Player of the Game
Jose Ramirez was 3-for-5 with three RBI including a two-out, two-strike single that tied the game in the seventh inning off of super reliever Dellin Betances. Ramirez’s single took the Indians from a 35.3% win expectancy after Carlos Santana‘s strikeout to 58.7% once the game was tied.
Ramirez did miss a catch in foul territory late in the game and it appeared he took a bad route to Chase Headley‘s double in the ninth inning, but it was a tough play for anyone, let alone a converted infielder. Headley ended up not scoring and it didn’t matter.
The little engine that could’s RBI hits gave the Indians a 4-3 lead, extended it to 5-3 and made it 6-6, proving he is the Indians most dispensable player so far this year.
Feathers Up
Ramirez gets feathers up for carrying the offense, as do the sometimes confusingly beleaguered Jeff Manship, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen. The three relievers combined for 3 2/3 scoreless innings and allowed just three base runners and struck out four.
Carlos Santana had a pair of RBI and did strike out with runners on in the fifth and seventh, though in the seventh it was against Dellin Betances.
The Indians offense as a whole deserves credit of the moral victory kind, after getting some bad luck against Miller in the ninth on a runners interference call to Francisco Lindor that would have loaded the bases with none out. Lindor was ruled to be Chase Headley’s way of making the play even though Didi Gregorious went for it. They scored on Betances and had chances to win against Miller and Aroldis Chapman.
Feathers Down
He’s headed for the All-Star game after tomorrow’s contest but Danny Salazar threw 112 pitches in just 5 2/3 innings. If the Indians had the Yankees bullpen, that wouldn’t be an issue. But they don’t and the Indians need Salazar to get deeper into games. He got two outs to start the sixth then allowed two hits and a walk. It’s possible Terry Francona should have pulled him sooner, but Dan Otero came in and couldn’t get out of the jam and the Indians coughed up the lead they had just regained.
Also a tough day for reliever’s not named Manship, Shaw and Allen. The usually reliable Otero, TJ House and Tommy Hunter showed the Indians glaring lack of bullpen depth. Brett Gardner had the crushing blow off Otero in that sixth inning jam while House, the Indians only lefty in the bullpen, was no where to be found. He only pitched 1/3 of an inning as well, allowing a hit to a left hander and got a lineout.
Finally, Abraham Almonte, who doubled but the Indians couldnt be brought around in the eighth, completely misplayed a Brian McCann double in the 11th, allowing the Yankees to go ahead 7-6. The route he took to the ball allowed it to bounce over his head and once it did, he over ran it so far that the ricochet off the wall was well behind him, allowing the runner to easily score from first.
Jason Kipnis did get picked off of first in the 11th with one out.
Final Score: Yankees (43-44) 7, Indians (52-35) 6 (11)
On Deck: Carlos Carrasco (5-2 2.47) will make his final start before the half against Masahiro Tanaka (6-2 3.12) at 1:10 p.m.
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