CLEVELAND _ The Chicago White Sox probably couldn't wait to board their flight out of Cleveland and forget the one-sided series that concluded Wednesday with a 12-0 Indians win, securing a three-game sweep.
The Indians (40-33) outscored the White Sox 24-5 in the series, easily dispatching their rebuilding American League Central foe each time.
Corey Kluber became the third consecutive starter to have little trouble navigating the White Sox (24-49) lineup, joining Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger, by allowing one hit in seven scoreless innings to go with seven strikeouts. Those three starters combined to allow one run and strike out 25 batters in 21 2/3 innings.
Kluber improved his record to 11-3, the first major-league pitcher with 11 wins this season.
It was also somewhat of a rebound outing for Kluber, who looked more human in his previous start in which he allowed four runs in five innings to the Minnesota Twins.
"I'd say for the middle innings I kind of felt off again but I think I just did a better job of adjusting to it and figuring out how to work through it than I did last time," said Kluber, though he didn't allow a hit in the middle innings. "Last time, I couldn't make that adjustment. I made some bad pitches and it hurt me. Today I was able to kind of work through it and adjust some things from pitch-to-pitch. I think when you can make those adjustments quicker, even if things do feel off you can kinda try and find that new normal."
With Kluber on the mound, Wednesday's game was just about put out of reach three batters into the bottom of the first inning. Facing White Sox starting pitcher Reynaldo Lopez, Francisco Lindor walked, Michael Brantley reached on an error and Jose Ramirez belted a three-run home run to right-center field, his 22nd of the season to put him one off the major-league pace set by Mike Trout with 23.
Leading 5-0, the Indians put the game away with a six-run sixth, highlighted by Edwin Encarnacion's two-run double and Jason Kipnis' three-run home run, his sixth of the season, to make it 11-0.
Kipnis now has six hits, five RBIs, four runs scored and two home runs in his past four games.
"I do think he's taking more good swings," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "I think there's more good swings. I think he looks more confident. It looks like when he swings now there's more conviction in going to get the ball. I think he'll be just fine."
Yonder Alonso added a three-hit day with an RBI, two runs scored and a walk, and Yan Gomes drove two doubles off the left field wall to go with a run scored and a walk.
Lonnie Chisenhall was a late scratch with bilateral calf soreness, the continuation of the calf injury that has plagued him since last season. Francona said that Chisenhall didn't aggravate anything, but that they were "barking a little bit."
"He told us this morning when he came in his calves were just stiff kind of," Francona said. "Both of them. So, he went out and loosened up and we thought he was OK. And then the more he thought about it, he just wasn't comfortable."
