four straight hits to start the frame and three runs overall.

"That's the biggest thing, back to a normal routine," Petricka said prior to the game. "[Rehabbing] is not what we are paid to do so I want to get back out there and play.

"It was a lot of me pushing, and them saying, 'Don't be dumb.' I think we did it right and we are good to go."

Petricka made three relief appearances for -A Charlotte on a rehab assignment from June 2-7, allowing two earned runs over four . He takes the place of Brad Goldberg, who was optioned to Charlotte following Thursday's loss to the Rays.

"Very challenging on the mental side and obviously the physical side," said Petricka of his last two seasons. "The hip one was a ticking time bomb from my days playing hockey. The lat, that was one they kind of say it was like a hamstring.

"You to first 400 times and the 401st you get a little pull. It made it tough, but we made it through so just another learning experience. I feel as good as ever, as strong as we can be. Now we are here for the long haul."

Shields stays on the rehab path

White Sox indicated ' next start would be with Charlotte as part of his injury rehab assignment. Shields has struck out eight and has not issued a walk over nine innings pitched in two starts for the Knights as he works his way back from a right lat strain.

"Right now we have him scheduled to make one more rehab start before he throws with us," Renteria said. "He did well the last time. We want to get him up a few more pitches, and we'll proceed from there."

Renteria makes his point

Television cameras caught a demonstrative and fiery Renteria instructing his team in the dugout during the fifth inning of Thursday's loss to the Rays. The team was down, 6-0, at the time but lost, 7-5. Renteria didn't expound much on what his speech entailed when asked Friday.

"Told them to keep playing the game. Pretty much it. Just play the game," Renteria said. "Just give them some encouragement. Keep going.

"It really wasn't anything big," said a smiling Renteria. "Wasn't a big deal. Just giving them some encouragement. Keep playing."

Renteria is not a big team meeting person, unless there's a purpose behind the conversation.

"It's like a dog that's always barking. At some point you just start to ignore it," Renteria said. "You have to have a good feel, a sense of time for when it is you're supposed to speak to people. I don't think that's necessarily limited to the game of baseball.

"Anybody in any walk of life, in anything they do, at some point in time you have to have a conversation with the group or individual. You have to have a feel and a sense of time when you're going to do it."

Abreu day to day after being by pitch on leg Scott Merkin / MLB.com | June 9, 2017

CLEVLEAND -- As White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu was receiving treatment for his bruised left knee following a 7-3 loss to the Indians Friday, head athletic trainer Herm Schneider turned to the media, smiled and gave the thumbs-up sign.

That gesture was good news for the White Sox after Abreu took an Andrew Miller off of the left knee with two outs in the seventh inning. He writhed on the ground near home plate and left the game immediately, needing help from White Sox manager Rick Renteria and Schneider to move off the field.

Abreu will be re-evaluated on Saturday.

"He got hit pretty good but he's going to be fine," Renteria said. "He says we'll know how he is in the morning. But he's fairly confident he'll be OK.

"It got mostly muscle. Just below the left of the knee. He's got pretty big legs. So they have been icing since he got in. The swelling is actually almost non-existent. He'll have some tightness and in the morning we'll figure out when he comes to the park if he'll need a day. This will be truthfully a day-to- day type of thing."

The sight of Abreu lying on his back in pain had to be a frightful one for the White Sox dugout, especially considering Abreu's importance in the lineup and his pain tolerance. But it sounds as if he avoided a serious injury.

"You have a guy throwing pretty hard out there, even though it was a slider," Renteria said. "He still throws pretty hard and it's got some bite. I think it just caught him. He couldn't get away. He's pretty pain-tolerant I think. That was pretty impactful when you go down like that."

Sox jump out early, but falter late vs. Indians By William Kosileski and Scott Merkin / MLB.com | June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND -- In his second start since being activated from the disabled list, Indians ace Corey Kluber came through with another solid outing on Friday night. Backed by Edwin Encarnacion's go-ahead two- run homer in the fifth, Kluber's six strong innings led the Indians to a 7-3 victory over the White Sox at Progressive Field.

In his six innings of work, Kluber (5-2) allowed three runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out eight en route to his second straight win. Relievers Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combined for three scoreless innings to close out the game.

"I thought he was good," Indians manager said of Kluber. "There was some traffic, but it seemed like when runners got on, he went to his breaking ball, his really effectively. He made pitches when he had to. When he's in there, we're down or it's close the whole way, so there wasn't any wiggle room for him."

Despite its recent struggles, the Indians' offense provided enough support for Kluber. Encarnacion -- who had a season-high three hits -- hit his 11th homer of the season after Michael Brantley's RBI single in the first and Bradley Zimmer's bases-loaded walk in the fourth. The Indians scored three more runs in the eighth on back-to-back RBI hits from Lonnie Chisenhall and Yan Gomes.

"It's really good," Encarnacion said of the win. "We played the style of baseball that we need to play and we know we can play. We'll keep on motivating one another and continue to go out there and do our best."

The White Sox scored all three of their runs off Kluber. Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier each connected for an RBI single in the third, and Jose Abreu drove in the third run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. Abreu later exited the game with a leg bruise after a hit-by-pitch in the seventh.

Miguel Gonzalez was handed his seventh loss of the season after allowing four runs on six hits in 4 2/3 innings. The right-hander walked four and struck out two on 96 pitches.

"Felt good. It's frustrating. One pitch away from getting out of that fifth inning," Gonzalez said. "If I minimize the walks, it's a different ballgame. Just gotta keep working. Can't look back anymore. It's a tough one to swallow, guys are battling out there. Just got to keep working."

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Zimmer says no: Following a leadoff single and by Adam Engel in the top of the third, Cabrera tied the game, 1-1, with an RBI single. With Cabrera on second, Avisail Garcia drove a single to center. It appeared that Cabrera would score easily, but Zimmer came up with a strong, two-hop throw - - which was nearly cut off by first baseman Carlos Santana -- to Gomes to nab Cabrera at the plate, temporarily bringing a halt to Chicago's rally. The play was the first career outfield assist for Zimmer.

"It's just another thing, just another moment you save there," Zimmer said. "I got to it quick and I tried to get rid of it as quick as I could. I threw it pretty low but luckily I had enough to get it there. But yeah, it was big. It was big."

