Cleveland Indians: Anderson’s strong start squandered by bullpen, missed chances

With freezing temps in Chicago, the Cleveland Indians Cody Anderson had outdueled the White Sox Chris Sale and was positioned for the win–which wasn’t to be had.

If you watched the highlights of the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox from Saturday, it was sunny and the starting pitchers had on short sleeves. Those were the only two things that would give you the idea it was spring as it was 32 degrees for the game. Even then, Cody Anderson went pitch for pitch with Sox ace Chris Sale and had a chance for the win after a Yan Gomes home run in the top of the seventh.

But a missed double play opportunity as well as Bryan Shaw‘s struggles in relief gave the Sox just enough chances as they blew the game wide open in the seventh with five runs en route to the 7-3 victory. The difference maker may have been the groundball off Todd Frazier‘s bat that the Tribe didn’t turn two on, settling for a fielder’s choice. A Brett Lawrie flyout–which would have been the third out–gave Avisail Garcia an opportunity and he made Shaw pay.

Don’t be fooled, with the wind blowing in most of the game, it’s a surprise there were as many home runs hit today as there were. Outside of Jose Abreu‘s–and even that was only a few rows in–most were line drive wall scrapers that each team hit. Mike Napoli connected on his second of the year, a good sign as that’s what the Tribe expect from him. Three runs against Sale is a valiant effort, but the loss was on the Indians as errors and missed opportunities gave the White Sox the chance to win this game.

One exciting point to look at is the hitting of Jose Ramirez as he fills in for Michael Brantley. He’s been a positive on offense, batting 5-for-13 while playing a solid left field–including the running snow cone catch to end the game against the Red Sox. With Juan Uribe failing to impress anyone at the plate or in the field, Ramirez will find his plate appearances somewhere even after the return of Brantley. 

More guardians: White Sox Series Preview

Playing in poor conditions isn’t fun for anyone, and the Indians are getting their fair share of abuse in this first week. Losing to Sale isn’t devastating, but GIVING it away is. The offense hasn’t come up with clutch hits and RBIs so far this season, so the bullpen will need to tighten up and not waste those hits.