CLEVELAND — A pivotal homestand began on a sour note for the Indians on Friday night.

With their offense flailing once again, Cleveland dropped the first of nine consecutive games at Progressive Field, losing the series opener to the White Sox, 3-0.

It was the third straight loss for the Indians, who were hoping to pick up some steam at home after squandering first place in the Central Division during their recent road trip. They trail the Tigers by 1 1/2 games in the standings.

“There’s not much you can do when you don’t score any runs,” said Cleveland manager Manny Acta, whose club was shut out for the 10th time this season, losing for the fifth time in six games against Chicago. “It is what it is. We’ve had to battle all year with our offense. We’re going to get shut out once in a while.”

Indians hitters, with that term used loosely, generated little off White Sox starter Gavin Floyd, who entered the night at 7-9 with a 4.37 ERA.

Cleveland didn’t muster a hit over the first three innings, and just four in 7 2/3 innings off the unheralded right-hander, who struck out five.

“He was just two-seamer and cutter,” right fielder Austin Kearns said of Floyd, who allowed just one runner to advance to second base on Lonnie Chisenhall’s two-out double in the fifth. “His velocity wasn’t what it usually is. He was just getting guys off the barrel.

“It’s just one of those things. We just didn’t have that many opportunities.”

Chisenhall, one of only two baserunners to advance to third on the night, had two of Cleveland’s five hits.

With Floyd in the dugout, the Indians got leadoff hits in each of the final two innings but left them both stranded, Carlos Santana grounding out before Orlando Cabrera drove a ball to the wall with runners on second and third in the eighth.

Michael Brantley’s leadoff single in the ninth was followed by three straight outs — two of them on strikeouts (Asdrubal Cabrera and Matt LaPorta).

With no offensive support, Indians starter Carlos Carrasco was forced to go it alone. Though the right-hander offered up a positive outing, he wasn’t nearly enough, losing for the fourth straight time by allowing three runs on six hits over 6 1/3 innings.

It appeared it would be a brief night for Carrasco, who walked the first two batters he faced and stranded seven Sox on base over first three innings.

“Carlos gave us a chance, despite having a lot of traffic out there early,” Acta said. “We just couldn’t get anything going against Floyd.”

Carrasco got himself in one jam he wasn’t able to get out of, with all three of his runs coming in the fifth.

He retired the first batter of the inning before allowing three straight hits, the final one a three-run home run from Carlos Quentin.

“You can’t get out of every jam,” Acta said. “Carlos got him.”

Jason Kipnis was promoted prior to the game, with one of Cleveland’s top prospects making his major league debut, starting at second base in place of veteran Orlando Cabrera.

Kipnis went 0-for-2, grounding to second in his first at-bat, flying to right with runners on first and third and two out in the fifth and getting hit by a pitch in the eighth.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Fan him on Facebook or follow him on Twitter.