Angels Too Much for Indians, Again

Apr 29, 2014; Anaheim, CA, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) looks on in the dugout after he is pulled from the game in the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Indians Fall Short for Fifth Straight Game

The West Coast has not been very kind to the Indians in the early goings of the 2014 season. After dropping last night’s game to the Angels by a score of 6-4, they are now 2-6 in the state of California. With the loss, the Indians have no dropped five straight games and find themselves in the middle of an early season free fall that is threatening to upend what was supposed to be a promising season.

Corey Kluber lasted only 4.2 innings on Tuesday night and allowed four runs on eight hits and four walks. Only three of the four runs were earned. It was a disappointing encore for Kluber, who went the distance on his way to a victory in his most recent start.

Another bad break for the Indians on Tuesday night was Jason Kipnis’ right oblique muscle. In the fourth inning, Kipnis grimaced in pain running down the line after hitting into a double play. Mike Aviles entered the game immediately. Depending on the severity of the strain, the Indians could be without their all-star second baseman for anywhere from 4-6 weeks. That is the typical timetable for recovery from such an injury.

Meanwhile, as for the game itself, the Angels went up 4-0 by the time the fifth inning had rolled around. They scored a run in the bottom of the second following back-to-back-to-back singles by David Freese, Erik Aybar, and Chris Iannetta. In the fourth they scored a second run on an RBI single by Collin Cowgill. Finally, in the bottom of the fifth, Howie Kendrick plated two runs with a single to center.

In the sixth, the Indians got on the board when Carlos Santana homered to right. The two run shot was Santana’s third of the year and his second in as many games. It appears that Santana’s bat might be coming back to life following a nice two game stretch here in Anaheim.

The Angels got one of those two runs back, though, in the bottom of the sixth inning as Albert Pujols scored on an infield single by Erik Aybar. That put the Angles up 5-2 heading into the top half of the seventh.

In the seventh, the Indians pulled themselves to within one run. With the bases loaded, Carlos Santana drew a walk to force home Michael Bourn. Michael Brantley followed with a sacrifice fly left which allowed Lonnie Chisenhall to come home and make is 5-4. That’s all the Indians would be able to do, though. Asdrubal Cabrera struck out swinging and Jason Giambi flied out to right to end the Indians threat. It was the closest they would get for the rest of the night.

In the bottom of the eighth, The Angels added an insurance run when Chris Iannetta singled to score Erik Aybar. With the score 6-4, the Angels brought in Joe Smith to close things out in the ninth. He retired the Indians in order, striking out two of the three batters he faced.