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Indians-White Sox Preview

Jun 6, 2010 - 4:28 AM By ALAN FERGUSON STATS Writer

Cleveland (20-33) at Chicago (23-31), 2:05 p.m. EDT

The Cleveland Indians have struggled against most opponents while falling into last place in the AL Central. The Chicago White Sox are one of the rare exceptions.

The Indians will try to add to the White Sox's frustrations Sunday by recording their first three-game road sweep over their division rivals in 11 years.

Cleveland (21-33) has one of the AL's worst records and is on pace for its sixth losing campaign in nine years. Despite those struggles, the Indians have experienced few problems against the White Sox (23-32) this season, winning eight of 11 matchups.

While Cleveland has one of the AL's worst ERAs at 4.77, its staff has posted a 3.24 ERA against Chicago and held the White Sox to one run in each of the first two games of this series.

"For some reason, we pitch very well against these guys," manager Manny Acta said.

In Saturday night's 3-1 victory, the Indians got all the runs they needed in the fourth inning as Austin Kearns hit an RBI single and later scored on a balk.

Cleveland had dropped 13 of 17 before facing the White Sox but now has the chance to record its first three-game sweep in Chicago since May 15-17, 1999.

Jake Westbrook (3-3, 4.36 ERA) will try to help his team reach that milestone with his first victory in eight starts against the White Sox. Since winning at U.S. Cellular Field on Aug. 7, 2007, Westbrook is 0-5 with a 5.23 ERA against Chicago. He has received an average of 1.52 runs of support in those outings.

The right-hander is 0-2 with a 6.00 ERA in his three matchups with the White Sox this season. He didn't get a decision in a 3-2 win April 17 despite allowing two runs over seven innings.

He bounced back from his most recent loss to Chicago by yielding one run over 7 2-3 innings Tuesday night in Detroit.

"That's the best game he's pitched this year," Acta said following the 3-2 victory. "That's only the third game we've won this season when we've scored three or less runs, so you see how important it was for him to go deep for us."

Westbrook had previously given up five runs over seven innings to Chicago on May 26. He'll have a chance to avenge that defeat in a rematch with Mark Buehrle (3-6, 4.84) on Sunday.

Buehrle was ejected in the third inning for protesting a pair of balks in the last meeting. He followed that outing by getting tagged for six runs and a season-worst 12 hits in Tuesday's 9-6 defeat to Texas.

Since last season's perfect game against Tampa Bay, the left-hander has given up five or more runs in 11 of 24 outings, but he's held the Indians scoreless three of the last four times he's faced them, including a 6-0 season-opening win at home.

Buehrle is 3-1 with a 2.52 ERA in his past five home starts against Cleveland.

The White Sox, however, are 1-4 on their nine-game homestand and have batted .217 this season against the Indians.