David Murphy’s Hit Helps Cleveland Indians Top Houston Astros

The Cleveland Indians pulled away late from the Houston Astros and now are just one win away from winning this series. Trevor Bauer (8-5) continues to pitch great as he threw eight innings, while striking out nine and giving up two runs. Dan Straily got the no-decision for Houston as he went six innings, while striking out four batters.

Key Moments
First Inning
Down a 2-0 hole early in the bottom of the first, second baseman Jason Kipnis hit a triple to left. Kipnis was not left on base long, as short stop Francisco Lindor drove him in on a ground out.

Fourth Inning
Michael Brantley led off the inning with a single to center field, before David Murphy then came to the plate and advanced Brantley to third base on a double to right field. Brantley then scored to tie the game at two off of a Carlos Santana ground out.

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Eighth Inning
Lindor and Brantley reached base via a double and a walk, respectively. Murphy followed with a double, allowing both Lindor and Brantley scored on the play as the Tribe increased the score to 4-2.

The Positives
The Indians have made positive history with Bauer’s performance tonight who has more than 100 strikeouts prior to the MLB All Star Break. Without Corey Kluber‘s run last month and Bauer’s consistency, Cleveland may not have been able to achieve the league’s strikeout record.

The Negatives
Carlos Santana. He did drive in a run, but it was on a ground out. Santana continues to struggle, as he went hitless again. Santana typically does do well in the second half of the season, but with the latter portion of 2015 approaching, he must quickly make some changes, because his play has not been good.

Check it Out
Tomorrow, the Indians look to win the series over Houston when Cody Anderson (1-1, with an 0.76 ERA) starts for the team. Anderson has pitched well in all three games he has appeared in, and he could have received the win in each of them if it was not for a lack of run support. Houston will be starting Brett Oberholtzer. Oberholtzer is 2-1, with seven starts this season. First pitch is at 7:10 PM in Cleveland.

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