Cleveland Indians: 3 takeaways from 8-6 win over the Astros

The Cleveland Indians finally broke their losing streak against the Astros and they did so without the bullpen collapsing.

The Tribe had dropped their last three contests against the Astros and were just 1-4 against Houston coming into this game.

After their utter collapse Friday night, which saw the Indians give up all 11 of the Astros’ runs over the last two innings, Cleveland’s bullpen allowed just one over the final three and a third innings tonight (one guess as to who gave up the one).

The middle of the lineup stepped up and fueled Cleveland’s offense on their way to an 8-6 win.

Michael Brantley‘s streak continues

Michael Brantley didn’t have the most astounding game (he was just 1-5), but his one hit was a big one. He knocked a solo home run in the seventh that extended Cleveland’s lead to what ended up being the final score, 8-6.

The homer helped provide a much needed insurance run (especially with their bullpen) but it also kept Brantley’s hitting streak alive.

Brantley now has the second best batting average in the American league and the fifth best in all of baseball.

Have yourself a day, Edwin!

Edwin Encarnacion was on fire. He had four plate appearances and reached base every time. He went 3-3 with a single, double, home run and a walk, finishing just a triple shy of the cycle.

Encarnacion also had three RBIs and three runs scored as he paved the way for the rest of the Indian’s lineup. His fifth inning home run off Lance McCullers was his 11th of the season.

It’s great to see Encarnacion have a breakout game. Hopefully the production from this game can stick and he continues to be successful at the plate. He’s been notorious for slow starts, but he needs to get it going soon.

First Pitch

Many times in today’s MLB, the first pitch makes headlines. Usually this is because some celebrity who stands in front of the mound finds anything other than the catcher and the back of his glove.

But at Progressive Field Saturday, the Cleveland Indians had a much better thrower of the first pitch than any celebrity they could have gotten.

Hailey is set to throw out a first pitch in all 30 ballparks before the season’s end, with Progressive Field being her eighth stop so far. This was really cool to see.

Next: Andrew Miller's injury a devastating blow

It was a good win for the Cleveland Indians and they were finally able to put it together against a great team in the Houston Astros. The series finale is tomorrow at 1:10 PM.