9/27 Recap: Tribe Bats Fall Asleep as Playoff Hopes Dwindle

Player of the Game

All things considered, Danny Salazar pitched a pretty decent game today save for one inning. Had he gotten some support this could have been a very different outing.

Feathers Up

There are no silver linings in two-hit losses at the end of the season in the middle of a playoff push. That lack of offense is simply unacceptable at a time when one loss may be the difference between playoffs and tee times at Pebble Beach.

Feathers Down

The offense was held hitless by Chris Young for 5 innings and by Danny Duffy for 1 inning today before getting their first hit. This coming after jumping out of the gates early in the previous three games. Granted Young has been a very solid pitcher for the Royals, the Indians were unable to create opportunities and the ones they did were squandered.

Danny Salazar was looking sharp up until the 4th inning when Lorenzo Cain legged out a tapper just to the left of the mound. Eric Hosmer followed that up with a double into the left field corner that scored Cain and he’d eventually score on a groundout, putting the Royals up 2-0. This was all the Royals would need to win today.

The Indians threatened in the 7th inning after Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley reached base. After Lindor advanced to third on a Carlos Santana sac fly, chaos ensued in what was the strangest play I have ever witnessed. With one out, Lonnie Chisenhall lined one back to the glove of Ryan Madson, catching Michael Brantley in no-man’s land 15 feet off first. Madso threw to Eric Hosmer, but the throw was wide and he missed the tag. Francisco Lindor, who was on 3rd, broke for home and beat Hosmer’s throw. Or so we all thought. The Royals appealed to third base saying Lindor didn’t tag but the third base umpire called him safe. The Royals then challenged the call that Hosmer missed the tag on Brantley, but that call was upheld. So it appeared that the Indians’ run would hold. However, during the time the umpires were reviewing the Brantley call, clear video showed that Francisco Lindor never tagged up at third before he broke for home. The Royals wanted to review this play and after some confusion, Lindor was called out. Lindor has been crucial to the Indians’ success this season but this mental gaffe was huge and likely cost the Indians the game – and quite possibly the season.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 0  – Kansas City Royals 3

Scoreboard Watch: Houston up 4-2 on Texas (Bot 8), Minnesota beat Detroit 7-1, Angels up 2-1 on the Mariners (Bot 5). Indians fall 4 games back.

On Deck: Tomorrow the Indians begin the biggest series of their season, an almost must-sweep 4 game set against the Minnesota Twins. Corey Kluber is on the mound against Twins’ ace Phil Hughes.