CLEVELAND — There figures to be one spot available in the Indians’ rotation next year, and one of the candidates, right-hander Jeanmar Gomez, is doing his best to make a lasting impression.

Gomez continued his string of brilliant starts Thursday at Progressive Field, helping Cleveland to a lopsided 11-2 victory over the White Sox that capped a split of a four-game series between the two Central Division rivals battling for second place.

The win left the Indians with a 1 1/2-game lead over third-place Chicago, as Gomez allowed just an earned run on four hits over six innings. The 23-year-old native of Venezuela will get one more start to strengthen his bid for next season, but he has already won his last five starts, while allowing just six earned runs over 30 innings.

“I don’t know the future,” Gomez said. “I’ll try to work hard in the offseason and be ready this spring.”

“He definitely put himself in the mix,” said manager Manny Acta of Gomez, who is 5-2 with a 3.52 ERA over 10 games (nine starts) for Cleveland this year. “We’re not handing out jobs in September but he certainly put himself in the mix to compete for our rotation. He knows that.”

Gomez was backed by plenty of offense and it surfaced early with Kosuke Fukudome and Jason Kipnis hitting back-to-back home runs to lead off the opening inning for Cleveland. It was just fourth time in club history that the Indians have led off a game with consecutive homers.

Fukudome has been a solid acquisition for the Indians, who brought him aboard to help bolster their foiled playoff hopes. He has hit five homers and driven in 21 runs in 52 games for Cleveland after hitting just three and driving in 13 in 87 games for the Cubs.

“He has given us so much stability. It’s been overlooked,” Acta said. “We’ve had so many guys go up and down and this guy has come in and played every single day. He’s been terrific. We’re impressed.”

Fukudome, 34, is a free agent at the end of the year, but sounded open to wearing an Indians uniform next season.

“I haven’t thought about it yet,” Fukudome said through an interpreter. What’s going to happen is going to happen. I like it (in Cleveland), but there’s so many bugs around.”

After allowing the homers, White Sox starter Phil Humber found a groove, retiring 15 straight before the Indians got to him again for two in the sixth to break a 2-2 tie.

Cleveland added on from there and then some, scoring seven times over its final three at-bats.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera drove in five of them, collecting hits in his final three at-bats, including a three-run homer in the seventh. It was his 25th homer of the year, setting the single-season record for a Cleveland shortstop.

“What a night,” Acta said of Cabrera’s performance. “This guy has put together some really good numbers. Not since Lou Boudreau has a shortstop had a season like this around here.

“It’s been remarkable what he has been able to do this year.”

Despite enduring a lengthy second-half slump, Cabrera has his average at .276, but his most impressive work has come in the power department with a career-high total in homers and RBIs (90).

The 90 RBIs are the most by an Indians shortstop since Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau drove in 106 in 1948.

“That’s a lot,” Cabrera said of the prospect of driving in 100 runs. “I don’t think too much about that. We’ll see after the season what numbers I have.”

Travis Hafner also reached a milestone with the 1,000th hit of his career, a single that followed Cabrera’s seventh-inning homer.

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

ELYRIA — The Texas Roadhouse restaurant is scheduled to reopen at 4 p.m. Friday after it was closed by a  fire in its kitchen on Sunday.

According to a release from the company, repairs are complete at the restaurant at 245 Market Drive, which had to be evacuated about 8:10 p.m. Sunday.

No one was hurt in the blaze, and all patrons were evacuated safely.

Fire investigators said they believe a faulty ventilation component caused the fire.

CLEVELAND — According to manager Manny Acta, there is only one spot available in the Indians’ rotation next year.

Acta said right-handers Justin Masterson, Ubaldo Jimenez, Josh Tomlin, and even Fausto Carmona have starting spots locked up for 2012, which means right-handers, Carlos Carrasco, Jeanmar Gomez and Mitch Talbot, and left-hander David Huff, will vie for the final job.

“That’s pretty much it,” Acta said. “The other guys are in the mix and they’ll fight for that last spot.”

Though Acta named Carmona, there is no guarantee the right-hander, who finished fourth in the American League Cy Young voting in 2007, will be back. The Indians own club options in 2012 ($7 million), 2013 ($9 million) and 2014 ($12 million) on Carmona, who has been inconsistent this season, going 7-15 with a 5.23 ERA in 31 starts.

Acta also left open the option of the Indians acquiring a starting pitcher in the offseason.

“Why not? Maybe,” he said. “You can never have enough pitching.”