Edwin goes yard: After the White Sox took the lead in the top of the fifth on Abreu's sacrifice fly, the Indians hit right back in the bottom half of the inning. Following a two-out walk to Santana, Gonzalez hung a slider to Encarnacion, and the Indians designated hitter connected for a go-ahead, two-run homer into the trees beyond the center-field wall. Encarnacion's traveled a projected 430 feet and had an exit velocity of 108 mph, per Statcast™.

"That was nice for him and us," Francona said on Encarnacion's home run. "To see him come up in that situation and, like you said, do what we got him here to do, it's nice. I was happy for him."

QUOTABLE "I think that maybe we can use tonight as a starting point to continue to play that way. I think we've probably all come to the conclusion [that] we haven't played the way we wanted to. It's not like we've taken ourselves out of anything. It's not the worst thing in the world to get a reminder now and again that you go out and play the right way and good things happen." -- Kluber

"There was ... four two-out walks? That can't happen. That's not me. I got to change that. That's about it." -- Gonzalez

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS With Friday's win, the Indians have won their last 52 games when Kluber gets at least four runs of support.

UNDER REVIEW With two outs in the ninth, Cabrera tapped a grounder to the left of Allen on the mound. The reliever fielded the ball and flipped it to Santana to first for the final out of the game. The White Sox challenged the play, but after a 49-second review, the call was confirmed, officially ending the game.

ABREU EXITS THE GAME With the tying run on second in the top of the seventh and Abreu at the plate, Miller let a slider get away from him. The pitch moved inside and hit Abreu on the left kneecap, causing the first baseman to fall to the ground in pain. Abreu was helped off the field by White Sox trainers and was replaced by pinch-runner Yolmer Sanchez. It was later announced that Abreu was diagnosed with a bruised left leg and will be re-evaluated Saturday.

WHAT'S NEXT White Sox: LHP David Holmberg (0-0, 2.50) makes his third start of the season and his 11th overall appearance for the White Sox in Game 2 of this series at 6:15 p.m. CT Saturday at Progressive Field. Holmberg is limiting opponents to a .185 batting average (5-for-27) this season as a starter.

Indians: RHP Josh Tomlin (3-7, 5.54 ERA) will take the mound Saturday at 7:15 p.m. ET at Progressive Field. Tomlin is coming off his seventh loss, where he went 7 1/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits against the Royals on June 2.

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Kopech, Giolito thriving in farm system White Sox Minor Leaguers could provide support for struggling rotation By Fabian Ardaya / MLB.com | June 9, 2017 The White Sox opened their nine-game road trip 1-5 -- they were swept by the Tigers and dropped two of three to the Rays -- but they should have help on the way with James Shields and Carlos Rodon showing progress in their respective rehab assignments.

Even more help could be on the way from a young, talented farm system. Here's who has stood out so far for the South Siders:

Michael Kopech, -A Birmingham

Right-hander Kopech, the White Sox No. 2 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, added another accolade to his name as he was named the North Division starter in the Southern League All-Star game in Pensacola, Fla., on June 20. Kopech is coming off a rough outing in which he gave up five runs in five innings, but he still leads all Chicago Minor Leaguers with 80 in 58 1/3 innings.

Lucas Giolito, Triple-A Charlotte

Giolito is coming off one of his best starts of the season, striking out a season-high 11 and holding Durham to a run on five hits on Monday night. He's held opponents to three or fewer earned runs in each of his past five starts, lowering his ERA from 6.55 to 4.95 over that span. Giolito is the club's No. 4 prospect.

Dane Dunning, Advanced Winston-Salem

Dunning put together one of his best outings since moving up to Winston-Salem, striking out 11 batters despite allowing four runs (all unearned) and taking the loss. He did not issue a walk for the first time as a member of the Dash and for the first time since April 13 with Kannapolis. Dunning is the club's No. 11 prospect.

Alec Hansen, Class A Kannapolis

Hansen continues to mow down hitters at an impressive rate. He struck out seven in six innings of one- run ball in his last outing, giving him 39 strikeouts over his past four appearances. Hansen is the club's No. 10 prospect.

Worth noting • Yoan Moncada, the top prospect in baseball, continues to be mired in a slump since his return from a thumb injury. He went 3-for-4 on Tuesday for Triple-A Charlotte against Durham, but even with that big day, he is just 5-for-38 (.132) over his past 10 games.

• Charlotte Zack Burdi has run into trouble recently, giving up a pair of runs in each of his past two outings. He's given up nine runs over his past four outings (3 2/3 innings), spelling trouble for the team's No. 8 prospect.

• Charlotte made a roster move before Friday's action, electing to release left-handed reliever Giovanni Soto. He had a 5.33 ERA in 16 appearances this season.

Holmberg looks to cement rotation spot By William Kosileski / MLB.com | June 10, 2017

Indians right-hander Josh Tomlin and White Sox lefty David Holmberg will face off in the second game of a weekend series between the two division rivals on Saturday at Progressive Field.

With all five teams in the Central division within striking distance of each other, Indians manager Terry Francona said that the Indians need to be the team to pull away from the pack.

"I do think in our game, normally, a team will step up and separate themselves as you go. We need that to be us," Francona said on Friday. "On one hand, we're very fortunate that somebody hasn't run away and hid. But, I don't think it's real healthy to look up every day and think, 'Well, the other teams lost.' I'm glad they did, but at some point, we need to pick up the pace."

Tomlin is scheduled to make his 12th start of the season for the Tribe. He is coming off a strong outing against the Royals on June 2, where he allowed three runs on seven hits in 7 1/3 innings, but was handed his seventh loss.

Tomlin will look to get back on the winning track against the White Sox, against whom he is 4-4 with a 3.88 ERA in 58 career innings. But in his only start this season against Chicago on April 13, Tomlin was roughed up for seven runs on eight hits in 1 2/3 innings. Since that start, Tomlin has gone at least six innings in seven of his nine starts, including a complete-game, one-run outing against the Royals on May 28.

Holmberg will make only his third start of the season for Chicago. In his first eight games this season, Holmberg posted a 0.87 ERA in 10 1/3 innings and only allowed three hits as a reliever. But since he was moved to Chicago's starting rotation, he has struggled with control. Across his two starts, Holmberg has allowed four earned runs while giving up five hits and issuing five walks in 7 2/3 innings. He will make his first career start against the Indians.

Three things to know about this game • Holmberg will face an Indians team that has struggled against southpaws this season. The Tribe has lost 13 of its 23 games against left-handed starters this season, including Wednesday's matchup against Rockies left-hander Kyle Freeland. Against right-handed starters, the Indians have gone 19-15.

