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Korey Lee and Paul DeJong connected on back-to-back home runs and Garrett Crochet struck out a career-high 11 in six shutout innings to lift the host Chicago White Sox to a 6-3 win against the Cleveland Guardians on Friday.

Chicago secured at least a split of the four-game series against Cleveland by winning for the fifth time in seven games. The White Sox had just six victories in their first 32 games.

Their latest win hinged on strong starting pitching and a power surge in the late innings. In addition to the long-ball heroics from Lee and DeJong to start the seventh, Andrew Vaughn blasted his first home run of the season leading off the eighth.

Jordan Leasure recorded the final four outs for his second save.

Cleveland scored each of its runs courtesy of the homer. Tyler Freeman’s solo shot in the seventh brought the Guardians to within 3-1. Jose Ramirez had a two-run home run in the eighth, going deep for the second straight game in the series.

Crochet pitched effectively, throwing 72 of his 97 pitches for strikes while issuing zero walks for the second straight start and fourth time in nine starts this season.

Crochet (3-4) retired the first six Guardians hitters he faced, including four by strikeout. Will Brennan opened the Cleveland third with a triple to right field, but Crochet worked out of trouble by striking out the next two hitters before inducing Brayan Rocchio on a groundout to third base.

Ramirez and Josh Naylor had successive two-out singles for the Guardians in the sixth. Ramon Laureano came to the plate as the tying run but went down as Crochet’s 11th strikeout victim of the night. Crochet scattered five hits.

Cleveland starter Carlos Carrasco (2-3) scattered five runs (three earned) and six hits in seven innings. He struck out five without a walk. Carrasco allowed three runs in the fifth, but two were unearned after Gabriel Arias’ fielding error let two runs come home.

Tommy Pham then added an RBI single for the White Sox to lead 3-0.

Andrew Benintendi, Lee and DeJong had two hits apiece for Chicago. Ramirez had two hits for Cleveland.

–Field Level Media