A’s Take Second Straight From Indians

June 30, 2018
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The Cleveland Indians came into today’s game against the Oakland Athletics looking to get back onto the winning side of things after a rough loss in Oakland the night before. While the Tribe sits atop the American League Central Division with a comfortable eight-game lead, there’s no rest for the weary as the season hits it’s halfway point. Unfortunately, the Indians looked like the far more weary team today.

What Happened

Adam Plutko took the mound for the Indians this afternoon, facing veteran right-hander Edwin Jackson. Early on, the game was a pitcher’s duel, as neither man allowed a base runner through their first three innings of work. Luckily for the Indians, they have Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez. The young stars hit their 20th and 24th home runs of the season, respectively, to give the Indians a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth inning.

Unfortunately for Plutko, the wheels came off in the bottom of the sixth inning. Franklin Barreto led off the inning with a double to deep left field, and Josh Phegley followed that up with a home run to left field to tie the game at two runs apiece. Dustin Fowler then singled to right field, and scored on a double to left by Mark Canha, who was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple. Plutko ended his day allowing 3 runs over 5.2 innings as Oliver Perez came on to close out the sixth with the Indians trailing by one.

To his credit, Edwin Jackson was able to shake off the home runs by Lindor and Ramirez, to pitch 6.2 solid innings for the A’s. Signed to a minor league contract at the beginning of June, Jackson has allowed just two runs over 12.2 innings in Oakland, and seems to have found a home. At least for this year. The Athletics are Jackson’s 14th team in 16 seasons in the Majors.

The Athletics opened up the flood gates in the bottom of the eighth inning. Fowler homered to right center. Canha then walked, went to second on a walk by Jed Lowrie, moved to third on a throwing error by Yan Gomes, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Khris Davis. Matt Olson then hit a two-run home run to right field to give the A’s a 7-2 lead, as they dealt the Indians their second straight loss in Oakland.

Things I Noticed

Much has already been made of Francisco Lindor possibly leaving the Indians in a few years when he becomes a free agent. Now is not the time to worry about that. Lindor and Jose Ramirez are STARS. They’re tremendous players with great charisma and should be two of the faces of baseball. Enjoy every game these two play for the Indians, not because they might leave, but because of how special they truly are.

Plutko is a decent pitcher, but tends to get hit hard the more times the opposing lineup sees him. Once Carlos Carrasco is healthy, I’d consider moving Plutko to the bullpen and committing to Shane Bieber as the fifth starter. If the Indians want to keep Plutko stretched out since Josh Tomlin is already in the ‘pen, then they they should send him back to Columbus.

News that Danny Salazar will have arthoscopic surgery on his right shoulder is disappointing, but hardly a surprise at this point. Salazar has a ton of talent, but the injuries have made it so that the Indians cannot count on him, both now and in the future. Luckily, if this organization has done one thing well, it’s develop a deep pool of starting pitching.

Speaking of pitching, the bullpen has been a bit better lately, but they still are in desperate need for some upgrades.

After today’s loss, the Indians still lead the Minnesota Twins by eight games in the A.L. Central.  They’ll be back at it in Oakland tomorrow afternoon as they try to avoid the sweep. Until then, GO TRIBE!

: Feature Article, Game Recap
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