Indians offense erupts in 12-5 victory over the Dodgers

Getting swept stinks. It’s even worse at home. Thankfully, the Indians avoided such silliness with a fun 12-5 victory over the Dodgers Thursday afternoon.

The Tribe wasted no time getting to Dodgers’ starter Rich Hill, with the first three Cleveland batters singling in the first and Francisco Lindor scoring the game’s first run. A bases-loaded Roberto Perez walk and Bradley Zimmer infield single (absolutely loving the speed and hustle!) pushed the Indians lead to 3-0.

The good guys added two more runs in the second to push that lead to five. Jose Ramirez’s RBI double scored Daniel Robertson, followed by Edwin Encarnacion’s moonshot of a home run to left field. Encarnacion’s homer, his 13th of the year, came off with an exit velocity of 107.2 mph and traveled 414 ft (it looked longer).

Tribe starter Josh Tomlin started strong, putting up zeroes in his first three innings. A Cody Bellinger line drive homer to right put the Dodgers on the board in the fourth, and more trouble came for Tomlin in the fifth. Doubles by Joc Pederson and everybody’s favorite Yusiel Puig started off the frame, followed by a homer by Chris Taylor. All of a sudden it was a ballgame, with the Dodgers down one, 5-4.

Alas, the Indians’ offense was back to work in the bottom of the inning, with a Lonnie Chisenhall pinch-hit three-run home run. It was Chiz’s eighth homer of the year and golly it was a big one, giving the Tribe a four-run lead again.

Tomlin’s final line featured him giving up four earned runs on seven hits, striking out seven (whoa!) over five innings. With the win, Tomlin improves to 4-8 on the season. Nick Goody, Bryan Shaw, and Zach McAllister all had scoreless appearances out of the bullpen.

Offensively, Ramirez and Encarnacion each finished with three hits, while Chisenhall added five RBI’s. Also of note, Erik Gonzalez hit his first career MLB home run. Let’s hope there’s many more to come.

Next up for the Tribe is a series in Minnesota. Carlos Carrasco is set to start tomorrow night, facing off against Nik Turley. Let’s Go Tribe!