Entering Thursday, Cleveland’s starting pitchers ranked 10th in the AL with a 4.43 ERA.

Back in business

All-Star shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera returned to the lineup after missing a game with a mid-back strain. Entering Thursday, Cabrera had played in 146 games — the second-most behind Carlos Santana’s 148.

Off and on

Acta said he will continue to platoon designated hitters Jim Thome and Travis Hafner for the remainder of the season, meaning each would play every other day.

Hafner was in the lineup Thursday.

“Hafner could hit three homers (Thursday) and Thome is still playing (Friday),” Acta said.

Next up

The Indians complete the final homestand of the season with a four-game series against Minnesota that begins tonight at 7:05.

Justin Masterson (12-10, 3.15 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing RHP Carl Pavano (8-13, 4.40).

David Huff (2-6, 4.20) starts for the Indians in the first game of a day-night doubleheader Saturday (1:05 p.m.), while the Twins counter with LHP Scott Diamond (1-5, 4.81). Mitch Talbot (2-6, 6.33) starts the nightcap (7:05) for Cleveland, but Minnesota has yet to name a pitcher.

Carmona (7-15, 5.23) goes in the series finale Sunday (1:05 p.m.) against RHP Liam Hendriks (0-2, 6.23).

Roundin’ third

Thome and Chicago’s Omar Vizquel, teammates and fan favorites in Cleveland from 1994-2002, exchanged the lineup cards prior to the game. The Indians will hold a special ceremony for Thome prior to tonight’s game in commemoration of his 600th homer. He is Cleveland’s all-time home run leader with 336. … The Baldwin-Wallace College marching band performed the national anthem. … Tonight, 7:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM.

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

CLEVELAND — Ubaldo Jimenez’s final home start of the season looked like most of his other games with the Indians.

The right-handed flamethrower was overpowering at times, but couldn’t avoid one bad inning.

Alejandro De Aza ripped a go-ahead, two-run single in the top of the seventh Wednesday, propelling the Chicago White Sox to an 8-4 win over the Tribe.

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Jimenez entered the inning with a 2-1 lead, but took the loss after allowing an RBI double to Brent Morel and De Aza’s drive to the base of the wall in left-center field. He exited at the end of the seventh with Cleveland trailing 4-2.

“I just lost the control, I lost my radar,” said Jimenez, who fell to 4-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 10 appearances with the Indians. “Tonight was probably the best game I’ve had here until then because I was throwing good sliders and my fastball was working.

“I didn’t get tired in the seventh. I felt good. I just tried to go up and in on De Aza, but it didn’t happen and he hit it.”

Jimenez (10-12, 4.52 ERA) allowed four earned runs, six hits and two walks while striking out seven in a 113-pitch outing. He was in position to get the win after Tribe designated hitter Travis Hafner hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth, erasing Chicago’s 1-0 lead.

Hafner’s 360-foot shot to right also convinced Cleveland manager Manny Acta to keep Jimenez in the game, which he attributed to his status as the team’s ace. He was acquired from Colorado on July 31 in exchange for pitching prospects Drew Pomeranz and Alex White, and two other minor leaguers.

“I thought Ubaldo threw the ball well, and he was cruising pretty much until the seventh there,” Acta said. “I tried to stretch him a bit like a top of the rotation guy, but it just backfired on us.

“You want to give him a chance to win the ballgame, but he missed his location a couple of times. I feel bad myself because I wanted to push him, and he couldn’t do it.”

After Chicago reclaimed the lead off Jimenez, it blew the game wide open in the eighth against Indians reliever Chad Durbin. He surrendered three long home runs — totaling 1,182 feet to Alexei Ramirez, Alex Rios and Morel — and four runs to extend the White Sox’s lead to 8-2.

The Tribe scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Jason Kipnis and a single by Carlos Santana, but it was far too little, too late on this quiet fall night.

Chicago left-hander Mark Buehrle (12-9, 3.72) earned the victory with six innings of two-run, four-hit ball. The veteran had lost his first three September starts, but found the magic elixir at Progressive Field in improving to 15-17 all-time against Cleveland.

Jesse Crain, Jason Frasor, Will Ohman and Sergio Santos tossed the final three innings for the White Sox, scattering four hits and a pair of runs, while Frank Herrmann mopped up for the Indians.

“Buehrle just changed speeds and threw strikes tonight,” Hafner said. “You know what you’re going to get when you face him because that’s what he always does.”

Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.