BOSTON — A steady rain did nothing to dampen right-hander Mike Clevinger’s strong finish to the season.
Clevinger was sharp again Sunday, doing his best to help the White Sox defeat the Red Sox 3-2 in a rain-shortened game at Fenway Park. He allowed two runs in six innings before the game was called and positioned the Sox to avoid 100 losses with a 3-3 finish to this forgettable season. The Sox close the season with a six-game homestand against the Diamondbacks and Padres.
For the fifth consecutive start, Clevinger didn’t walk a batter. That’s the longest such streak for a Sox pitcher since LaMarr Hoyt made six starts in a row with no bases on balls in 1983.
‘‘You feel more comfortable just challenging guys in the zone,’’ Clevinger said. ‘‘That’s been a big part of it. Just really getting guys in good counts, getting strike one and being able to expand from there.’’
Clevinger didn’t strike out anyone, but he held the Red Sox to five hits. He was coming off a complete game last Monday against the Nationals in which he allowed one run. The last Sox pitcher to throw back-to-back complete games was Lucas Giolito in 2019. One of those was rain-shortened, too.
‘‘I didn’t have my good stuff; it was hard to get the grip on the ball [because of the rain],’’ Clevinger said. ‘‘We were going to pitch what we got. We had to get away from the four-seam [fastball]. I don’t think I’ve ever used that many two-seams in my entire career.”
Clevinger has a 2.91 ERA in his last 13 starts and a 3.41 ERA this season.
Elvis Andrus’ double in the fifth against Kutter Crawford scored Gavin Sheets and Korey Lee, and Sheets’ sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Eloy Jimenez. Clevinger gave up a home run over the Green Monster in left field to Adam Duvall on an 0-2 count with two outs in the sixth, cutting the Sox’ lead to 3-2.
After the inning, the umpires called for the tarp to cover an infield that had been collecting moisture since the first pitch.
The Sox had been 0-10-2 in their last 12 series.
Scholtens’ season over
Right-hander Jesse Scholtens, who made 11 starts and posted a 1-9 record and 5.29 ERA this season, won’t make his scheduled final start after landing on the injured list with a strained muscle in his left calf.
Scholtens suffered the injury while running sprints in the outfield Saturday at Fenway Park.
Right-hander Declan Cronin, who made six relief appearances in two stints with the Sox this season — allowing 10 runs in 7 2/3 innings — will return from Triple-A Charlotte for the last six games. Cronin, who had been on the IL with blister problems, will pitch out of the bullpen.
Manager Pedro Grifol didn’t say who would take Scholtens’ turn in the rotation Wednesday against the Diamondbacks.
‘‘We’ll fill it from somebody in here, and somebody will get a good opportunity to show us what they’ve got,’’ Grifol said.
This and that
• Sheets notched the first stolen base of his career.
• Luis Robert Jr.’s 27 solo homers this season are a team record. That broke the mark set by Albert Belle in 1988, when he hit 48 homers.
• Sox starters have a 1.75 ERA in their last eight games.
