Player of the Game
Jose Ramirez: Controversy over nicknames aside, J-Ram continued to be one of the Tribe’s best bats. He was a perfect 4-4 on the night with two doubles, and had the Indians’ only multi-hit performance. His strong night raised his season batting average to .309, second to only Francisco Lindor on the Indians. His only blemish on the evening was when he was caught trying to steal second base on a perfect throw by Caleb Joseph.
Feathers Up
After what initially looked to be a potentially disastrous outing by Trevor Bauer, in which he gave up three runs in the first including, it was a very good sign to see Bauer work through his issues. After his rough first inning, Bauer shut down Baltimore, finishing the night with a very respectable line of three runs and two walks in six innings of work. At the end of the day, Bauer kept the Indians in the game, which is all that can be asked.
Juan Uribe continued his strong play of late on Friday with his double in the second inning. After struggling to start the season, Uribe is now 10-29 in his past eight games, including four doubles and a home run.
Feathers Down
In what is perhaps the most recurring negative theme for Cleveland this year, a bullpen lapse is what ultimately cost the Tribe the game. While there have been many different culprits, this time around in was Zach McAllister, who surrendered consecutive doubles and a home run, which gave Baltimore a three-run lead late in the game.
Carlos Santana, Jason Kipnis, and Francisco Lindor combined to go 2-12 on the evening. While Lindor’s home run in the eighth inning made the line more tolerable, the Indians will have a tough time winning many games when their top of the order largely stays off the bases.
Lastly, on two occasions, Indians’ hitters struck out with multiple runners in scoring positions and no outs: Jason Kipnis whiffed in the 5th inning with the bases loaded, while Juan Uribe was set down in the eighth with runners on second and third. With even a sacrifice fly or properly placed ground ball in those scenarios, the Indians could have been looking at a different game.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 – Baltimore Orioles 6
On Deck:
The Indians will send Danny Salazar (4-3, 2.32 ERA) to face former Tribe pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez (2-5, 6.04 ERA) on Saturday for a 4:10 EST first pitch.
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