Mike Clevinger sharp in return to lead White Sox past Guardians

Right-handed starter Mike Clevinger tossed five shutout innings in his return from the injured list as the Chicago White Sox topped the Cleveland Guardians 7-2 on Saturday night.

Clevinger (4-4) allowed just two singles, walked none and struck out three against his original team after missing six weeks with right biceps inflammation. He had last pitched on June 14 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, and he left after 72 pitches in this one.

Clevinger and manager Pedro Grifol said the righty's stuff was lively in a bullpen session on Monday.

"He just carried it out here today," Grifol said. "He had adrenaline. His fastball was good. It had late life on it. His changeup was good. He mixed in some breaking balls."

The underperforming White Sox began their pre-trade-deadline sell-off this week, sending two starters and two relievers to the Los Angeles teams. Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez went to the Angels on Wednesday, with Lance Lynn and Joe Kelly shipped to the Dodgers on Friday.

Reliever Kendall Gravemanwas traded to the Houston Astros on Friday.

Clevinger, 32, has a 3.88 ERA, 56 strikeouts and 26 walks in 13 starts over 67 innings during his first season with Chicago.

He has undergone two Tommy John surgeries in his career (2012, 2020), which covers five years with Cleveland (2016-20), two with San Diego (2020, 2022) and the current campaign with Chicago.

The White Sox brought up pitchers Edgar Navarro and Bryan Shaw from Charlotte. They join right-hander Declan Cronin, who was promoted on Friday.

Navarro, 25, is 3-1 with a 3.32 ERA, two saves and 39 strikeouts over 35 combined relief appearances between Charlotte and Double-A Birmingham. This is his first time on a major league roster since the White Sox signed him as an international free agent on March 10, 2018.

Shaw, a 35-year-old journeyman, made six relief appearances with the White Sox this season and had a 9.39 ERA in 7 innings pitched.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.