CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Maybe it is true what they say -- solo home runs won’t beat you.
The Indians hit four Wednesday night, but still lost to the Tigers, 9-4, in the first game of a seven-inning doubleheader at Progressive Field. Bobby Bradley homered twice with no one on base, while Jose Ramirez and Cesar Hernandez hit one each.
The two that Bradley hit stirred memories of Jim Thome, another power hitting left-handed batter who used to play pepper with the left-field bleachers. Bradley’s first homer traveled 430 feet. The second went 403 feet, but they weren’t enough to beat Detroit.
The Tigers, in a back-and-forth game, won it against the Indians’ bullpen. Harold Castro’s two-out bloop single in the fifth off Bryan Shaw (2-3) gave Detroit a 5-4 lead. They added two runs in the sixth and two more in the seventh at the expense of Blake Parker and Trevor Stephan.
The Tigers, 4-8 against the Indians this season, have won seven of their last nine games. The Indians have lost six of their last 11 games.
Cesar Hernandez, in a 6-for-34 skid, gave the Indians a 3-2 lead in the third with his 12th homer of the season. It did not last long.
The Tigers, who hit starter Cal Quantrill hard from the first inning, continued the trend in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead. Zach Short started the inning with a single and scored on Harold Castro’s double to center. After Jake Rogers lined out to right, Akil Baddoo doubled off the wall in left center.
Castro, who went back to second to tag thinking the ball might be caught, had to stop at third. It could have cost the Tigers a run, but Jonathan Schoop greeted Phil Maton, who relieved Quantrill, with a sacrifice fly to right for a 4-3 lead.
Bradley for the second time in as many at-bats pulled the Indians back into a tie with an opposite field homer to the bleachers in left center. It was Bradley’s eighth homer and first two-homer game in the big leagues.
The Indians had a chance to put the game away as Harold Ramirez walked and Bradley Zimmer doubled him to third to knock Jose Urena out of the game. Kyle Funkhouser (2-0) relieved and struck out Austin Hedges and retired Oscar Mercado on a fly ball to center.
“When hitters hit the ball the other way with authority, they’re scary,” said manager Terry Francona. “Bobby is strong enough where he can hit the ball to left like a right-handed hitter. That’s very impressive.”
Jose Ramirez homered in the first to give the Indians a 1-0 lead. Ramirez’s 18th homer came with two outs and dropped just over the wall in right, some 344 feet from home plate. It was his 15th homer off a right-hander.
In the fifth, Ramirez fouled a ball off his face and went to his knees for several minutes. He stayed in the game initially, but was replaced by Owen Miller in the sixth inning. The Indians called Ramirez’s injury a facial contusion and he went to Lutheran Hospital for more tests.
“His face started to swell,” said Francona. “To be on the safe side we took him to Lutheran to get looked at. Everybody thinks he’s fine, but it’s nothing to mess around with when you get up in your face or head. We want to get him checked out really well.”
The Tigers wasted no time taking a 2-1 lead in the second as Quantrill pitched into and out of trouble. Miguel Cabrera singled and Jeimer Candelario doubled to start the inning. Quantrill walked Short with one out to load the bases. Then he walked Castro to force home a run and make it 1-1.
Pitching coach Carl Willis visited the mound, but Quantrill still couldn’t find himself. Jake Rogers sent a soft single into center for a 2-1 lead. Quantrill, with Maton warming, retired the next two batters to stay in the game and leave the bases loaded.
Bradley did his best Thome impersonation to tie the score in the second. He started the inning with a 430-foot homer into the bleachers in left center off Urena. There hasn’t been many left-handed hitters wearing an Indians uniform that reach the bleachers with that kind of authority since Thome was in his prime.
Quantrill, in his fifth start, allowed four runs on eight hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out three and walked two.
“He was getting to two strikes, he’s just having a hard time putting hitters away,” said Francona, when asked about Quantrill.
Urena allowed four runs on five hits in 3 1/3 innings. He struck out five, but couldn’t keep the ball in the park. Urena had allowed just seven homers in 69 innings before Wednesday night.
The start of the game was delayed 2 hours, 29 minutes by rain.
A variety of Cleveland Indians face masks available online today. (Fanatics.com)
New Indians face masks for sale: Here’s where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($14.99) and a 3-pack ($24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charity.
More Indians coverage
Roberto Perez leaves rehab game with hand injury
Good exam for Shane Bieber and six other things
Naylor set for Friday surgery for leg, ankle injuries
Catcher Bo Naylor invited to All-Star Futures Game
Clase, Karinchak both have All-Star credentials
Nothing gets Cleveland bats healthy like a Detroit visit
Clement on playing for injured Naylor
Tribe shakes off injury blues, batter Detroit 13-5
Naylor’s ‘big heart’ and 5 other things
CF Mercado and LHP Allen recalled, Naylor to 10-day IL
Naylor has fracture, dislocation of right ankle
Indians-Tigers series preview, pitching matchups
On replacing Naylor and 4 other things
"four" - Google News
July 01, 2021 at 08:43AM
https://ift.tt/3hi6CY4
Cleveland Indians hit four solo home runs, but Tigers prevail, 9-4 - cleveland.com
"four" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2ZSDCx7
https://ift.tt/3fdGID3
No comments:
Post a Comment