The homestand stunk.
With a ton on emphasis being placed on this stretch as a springboard towards playoff viability, the Indians simply ran into a buzzsaw this week that they could ill-afford. Starting with a crippling four-game sweep at the hands of the White Sox that gave way to lockerroom strife and juicy quotes questioning the routines of some on the team, the mighty Royals came and were more than happily putting their boots on the throats of the Tribe’s already scant postseason hopes.
Simply put, the Indians had a miserable week. And somebody was going to have to bear the brunt of the Indians’ frustrations. That somebody just happened to be former Indians’ pitcher, Jeremy Guthrie (5.1 INN/10 H/8 R (7 ER)/3 SO/1 BB). Guthrie, intentionally or not, threw at three batters (and somehow avoided ejection after both benches were warned; Terry Francona was tossed after questioning the decision after Michael Brantley was plunked) and seemed to light the fuse. The Indians erupted for six runs in the sixth inning off of Guthrie, on the strength of three homers. Brandon Moss would cash in a two-run hit and Yan Gomes crushed a two-run shot in the eighth that turned a same ol’ you-know-what, different day, 2-0 game into an eventual 12-1 WHAT-PLANET-AM-I-ON????, run-supported cruiser for Corey Kluber (9 INN/5 H/1 ER/6 SO/1 BB).
For today at least, the hot temperature matched that of the boiling blood pressure of an angry and embarrassed Indians team that was just looking for someone to bully. They got what they needed as they head to Oakland for the weekend.
W: Corey Kluber (6-11); L: Jeremy Guthrie (7-7)
Please don’t refer to the Tribe like it’s a soccer team. It’s a baseball team, a unit, a singular entity.