CLEVELAND — Adam Dunn and Carlos Quentin each hit two-run homers in the third inning and two-run doubles in the fourth, and the White Sox erupted for an early 14-0 lead and held on for a 15-9 victory against the Cleveland Indians in their season opener on Friday.
The Sox had 14 runs on 15 hits through four innings. Mark Buehrle, starting his ninth opener for the Sox, allowed two hits through the first five innings, retiring the last 10 batters he faced in that stretch before giving up four runs in the sixth — his final inning.
Buehrle gave up eight hits. Will Ohman (three runs), Tony Pena (two) and Jesse Crain each took their lumps in a lackluster day for the Sox bullpen as the Indians finished with 17 hits.
Dunn’s double, a liner to the right-center field wall, was the knockout blow for Indians ace Fausto Carmona, who was off his game from the get-go.
After Juan Pierre singled and Gordon Beckham doubled to open the game, Paul Konerko poked a one-out single to right field to score Pierre, and Quentin singled to center with two out to score Beckham from third. Both RBI singles came with two strikes.
Dunn, who struck out in the first in his first at-bat as a White Sox, hit a 386-foot home run with Beckham (single) on first in the third to make it 4-0. After Konerko singled for his second hit, Rios struck out for the second time before Quentin homered to left. Umpires watched on replay to confirm that Quentin’s blast cleared the yellow line on top of the high wall at Progressive Field.
Beckham had three hits in his first three at-bats. Konerko had two hits in his first two at-bats and was hit by a pitch from Justin Germano, who had just entered in relief of Carmona and may have been making a purpose pitch with first base open.
Konerko flipped the bat as he headed toward first.
Germano gave up five hits in the inning, including a two-run double to Brent Morel.
