CLEVELAND — The Indians had to wait out two rain delays, and couldn’t use two key men in their bullpen. Nevertheless, they were able to gain a sweep of Monday’s day-night doubleheader.

After defeating the Chicago White Sox 8-6 in the opener, the Tribe came away with a 3-2 victory to  wrap up the long day, with the winning run scoring on Shelley Duncan’s eighth-inning double.

The nightcap was delayed for 1:25 in the top of the eighth inning after the two sides had played through steady rain for quite some time, with doses of lightning and thunder thrown in. When play was halted, the Indians held a 2-1 edge, but the White Sox had just put men on first and second with one out, knocking starter Josh Tomlin out of the game. Dan Wheeler had been called upon to replace him, but he never got to pitch, as Joe Smith took the mound when the teams resumed play. Smith was greeted by Alex Rios’ ground single just out of the reach of a diving Jason Kipnis at second base. The hit brought home Alejandro De Aza with the tying run.

De Aza had drawn a one-out walk and moved to second on a Gordon Beckham single prior to the delay.

With men at the corners, Smith (2-1) averted further damage by getting Adam Dunn to hit a double-play grounder back to the mound on a checked swing.

However, the game wasn’t tied for long.

Asdrubal Cabrera led off the bottom of the eighth with his third hit of the game, a bloop single to right-center off Matt Thornton (1-2). Santana followed with a hit that looked like an instant replay of Cabrera’s, as Cabrera took third.

With the infield drawn in, Travis Hafner popped to third. But Duncan then nailed a 1-0 offering for a double to the wall in left, as Cabrera trotted home.

“(It felt) extremely exhilarating,” Duncan said. “It was a very good feeling.”

Following an intentional walk, Jack Hannahan grounded into a double play with the bases loaded, leaving the score at 3-2.

Tony Sipp worked the ninth for his first save of the season and second of his career. He dodged a long foul by Tyler Flowers with a man on base and two outs, and proceeded to fan Flowers to end it.

Sipp was used in that situation because closer Chris Perez was held out of play in both games, to be used only in the event of emergency, because of an abundance of work. Setup man Vinnie Pestano was rested on Monday for the same reason.

Actually, the plan had been to hold Smith, who has also seen a lot of action of late, out as well.

“We’re really thankful that Joe Smith decided to pitch,” manager Manny Acta said.

“I just came in and told him I felt good,” Smith said.

As it turned out, Sipp was the final option. Acta related that he was not going to stay in for more than two innings. If the contest had remained tied after that, it would have necessitated a position player taking the hill.

“If it wasn’t Sipp (in the ninth inning), it was going to be Michael Brantley or somebody else (who is a position player),” Acta said.

Thankfully for the Indians, Acta, and probably Brantley, it didn’t get to that point.

“I guess it was worth it,” Acta said as he looked back at the prior 10-plus hours. “We made it through it without our bullpen, and we got two wins out of it. So the guys deserve a lot of credit, especially Tomlin. He was fantastic.

“He went as far as he could go. And if it wasn’t for the rain, he would have probably been even better. Once it started to get wet, he was losing the grip a little bit.”

“I was trying to stay taller tonight,” Tomlin, who allowed five hits and two walks while striking out a career-high eight batters, said. “When I got in the stretch (before tonight), I was too much on my backside.”

The sweep gave Cleveland (17-11) three straight wins and six in its last seven games. It tentatively stretched its first-place lead in the AL Central Division to 2 1/2 games over Detroit, which played late on Monday night in Seattle. The White Sox (13-17) have lost three straight.

The afternoon contest, which was a makeup of April 10’s rainout, was also delayed at the start for 26 minutes by rain.  

The weather likely affected the attendance at Progressive Field, as the total for both contests combined was less than 20,000.

Until the eighth inning, all the scoring in the nightcap had come in the fifth. Before that, Tomlin and lefty Eric Stults had been locked in a scoreless duel.

The White Sox had the first turn. Dayan Viciedo led off with a single, and Flowers doubled into the left-field corner. On Brent Morel’s grounder to short, Viciedo scored and Flowers moved to third.

Tomlin avoided further damage, and that proved to be huge. With the infield in, Kipnis made a nice stop of De Aza’s grounder to second, while Flowers had to hold his ground. Then Beckham grounded out to third, although Santana had to make a lunging grab of Jason Donald’s throw on one hop while keeping his foot on the bag.

