Roster Update: Just prior to the game, it was announced that Nick Hagadone has been placed on the 15 day DL with a sore lower back and replaced on the roster by Kyle Crockett. The move is retroactive to July 7th. While a sore back is usually an injury a reliever could just wait out on the Major League roster, the fact that Cody Allen was also out yesterday with a sore back may have worried Terry Francona, who likes a big bullpen. Without either pitcher, he would be down to just six relievers, rather than eight, so at least with Crockett on the staff, he has another option.
Player of the Game
Although he struggled in the first inning (more on that later), Trevor Bauer settled down and struck out nine Houston batters in eight innings tonight, allowing just the two runs that scored in the first. While he threw 70 pitches in the first four innings, it took him just six to get through the fifth, allowing him to stick around much longer than expected early on. While the Astros had two hits in the first inning, a single and a home run, Bauer allowed just three more hits all game, both singles, walking none. With a POG score of 6.69, this is Bauer’s team high tenth award this season.
Feathers Up
The Indians were finally able to take a lead in the bottom of the eighth and it was thanks to an aggressive rookie and a veteran who may have been under utilized this season. Francisco Lindor started the rally with a one out, hustle double to left and was followed with the unintentional-intentional walk to Michael Brantley. Leaving the left handed David Murphy in to face the left handed Joe Thatcher in a pivotal situation turned out to be a great decision as he blasted his second double to right, bringing in both base runners. In general, Murphy has been replaced by Ryan Raburn in these situations this year, but this late inning experiment could lead to more Murphy at bats against left handers and possibly more playing time in left field.
Milestone Alert: With his seventh strike out of the night, Trevor Bauer reached 100 on the season, giving the Indians four starters that have already reached the mark. They are the first team in MLB history to have four starters reach the century mark before the All-Star break. Together, they have 473, Indians starters as a group have a league best 527 (only four teams have more than 471) and are on pace for another record breaking season somewhere north of 1,000 total K’s.
Feathers Down
Trevor Bauer came out of the chute more than a little wild and his unpredictability made both the Astros hitters and Yan Gomes lives difficult in the first inning. After Jose Altuve singled, he moved to second, then third on poor pitches, one ruled a wild pitch, the other a steal. The next two batters each struck out while Gomes was kept busy diving each way to keep Altuve from scoring on another wild pitch. The one man who wasn’t put off by Bauer’s erratic pitches was Evan Gattis, who blasted a fast ball far above the strike zone, in fact the highest pitch any player has hit for a home run this year at 4’5″, well out to left for an early Astros two run lead.
While Bauer was setting down Astros from the second through the seventh, the Indians were generally getting set down themselves. They did manage to score once in the fourth, but otherwise had just one real chance to score during that stretch. To start the seventh, Carlos Santana walked and Yan Gomes was hit by a pitch to put two on. They wouldn’t move from there, however, as Brandon Moss struck out, Giovanny Urshella was robbed of a hit by Colby Rasmus and Michael Bourn grounded out to end the inning.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 – Houston Astros 2
On Deck: The Indians will go for their second series win against the first place Astros this year as the incredible phenom, Cody Anderson, takes on Brett Oberholtzer at 7:10 PM in the two team’s final battle of the regular season.
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