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Carmona, Sizemore fuel Indians past White Sox

Apr 3, 2008 - 4:55 AM By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Fausto Carmona was the last thing the Cleveland Indians' outfielders needed to see on a cold April night.

Carmona pitched seven strong innings and Grady Sizemore had three hits and three RBI to lead the Indians to a 7-2 victory over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Asdrubal Cabrera also had three hits and two RBI as the Indians moved to 2-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1954-55.

Carmona (1-0) picked up right where he left off in 2007. The young righthander finished last season with a major-league best 2.26 ERA after the All-Star break en route to becoming the youngest Cleveland pitcher to win 19 games since Herb Score in 1955.

The 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic was unfazed by the 34-degree temperature at game time as he took the mound without long sleeves under his shirt.

"I don't like to wear the long sleeves when I pitch," Carmona said through an interpreter. "I don't worry about how cold it is. I am always going to wear short sleeves because that's how I feel comfortable."

Carmona allowed one run and four hits while striking out four. The righthander struggled with his command but had his sinker working to get him out of jams, inducing the White Sox to ground into three double plays and recording 16 groundouts.

"The three double-play balls were big for me," Carmona said. "It showed that I was keeping the ball down."

"When he needed to make the big pitch, he made the pitch," White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen said. "That's why he beat us."

Keeping the ball low in the zone, Carmona kept his infielders busy but did not help his outfielders stay warm as a flyout by Jim Thome in the sixth was the only out in the air recorded during his seven innings.

"I was running around in circles and never stopped moving," Sizemore said. "I was doing jumping jacks. Anything you can do to stay warm."

Chicago managed to scratch a run across in the fifth as Joe Crede singled up the middle to plate A.J. Pierzynski, bringing the White Sox within 2-1. But the Indians answered with two runs in their half of the inning.

With one out, Sizemore tripled to right field and came around to score on a single by Cabrera off Chicago starter Javier Vazquez.

Vazquez compounded matters later in the inning by walking Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez consecutively to force in another run.

"Those walks in the fifth inning killed me," Vazquez said. "I wasn't throwing quality strikes and I was up in the zone."

An inning later, Sizemore and Cabrera each added an RBI single.

"We did a good job of getting the offense going," Sizemore said. "We both came up with some RBI opportunities and got some pitches to hit."

Vazquez (0-1) lasted five innings, giving up four runs and five hits. He struck out four but was hurt by his four walks.