The Indians used a 5th inning home run from Edwin Encarnacion to pull ahead of the Chicago White Sox for good as Corey Kluber, Andrew Miller and Cody Allen combined to strikeout twelve in a 7-3 win on Friday night. Indians pitching shut out the Sox over the final four innings and the Tribe improved to 30-28 on the season.
The Indians might have put up ten runs in the 4th inning if they caught some of the energy across the plaza from the start of the Cavs game, but Bradley Zimmer’s based loaded walk with two outs after falling behind in the count 0-2 had to suffice as an understated key moment. Edwin Encarnacion’s two run bomb to dead center in the 5th was as emphatic as a “wham with the right hand” as Joe Tait might have called it.
Kluber, except for some traffic on the bases in the 3rd, was his usual efficient self and improved to 5-2 with a 4.38 ERA on the season with the win. Miller bridged the gap and is having a truly remarkable season. He has allowed just 19 base-runners (14 hits, 5 walks) in 29.2 innings for a 0.64 WHIP to go with his 0.30 ERA. His 44 strikeouts give him an impressive ratio of 13.4 per nine innings.
As the Cavs continue to slug it out, quite literally, with the Warriors over at the Q, the Indians will come back to the Prog tomorrow at 7:15pm for game two against the White Sox.