Stellar Pitching Helps Indians Take Down Padres in 4-2 Victory

The Cleveland Indians took down the Padres on Sunday afternoon, defeating San Diego 4-2 at Goodyear Ballpark. Behind starter Trevor Bauer, the Tribe compiled 10 hits and one walk, while Ian Kennedy and the Padres managed just seven hits and no walks on their way to a loss.

Key Moments
Second Inning: Carlos Santana Shows His Power
The game got off to a rough start, when Lonnie Chisenhall made a poor throw to first and allowed leadoff hitter Wil Myers to reach in the first inning. An RBI double off the bat of Matt Kemp plated the run and allowed the Dodgers to take an early lead. However, that lead was short-lived. Santana reminded everyone of what his bat is capable of when he launched a solo home run to lead off the bottom of the second inning.

Third Inning: Francisco Lindor Takes Advantage
Myers may have reached on an error in the first inning, but his mistakes in the outfield led to an unlikely inside-the-park home run for Lindor in the bottom of the third. The ball looked like it was headed for the fences, but it was knocked down by the wind and Myers lost track of it. Lindor kept running, scoring a leadoff run to make it 2-1 in favor of the Tribe. It would stay that way until the top of the fifth inning, when Myers took the lead back with a solo home run of his own.

Seventh Inning: Jose Valverde Loses the Game
The Indians won Sunday’s battle against Valverde, a familiar foe from his days with the Tigers. Michael Martinez sent a one-out single to center field and stole second base, before advance to third on Tyler Naquin’s ground out. With two down, David Murphy singled to score Martinez. Pinch-runner Tyler Holt stole second and then scored when catcher Brett Hayes reached on a throwing error. The Padres never recovered, and the Indians won 4-2.

The Positives
Offensively, David Murphy was 2-for-3 with a walk, and most of the every day starters reached base at least once. The pitching was the real story of the day, with Bauer pitching five strong innings. He gave up four hits and two runs, but didn’t walk a batter. After he exited the game, Bryan Shaw, Marc Rzepczynski, Scott Downs, and C.C. Lee all pitched scoreless innings. The Tribe’s pitching staff combined for seven strikeouts without allowing a walk.

The Negatives
Aside from Chisenhall’s error to begin the game, the Tribe didn’t have many negatives. Overall, it was a good game for both the offense and defense, and the pitching was stellar.

Check It Out
– Brandon Moss was 1-for-2 in his return to the lineup after his illness. It was the first game he’s appeared in for the Tribe this spring in which he hasn’t hit a home run.

– The Tribe will face off against the Royals at Surprise Stadium on Monday afternoon, where Shaun Marcum will take the mound for the Tribe. Marcum is aiming to be a major league starter again this season, but he will have a significant amount of competition to reach that goal.