Bieber lowers ERA to 1.63, Indians top White Sox 3-2, close

CLEVELAND (AP) — Shane Bieber lowered his ERA to 1.63 in his final regular-season start, the lowest in the American League since Luis Tiant’s 1.60 for Cleveland in 1968, and Jordan Luplow hit a game-ending home run that gave the Indians a 3-2 win over Chicago on Wednesday night and dropped the White Sox into a tie with Minnesota for the AL Central lead.

Bieber, who leads the big leagues with eight wins, allowed an unearned run and two hits in five innings with 10 strikeouts in his eighth double-digit strikeout game, also a major league high.

He lowered his major league-leading ERA from 1.74. Chicago's Dallas Keuchel is second in the AL at 2.04 heading into his start against the Indians in Thursday's series finale.

Chicago fell to 34-22, the same record as the Twins going into their game against Detroit later Wednesday. Cleveland (32-24) closed within two games of the lead with its second straight last at-bat victory. José Ramírez hit a three-run homer with two outs in the 10th for a 5-3 win Tuesday.

With the score 2-2, Luplow homered onto the porch in left field off Gio González (1-2). A .194 hitter, Luplow struck out in his first three at-bats and followed with his second home run this season.

Brad Hand (2-1) pitched a perfect ninth.

Lucas Giolito gave up two runs and four hits in six innings, throwing a career-high 119 pitches. He has three no-decisions against the Indians this year.

Carlos Santana hit a a 441-foot home run in the second and with 215 homers tied Hall of Famer Larry Doby for sixth place ion the Indians list.

Edwin Encarnación hit an RBI groundout that tied the score in the fourth by bringing home José Abreu, who reached on an error by Ramírez at third.

Cleveland took a 2-1 lead ion Franmil Reyes' sixth-inning sacrifice fly, but Abreu tied...

source https://www.chron.com/sports/article/Bieber-lowers-ERA-to-1-63-Indians-top-White-Sox-15592805.php