• White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu will look to continue his career success against Tomlin. In 15 career at-bats against Tomlin, Abreu has gone 6-for-15 (.400) with two doubles, a solo homer and a 1.171 OPS.

• With a left-hander on the mound, expect Indians Austin Jackson to be in the lineup on Saturday. In his last nine games going into Friday, Jackson has gone 8-for-22 (.364) with three doubles, a homer, five RBIs and an OPS of 1.029.

White Sox Claim Former Top MLB Prospect Off Waivers From Pirates By Scott Krinch / CSN Chicago | June 9, 2017

The White Sox are hoping a change of scenery is exactly what one of MLB's former top prospects needs.

On Friday, the White Sox announced they have claimed infielder Alen Hanson off waivers from the .

Hanson, who was designated for assignment by the Pirates on June 2, was ranked in numerous publications as a Top 100 prospect in baseball from 2013-2015.

Hanson, 24, struggled in his time with the Pirates this season as he slashed just .193/.220/.263 with two triples, eight runs and one RBI in 37 games.

In 64 games across two seasons with the Pirates, Hanson has a slash line of .205/.239/.261 with 13 runs and four stolen bases.

Hanson, a native of the Dominican Republic, has a career minor-league slash line of .281/.340/.435 with 53 home runs, 316 RBI, 442 runs and 205 stolen bases.

The White Sox 40-man roster is now at 40 after Friday's move.

How an Unorthodox Routine Has Increased Todd Frazier's Confidence at the Plate By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND -- Todd Frazier feels as good at the plate as he has all season and is taking extra steps to maintain that state.

The White Sox third baseman has spent the better part of the team’s current road trip tracking his teammates’ pitches in pregame bullpen sessions instead of taking extra batting practice.

Given how slowly he started the season, Frazier wanted to ensure he’s doing everything he can to get back on track. And while setting foot in the bullpen means he hears extra smack talk from teammates and argues balls and strikes with , Frazier thinks the practice -- one he’s done before seven straight games -- has helped considerably. His numbers indicate how feels as Frazier is hitting .348/.400/.826 in his last 25 plate appearances. A three-hit game on Thursday night pushed Frazier’s average to a season-high .206.

“The main part of it is you feel your front foot getting down and seeing where you are on a , seeing where you are on a slider,” Frazier said. “I’ve been in great positions and it’s a challenge for me and for them too. I think it can only help. It’s something I used to do a lot but kind of got away from it -- the days are longer and you’re playing a lot more games. But kind of got in a little groove with doing that and then getting ready.”

The groove is overdue for a player who in his career has considerably better numbers in the first half of the season versus the second. Frazier experienced myriad health issues early in the season that seemed to continually prevent him from building momentum. But even after he got healthier, the free agent to be couldn’t get back on track.

Frazier has seen the ball pretty well as evidenced by his team-high 27 walks. Still, he wasn’t hitting his pitches when they came.

“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger,” Frazier said. “At the end of the day not only in baseball, but in life in general, to go through these kinds of things, which I’ve done a couple times -- not everybody is -- it’s a learning experience.”

It’s an experience that had Frazier return to an old tried-and-true method he hadn’t used in season since the 2015 season in Cincinnati. Hitters normally spend the first few days each spring tracking pitches in live batting practice. But to see a hitter stand in the bullpen to track pitches in season for more than a day is a rare occurrence.

Pitcher Derek Holland faced Frazier earlier in the week. Holland said the level of trash talk between Frazier and whatever starting pitcher he faces is at an absurd level. But Holland thinks everyone benefits from the intensity of the game-like practice sessions.

“It’s definitely at an all-time high right now,” Holland said. “What makes it even better is when you’re going through tough times. The last two starts haven’t exactly been what I wanted.

With this, having (Frazier) stand in there, one we’re talking crap to each other and two we’re feeding off each other. It’s helping me visual better when I’m facing a right-handed hitter. It’s helping him see the ball.

“It definitely gets intense.”

The impact seemingly has been instant for Frazier, whose June OPS (yes, it’s a small sample) is 475 points higher than his season OPS (.741). Both Frazier and manager Rick Renteria like how the veteran looks at the plate and expect the run to continue. It was at its peak on Thursday when Frazier started a potential rally with a leadoff single in the fifth inning. Three innings later, Frazier smacked a two-run homer -- his 10th -- off the left-field foul pole to get the White Sox within a run.

“Todd is starting to feel it a little bit,” Renteria said. “It’s been coming along over the last week or so. He’s been working very hard, his routines. He’s been doing a few things to get him to feel more and more comfortable at the plate, and we’re happy to see it’s starting to pay some dividends.”

Frazier hopes that his teammates’ trash talk will be quieted down with each good performance. He doesn’t, however, expect he’s going to get any fairer of a shake from Cooper calling balls and strikes in the bullpen sessions.

“When I’m right it’s going to be for a while,” Frazier said. “I’ve been working on a lot of things and I feel really good at the plate.

“The were talking a little smack so I said ‘All right, I’ll come in there and track and call strikes, too.’ At the end of the day these pitchers think everything is a strike and Don Cooper is the same way, so me and him aren’t talking. You know, we’re not going to be talking for a while.”

Rick Renteria's Fiery Meeting Thursday Caught Attention of White Sox Players By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | June 10, 2017

CLEVELAND -- Rick Renteria doesn’t hold meetings just to hold a meeting.

Even though he downplayed it on Friday afternoon, players knew something was up when Renteria huddled them together in the dugout on Thursday night to try and light a fire under his club, who at the time was down by six runs. Though the White Sox ultimately came up short, they fought back to give the a scare before falling 7-5 at .

“It's like a dog that's always barking --- at some point you just start to ignore it,” Renteria said. “I think you just have to have purpose, you have to have a good feel, a sense of time for when it is you're supposed to speak to people. I don't think that's necessarily limited to the game of baseball. I think anybody in any walk of life, in anything they do, at some point in time you have to have a conversation with the group or individual. You have to have a feel and a sense of time when you're going to do it. Like I said I think you have to have purpose, you have to have the ability to articulate a message if you need to present it. Just depends, everybody's different. The people that you're working with alongside are ultimately dictate what you need to do.”

The Rays radio broadcast described Renteria’s impromptu meeting as similar to a football huddling his players together and trying to fire them up. Renteria said he merely tried to offer his players encouragement and said it wasn’t a big deal.

