Cleveland Indians Take Down Masahiro Tanaka and the New York Yankees in 5-3 Win

The Indians’ pitching and offense were on the same page on Tuesday night, combining to pull out a 5-3 victory over the New York Yankees in the second of a four-game series. Trevor Bauer turned in a quality start, lasting seven innings and allowing just three runs on four hits and two walks. One of those runs was unearned, and he also struck out six batters. Meanwhile, Masahiro Tanaka pitched the worst game of his MLB career, He gave up five runs on ten hits and a walk, including two home runs, while striking out five.

Key Innings

Top of the 1st, tied 0-0
Bauer got off to a rough start, allowing two runs in the first inning. After issuing a leadoff walk to Brett Gardner and a single to Jacoby Ellsbury, Bauer gave up an RBI hit to Mark Teixeira to put the Yankees on the board. They added a second run on a throwing error by Yan Gomes to put the Tribe in an even bigger deficit. The Tribe was able to get one run back later in the inning, though, on an RBI-double off the bat of Michael Brantley.

Bottom of the 6th, Indians trail 3-2
After a second RBI-double from Brantley brought the Tribe within one run in the fifth inning, Lonnie Chisenhall led off the bottom of the sixth with a single to right field. Nick Swisher promptly followed with a two-run home run, giving the Tribe their first and final lead of the night.

Bottom of the 7th, Indians lead 4-3
With two down in the seventh inning, Brantley launched a solo shot to deep right center field, padding the lead for closer Cody Allen.

The Positives

Brantley was 3-for-4 with three RBIs and his 14th home run of the year. Kipnis also went 2-for-4, with a pair of stolen bases. Out of the bullpen, Bryan Shaw and Allen combined for two shutout innings that included a trio of strikeouts.

The Negatives

The Tribe made a long list of errors: fielding mistakes by Chisenhall and Swisher, and a throwing error by Gomes. The defense was extremely sloppy and contributed to New York’s run total.

Check It Out

– Brandon McCarthy, Wednesday night’s starter for the Yankees, is making his NYY debut after being traded last weekend. The right-hander was 3-10 with a 5.01 ERA while playing for the Arizona Diamongbacks

– Tuesday night was the first time Tanaka had given up more than five runs in a start. His 2.51 ERA is the second-best in the AL, behind Seattle’s Felix Hernandez and his 2.11 ERA. Former Indian (and current Oakland A) Scott Kazmir is third on the list, at 2.53.