CLEVELAND: C.C. Sabathia knows when Monday's game started to get away from him during the Indians' 10-8 season-opening victory over the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field.

It wasn't the 414-foot two-run homer he dished up to designated hitter Jim Thome that spotted the White Sox a 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Nor was it Thome's second two-run homer — a 420-foot shot in the third, again to right-center field — that pulled Chicago within 7-4 after the Tribe's offense had bailed out Sabathia from the early hole with a seven-run second inning.

Sabathia said his real problems came toward the end of his short 51/3-inning outing in which he allowed five runs on six hits and three walks while striking out seven.

As far as the big lefty is concerned, it was those pesky walks with one out in the sixth inning that ultimately did him in.

''I just got away from (my fastball) in the fifth and sixth innings,'' Sabathia said. ''My off-speed stuff was working so good that I kind of went to that instead of throwing my fastball.

''I had Jermaine Dye 3-1 and threw him a change-up that walked him, and I had (Alexei) Ramirez 3-2 and threw a change-up and walked him instead of staying with just what I know best.''

Surprising slugfest

A pair of late free passes might not seem like a big deal on a day when the Tribe ace was a surprising nonfactor in a game that featured a combined five home runs and turned out to be a slugfest instead of a low-scoring battle between Sabathia and fellow left-hander Mark Buehrle.

But it was to Sabathia.

''I knew right away when I walked those two guys that I probably should have just stuck with what I do best,'' he said.

The White Sox, however, managed only a single run out of the promising inning. After Sabathia's departure, they tagged the Indians' bullpen for another pair of runs to tie the game 7-7 in the seventh inning.

''C.C. battled,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''He left a couple fastballs up, but I thought his stuff was pretty good. He wasn't as efficient as we've seen him, but ultimately he gave his team a chance to win the ballgame.''

Like Sabathia, Wedge didn't seem concerned about his No. 1 starter's inability to keep Chicago off the board — especially early.

''You can count on any number of things happening early in the season because guys are still working their way in,'' Wedge said. ''Some guys are ahead of other guys. C.C.'s a great pitcher, and I thought he did a good job of staying under control today.

''He just left a couple pitches up and got to the point where he was at about 100 pitches in the sixth inning and we had to get someone else in there.''

The irony in Sabathia being so vulnerable to Thome on Monday is that the former Tribe slugger entered the game 0-for-11 lifetime against Sabathia.

''I just missed my spots and he made me pay,'' Sabathia said. ''The times before when I faced him, I was able to hit my spots and get in on him or throw my cutter good and away from him. (Monday) I threw a couple balls that caught too much plate.''