TJ House Earns First Win as Indians Top Royals

Jul 5, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher

(58) delivers in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Rookie Left-Hander Pitches Into 7th Inning in 7-3 Victory

TJ House finally got a win on his seventh try, Jason Kipnis had 2 hits, drove in a run and scored twice, and Cody Allen survived a terrifying ninth to close out the game for the Indians as they came back to even the series against the Royals.  The Tribe lineup pounded out 14 hits and put up three spots in the third and fifth innings to come back from an early 1-0 deficit, giving House plenty of room to work with.

The Positives

Lonnie Chisenhall had a multi-hit night and added a walk.  His batting line is now .342/.400/.551.  Of course, TJ House was another positive, as he continues to look poised on the mound and is adjusting well to the major leagues.  Michael Brantley went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.  Bryan Shaw pitched a scoreless inning and a third.  It was truly great to see the middle of the order working like a well-oiled run-producing machine.

The Negatives

Cody Allen loaded the bases with nobody out in the ninth but managed to come back and end things with a strikeout and a double-play.  Nick Swisher slapped a single but continues to hit below the Mendoza line and strike out in half of his plate appearances.  Kottaras went 0-for-4, but we didn’t expect him to hit home runs in every plate appearance forever.

Check It Out
–Lonnie Chisenhall is only four plate appearances short of batting title qualifications
-TJ House needed only 54 pitches to get through the first five innings
–Michael Brantley‘s .319 batting average is fifth in the American League. Lonnie Chisenhall’s .342 would be first.
-Lonnie Chisenhall has already surpassed his walk total from 2013, in which he had more plate appearances than he currently has this season.