CLEVELAND — While the regular season is just short of two months old, a fairly significant series did not start well for the Indians on Monday night.
Cleveland, which trailed the front-running Chicago White Sox by 41/2 games in the Central Division standings prior to the opener of a three-game series at Progressive Field, lost another game to the Sox, dropping a 6-3 decision in 12 innings.
The White Sox scored three times off reliever Scott Elarton to win in front of a crowd of 31,006 on Dollar Dog Night, extending their division lead to 51/2 games over the defending division champs.
While the division deficit is far from insurmountable, it could be a sizeable one should Chicago win two more to complete the sweep, something the Sox accomplished less than a week ago at U.S. Cellular Field. If that happens, Cleveland would be 7 1/2 games behind the White Sox with just nine more head-to-head meetings remaining on the schedule.
The Indians have lost nine of their last 10 to lose seven games in the standings, while Chicago won for the ninth time in 11 games.
“Things are not going our way right now,” said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge. “That’s why you play six months. We’ve got four months to go.”
Paul Byrd pitched well enough to win, but fooled few, allowing three runs on 10 hits over 6 2/3 innings.
The veteran right-hander was staked to a 3-1 lead through five innings — two of the runs coming on solo homers from David Dellucci (first inning) and Jhonny Peralta (fifth).
But Chicago fought back to tie it with a run in each of the next two innings, with A.J. Pierzynski’s two-out blooper to center falling in front of Grady Sizemore to knot it at 3-all in the seventh.
Cleveland’s offense, which generated a double-digit hit total (12) and had hits in each of the first six innings, still showed its anemic self, scoring three runs or fewer for the 28th time in 51 games and leaving 13 on base. The Indians, who are a combined 3-for-25 with runners in scoring position the past two games, also displayed their penchant for pressing in late innings, striking out nine times over the final six innings.
Cleveland blew an opportunity to score the go-ahead run in the eighth, with Asdrubal Cabrera and Grady Sizemore striking out in succession with one out and runners on second and third. Sizemore had a rough night, going hitless in six at-bats, while striking out twice and leaving six on base to lower his average to .254.
“We’ll come out of this,” Wedge said. “We have to to compete in this division. Everyone in the division knows we’re going to play better than this.”
Elarton, a former member of Cleveland’s rotation (2005), made his first relief appearance since 2003, and it did not go well. The right-hander allowed hits to the first three batters he faced, with Orlando Cabrera breaking the tie on a sharp single between first and second. Cabrera equaled a career high with four hits on the night.
“It’s not like I had it written up,” said Elarton of his bullpen debut. “It was just a matter of not making pitches.”
The Indians went quietly in the 12th against White Sox closer Bobby Jenks.
After Victor Martinez and Jamey Carroll started the inning with base hits, Peralta bounced into a double play and Franklin Gutierrez struck out to end the game.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. 

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