Whatever Renteria went with, it appeared to work. Todd Frazier singled to start the fifth inning and Tim Anderson walked. The White Sox didn’t score in the fifth but they cut a 6-0 deficit to one run on Frazier’s two-run homer in the eighth and brought the tying run to the plate.

“Ricky kind of got in us a little bit in the dugout, saying ‘We’re professionals, let’s go --- pick it up a little bit,’ ” Frazier said. “That was right before I got the single so we kind of kick-started ourselves a little bit to play the game, keep playing. We fought our way back. We had a chance to tie it or win it. True grit, that’s how we’ve been playing. We’ve got to do that a little earlier and a little more often.”

Long Road to Recovery for Jake Petricka, Who Rejoins White Sox By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND -- Jake Petricka is satisfied to be back in the majors after clearing several large hurdles in the past 18 months.

The White Sox reliever was activated off the 10-day disabled list on Friday, returning to the club nearly two months after he suffered a strained lat muscle. That injury occurred only one game into a return from the 2016 campaign when Petricka was sidelined by a hip impingement that led to season-ending surgery. After making three rehab appearances at Triple-A Charlotte and throwing a handful more times off the mound in Arizona, Petricka is ready to be a part of the major league team once again.

“Very challenging on the mental side and obviously the physical side,” Petricka said. “The hip one was a ticking time bomb from my days playing hockey. The lat, that was one they kind of say it was like a hamstring. You run to first 400 times and the 401st you get a little pull. It made it tough, but we made it through so just another learning experience.”

“That’s the biggest thing, back to a normal routine. I feel like I’ve been rehabbing for a year and a half. It’s not what we are paid to do so I want to get back out there and play.”

Petricka posted a 3.24 ERA in 129 games between the 2014 and 2015 seasons. He saved 14 games in 2014 and held a trusted role in the White Sox bullpen.

Since then Petricka has only appeared in 10 games, including nine in 2016. The right-hander said his hip injury was hockey-related and ultimately it required surgery. But Petricka feels as if he’s cleared all the hurdles and wants to get going again.

“I feel as good as ever, as strong as we can be,” Petricka said. “Now we are here for the long haul.”

“(The rehab) was a lot of me pushing and them saying don’t be dumb. I think we did it right and we are good to go.”

Jose Abreu Exits White Sox Game After Being Struck By Pitch By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND — Jose Abreu exited Friday's game after a pitch struck him near his left knee.

The White Sox first baseman stayed on the ground after reliever Andrew Miller struck him with a slider in the top of the seventh inning. Abreu then hopped off the field on one leg with the help of White Sox trainer Herm Schneider and manager Rick Renteria.

The White Sox trailed Cleveland 4-3 at the time. Abreu had a sac fly to briefly give the White Sox a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning.

Jose Abreu Injured as White Sox Fall to Indians By Dan Hayes / CSN Chicago | June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND -- The White Sox may have suffered a bigger loss than just the ballgame on Friday night.

José Abreu exited Friday's contest at Progressive Field in the seventh inning with a bruised left leg after he was struck by a pitch near his knee. The first baseman is listed as day-to-day but wasn’t around to see the White Sox fall for the sixth time in seven games on their current road trip. They dropped a 7-3 decision to the Cleveland Indians 7-3 in front of 30,043. Miguel Gonzalez allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings for the White Sox, who are a season-worst nine games below .500.

“(Abreu) got hit pretty good but he’s going to be OK,” manager Rick Renteria said. “We’ll know how he is in the morning, but he’s fairly confident he’ll be OK. It got mostly muscle, just below the left knee. He’s got pretty big legs. The swelling is almost non-existent. This will truthfully be a day-to-day type.

“He’s pretty pain tolerant. That was pretty impactful. I think it just caught him, he couldn’t get away from it.”

Abreu received treatment after he left the game but didn’t require an X-ray, Renteria said.

The team announced the 2014 All-Star would be re-evaluated on Saturday. But Abreu looked to be in a lot of pain after Indians reliever Andrew Miller plunked him. Abreu fell to her ground for at least a minute and then hobbled to his feet. He appeared not to be able to put any weight on his left leg and was helped off the field by trainer Herm Schneider and Renteria.

Abreu had been involved in a pair of earlier White Sox rallies that allowed them to take the lead twice. Melky Cabrera tied the score at 1 in the third inning with an RBI single and Abreu walked and scored on Todd Frazier's two-out single.

Abreu also had a sac fly in the fifth inning to give the White Sox a 3-2 lead.

Gonzalez couldn't hold either lead. He walked in a run in the fourth to force in a run before stranding the bases loaded. Gonzalez's next walk set up a two-out rally in the fifth inning that allowed the Indians to pull ahead for good. Carlos Santana walked with two outs before Edwin Encarnacion ripped a two-run shot to put the Indians ahead 4-3. Gonzalez yielded six hits and walked four batters in 4 2/3 innings.

“Just need to stay focused, keep working, and minimize those walks,” Gonzalez said. “There was what? Four two-out walks? That can't happen. That's not me. I got to change that. That's about it.”

Cleveland rallied for three eighth-inning runs on four hits against reliever Jake Petricka.

White Sox Option Adam Engel to Triple-A Charlotte By CSN Chicago Staff | June 9, 2017

Following Friday's loss to the Indians, the White Sox optioned outfielder Adam Engel to Triple-A Charlotte.

Engel played in eight games for the South Siders, hitting .300 with three runs scored. The 25-year-old also proved to be valuable on the bases, swiping four bags. Only Leury Garcia (6) and Tim Anderson (5) have more steals this season.

The Sox will make a corresponding roster move before tomorrow's game in Cleveland, which could turn out to be newly acquired infielder Alen Hanson.

Hanson, 24, is a former MLB Top 100 prospect. A native of the Dominican Republic, Hanson has struggled with the Pirates, hitting under .200 in 37 games this season. In his minor-league career, he's produced a slash line of .281/.340/.435.

White Sox Add Alen Hanson to 25-Man Roster By Scott Krinch / CSN Chicago | June 10, 2017

Alen Hanson didn't have to wait long to join the White Sox.

A day after the organization claimed the former Pittsburgh Pirates top prospect, Hanson was officially added to the White Sox 25-man roster on Saturday.

Hanson, 24, takes the roster spot of outfielder Adam Engel, who was optioned to Triple-A Charlotte on Friday night.

In his time with the Pirates this season, Hanson slashed just .193/.220/.263 with two triples, eight runs and one RBI in 37 games. Hanson played all over the diamond with the Pirates in 2017, appearing in nine games at second base, two at shortstop, two in right field and one at third base.

