White Sox lose Clevinger and Grifol before beating Dodgers 8-4 to snap 3-game skid

By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clint Frazier singled in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning and the Chicago White Sox beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 8-4 on Wednesday night after losing starter Mike Clevinger and manager Pedro Grifol.

“That was a gutsy, gutsy win,” said Grifol, who watched part of the game from his office before joining some of the relievers watching in the clubhouse. “This is a much-needed win in a tough place to play.”

Jake Burger homered twice, including a two-run shot that tied it at 4 in the eighth as the White Sox snapped a three-game skid.

“It was awesome to see the resilience,” Clevinger said. “There’s not a lot of quit in this room.”

Clevinger exited in the fifth because of right biceps soreness after completing a pitch. Grifol was ejected for the third time this season after arguing with home plate umpire Pat Hoberg and crew chief Brian O’Nora in the sixth.

Grifol said he was upset because he didn’t get a chance to challenge a play in which pinch-hitter Miguel Vargas was safe at second and Chris Taylor scored to make it 2-all.

“I like to get a look at almost every single play and we had plenty of time on the clock. I went back and looked at it,” Grifol said. “They said I didn’t have my hand up. I was making eye contact with the first-base umpire.”

All of the stadium’s lights went out suddenly before the bottom of the ninth. They came back on seconds later except for the outfield video boards, and then partially went out again before coming back on. The out-of-town scoreboards remained dark.

“I sort of ran off the field,” said Burger, who was at third base. “Not that I’m scared of the dark, but I was definitely scared.”

Reynaldo López (2-4) got the victory with a perfect inning of relief.

Burger’s solo shot on the first pitch from Clayton Kershaw in the second and Luis Robert Jr.’s homer into the Dodgers’ bullpen in left field gave Chicago an early 2-0 lead.

Burger’s first multi-homer game of his career came against the Dodgers, a team his wife’s family cheered for years.

“Her grandpa passed away a couple years ago and was the biggest Dodger fan, so it meant a little more hitting off Kershaw and being here at Dodger Stadium,” Burger said.

The Dodgers rallied for four runs in the sixth to take a 4-2 lead.

The White Sox came back with three runs in the eighth. Eloy Jiménez doubled leading off and Burger followed with a two-run shot that dinged off the foul pole in left, tying the game at 4-all and chasing Yency Almonte.

Frazier’s go-ahead single to center scored Andrew Benintendi, who was hit by a pitch from Alex Vesia (0-3) and took second on Vesia’s wild pitch.

Chicago tacked on three more runs in the ninth, extending the lead to 8-4 as the Dodgers’ bullpen imploded. Jiménez had an RBI single and Benintendi added a two-run single.

Clevinger gave up three hits, struck out five and walked two in his 12th start of the season. He will be re-evaluated on Thursday.

“I felt my biceps grab and never really felt something like that,” he said. “It kind of scared me, but got back in the training room, did some testing, the testing went all right.”

Kershaw allowed two runs and six hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked two.

The Dodgers bounced back to take a 4-2 lead on Mookie Betts’ two-run single to right.

David Peralta scored on a throwing error by right fielder Clint Frazier before Austin Barnes grounded into a fielder’s choice to shortstop that scored Chris Taylor for a 2-all tie.

Benintendi robbed Betts of a potential go-ahead two-run homer in the eighth when he caught the ball at the wall in left.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Dodgers: 3B Max Muncy (hamstring) was out of the lineup for the second straight game with what was diagnosed as a Grade 2 strain. He took ground balls beforehand and the team hopes he can return on Saturday depending on how he’s feeling. … LHP Julio Urías (hamstring) threw a bullpen session and will do it again in a few days.

STEALIN’

Freddie Freeman got hit by a pitch and stole second in the first inning, and Mookie Betts stole second in the third, making opposing runners 15 for 15 in stolen base attempts against Clevinger this season.

UP NEXT

RHP Dylan Cease (3-3, 4.38 ERA) starts Thursday’s series finale in his MLB-leading 15th start of the season. He’s allowed three runs or less in six of his last seven starts, going 1-1 with a 2.94 ERA. RHP Michael Grove (0-2, 8.28) was sidelined with a right groin strain before making a couple of rehab starts at Triple-A last month.

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