Tribe hurts Sox chances again, 12-6

The Twins can clinch the AL Central today with a win and a Chicago loss.

CHICAGO (AP) — With a chance to grab first place, the White Sox flopped again.

Zach Jackson pitched seven strong innings, Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run double off struggling Javier Vazquez in a six-run fifth and the Cleveland Indians won 12-6 on Saturday night, keeping Chicago a half-game behind the Minnesota Twins in the AL Central following its fifth straight loss.

The Twins can win the division title today with a victory over Kansas City and another White Sox loss to Cleveland.

When the Royals’ 4-2 victory at Minnesota was posted on the scoreboard during the second inning, the crowd at U.S. Cellular Field reacted with a loud ovation.

But that was about all it had to cheer until Chicago rallied from a 7-1 deficit and closed to 8-6 by scoring four times in the eighth.

The Indians put the game away with four in the ninth off Chicago’s beleaguered bullpen. Jhonny Peralta and Victor Martinez had RBI singles, and Franklin Gutierrez added a two-run single to snap an 0-for-15 skid as a pinch hitter this year.

Paul Konerko hit a pair of homers for the White Sox. Pitching on three days’ rest, Vazquez (12-16) was hit hard for a third consecutive start and failed to make it out of the fifth.

Before Vazquez’s previous start, when he was roughed up the Twins at the Metrodome, White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen told reporters the right-hander had not emerged as a big-game pitcher.

Whether that was a motivational ploy by Guillen or not, Vazquez had his trouble again Saturday night in a pivotal game. He gave up five hits and seven runs in 41‚Ñ3 innings.

Jackson (2-3), acquired from Milwaukee in the CC Sabathia trade, allowed three hits, including solo homers by Jermaine Dye and Konerko.

For the second straight night, the White Sox appeared to get a boost from a Kansas City victory over the Twins, but couldn’t take advantage of it and lost to the Indians.

Should the White Sox tie Minnesota, they would host the Twins on Tuesday in a one-game tiebreaker for the division title.

Ryan Garko singled with one out in the fifth, David Dellucci walked and Ben Francisco singled to load the bases. Cabrera, the Indians’ No. 9 hitter, then delivered a bases-clearing double into the right-field corner.

After Grady Sizemore was intentionally walked, Jamey Carroll came through with a two-run double to finish Vazquez as loud boos poured out from the frustrated crowd of 36,031.