Hanson has a career minor-league slash line of .281/.340/.435 with 53 home runs, 316 RBI, 442 runs and 205 stolen bases.

Engel, 25, had a .300/.364/.300 slash line with four stolen bases in eight games with the White Sox this season.

Melky Cabrera channels inner cowboy in White Sox video By Terrin Waack / Chicago Tribune | June 9, 2017

Cowboy up, Melky Cabrera.

With the White Sox’s Country Music Night coming up June 23, Cabrera stepped up to the plate in a promo video wearing a cowboy hat and boots. The left fielder then proceeded to exchange his bat for a guitar and hit one out of the park – or at least far enough to destroy the wooden instrument.

The White Sox will be hosting the at Guaranteed Rate Field that Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

“This is a very long season and of course it’s our job, but it’s also a game to enjoy,” Cabrera told CNS Chicago’s Dan Hayes. “You have to have some kind of joy in the long season and there are some rough moments you’re going to pass through. That’s why you always have to do something else, try something different, something funny to make your teammates relaxed and loose.”

Reliever Jake Petricka rejoins White Sox By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune | June 9, 2017

The White Sox welcomed back one of their more valuable bullpen pieces on Friday when Jake Petricka was reinstated to the major league roster.

The veteran right-hander has been out since suffering a strained right lat on April 4, and just finished a three-game rehab stint at Triple-A Charlotte, where he allowed two earned runs over four innings.

Petricka pitched in only nine games last season due to a hip tear that required season-ending right hip surgery on June 10. He takes the place of Brad Goldberg, who was optioned to Charlotte on Thursday.

Jose Abreu helped off field with bruised leg after pitch drills him below knee By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune | June 9, 2017

White Sox first baseman Jose Abreu had to be helped off the field during the seventh inning of Friday's 7-3 loss to the Indians after a breaking ball from Andrew Miller hit him below the left knee.

Abreu crumpled to the ground in pain and was limping when he was taken to the trainers room.

The Sox said it was just a bruise and swelling was nonexistent.

"He got hit pretty good, but he's going to be fine," manager Rick Renteria said. "It got mostly muscle, just below the left of the knee. He's got pretty big legs."

Earlier, Abreu's sacrifice fly in the fifth snapped a 2-2 tie. But Miguel Gonzalez served up a mammoth two-run homer to Edwin Encarnacion in the bottom of the inning to give the Indians a 4-3 lead.

Gonzalez lasted 4 2/3 innings, allowing four runs on six hits and four walks, all with two out.

"Frustrating," he said. "One pitch away from getting out of that fifth inning. If I minimize the walks, it's a different ballgame. Got to keep working. Can't look back any more."

Roster moves: The Sox claimed infielder Alen Hanson off waivers from the Pirates. The 24-year-old hit .193 in 37 games before being designated for assignment.

After the game the Sox sent outfielder Adam Engel to Triple-A Charlotte. Engel had two hits Friday and left with a .300 average.

Back again: Jake Petricka is back in a Sox uniform, and this time he hopes to stay a while.

The veteran reliever returned Friday from his rehab stint at Charlotte, replacing the demoted Brad Goldberg. He allowed four straight hits and three runs in one inning.

Petricka missed most of last season after hip surgery and had been sidelined since April 4 with a strained right lat.

"Very challenging on the mental side and obviously the physical side," Petricka said. "The hip one was a ticking time bomb from my days playing hockey.

"The lat, they say it was like a hamstring. You run to first 400 times, and the 401st you get a little pull. It made it tough, but we made it through so just another learning experience."

Shields watch: James Shields thought he would need only a couple of rehab starts, but the Sox are going to give him another.

"Right now we have him scheduled to make one more rehab start before he throws with us," Renteria said. "He did well the last time. We want to get him up a few more pitches, and we'll proceed from there."

Spin aside, White Sox free fall probably best for franchise in long run By Paul Sullivan / Chicago Tribune | June 9, 2017

The White Sox went into the weekend series with the Indians with the worst record in the American League, which means they're on the right track.

The worse the record the better the draft pick, and since the Sox are an organization that makes no bones about its chances of contending in 2017, you might as well keep losing for a brighter tomorrow, even if tomorrow is still a few years away.

But manager Rick Renteria insisted before Friday's 7-3 loss to the Indians that "win-loss matters all the time," whether you're rebuilding or not.

"Because if you're going to set a low bar for anybody that you're trying to help develop and compete, it's counterproductive," he said. "If you don't set high bars for people to compete and to go and excel, I think you're doing yourself a disservice.

"Because you don't learn how to win, you certainly don't learn how to understand when you lose a ballgame because there are lessons to be learned from every opportunity that you have whether you lose or win. But I don't think any competitive person ever goes into a ballgame or any realm of competition accepting or looking at a loss as no big deal."

So the Sox have set the bar high. Good deal.

In that case, I asked Renteria if he was frustrated by having the worst record in the league.

"So, since you want to make that point, uh, in terms of how we play the game, I'm more concerned with (that) than the wins and losses, like I said earlier," he said. "At the end of the day we'll figure out where we stand. Right now I just need to make sure that we stay focused on playing and performing to the best of our ability and continue to learn and do the things that are necessary for us to be able to compete and win."

So win-loss matters, but losses are OK as long as they play the game the right way.

No matter how Renteria spins it, the Sox have fallen, but perhaps not far enough to be truly awful. Despite losing eight of nine and 22 of 32, they were still only 6 1/2 games out of first place in the AL Central, perhaps one decent win streak from getting back in the race.

Not that it matters, because they're hoping to deal Jose Quintana, Todd Frazier, David Robertson and a few others in another six or seven weeks, which would raise the white flag if they were in contention.

Either way, someone asked Renteria how encouraging it was that no one was running away with the AL Central, a division so bad the Twins are in first.

"That's a great question," he replied. "The reality is I don't know that the men that are in this clubhouse with us aren't necessarily looking at the standings as much as how are we're probably playing or not playing, and the things we need to do, and logically speaking, the things that are seeming to impede or help us."

It's probably best not to look at the standings, since the Sox are in last place. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

On the other side of the field, Indians manager Terry Francona was lamenting his team's win-loss record, which was 29-28 coming into the night. The Indians have been brutal considering the talent on their roster, but it's mostly been ignored here during the Cavaliers' playoff run, which included Game 4 of the NBA Finals in a stadium right next door.

