Cleveland Indians lose a shootout to the Twins

Twins 10, Indians 9

box score

Tribe falls to 49-59

Wild. Friday saw an unexpected trade followed by a slugfest of a game that culminated in another heartbreaking loss. In the end, it was the Twins who came out on top with a 10-9 victory in what was a very interesting day for Cleveland Indians baseball.

Friday afternoon brought a blockbuster move that sent veterans Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn to Atlanta and infielder Chris Johnson to Cleveland. The huge contracts of Swisher and Bourn are finally off the Indians books and the deal also opens up valuable roster spots for younger players.

The evening’s matchup featured two tall right-handers, rookie Cody Anderson versus veteran Mike Pelfrey. Anderson entered needing to rebound after three poor starts, while Pelfrey came in on a hot streak, including eight innings of shutout ball in his last start.

Anderson started strong, retiring the first six batters he faced. Things turned for the worse in the third inning, as Anderson gave up five hits and walked a batter, as the Twins scored six runs, knocking out the Tribe’s starter after just two and ⅔ innings. Anderson’s ERA over his last four starts sits at 10.19 and his hold on the fifth starter spot seems tenuous at best. 

Luckily for the Indians, the offense responded quickly. The Tribe touched up Pelfrey for four runs in the bottom of the frame, with RBI’s from Michael Brantley, Carlos Santana, Yan Gomes, and Lonnie Chisenhall. A Brantley double in the fourth would knock Pelfrey out, and was followed by a Yan Gomes three run blast that gave the Indians an improbable 9-7 lead. 

The Twins chipped away with runs off Jeff Manship and Zach McAllister, tying the game at nine. While the Indians had opportunities to take the lead back (I know, a shocker), it was the Twins who came through in the clutch, as Torii Hunter’s home run off Bryan Shaw in the ninth put the Twins up for good. With the loss, Shaw falls to 1-2 on the year.

Saturday evening will see the Tribe turn to Trevor Bauer, while the Twins will hand the ball to righty Ervin Santana. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 PM ET.

Win Expectancy Chart

Source: FanGraphs}

Roll Call

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