“Very good play,” Acta said of Kipnis’s deed.  “It was a hard-hit ball — short hop — and he made a nice play.”

The Indians responded with two runs. Lou Marson drew a two-out walk, stole second and came home when Brantley, who had knocked in three runs in the opener, grounded a single through the right side. Brantley took second on Rios’s throw home, so when Kipnis hit a smash past a diving Beckham at second base, Brantley was able to score.

Will Ohman worked one inning in relief of Stults.

In the opener, Zach McAllister (1-0, 3.00 ERA) picked up his first major-league win with a fine six-inning performance, while Nick Hagedone notched his first major-league save.  According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first time since July 18, 1993 that a pair of Cleveland pitchers achieved those career milestones in the same game, with Albie Lopez and Jerry DiPoto the last ones to do it.

The Indians backed McAllister by bashing Philip Humber (1-2, 6.83), he of perfect game fame, for eight runs in the first three innings, setting a club season-high in scoring at home in the process.

McAllister, 24, like Stults, was recalled from AAA on Monday in order to make his start. He had started four times with the Indians in 2011 without a win. In this, his first appearance with Cleveland in 2012, he allowed six hits and a walk while striking out five. Only two of the four runs against him were earned.

The right-hander’s innings and strikeout totals were both career highs.

“I think he picked up right where he left off the last two outings (last year),” Acta said. “He’s got a pretty decent combination of that cut slider that he throws, and then he eats up those righties with that 93-94 mile-per-hour (fastball) to the hands. He’s attacking the zone better, too (and has more confidence).”

“I felt good,” McAllister said. “I think there’s a bit more confidence in me. I think last year was a (good) experience for me, and definitely helped me out for this start.”

After Cleveland had taken an 8-2 lead, Chicago made it interesting, eventually closing within 8-6 when Alexei Ramirez hit a two-run single in the ninth off Jairo Asencio, who had walked two batters and thrown a wild pitch after throwing a pair of scoreless innings. But with Perez and Pestano not available, Hagedone got the final three outs around a walk.

Perez and Pestano had both pitched  four times in the prior five days, with Pestano working the last three straight.

When asked whether he thought the closer role might be a good one for him, the 26-year-old Hagedone replied that the Tribe already has a good one.

“I try not to concentrate on (the fact I was trying for my first save),” Hagedone, who had appeared in 15 previous games with Cleveland between 2011 and 2012, said. “I just focus on throwing strikes and getting outs.”

The Indians scored five in the third inning to stretch a 3-2 lead. Cabrera started it with a line single to left. One out later, Santana singled him to second. After a wild pitch and a walk to Shin-Soo Choo, the bases were loaded. Brantley delivered with a two-run line double to right. Casey Kotchman (3 RBI in the opener) lined the next pitch to right-center for another two-run double. Humber was removed after walking Hannahan.

The Wahoos pushed one more run across with two outs, when Kipnis and Cabrera both drew bases on balls against Jose Quintana, who made his major-league debut.

The White Sox got an unearned run in the first inning when De Aza doubled, went to third on a pickoff error by McAllister and came home on a sacrifice fly by Brent Lillibridge.

The Indians came back with three in the second. Hafner led off with a solo homer to right. Santana followed with a double inside the first-base bag. Choo then singled Santana to third.

Brantley singled up the middle for a 2-1 lead as Choo took third. Then, Choo came home when Kotchman grounded into a force at second.

Kotchman reached safely when shortstop Ramirez’s relay throw bounced wide of first base. Though Hannahan followed with a hit, Cleveland did not score again in the frame.

Chicago closed to 3-2 on another unearned run in the third. Beckham doubled high off the right-center-field wall with one out, took third on De Aza’s single, and then came home when Santana’s attempt to catch De Aza stealing second hit the runner and rolled away for an error.

The White Sox scored two in the fourth when Paul Konerko and A.J. Pierzynski singled, Ramirez (3 RBI in the opener) hit an RBI double with one out, and Kosuke Fukudome followed Ramirez with a sacrifice fly.

Quintana went on to finish the game with no damage.

“I think it was a good one to get,” Acta said. “McAllister gave us a good effort — what we needed out of him. Six innings—that was a good effort.”

After losing their first three games against Chicago, the Indians now hold a 4-3 record against that opponent.

Goldman is a freelance writer from South Euclid.

 

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