Thomas hits a 3-run homer in 5-0 Guardians win, dealing White Sox 113th loss

CHICAGO (AP) — Lane Thomas hit a three-run homer and Cleveland's bullpen was terrific once again, helping the Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox 5-0 on Tuesday night after Ben Lively departed with a leg injury.

At 33-113, the White Sox are closing in on the post-1900 record for losses — 120 by the 1962 New York Mets in their inaugural season.

Thomas also doubled and scored on Kyle Manzardo's second-inning single. With two on and one out in the sixth, he drove Gus Varland's second pitch deep to left-center for his 11th homer of the season.

Thomas was acquired in a July 29 trade with Washington. The outfielder struggled right after the deal, but he is batting .364 (12 for 33) with three homers and nine RBIs in September.

“You just work day in and day out, and eventually you find something that kind of helps,” Thomas said. “I feel like the game kicks you in the teeth quite a bit, and you just got to work through those little stretches.”

Six Cleveland relievers combined for seven innings of four-hit ball after Lively departed with a bruised right thigh. Pedro Avila (6-1) got six outs for the win.

Led by Thomas and their reliable bullpen, the AL Central-leading Guardians stayed 3 1/2 games ahead of second-place Kansas City.

“Those guys stepped up in a huge way,” manager Stephen Vogt said of his relievers. “They were all efficient. Did their job, and then some.”

Chicago was shut out for the 17th time, finishing with five hits. It has dropped a franchise-record 14 straight at home.

“We had a couple of good swings here and there,” interim manager Grady Sizemore said. “We got some guys on, but just not the big hit when guys were on and weren’t able to grind at-bats and make them work at all.”

The 32-year-old Lively was hit on the outside of his right leg by Dominic Fletcher’s liner in the second. The ball deflected to first baseman Josh Naylor, who stepped on the bag for the final out of the inning.

Lively said he got treatment and ice, and he thinks he should be able to take his next turn in the rotation.

“It hit me and like my leg just gave out,” he said. “Next thing I know I was on the ground and it was just stinging.”

After Avila departed, Eli Morgan, Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and Erik Sabrowski combined to close it out.

Cleveland's bullpen has a 37-11 record and a major league-best 2.76 ERA.

“That's a really close-knit group out there,” Vogt said.

White Sox rookie Jonathan Cannon (3-10) was charged with three runs and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings.

Varland got two outs before Sean Burke pitched three innings in his major league debut. The right-hander, brought up from Triple-A Charlotte, allowed one run and three hits.

Burke, a third-round pick in the 2021 amateur draft who was hampered by shoulder soreness last year, likely will make at least one start for Chicago in the final part of the season.

“It was unbelievable. This is definitely the best day of my life,” Burke said. “It’s something I’ve worked for since I picked up a baseball for the first time. It’s hard to put into words right now.”

TRAINER'S ROOM

Guardians: RHP Alex Cobb (blister on his right middle finger) is throwing weighted balls, and Vogt said the team is going day to day with the pitcher. LHP Joey Cantillo is in line to start on Saturday. “If Cobb can come back, then we'll figure that out,” Vogt said. ... LHP Sam Hentges is going to have shoulder surgery on Sept. 18. Dr. Neal ElAttrache is going to perform the operation in Los Angeles, and Hentges is expected to be sidelined for about a year.

White Sox: RHP Drew Thorpe said his season-ending elbow surgery went as expected. “Should have a normal offseason and be ready to go for next year,” he said. ... INF Brooks Baldwin (right wrist sprain) "still hurts kind of when he hits," Sizemore said. “Want to make sure, even though the scans and X-rays look good, that he’s not swinging through pain and creating more problems,” Sizemore said.

UP NEXT

Guardians left-hander Matthew Boyd (2-1, 2.20 ERA) and White Sox right-hander Davis Martin (0-3, 3.29 ERA) take the mound for Wednesday's series finale. Boyd has a 1.50 ERA over his last three starts, striking out 18 in 18 innings. Martin is 0-2 with a 2.53 ERA over his last six outings.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb

Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' pitcher Ben Lively lays on the field after being hit by a ball during the second inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Jonathan Cannon throws during the first inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Eli Morgan flips the ball to first base for an out during the fifth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Chicago White Sox's Luis Robert Jr. high fives first base coach Jason Bourgeois after hitting a single during the third inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Chicago White Sox's Sean Burke, left, chats with catcher Korey Lee on the mound during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Cleveland Guardians, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas watches his three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

Cleveland Guardians' Lane Thomas celebrates in the dugout after hitting a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Chicago White Sox Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Melissa Tamez)

NEW YORK (AP) — Sean “Diddy" Combs was expected to appear before a federal judge in New York on Tuesday after his indictment on undisclosed criminal charges.

The music mogul was arrested late Monday in Manhattan, roughly six months after federal authorities conducting a sex trafficking investigation raided his luxurious homes in Los Angeles and Miami.

The indictment detailing the charges was expected to be unsealed Tuesday morning, according to U.S. Attorney Damian Williams.

Over the past year, Combs has been sued by people who say he subjected them to physical or sexual abuse. He has denied many of those allegations and his lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, said outside the courthouse Tuesday morning that Combs would plead not guilty. Agnifilo said he would “fight like hell” to try and get his client released from custody.

Agnifilo said he didn’t have details on the indictment, but that Combs knew it was coming and had relocated to New York two weeks ago in anticipation. Of Combs, he said, “His spirits are good. He’s confident.”

Combs, 54, was recognized as one of the most influential figures in hip-hop before a flood of allegations that emerged over the past year turned him into an industry pariah.

In November, his former girlfriend, the R&B singer Cassie, whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, filed a lawsuit saying he had beaten and raped her for years. She accused Combs of coercing her, and others, into unwanted sex in drug-fueled settings.

The suit was settled in one day but months later CNN aired hotel security footage showing Combs punching and kicking Cassie and throwing her on a floor. After the video aired, Combs apologized, saying, “I was disgusted when I did it.”

Combs and his attorneys, however, denied similar allegations made by others in a string of lawsuits.

Douglas Wigdor, a lawyer for Cassie, said in a statement Tuesday that “neither Ms. Ventura nor I have any comment.”

“We appreciate your understanding and if that changes, we will certainly let you know,” he added.

A woman said Combs raped her two decades ago when she was 17. A music producer sued, saying Combs forced him to have sex with prostitutes. Another woman, April Lampros, said Combs subjected her to “terrifying sexual encounters,” starting when she was a college student in 1994.

The AP does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie and Lampros did.

Combs, the founder of Bad Boy Records, has gotten out of legal trouble before.

In 2001, he was acquitted of charges related to a Manhattan nightclub shooting two years earlier that injured three people. His then-protege, Shyne, was convicted of assault and other charges and served about eight years in prison.

This story has been corrected to show that Combs' age is 54, not 58.

Associated Press writer Andrew Dalton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

FILE - Host Sean "Diddy" Combs presents the revolt black excellence award at the Billboard Music Awards, May 15, 2022, at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected in court after New York indictment

FILE - Sean "Diddy" Combs arrives at the LA Premiere of "The Four: Battle For Stardom" at the CBS Radford Studio Center on May 30, 2018, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)