CLEVELAND — On a cold and rainy Monday night at Progressive Field, the Indians looked as though they would have rather been anywhere else.

It translated to the field.

Listless and mistake-prone, Cleveland opened a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox by managing just three hits and committing two errors in a 6-1 loss.

The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak for the Indians, who played in less than ideal conditions and in front of a crowd that was probably less than 10,000 fans but that was announced as 23,088.

“I don’t buy into that,” said Indians manager Eric Wedge, whose club lost for the 16th time in 20 games. “Both teams are in the same atmosphere. We have to do better than that.”

White Sox starter John Danks had plenty to do with Cleveland’s inefficiency, working the first complete game of his professional career. The right-hander struck out seven and walked just one batter.

“He was good,” Wedge said. “He had a good changeup. He controlled the ballgame. We really never got anything going.”

Danks, who won his career-high 13th game of the season, has been tough on the road, where he has gone 6-1 with a 1.98 ERA over his last 12 starts away from U.S. Cellular Field.

Shin-Soo Choo appeared to be the only Cleveland position player into the game, accounting for two of his team’s hits and the only run, with a solo home run to lead off the seventh inning. Choo mustered the first hit of the game off Danks with a two-out double in the fourth.

The Indians got an acceptable effort from their starter, left-hander Aaron Laffey, who allowed three runs on eight hits over 7 1/3 innings. He allowed all of his runs in the second inning, surrendering three straight one-out singles before getting the second out, then allowing the next three batters to produce RBIs — one on a hit batter.

“It was just one of those innings,” said Laffey, who went 0-5 in five September starts, while posting a 5.40 ERA. “At least it wasn’t a whole game like that.”

Laffey is 7-9 with a 3.91 ERA in 24 games (18 starts), and for much of the season he was the best Cleveland had to offer in the rotation.

“I think he’s had a good year,” Wedge said of Laffey, who is all but a lock to earn a spot in the rotation next season. “He’s had some struggles like everyone else, but you look at his overall consistency. It’s been pretty good.”

“I think consistent is the best way to summarize (my season),” said Laffey, who is scheduled to make one more start before the year is complete. “I’m proud of the way I pitched this year. I think I made my case (for next year).”

Things got embarrassing in the top of the ninth with the Indians trailing 3-1.

Reliever Jensen Lewis walked the leadoff batter, No. 9 hitter Brent Lillibridge, then allowed a hit to DeWayne Wise, followed by a two-run double from Gordon Beckham.

Lewis retired the next batter before a single from Paul Konerko touched off a comedy of errors from the Indians.

Center fielder Trevor Crowe charged Konerko’s hit and overthrew the cutoff man on an errant toss to the plate that allowed Beckham to score. Indians catcher Lou Marson tracked down the ball, then threw wildly to Lewis covering the plate and was charged with an error when Konerko moved up to third base.

“It’s happened too many times,” said Wedge of Crowe’s misfire. “He’s got a good arm, but he has to learn. Then the play got real ugly after that, because he did overthrow the cutoff guy.”

Tonight

• Who: Cleveland vs. Chicago White Sox
• Time: 7:05
• Where: Progressive Field
• Pitchers: Masterson (4-9, 4.79 ERA) vs. Torres (1-1, 5.91)
• TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

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