Andrus shows his value after Scholtens' quality start

CLEVELAND -- There’s something about Progressive Field that brings out the best of Elvis Andrus.

Entering the series finale, the 15-year veteran was hitting .370 in 50 games at the stadium, which is his best batting average at any MLB ballpark. He added to that illustrious resume on Sunday afternoon with a second consecutive three-hit game, with his final hit being a go-ahead two-run single off Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase, giving Chicago a 5-3 lead that it wouldn't relinquish.

“He’s great,” White Sox manager Pedro Grifol said of Andrus. “He’s got a great voice in there and he’s got leadership. I’m really proud of the way he’s taken on that role as of late. He’s done a really good job of leading and being a professional.”

Andrus’ heroics were set up by two strong at-bats by Oscar Colás (Chicago's No. 8 hitter) and Zach Remillard (No. 9). With two outs in the inning, Colás and Remillard both reached on throwing errors by third baseman Brayan Rocchio, which loaded the bases for Andrus.

Remillard, who was down to his final strike, hit a shot that Rocchio had to turn to field, which led to him uncorking a shorthopped throw that first baseman Kole Calhoun couldn’t handle.

“[Remillard] made them make a play, which is kind of what it’s about at that point,” Grifol said. “That’s what we’re preaching. It’s a little easier said than done.”

For the entire series, Grifol preached a message of how he wants to use the next two months to evaluate players for next season, and the pitching line of Sunday’s box score reflects that theme.

Jesse Scholtens put together his second consecutive quality start, as he worked six innings, allowing six hits and three runs (two earned) with six strikeouts. Lane Ramsey tossed 1 1/3 scoreless innings in his MLB debut, Sammy Peralta picked up his first win in the Majors and Jimmy Lambert picked up his first MLB save.

“[Scholtens is] taking advantage of this opportunity and showing everyone he can pitch at this level,” Grifol said. “There’s quite a bit of time left, but he’s been really impressive.”

All of the Guardians’ damage came in the fifth inning when Scholtens allowed a double to Calhoun that was followed by a game-tying home run from Gabriel Arias. Two batters later, Cleveland took the lead when Rocchio scored from second on a wide throw from Andrus.

“Overall, I thought [catcher Yasmani Grandal] and I did a good job keeping them off balance,” Scholtens said.

The six strikeouts tie his career high, which came in his previous start against the Texas Rangers.

“That doesn’t mean anything for my next start,” Scholtens said. “I still need to go [on the mound], work and execute. Getting that momentum feels good.”

Andrus’ fingerprints were all over Lambert’s save as well, as he made a fantastic diving stop on a ball in the hole to rob Oscar Gonzalez of a hit for the first out of the bottom of ninth inning.

“That play was huge,” Lambert said.

After that play, Lambert finished the save off by getting Calhoun and Arias to fly out to Luis Robert Jr.

“We tied it so quickly, [so] I didn’t have a ton of time to think about [coming in to try and get the save], which probably was a good thing,” Lambert said.

While neither of Robert’s final two catches were anything spectacular, he did have a web gem in the sixth inning when he robbed Calhoun of extra bases with a fantastic jumping catch at the center-field wall. The ball, which had a 60% catch probability, would have been a home run in six MLB parks.

“I saw the fly ball, ran hard and was able to catch it,” Robert said through interpreter Billy Russo.

Robert made his presence known with his bat as well, as he staked the White Sox to a 1-0 lead with an RBI triple in the first inning that went 422 feet and hit off the 19-foot wall in left-center field.

On Saturday, Robert Jr. slugged his 30th home run of the season, which was quickly overshadowed by the benches-clearing incident that occurred in the sixth inning. With that homer, he became the first White Sox center fielder with 30 homers in a season. Additionally, he became the ninth White Sox player to hit 30 long balls in his first 108 games, and he is on pace for 43, which would tie Frank Thomas for the third most in a season in franchise history.

“I’m happy to hit 30 home runs, but I’m happier that I’ve been able to play almost every day,” Robert said. “That’s been my main goal.”