Cleveland Indians Roundup: Tribe Loses; Tony Wolters, Carlos Santana Notes

The Cleveland Indians are getting the timely hits they need, but the defense and pitching hasn’t kept up their end

The Cleveland Indians suffered a tough loss yesterday, as noted by Nicholas D. Blazek. Cody Anderson pitched an excellent game, keeping pace with the Chicago White Sox’ Chris Sale. Across six innings he allowed just two runs on six hits and two walks, although he only struck out two batters. Mike Napoli slugged a two-run homer un in the top of the sixth to tie the ball game, and the Tribe took the lead on Yan Gomes’ solo shot an inning later.

This said, the Indians blew the game in the seventh inning when Bryan Shaw allowed five runs while only recording two outs. The White Sox held on to win the game 7-3. Poor fielding also harmed the Tribe, as the team committed three errors. All in all, the loss leaves the Indians in fourth place in the division at with two wins and two losses. 

More from Away Back Gone

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• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

In other news, Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer touched on a few topics in his latest piece. He commented that Carlos Santana’s offense has been trending downwards for the past few seasons. Back in 2013, the 27-year-old Santana batted .268 with a weighted runs created plus of 132. The following year, both statistics dropped to .231 and 128; and last year, he finished at .231 and 110. Some of this stemmed from aging; but the biggest factor, as Pluto noted, was the increased number of shifts he faced.

Also from that piece, former Cleveland Indian Tony Wolters made the Rockies’ final roster. Wolters, a former third-round pick, struggled at the plate with the Indians’ minor league affiliates, but he excelled at throwing at base runners. Back in last February, he was so kind as to join our own Merritt Rohlfing on the podcast.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians: Anderson’s Strong Start Squandered by Bullpen, Missed Chances – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians Have Terry Talkin’ Carlos Santana and a Bunch of Little Moves and Trades – Terry Pluto (photos) – Cleveland.com

Wahoo’s on the Mic Podcast: A Conversation with Tony Wolters – Wahoo’s on First

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