Francisco Lindor Hits First Homer As Cleveland Indians Knock Off Detroit Tigers
The Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians played an early noon game this afternoon. Carlos Carrasco nearly went the distance as he threw 8 very good innings, giving up 2 runs and striking out 7 batters. Buck Farmer started for the Detroit Tigers. Farmer pitched 5 1/3 innings, and he gave up 8 hits and 5 runs.
Key Moments
Third Inning
The Indians got off to a great start as Michael Brantley drove in Jason Kipnis on a single to right. Carlos Santana later added key runs off a two run double. Brantley and David Murphy scored on the play.
Fifth Inning
Indians top prospect Francisco Lindor hit his first career home run today, a solo home run, increasing the score to 4-0. Lindor is not a power hitter and should not be relied upon to hit many home runs, but anytime the talented young short stop can showcase his hitting ability is a positive.
Sixth Inning
Lindor walked twice today, including one during the sixth. That walk allowed Yan Gomes to score on the play and moved along Giovanny Urshela and Brandon Moss up the base path.
Seventh Inning
With the Tribe now up by three, the Indians continued to score. Santana and Moss got into scoring position by hitting a single and a double, respectively. This let Yan Gomes make contact on a single, which drove in Santana and Moss. The lead increased to 7-2.
Eighth Inning
After back to back walks by Kipnis and Brantley, Ryan Raburn hit a double to left field and, which scored the final run of the game as Kipnis rounded home plate. Brantley moved to third base on the play.
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The Positives
With the offense having its struggles this season, it is good to see the Indians pitching doing all they can do to keep the team competitive. A pitching staff should not have to continuously do that, but who knows if or when the offense will maintain positive consistency. Today was no different with Carlos Carrasco’s start.
Francisco Lindor achieved another milestone with his first home run today, with many more to come. He is not and should not be considered an offensive player a team could build around. Maybe in time his offense will be what his defense is; just a goal that could achieve I suppose. If it is not that is no problem, as he is one incredible player with a very bright future regardless who should help turn around the Tribe for a long time.
The Negatives
Though the team managed to score more than Detroit today, that does mean the offense end up with an A grade for today’s game. Cleveland ended up having 11 runners left on base, while going 4-12 for with runners in scoring position.
Check It Out
The Indians are off tomorrow. They go back on the road starting Friday night at 7:05 PM against the Baltimore Orioles. Corey Kluber (3-9, 3.65 ERA) gets the start for the Tribe. Wei-Yin Chen (3-4, 2.89 ERA) starts for the O’s. Chen recently was in the news because the team decided to demote right after Chen had pitched a very good game for Baltimore.
Next: Trio of Cleveland Indians Prospects in High-A All-Star Game
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