Carmona stifles Sox in Tribe win

Grady Sizemore drove in three as the Indians won their second straight.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Fausto Carmona’s sinker was in filthy 2007 form. The right-hander, who emerged from nowhere to win 19 games last season, pitched seven innings in his season debut and Grady Sizemore had three RBIs to lead the Cleveland Indians to a 7-2 win over the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday night.

With his signature sinker dipping and dancing away from Chicago’s hitters, Carmona allowed one run and four singles. He got 16 of his 21 outs on grounders, struck out four and kept Jim Thome in the park, something Indians’ ace C.C. Sabathia couldn’t do in the opener.

Thome, who homered twice off Sabathia on Monday, grounded into two of Chicago’s three double plays and flied to right — the only fair ball hit into the air against Carmona.

Asdrubal Cabrera had three hits and two RBIs for Cleveland, which made the most of four walks by White Sox starter Javier Vazquez (0-1).

The Indians are 2-0 for the second straight year. It’s the first time they’ve opened consecutive seasons with two wins since 1954-55.

A.J. Pierzynski homered in the ninth for the White Sox.

Carmona’s breakout in ’07 helped the Indians win the AL Central and beat the New York Yankees in the playoffs. The Indians are counting on the 24-year-old to come through again.

Carmona was replaced in the eighth by Japanese free agent Masa Kobayashi, who faced just three batters in his major league debut before being pulled. Rafael Perez came in, struck out Thome, walked Paul Konerko to load the bases and then fanned Jermaine Dye.

Vazquez’s wildness helped Cleveland score twice in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead.

Sizemore, baseball’s current Ironman playing in his 360th straight game, tripled and scored on Cabrera’s single to make it 3-1. Jhonny Peralta reached on a fielder’s choice and Travis Hafner singled him to third.

Vazquez then walked Ryan Garko to load the bases, and the right-hander put Franklin Gutierrez on with a walk to force in a run.

The Indians added two runs in the sixth off reliever Mike MacDougal on RBI singles by Sizemore and Cabrera.