CHICAGO _ White Sox manager Rick Renteria says Dylan Covey can't do anything to cement a role in the 2019 starting rotation, but Monday night's effort in a 4-0 loss against the AL Central champion Indians certainly doesn't hurt his cause.
Covey shut out the Indians for six innings. He gave up six hits and a walk but struck out seven and got some help from his defense. It was his second straight strong start and extended his scoreless streak to 12 innings.
The right-hander looked comfortable and effectively mixed in his changeup, curveball and slider as the game wore on. And he didn't panic when allowed two singles to lead off the fourth, striking out Yan Gomes and getting Brandon Guyer to ground into an inning-ending double play.
When Ian Hamilton relieved Covey in the seventh, that opened the scoring for the Indians. He gave up a home run to Guyer, and Nate Jones gave up a homer to Adam Rosales, and run-scoring singles to Brandon Barnes and Edwin Encarnacion.
Indians starter Corey Kluber (20-7) was his usual dominant self, striking out 11 while allowing four hits and one walk. He earned his 20th win for the first time after topping out at 18 wins in three previous seasons.