"What ultimately matters is what our record is," Francona said, adding the Indians are "extremely inconsistent" and leaving him sleepless.

"For whatever reasons, you go through periods where it's just not real good, and you're dealing with human beings," he said. "Nobody is perfect, myself included."

That's a good thing to remember as this Sox season drones on without the kids everyone wants to see.

Time for to give Ozzie Guillen another chance By David Haugh / Chicago Tribune | June 10, 2017

One thought gnawed at Ozzie Guillen as he pondered his baseball future over a plate of chicken and rice inside his trendy Bucktown home.

"I feel funny because I always wanted to leave the game from the big door and I feel like I left from the backdoor, sneaky, like I killed or beat somebody," Guillen said, looking almost professorial in a long- sleeved "Bridgeport Bluefish" shirt and reading glasses sitting low on his nose.

"That's the way I feel about baseball," the former manager of the White Sox and Marlins continued during an enlightening 90-minute conversation. "It's like, what happened? I want to leave riding on people's shoulders, like a bullfighter coming out of the gate. That's one that hurts me. Why did Ozzie Guillen leave through the backdoor and nobody gives a (expletive)?"

A harder question to answer: Why is Ozzie Guillen still commenting on major-league games instead of managing them?

Even those of us who have criticized Guillen in the past for occasionally insensitive outbursts can acknowledge a league lacking diversity needs more managers like the colorful 53-year-old Venezuelan who makes the game more compelling. Baseball is better with Guillen in a dugout — louder, but better.

"Do I want to manage in the big leagues? Yes, because Ozzie Guillen is nobody to say no," Guillen said. "I'd say 90 percent of me is yes, 10 percent is no, I want to play golf instead of being at the ballpark dealing with (stuff). Sometimes when I am on my boat or it's 40 degrees out there, I say to my wife, 'Thank God I'm not managing.' But, yes, I want to do it because, as I said, nobody's bigger than the game to say I don't want to manage."

Since the Marlins fired Guillen in October 2012 after going 69-93 in his only season with three years and $7.5 million remaining on his contract, MLB teams have hired 28 managers. Meanwhile, the man who led the Sox to the 2005 stands on the outside looking in, working for ESPN Deportes and scratching his managing itch last winter leading the Tiburones team in his native country. If Guillen is serving a baseball penance for controversial comments about late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, five years seems long enough.

It will take an executive with a strong personality and an open mind to hire a larger-than-life manager likely to immediately change the culture of an organization. As Guillen started going through baseball front offices and struggled to find associates he knew well, it dawned on him how much the landscape had changed. But, in his mind, so has he.

"I'm 53 years old now, I know life better, I learned," Guillen said. "You can't say this or that, people are sensitive to this. I understand."

Asked if he is often misunderstood by baseball, Guillen removed his glasses to make eye contact for emphasis.

"The people who hate me are the people who don't know me," Guillen said. "You want to hire me, talk to me. Get to know me, the real me. Don't believe what you hear. I've had a lot of time to think. I'm honest, and that's the part people hate about me. But I never do drugs, never got a DUI, never beat my wife, pay all my taxes. My three kids all went to college and have good jobs. I came here with nothing and built a life. … A lot of people do other (stuff) and people say nothing. I never did the wrong thing. I meet people and then they're like, 'You're a better person than I thought. I used to hate you.'"

The paternal pride feels for Guillen came through every word of a phone interview. La Russa, the Hall of Fame manager who led the Sox from 1979-1986, first saw Guillen in February 1985 when the Sox sent him to Mexico to evaluate the 20-year-old Venezuelan shortstop in the Caribbean Series. La Russa saw enough potential to see why the Sox traded pitcher LaMarr Hoyt to the Padres two months earlier. When Guillen outplayed veteran Scott Fletcher in , La Russa made Guillen the starter in a season he was named American League Rookie of the Year.

"I was struck early by his sense of the game, high baseball IQ, natural leadership," La Russa said. "I watched Ozzie grow up."

That experience gives La Russa confidence in the maturation of Guillen the manager.

"Do I think Ozzie could manage successfully again? Yes, absolutely," La Russa said. "But he needs to learn from what was negative in Chicago, to understand the story is the team and players and he and the staff are just contributors. If I had to bet a dollar, I'd say he understands that now. He's a good person and a smart person and I figure he'll find a way to still be himself and do the job."

Even if the job requires Guillen to take a less flamboyant approach.

"That 20 minutes with the media before games became entertaining but pretty soon it was too much about Ozzie and maybe players came to resent that," La Russa said. "If you have a responsibility to communicate with fans through the media, it's really hard because if you're careful, you're considered boring. So you see coaches, in whatever sport, tell it like it is and fans supposedly like that. Problem is, that team you're criticizing is your family and you're trying to build trust and respect in that family. …Longevity and success are built around relationships with team and you can't jeopardize that."

The notion that the rise of sabermetrics somehow could complicate the return of an old-school manager like Guillen made him scoff. He referenced La Russa.

"Yes, I truly believe in (sabermetrics) but Tony La Russa did that in 1985 as my manager, he just didn't have a (expletive) iPod," Guillen said. "The book was in the dugout, like it was high school. … The shift? If I'm playing against Jim Thome, do you have to be smart to figure out he's a pull hitter? I don't need a spray chart to tell me that. We didn't have a computer for Darrell Evans for the Tigers when I was playing (shortstop) next to () Julio Cruz in 1985."

Ozzie being Ozzie was just getting started. He pointed his finger demonstrably.

"Let me ask you a question," he said, raising his voice. "You're Ozzie Guillen managing and have Jim Thome facing Mariano Rivera and the bases are loaded with two out but he's 0 for 10 with nine strikeouts against Rivera. You've got who in two at-bats against Rivera has a double and triple. … You going to pinch hit Ozuna for Thome? That's sabermetrics. Come on, guys, please."

Life remains full for Guillen. He and Ibis, his wife of 34 years, enjoy watching youngest son, Ozney, play for the Bridgeport (Conn.) Bluefish of the independent Atlantic League and spending time with older sons Oney and Ozzie Jr., who both work in the insurance industry. He likes his analyst role for ESPN and WSCR-AM and an active social life, which recently included dinner with Sox Vice President Kenny Williams, Hall of Fame guard Isiah Thomas and Bulls guard Rajon Rondo. ("Isiah wanted to meet me? Who's going to say no to Isiah (expletive) Thomas?") He "feels weird" going to Sox games but keeps in touch with players he managed and stays engaged in current events, especially the political turmoil in Venezuela he considers tragic.

