Indians pick up 19th consecutive win by shutting out Tigers 11-0

Tonight’s recap in .gif form

Actual recap

Well, here we are. It’s getting hard to write about these games simply because of how excited I am after each win. This one in particular is difficult because there is only so much you can write about a live assassination and remain family-friendly.

The Indians now own a nineteen game winning streak after Carlos Carrasco, Jose Ramirez, and Francisco Lindor embarrassed the Detroit Tigers 11-0. The Indians used fifteen different position players tonight, because why not? They cruised through the 4th inning while accumulating a seven-run lead, and at that point I don’t think anyone in the stadium questioned the outcome — it was simply a matter of the margin.

Carlos Carrasco drove his WHIP down to 1.08 and surpassed 200 strikeouts on the season tonight, while also earning his fifteenth win. He’s won six of his last seven starts, and the combined margin of victory in those is 45-5.

FORTY-FIVE TO FIVE.

Lindor and Ramirez provided the early cushion upon which Cookie cruised tonight. A three-run triple from Lindor after Yan Gomes singled home Carlos Santana drove the score to 4-0. Ramirez promptly plated him with a sacrifice fly, completing a sequence in which the first five batters in the inning all reached base and scored.

In the 4th, Ramirez drove Lindor home again, but joined him in a parade around the basepaths. He yanked a ball deep down the line in right, just fair, for his 26th home run of the season. This brings to mind the following question: how many times in the history of baseball have a shortstop and second baseman on the same team (or third baseman, for that matter) both hit more than 30 home runs?

Additional scoring plays are as follows:

1. Francisco Lindor grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring #FreeYandy Diaz.
2. Diaz grounded into a fielder’s choice, scoring Abraham Almonte.
3. Erik Gonzalez scored on a wild pitch.
4. Brandon Guyer hit a sacrifice fly to score Almonte.

As Merritt Rohlfing once said, these guys sure can schlorp the blorp.

While Carrasco pitched a fine game — he threw first-pitch strikes to 20/26 batters faced — he received a little help from his friends Danny Salazar and Zach McAllister. Salazar’s appearance is noteworthy as it is his first from the bullpen in some time. He worked efficiently, retiring six out of seven batters faced on 28 pitches. McAllister ended the game in the top of the 9th with a couple of strikeouts, a walk, and a hit. It’s not the neatest final half-inning I’ve ever seen, but when you have eleven runs to play with, who cares?

Other items of note

• Jacoby Jones and Nick Castellanos collided on a routine fly ball in center field. Yes, that is the second game in a row on which Edwin Encarnacion has reached on a gruesome error.
• Jose Ramirez exited the game after a ball deflected off of his bat into his arm. It is a bruise. The streak required no blood sacrifices today.
• Francisco Mejia entered the game in the late innings and put together a decent at-bat. He saw six pitches and ultimately struck out, but for hopping off of the bench in a game where he didn’t expect to play, I like the patience.
• If the Indians finish the season 12-6 from here, they will win 100 games for the first time since 1995. The other time? 1954. Hmmmmm.

Tomorrow night the Indians can tie the Athletic’s 2002 winning streak with a win. The Indians are starting Corey Kluber. I feel excellent.