I was told by very reliable sources that, following a Cleveland Indians' loss, Josh Tomlin cannot lose. Yesterday, I learned that you shouldn't always trust what you read on the internet as Tomlin and the Tribe got rocked in a very deflating loss at the hands of the Texas Rangers. As Hammy said at the end of the broadcast, however, it was just one game and no one got hurt. If Tomlin can consistently give us two consecutive months of good to great starts followed by one poor one, I think we can deal with hiccups like this. Regardless, Corey Kluber is on the mound for the Tribe today; maybe the voodoo magic has found its way into his programming? Who knows. Onto the news!
Indians 2, Rangers 9
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It wasn't pretty and it wasn't fun. The Cleveland Indians dropped the first game of the series to the Rangers in a very depressing fashion. Tito was ejected in the third inning, the team committed four errors, and the normally reliable Josh Tomlin recorded his worst outing of the year. But hey, Marlon Byrd went 4-for-4 and Ryan Merritt looked great in his MLB debut, so it wasn't all doom and gloom. That being said, I'd rather never watch a game like this again.
Indians news
Merritt was called up on May 23rd when Joba Chamberlain got sent to the DL, but he didn't actually pitch until yesterday; when he finally came in, he definitely made an impact. After the short outing of Tomlin, Merritt was able to throw 4.2 scoreless innings and save the bullpen from being overly taxed. This debut was extra special for Merritt as he grew up watching the Rangers. Here's to more success for you, Ryan!
According to official MLB rules, if a base runner going to first steps either on or outside of the running lane lines and is hit by a throw going to first, he shall be ruled out on an interference call. Apparently, Monday's umpiring crew skipped that chapter of the rule book, which prompted Tito to come out yelling (twice).
If you have followed the Indians at all this season, you know that catcher Yan Gomes is struggling at the plate, and that's putting it lightly. Tito isn't as worried as folks on Twitter probably are, but it is difficult to watch such a good player struggle as much as Gomes has been. If it's any consolation, his BABIP on the season is currently .200, which is 100 points lower than his career average. Saying that Gomes has been unlucky doesn't adequately describe just how unlucky he has been. His luck will change; for the team's sake, I hope it's sooner rather than later.
Around The League
- It looks like top prospect Byron Buxton is coming back up to play for the Twins following an injury to Danny Santana. Can he stick with the big league club this time around?
- The president of the #MakeBaseballFunAgain initiative, Bryce Harper, exited Monday's game after getting hit in the knee by a pitch from Jeremy Hellickson.
- For the majority of this season, Matt Harvey has looked dreadful. Yesterday, he did not.
- Cubs' starter Jason Hammel left Monday's game early, forcing the Cubs bullpen to pitch for seven innings. Luckily, the bullpen, led by, Travis Wood, was up to the task.
- And finally, former MLB player Doug Glanville doesn't see what all the Kershaw hype is about:
Not sure what the big deal is with @Dodgers Kershaw getting to 100 Ks w/ only 5 BB. I did that in '01. Oh wait, I was a hitter. #Dominant
— Doug Glanville (@dougglanville) May 30, 2016