Player of the Game
In a game that saw the Indians use eight pitchers in a so-called bullpen game and some minor league callups getting an at-bat, I’ll go with Rajai Davis, who went 2-for-4 to drive in a run in the second inning. A close second would be Jose Ramirez, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Feathers Up
What looked like could be a big rally for the Tribe turned out to be just a single run when the bases were loaded in the bottom of the second inning with no outs. Roberto Perez struck out, then Davis hit a single to score Jose Ramirez, but Brandon Guyer was stopped at third and unfortunately Coco Crisp kept going and got thrown out after he strayed too far from second after rounding it toward third. Davis then stole second, but Jason Kipnis eventually struck out to end the inning.
Adam Plutko also made his Major League debut pitching 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball. He gave up two hits and walked a batter while striking out two during his appearance. Brandon Guyer also chipped in with a 2-for-3 night. On the mound, Joseph Colon looked sharp striking out the side in order in the seventh inning.
Feathers Down
With Cody Anderson starting the game and likely going just a couple innings, Anderson wasn’t exactly sharp in the first inning. He gave up four hits in two innings and also gave up two runs forcing the Indians to play from behind virtually the whole game. It was a deficit that could not be overcome and seemed to zap much of the energy from the night. Perhaps the team was looking ahead toward Sunday. Austin Adams also pitched just 0.1 innings and he got shelled. Adams gave up four runs (three earned) and three hits. Perci Garner also gave up a run and three hits in his one inning and Shawn Armstrong gave up a run on two hits in an inning, but struck out two.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 8 – Chicago White Sox 1
Scoreboard Watch: The Indians magic number is down to just two as the Detroit Tigers blew a 4-2 lead in the ninth inning against Kansas City to lose to a final score of 7-4. An Indians win and a Detroit loss on Sunday would officially clinch the American League Central Division for the Tribe.
On Deck: Josh Tomlin (12-8, 4.61 ERA) gets the start for the Indians on Sunday at 1:10 p.m. in what marks the last regular season game at home in 2016. Carlos Rodon (7-10, 4.29 ERA) will take the mound to start for the White Sox.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
