First the details:
The Indians scored one run, enough to win.

Mike Clevinger allowed one hit, by far his best Major League appearance.

Carlos Santana had a one-base hit to score one run and give the Indians one impressive victory over the Kansas City Royals who were impersonating the Kansas City Monarchs. (He finished with three hits, but only one mattered)

Indians 1, Royal Monarchs 0.

If you read our game thread, you know Clevinger was performing well coming into the game, at least as far as AAA performances go. His outing Sunday was singularly spectacular and just what the slumping Indians hitters needed to keep winning.

You might say “Ho Hum” but the bullpen was excellent again, adding 3.1 innings of scoreless relief. Bryan Shaw was perfect, striking out four batters, Andrew Miller was his usual self, adding a scoreless inning. Cody Allen added a little drama with a walk and a hit batter in the ninth, but he prevailed.

Boone Logan relieved Clevinger in the sixth and walked the only man he faced, but that was forgivable in light of his teammates performances.

So the Indians leave Kansas City with two victories because they held the Royals to one run the last two days. That they only scored four runs themselves can be forgotten or dismissed for at least another day because of the pitching excellence.

The snarky baseball experts will contend neither of these trends is “sustainable” and no one can argue that point except to remind us the Ice Age did not last forever but was followed by temperate beauty and the Tribe bats might warm up when the pitchers begin acting like mortals again.

So we can enjoy an evening of relaxed satisfaction that can last at least until Trevor Bauer flies into Toronto tonight and drones on about how doing things his way will bring him to stardom — some day.

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