Player of the Game
The Indians scored six runs off Chris Sale today, but the single most important player for the Tribe in the win was Josh Tomlin, who kept the White Sox from matching that number. The Indians starter raised his record to 7-0 to start the season with one of his best starts of the season, pitching eight innings and allowing just two runs. Tomlin struck out five and walked only one while allowing five hits.
Feathers Up
Sale has easily been the American League’s best starter to this point of the season and to get consecutive base runners on against him would be a dream. To do so with two outs would be improbable and to keep it going, getting five batters on in a row would be near impossible, yet the Indians did just that in the third. Jose Ramirez started it all with a two out walk, followed by a single from Francisco Lindor and the most improbable hit of all, a Mike Napoli triple to left. Austin Jackson ran from center to field the ball, but didn’t have enough time to make the play and Melky Cabrera was busy doing something else. With the runner still on third, Sale walked his second of the inning, Carlos Santana, then allowed a bloop single right over Brett Lawrie‘s head at second for one more run.
Francisco Lindor felt very sorry about going hitless in two games yesterday so he made sure to get a single in each of his first three at bats today. The third of which was the final blow to Sale, scoring the Indians fifth run by knocking home Rajai Davis from third. Davis had initially walked, then took third on a wild pitch during a Jose Ramirez walk. Davis was attempting to steal on the pitch and had enough time to run all the way from first to third as the ball went to the back stop. While Sale was definitely struggling with his command, it was the Indians patient approach at the plate that made him work and forced the Chicago ace out of the game at just 89 pitches with just one out in the fourth.
The Indians turned a bit of an unconventional double play in the bottom of the fourth after Josh Tomlin had gotten into a little trouble by allowing two doubles. With Lawrie on second, Avisail Garcia hit a ground ball to Francisco Lindor, who could have just thrown to first for the second out of the inning, but instead chased down Lawrie towards third. With a quick toss to Uribe, Lawrie was retired and Uribe threw to first to catch Garcia who had rounded the base and was heading for second.
Feathers Down
Tomlin is who he is and with his quality start every five days comes the long ball. We didn’t have to wait very long for his first today as Adam Eaton lead off the game with a shot to right center. Tomlin was able to locate better after this pitch, not allowing another run until the two doubles in the fourth.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 – Chicago White Sox 2
On Deck: The Indians four game series against Chicago feels like it began only yesterday, but it will culminate tomorrow nonetheless featuring what should be a tremendous match-up between Corey Kluber and Jose Quintana.
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