It seems like the only time the Indians get a sell-out crowd these days, they end up disappointing about 42,000 people. The Tribe opened a three-game series against the Kansas City Royals on Friday night, July 4th, with an extended fireworks show, Rally Alley, Dollar Dogs–everything you need for a great big rollicking night out at the ballpark. The only thing missing were some runs by the Indians.

The Royals had plenty of fireworks, primarily in 25-year-old rookie Christian Colon, Lorenzo Cain, and veteran Mike Moustakas. Colon made his first major league start and went 3-4, with two doubles, a single, an RBI, and two runs scored. Moustakas went 2-4 with a 3-run home run in the 6th. The Royals had already scored one each in the 3rd and 5th innings. Moustakas’s dinger made the score 5-0, and after he hit it, you just kind of knew that the Indians weren’t going to make any valiant come-from-behind wins. Michael Brantley tried, hitting a solo home run in the bottom of the 9th. He managed to break up Yordano Ventura’s shutout, but by that time the Royals had scored two more runs. The Indians scattered six hits, but were 0-3 with runners in scoring position. That shows both how poorly they hit when it mattered and how few baserunners they got past 1st base.

The only bright spot besides Brantley’s home run was a strike out-throw out double play to end the Royals’ half of the 3rd inning. With runners on 1st and 2nd, Billy Butler had a 7-pitch at-bat that ended with a swinging strike. Tribe catcher Yan Gomes caught the pitch and then caught Lorenzo Cain trying to take 3rd. Yes, Gomes has 10 errors this season, the most of any catcher in the AL, but he’s 1st in the AL in putouts (574), 1st in the AL in assists (41), and 2nd in double plays turned with 6. Oh, I guess this makes it 7, tying him with Detroit’s Alex Avila. Errors aside, Gomes plays heads-up baseball.

Final score: Royals 7, Indians 1. Another loss, another frustrating game.

4 Comments

  • Sean Porter says:

    Moustakas literally offends me.

    That hack would be still toiling away in AAA if it weren’t for Indians pitching. It befuddles me that EVERYONE else in the majors can figure out how to pitch to him apparently, but the Tribe.

  • Sean Porter says:

    I’m going to guess A’s fans are not disappointed tonight – they just traded for starting pitchers Jeff Samardzija AND Jason Hammel of the Cubs. Holy Cow.

  • bob says:

    Tribe lineups have an uncanny ability to make middle of the rotation starters look like Cy Young candidates this season…Ventura only went 4 innings in his last start and the Royals had taken 2 L’s in a row over his last 2 starts…