"It's the worst I've ever seen in my life," Guillen said. "People in Venezuela say to me, 'Why are you not speaking out?' And I say, the last time I spoke about politics, I got in trouble and nobody protected me so I'm saying nothing. Do I love my country? Yes. Before you got here today … I am a very tough guy to cry but I sat there with my wife, watching people in Venezuela talk about the country, and I'm crying like what the (expletive) is that?"

Guillen still might return to Venezuela to manage the Tiburones next winter. Or, if baseball is lucky, a more enticing offer could come from a major league team looking for a proven winner with a World Series ring.

"Some people in Chicago, they reminded me when the Cubs won the World Series, hey, you won the World Series too," Guillen said. "Do I miss managing? Sometimes, I do. Sometimes, I don't. If I wanted to manage now, I would be in Mexico. They asked me again yesterday for the 17th time. … But all I know is I still love the game."

Why is that love so unrequited?

Buehrle teams up with charity to give fan ultimate experience By Madeline Kenney / Chicago Sun-Times | June 10, 2017 A former White Sox All-Star is partnering up with Charities (CWSC) to give one fan the ultimate game experience before his number is retired at the end of June.

The White Sox announced Friday that former left-hander has teamed up with CWSC to create “56 for Charity,” a unique fundraising sweepstakes.

The winner of the sweepstakes will arrive in style June 24 with a limosine escort to Guaranteed Rate Field for the No. 56 retirement ceremony. The lucky fan and one friend will have the opportunity to not only meet Buehrle, but will also be the field during the ceremony and receive a framed and autographed picture.

Buehrle is a four-time American League (AL) All-Star and three-time AL Gold Glove winner and will be the 12th player to have his number retired by the White Sox. Buehrle threw a in the White Sox AL Championship Series vs. the Angels and helped the team win its title. After being drafted by the White Sox in 1998, Beuhrle didn’t make his Major League debut until 2000. During his 12 seasons on Chicago’s South Side, Buehrle went 161-119 with a 3.83 ERA and threw 27 complete games and eight shutouts. He ranks toward the top of the franchise leaders in strikeouts (4th), starts (4th) and wins (6th).

Buehrle, who was drafted 1998 and made his MLB debut in 2000, will be the 12th player to have his number retired by the White Sox.

All fans who enter the sweepstakes will take home a piece of Buehrle memorabilia, including jerseys, and photos autographed by Buehrle. The sweepstakes will take place at whitesox.com/56ForCharity from 10 a.m. Friday through 5 p.m. on June 16. All fans who donate through the link are automatically entered into the sweepstakes.

White Sox reinstate Jake Petricka from disabled list By Madeline Kenney / Chicago Sun-Times | June 9, 2017

The White Sox announced Friday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Jake Petricka from the 10-day disabled list.

Petricka will replace right-hander Brad Goldberg on the White Sox’ roster.

Petricka suffered a strained right lat injury on April 4 against the and was placed on the disabled list two days later. Since the injury, he was on a rehab assignment at Class AAA Charlotte after missing nearly two months.

In Charlotte, the 29-year-old pitcher made three relief appearances and pitched four innings.

Petrick has donned the White Sox uniform since 2013 and has gone 6-10 with a 3.29 ERA over 155 career relief appearances.

The White Sox are scheduled to begin their three-game series against the Cleveland Indians Friday at 6:10 p.m. The Sox have lost eight of their last nine games on the road.

White Sox stay receptive to Renteria’s manner but lose again By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | June 10, 2017

CLEVELAND — As Todd Frazier put it, the White Sox were going through the motions on this 1-6 road trip, so hearing manager Rick Renteria speak up in the dugout Thursday during a loss to the Rays was warranted.

It wasn’t the first time Renteria, upbeat and positive as he is, got vocal in a firm manner.

“I told them to keep playing the game,’’ Renteria said while downplaying it Friday. “That’s pretty much it. Just play the game.”

Trying to get them motivated?

“Yeah, just give them some encouragement,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘It really wasn’t anything big, wasn’t a big deal. Just giving them some encouragement. Keep playing.”

The Sox kept playing but couldn’t prevent their American League-worst record from worsening, losing to the Indians 7-3 to fall to 25-34. They’ve lost eight of their last nine games and are 12-24 since going 13- 10 in April.

“Win-loss record matters all the time,’’ Renteria said. “Because if you’re going to set a low for anybody you’re trying to help develop, it’s counterproductive. If you don’t set high bars for people, you’re doing yourself a disservice.’’ The bar for Sox starting pitching continued to be low as Miguel Gonzalez was the latest to fall short of six innings. He walked four and gave up four runs, including two on Edwin Encarnacion’s mammoth go- ahead homer, in 4‰ innings.

Sox starters have a 6.72 ERA over the last 17 games. With pitching like that, dugout pep talks will only go so far — although Renteria’s did seem to provide a spark the night before.

“We end up scoring five runs late and almost won,’’ Frazier said. “Was it necessarily from what he said? No. But it got us working again.’’

Renteria’s push since spring training has been all about effort and execution. So far, his style hasn’t worn thin in the clubhouse.

Frazier said the players respect and like Renteria’s leadership style.

“Sure, without a doubt,’’ Frazier said. “If there was a problem, they’d either go to him or we’d talk about it. There hasn’t been any problems, and I don’t see any problems coming on. He’s a great manager, and he understands the nature of our team — we have a lot of young guys, and he expects us veterans to patrol, as well.’’

Melky Cabrera and Frazier had RBI singles in the third against Indians ace Corey Kluber, and Jose Abreu’s sacrifice fly put the Sox ahead in the fifth. Abreu would leave in the seventh after being hit near the knee by an Andrew Miller pitch.

The Indians blew it open in the eighth with three runs against Jake Petricka, just back off the disabled list.

The Sox have two games left on this loss-infested trip. There’s only so much words can do, but Renteria will keep on pushing, and that seems to be OK by his players.

“Nothing bad about that at all,’’ Frazier said. “It kind of woke us up a little bit Thursday. Sometimes you need that. We were going through the motions the last couple of games. Rick knows we play hard, but there’s always a method to his madness, per se.’’

Renteria steered away from talking about what actually was said against the Rays.

“You have to have a purpose to any conversation that you have,’’ he said. “I agree with probably the majority of the managers that don’t necessarily like having meetings. You have to make sure that it’s [not] like a dog that’s always barking. At some point, you just start to ignore it. I think you just have to have purpose. You have to have a good feel, a sense of time for when you’re supposed to speak to people.’’

