Player of the Game
The decision for player of the game is an easy one: After one of the roughest stretches by Indians’ starters in recent memory, Corey Kluber was brilliant in a game when he needed to be, and posted a final line of 8 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 8 K and 1 BB. Until Kluber’s effort on Saturday, Cleveland starting pitchers had failed to pitch five innings in August. As a result, the Indians’ bullpen was being taxed, resulting in the club shipping relievers to and from AAA Columbus for several days in a row. Needless to say, a complete game was just what the Indians needed, and Kluber once again demonstrated why he is Cleveland’s ace.
Feathers Up
Mike Napoli continues to give the Indians front office something to think about: Napoli expressed interest in a contract extension with the Indians on Friday, and on Saturday, he hit his 28th home run of the season, and also extended his hitting streak to eight games. Napoli’s 28 home runs are the most by an Indians’ player since Grady Sizemore‘s 33 in 2008.
While Rajai Davis hasn’t swung the hottest bat recently (.571 OPS since July) he had an excellent game for the Indians Saturday, going 2-4 with a walk, two RBI’s and two runs, while also hitting his 10th home run of the year. Hopefully, Davis is getting back on track, as Saturday’s effort was his second consecutive multi-hit game.
After just being traded from New York, Andrew Miller entered the game in the ninth inning with a three run lead, and despite allowing a leadoff single to Brett Gardner, struck out Jacoby Ellsbury and Mark Teixeira before getting Brian McCann to ground out to secure his first save as an Indian.
Milestone Alert: It took some time after a long run of poor run support in 2015, but Kluber has finally reached 50 career wins thanks to his victory today.
Feathers Down
The Indians’ catchers aren’t making it easy on fans to forget about the vetoed Jonathan Lucroy deal. Roberto Perez, although solid in the past, has struggled mightily since returning from the DL. He looked lost at the plate on Saturday, going 0-4 with a strikeout. Further, none of Perez’s balls even left the infield. For the season, Perez is now slashing a pathetic .050/.260/.50. Perez even had a defensive gaff Saturday, failing to catch a Corey Kluber offering that missed the target in the second inning, allowing Gary Sanchez to score from third base. The play was ruled a wild pitch, but certainly could have been secured.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 5 – New York Yankees 2
On Deck:
Cleveland will look to take the series vs. New York on Sunday, when Carlos Carrasco (7-5, 3.12 ERA) will face off against Masahiro Tanaka (7-4, 3.40 ERA) at a 1:05 start in the Bronx.
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