Off Topic » all strikes. "It was a huge play

CHICAGO -- Justin Masterson was able to rely on his defence in his major league-leading third shutout of the season. The Cleveland Indians turned four double plays for their first four-game sweep in Chicago since 1948, beating the Chicago White Sox 4-0 Sunday. Masterson (10-6) gave up six hits, struck out eight and walked one. He blanked the White Sox for the second time this year. "Weve had such great defence, (you) try and let them hit it," he said. "They were aggressive, took a real aggressive approach swinging early. ... We made a lot of double plays and they were pretty double plays." Masterson faced the minimum through six innings thanks to two double plays and a pickoff. "Once he got through the first inning, then he kicked it in gear and started getting the velocity back up and using all his pitches," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He was terrific." After Masterson began the ninth with two strikeouts, he allowed a single to Alejandro De Aza and hit Alexei Ramirez with a pitch. Masterson struck out Alex Rios looking to end the game. "I felt like at the point where we were at, no matter how good I felt, Rios was probably my last hitter, so I better get him out," said Masterson, who threw 112 pitches. The win moved Cleveland into a virtual tie with Detroit atop the AL Central. "When we can win a game like that today, where we rest a couple guys, try to stay away from guys in the bullpen, thats a good team win," Francona said. Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis and first baseman Nick Swisher had the day off. The White Sox have lost 23 of 31 and fallen a season-high 15 games under .500. Yan Gomes got three hits as the Indians won for the 10th time in 13 games. Chris Sale (5-7) struck out 10 while allowing three runs in eight innings. He recorded double-digit strikeouts for the fourth time this season. Sale was perfect through the first three innings before Drew Stubbs led off the fourth with a bunt single. Sale went 0-5 with a 3.19 ERA in June -- the White Sox scored a total of nine runs during his six starts in the month. Sale hasnt won since May 17 against the Los Angeles Angels. The Indians scored twice in the fourth. Ryan Raburn hit a two-out double that drove in Stubbs, and Carlos Santana added an RBI single. "When you face Sale, you got to figure youre not going to get a whole lot of runs," Francona said. "His stuff is so filthy. (Stubbs) laying down that bunt was so big, made him pitch out of the stretch, and Rayburn hits a double. We did a really good job getting what we got." The Indians added a run in the fifth. Michael Brantley led off with a single and later scored on Lonnie Chisenhalls groundout. Stubbs hit an RBI double in the ninth. The White Sox put two on in the seventh before Rios hit into a double play and Adam Dunn struck out. "If hes throwing what hes capable of like today, hes tough on lefties and righties," White Sox manager Robin Ventura said. "You would think where he delivers from it would be easier for lefties. But when you can move it around and have a slider like that, a slider and a sinker, it doesnt make it easy on either side." NOTES: The Indians placed OF Michael Bourn on the three-day paternity list and recalled LHP Nick Hagadone. Bourn, who went to Houston after Saturdays game to be with his wife, will be eligible to return to the roster Wednesday. Bourn is hitting .299 as the Indians primary leadoff hitter. Hagadone is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA. ... White Sox GM Rick Hahn said he hopes the team gets on a roll. If not, changes could occur as the July 31 trade deadline approaches. Hahn said his staff has been receiving "a pretty healthy pace" of calls from other teams over the last few weeks. He indicated no player is untouchable for a possible deal ... 1B Paul Konerko remained out of the White Sox lineup with a sore back for the sixth straight game. He said he hopes to play on Tuesday. The team has Monday off. ... Ramirez will eventually get a day off, Ventura said. The shortstop is the only player in the majors to play every inning this year. He has committed an AL-leading 14 errors. San Antonio Spurs Jerseys . Sterling was banned for life and fined US$2.5 million by the NBA on Tuesday for racist comments the league says he made in a recorded conversation. Nash, who plays for the rival L.A. Lakers, spoke as a representative of current NBA players at a press conference assembled by Sacramento mayor and National Basketball Players Association adviser Kevin Johnson. Bryn Forbes Jersey . Wayne and Cindy Tuck of Ilderton, Ont., closed out round-robin play earlier in the day with a 7-3 win over