Chiz Saves the Day Before Game Gets Suspended

Aug 31, 2014; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall (8) connects for a two run double in the tenth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Allen Blows Save, But Two Out Rally Puts Tribe Ahead

The back end of the Kansas City bullpen is a fearsome foe, to say the least.  Kelvin Herrera and Wade Davis have combined for 50 consecutive scoreless innings between the two of them, and Greg Holland has more saves than anyone else in the AL.  Yet the Cleveland Indians managed to recover from Cody Allen’s first blown save since May and pull ahead with a two out rally off of the formidable Holland.  After Jason Kipnis reached on a fielding error by Billy Butler, Yan Gomes smacked his fourth single of the night to drive him to third.  Pinch hitter Lonnie Chisenhall ripped a beautiful double off the right field fence to extend his hitting streak to seven games, but Holland managed to escape any further damage.  Because of a torrential downpour in the bottom half of the inning, we’ll have to wait until September 22nd to find out the exciting conclusion.  The remainder of the game will be played at Progressive Field.

The Positives

TJ House!  He spun seven innings of one-run ball in the longest outing of his career, striking out five and issuing no walks.  Yan Gomes went 4-for-5 and looked fantastic at the plate.  Jose Ramirez had another hit, and Bryan Shaw got the Indians out of a big jam in the 8th.

The Negatives

Cody Allen blew his first save since May, ending his 17-save streak.  I’m not concerned, although he did allow a homer in a game last week as well.  The error bug continued for the Indians, as Roberto Perez’ errant throw to second on a steal attempt almost cost the Indians the lead in the 8th.

Check It Out
-Allen’s ERA is still just 1.80 on the year
-Last time Allen blew a save, the Indians were still using John Axford as their official closer
-Rosters expand tomorrow. Which new faces will we see playing for the Indians in September