This was kind of the ideal game for the Indians.
Salazar, Miller, Allen. Plus four runs from the offense. That’s kind of all you can ask for from this team, and it all adds up to a 4-3 win. It’s a team that was built to win games exactly like this, and when a team is built to do one particular thing, there’s something especially nice about getting to see them do that thing.
Early on, it didn’t seem like this was the kind of game we were going to get. Three runs in the first inning came off of two home run blasts on back-to-back pitches, making for a worrying early start from Danny Salazar, who seemed to be trying to make me look foolish less than an hour after I wrote all those nice things about him in the open thread. And then… that was it. The Mariners didn’t score a single run after that point, and really didn’t even come particularly close.
When the bottom of the first inning rolled around, Yovani Gallardo got off to an even worse start, walking the first three batters and eventually allowing four runs in the inning, highlighted by a well-hit Jose Ramirez double. And then… that was it. Gallardo, too, allowed zero runs the rest of the game; same for his relievers. With Felix Hernandez out, the last thing the Mariners needed was an early exit from Gallardo taxing their bullpen, and it looked like it was headed that way for the first inning. But Gallardo ended up giving the team six quality innings, albeit in an eventual loss.
The Indians did get close at times. The wind really picked up during the game, and at one point dragged a Carlos Santana fly ball bound for the stands back into deep centerfield, where it was easily caught. Otherwise, the offense the Indians were searching for in vain yesterday did show up, but for one inning only.
Salazar really got into a groove there after the first, retiring the side in the fifth and sixth innings with just a combined 14 pitches, making him the winner of Rob Manfred’s pace of play gold star, a very real award that I definitely did not just make up.
Then Andrew Miller came out and pitched like a fire-breathing monster, getting five quick outs including four strikeouts. Then Cody Allen came out and pitched like a monster whose flames are slightly less hot but still very dangerous (it’s not a nickname that’s going to stick, I know), and that was it. An ideal win from a team built to win this exact type of game. On a cold April afternoon, it made for a sweet sight.