There’s a lot of things I could do with last night’s game. I could write some weird fan-fiction ala Richard Jefferson of the Cavaliers (and his unfulfilled promise after the Cavs’ Championship), I could dig deep into the pitch locations and analyze how Kluber attacked certain hitters in certain ways.
I could do all of that, but I’m not going to do it right now.
I listened to this game (didn’t watch it) in a unique way: climbing a mountain. It was Saturday morning here in Seoul, and I was listening to Hammy and Rosenhaus while climbing a mountain in Seoul. I don’t think I missed anything, however, because it was one of those games that you could really sit back and let your brain paint a picture on an imaginary canvas.
On Friday night, Corey Kluber was sensational – that’s the beginning, middle, and end of the story, to be totally honest. He befuddled the White Sox all night long, scattering 3 hits and 2 walks over nine innings. Yes, that’s right, Kluber had his fourth career complete game shutout on Friday night. The White Sox only had one baserunner reach second base, and the Sox went 0-2 with him there and would not threaten again. Kluber did throw 110 pitches, but he’s proven himself to be a workhorse and he should be just fine going forward.
The Indians offense didn’t do a lot, but they did more than they usually do against White Sox starter Jose Quintana. The Indians got their first run on an Austin Jackson double followed by a Yan Gomes sac bunt (sadly one of his most productive at bats this season), which was followed by a wild pitch. Brandon Guyer would smash his first home run of the year, a 2-run shot to left that scored Jason Kipnis, who had walked.
That’s the other storyline on the evening: the return of Jason Kipnis. The Indians’ All-Star second baseman made his 2017 debut and he instantly had a great at bat against the lefty Quintana (even though he popped out), and then he worked a walk that turned into a run when Guyer went deep.
That’s about the story of the game. Carlos Santana made a great diving double play that helped Kluber out, but this game wasn’t really a nailbiter, as Corey Kluber dominated the White Sox lineup in every way possible.
Saturday Cookie Carrasco will take on Mike Pelfrey after James Shield was scratched and put on the Disabled List today. Pelfrey isn’t good, but hopefully the Indians don’t get lazy and play down to his ability.