Finland but needed a win over Austria to reach the final eight. https://www.spurslockerroom.com/David-Ro...Edition-Jersey/. Jannero Pargo scored 14 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Charlotte Bobcats erase a 21-point deficit and rally for an 83-76 preseason victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday night. Trey Lyles Spurs Jersey . Here at TSN.ca we will take a look back at the season by bringing together a panel of experts to help pick the best 50 players of the season. Lonnie Walker Spurs Jersey . Canada will host Japan in a World Group first-round match in 2015. It will be a rematch of their first-round clash last year when Japan defeated Canada 4-1 to reach the World Group quarter-finals for the first time in its history.KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Bruce Chen put a stop to a bad string of starts for the Kansas City Royals. Chen picked up the Royals beleaguered rotation with seven solid innings, pitching Kansas City past the Detroit Tigers 5-2 Sunday. Chen (7-2), who moved into the rotation on July 12 after 19 relief appearances, limited the AL Central leaders to five hits and two runs. He earned the first victory for a Royals starter on their seven-game homestand. "I was pounding the strike zone, mixing in all my pitches, throwing different angles," Chen said. Eric Hosmer had three hits, including a three-run homer in the fifth inning. The Royals stayed close in the wild-card chase, taking the final two games of the series after losing 16-2 Friday. "After that game, it was a bad feeling," Hosmer said. "They just flat out beat us that day. Just to forget it as a team and bounce back like that shows a lot about the character on the team and pitching staff." The Kansas City starters had an 8.00 ERA in the first six games of the homestand, allowing 24 runs on 41 hits and 16 walks in 27 innings. The other four starters had a 9.43 ERA in that span and had failed to make it beyond 4 1-3 innings in four starts. Hosmer homered off Doug Fister after Alex Gordon and Emilio Bonifacio singled with two outs. Fister (12-8) allowed five runs on eight hits in 6 1-3 innings. Chen kept the Tigers hitters off-balance all afternoon. "We hit a lot of lazy fly balls," Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. "The credit goes to Chen. He changes speeds and got us out in front a lot. You know what youre going to get with him. He changed speeds and got us out in front and mixed his pitches. He was very effective." Greg Holland allowed Prince Fielders double with two out in the ninth, but collected his 40th save in 43 chances. Joakim Soria, Jeff Montgomery and Dan Quisenberry are the only other Royals relievers to earn 40 saves in a season. Jose Iglesias, who had not played since leaving the game Weddnesday with shin splints, homered in the third inning after Alex Avila had singled, giving the Tigers a 2-0 lead.dddddddddddd "Chen pitched how he always pitches," Avila said. "You can look back at any game hes pitched and its always the same. He mixes a lot of pitches, works in and out, changes speeds, and never gives in. "After he gets you out, you go back to the dugout saying, Man, how did I get out?" Iglesias hit his second home run since the Tigers acquired him in a July 30 trade with Boston. "After that pitch, Chen was locked in the entire day," Hosmer said. "We knew if could get a lead and hand it off to the bullpen, wed be in a good spot." The Royals got a run in the fourth when Billy Butler grounded a single. Jarrod Dyson led off the Royals seventh with a triple into the left-field corner and scored when Gordon dunked a fly ball into shallow right over a drawn-in Tigers infield for a single. Chen pitched out of trouble in the sixth. Austin Jackson led off with a double and Miguel Cabrera came up -- he had five career home runs off Chen in 36 at-bats. This time Cabrera hit a comebacker and Chen threw out Jackson at third. Chen fell behind 3-0 to Fielder, who then looked at the next three pitches -- all strikes. "It was a huge play with Miguel," Chen said. "We have a two-run lead and the first pitch, he hits a groundball to me." NOTES: Fielder played in his 486th consecutive game, the longest active streak in the majors. ... C Salvador Perez, who hit a two-run homer Saturday night, was not in the Royals lineup Sunday. Manager Ned Yost said he decided to rest Perez with temperatures reaching 100 degrees and the Royals in a stretch of 44 games in 44 days. ... Leyland said OF Nick Castellanos would start again Monday after making his first major league start Saturday. "Hes got a feel for hitting," Leyland said. "Hes a confident kid in the batters box. He looks natural in the batters box." ' ' '