White Sox’ Jose Abreu exits game but ‘will be fine,’ Renteria says By Daryl Van Schouwen / Chicago Sun-Times | June 10, 2017

CLEVELAND — Jose Abreu was helped off the field after being struck near his left knee by a pitch from Indians left-hander Andrew Miller in the seventh inning Friday, but the injury doesn’t appear to be serious, manager Rick Renteria said.

Abreu didn’t bear weight on his left leg while he was helped off and still was limping in the clubhouse after the game, but X-rays weren’t required, Renteria said.

‘‘He got hit pretty good, but he’s going to be fine,’’ Renteria said. ‘‘He says we’ll know how he is in the morning, but he’s fairly confident he’ll be OK. It got mostly muscle below the left knee.’’

Abreu is batting .275 with 10 home runs, tied for the team lead. He drove in his 33rd run with a sacrifice fly in the fifth.

Hanson claimed off waivers The Sox claimed infielder Alen Hanson off waivers from the Pirates and are expected to put him on the 25-man roster Saturday.

Rookie outfielder Adam Engel, who had two singles for the second consecutive day, was optioned to Class AAA Charlotte, presumably to make room for Hanson, who is out of options.

A top-100 prospect before the 2013, ’14 and ’15 seasons, the switch-hitting Hanson, 24, spent the season with the Pirates before being designated for assignment June 2. He batted .193 with two triples and eight runs scored in 37 games while making nine starts at second base and playing in two games at shortstop, two in right field and one at third base.

In seven-minor league seasons, Hanson has a .281 average wtih 53 homers, 316 RBI and 205 stolen bases in 719 games. He hit 10-plus triples each season from 2012 to ’15.

Engel, regarded as one of the better defensive in the Sox’ system, was 6-for-20 (.300) and said he goes back to Charlotte with a confidence boost.

‘‘The guys up here are great,’’ he said. ‘‘They really helped me get comfortable about as quick as a guy can get. It’s been a lot of fun.’’

Petricka roughed up in return Right-hander Jake Petricka was activated from the disabled list and was tagged for three runs after an absence of more than two months. He gave up four consecutive hits as the Indians increased their lead to 7-3.

Right-hander Brad Goldberg was optioned back to Charlotte after appearing in one game.

Petricka strained his right lat April 4 against the Tigers and was put on the disabled list two days later. He made his third rehab-assignment appearance at Charlotte on Wednesday.

“I feel as good as ever, as strong as we can be,’’ Petricka said before the game. “Now we’re here for the long haul.’’

Hip surgery limited Petricka, 29, to nine appearances in 2016. Since 2013, Petricka was 6-10 with a 3.29 ERA in 155 career relief appearances going into the game.

One more for Shields Renteria said right-hander James Shields (strained lat) will make one more rehab start for Charlotte before rejoining the Sox.

Shields had said two starts would be enough, but this will be his third.

Encarnacion, Kluber lead Indians past White Sox 7-3 By Steve Herrick / Associated Press |June 9, 2017

CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona made a blunt assessment Friday afternoon over the way his team has played this season.

"We have not been very good to date - that's the understatement of the year," he said before the Indians took on the Chicago White Sox.

Coming off a 1-4 road trip, the defending AL champs finally clicked in all phases - at least for one night.

Edwin Encarnacion hit a go-ahead two-run homer, Corey Kluber won his second straight start since coming off the disabled list and the Indians beat the White Sox 7-3.

Center fielder Bradley Zimmer and second baseman Jason Kipnis made key defensive plays in the third inning after Chicago scored twice to go ahead.

Francona has met with players individually and in groups to find a solution for the team's inconsistency.

"In the past couple of days, I've probably had more meetings than I've had in years, because we want to get it right," he said. "Sometimes, for whatever reason, you go through periods where it just isn't very good."

"It's not the worst thing in the world to get a reminder every now and again if you go out and play the right way, good things happen," Kluber said.

Encarnacion's drive to center field in the fifth gave Cleveland the lead and highlighted a 3-for-4 night.

The 30,047 fans at Progressive Field divided their attention with Game 4 of the NBA Finals between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors that took place across the street.

Chicago slugger Jose Abreu was lifted in the seventh inning after being hit on the left leg by Andrew Miller's pitch. Abreu fell to the ground and couldn't put any weight on his leg while being helped to the dugout. Chicago said he has a bruised leg and will be re-evaluated Saturday.

"I'm sure he's going to have some tightness in the morning," manager Rick Renteria said. "We'll figure out when I talk to him and when he comes to the park if he'll make the day, but this will be truthfully a day-to-day type."

Kluber (5-2) allowed three runs and struck out eight in six innings. The right-hander, who made only one start in May because of a strained back, pitched six scoreless innings against Oakland on June 1.

Miguel Gonzalez (4-7) allowed four runs in 4 2/3 innings for the White Sox, who have lost eight of nine.

Yan Gomes had a two-run single while Michael Brantley, Lonnie Chisenhall and Bradley Zimmer added RBIs.

Melky Cabrera and Todd Frazier had run-scoring singles in the third. Abreu's fifth-inning sacrifice fly put Chicago ahead, but Encarnacion's blast gave Cleveland the lead for good.

The White Sox would have had a bigger inning in the third, but Zimmer threw Cabrera out at the plate on Avisail Garcia's single and Kipnis made a diving stop on Omar Narvaez's ground ball to end the inning.

FIRST PITCH

Tyvis Powell, who grew up in Northeast Ohio and played football at Ohio State, had an unusual day prior to throwing out the first pitch. The safety was waived by the Cleveland Browns on Friday after joining the team in February. Powell, wearing an Indians cap and T-shirt, still took the mound and delivered the pitch.

ROSTER NEWS

The White Sox claimed infielder Alen Hanson off waivers from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hanson was designated for assignment by the Pirates on June 2 after batting .193 in 37 games.

The White Sox also activated right-hander Jake Petricka (strained right lat) from the 10-day DL. He allowed three runs in the eighth inning.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Indians: RHP Danny Salazar had an MRI that revealed inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The team will wait a couple days before determining when he'll throw again. Salazar was placed on the DL on Tuesday.

UP NEXT

White Sox: LHP David Holmberg will make his third start of the season. Opponents are batting .185 against him as a starter.

Indians: RHP Josh Tomlin lost to the White Sox on April 13 at Progressive Field, allowing seven runs in 1 1/3 innings.