[ad_1]
CLEVELAND, Ohio – When Miguel Sano skied a ball on the porch of the Progressive Field circuit in left field to start the second inning Thursday night, it felt like the start of another long night for the Indians against the Twins.
But Cal Quantrill, after his first loss since June 6, recovered and Franmil Reyes, Oscar Mercado and Jose Ramirez scored as the Indians avoided a four-game sweep by the AL Central cellar Twins. with a 4-1 win.
Quantrill allowed just two hits after the Sano homerun as he worked a career-high 7 2/3 innings pitching a career-high 109 shots. Quantrill (5-3, 3.04) struck out five hits (72 of his throws were strikes, 66%) and allowed two hits.
“He was still fine tonight,” said interim manager DeMarlo Hale. “I would say he was efficient with his throws. The only solo home run I think was a lead he probably didn’t get where he wanted it to but he settled in and threw the ball really well.
“He had strikeouts, double play, strikeouts. He had different shots for his strikeouts and that’s a good indication that he is in command of the ball.
The Twins started southpaw Andrew Albers instead of scheduled starter Randy Drobnak. They put Drobnak on the pre-game injured list with a strained right middle finger and recalled Albers from Class AAA St. Paul.
Albers (1-2, 7.16) got into trouble in the first two innings, but trouble got him stuck in the third. Myles Straw walked on a base, but Albers struck out the next two batters. Reyes, the next hitter, made a 1-0 pitch over the wall in the middle of the field for a 2-1 lead.
It was Reyes’ 28th homerun of the season and his fourth in the last six games.
Mercado made it 3-1 in the fourth with their fourth homer of the season. He hit a 1-1 pitch to the wall in left field. It was just a few feet higher than his pinch double in Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss to the Twins.
Jose Ramirez made it 4-1 with a first homer seventh overall from Ralph Garza Jr. It was his 33rd of the season and his eighth in the last 24 games. It was the sixth time this season that Reyes and Ramirez have scored a home run in the same game.
The four points were more than the Indians scored in the first three games of this series. They lost Monday’s game 5-2 and were shut out in the next two games by identical scores of 3-0. It was the first time the Twins had held the Indians scoreless in consecutive games since 1963.
In the seventh, Quantrill and Sano exchanged words during Sano’s at-bat. When Sano finished third for the second in the set, plate umpire DJ Reyburn rushed to get between Quantrill and Sano, but there was no showdown.
After Quantrill took Brent Rooker at bat to end the inning, he slowly returned to the dugout. When he reached the top step, he raised his hand to the applause of the crowd of 11,846 people.
“I play this game with a lot of emotion,” Quantrill said. “I think everyone knows that. It’s just a part. It’s hard to get here. It’s hard to stay here. It’s hard to be successful. One of my favorite things to do is press down on the rubber and I’ll just leave it all out.
“I think he just didn’t like something I had to say earlier in the game. . .no matter.”
Here’s what really happened, according to Reyes.
When Josh Donaldson finished the sixth inning crashing into 3-0 ground, Quantrill told him, “Nice swing 3-0.”
In the seventh, when Sano came to the plate, he said to Quantrill, “What aren’t you telling him to his face?” Quantrill replied, “I did.”
Quantrill had no issues with the give and take.
“The fact that they care enough about saying something is good,” Quantrill said. “We play meaningful baseball. At least I think everyone on the pitch cared about today’s game.
Quantrill struck out Nick Gordon to start the eighth, but gave a single to pinch hitter Ryan Jeffers. He pulled out Jake Cave, another pinch hitter, on a left volley before Hale called Blake Parker. When Quantrill saw Hale arrive at the mound he was not happy, but he handed the ball over and walked over to the canoe to the sound of a nice standing ovation.
For much of the game, Quantrill’s pitching hand was bleeding. It happened before this season because he will cut his hand when he throws a pitch.
“I can’t cut my nails shorter than they are,” he said. “We are looking at different things to try to stop it. It is a non-factor. He (the blood) is never on the ball. I make a conscious effort to avoid hitting the ball with it. Dry it off, shut it down and put it back to work.
It was Quantrill’s sixth career appearance against the Twins. He had never posted a decision against them before Thursday, but they forged a 7.43 ERA against him. Thursday’s performance could reverse this trend.
Emmanuel Clase threw the ninth for his 22nd save on 26 occasions. It was only the Indians’ second victory in their last seven games.
Luke Farrell, son of former Indian right-hander John Farrell, relieved Albers and pitched two scoreless innings against his father’s former team. He took two out, walked one and granted a hit.
Next: The Indians open a three-game home series against Milwaukee on Friday night. RHP Eli Morgan (2-8, 5.48) will start for the Indians, while the Brewers will start RHP Andrian Houser (8-6, 3.41). Game time is 7:10 pm Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS and Indians Radio Network will broadcast the game.
–
Indian goods for sale: Here’s where you can order Cleveland Indians gear online before the team becomes the Guardians, including jerseys, t-shirts, hoodies, hats and more.
No more Indian blanket
Which open positions are evaluated in September? Podcast
Indians avoid another hit, but lose to Minnesota Twins, 3-0
Jeter joins Simmons, Walker and Miller in Baseball Hall of Fame
The second basic question and 3 other things
AL wild-card chases dangerous place for Yankees, Red Sox: Podcast
Civale’s impressive return leaves the team wondering “What if …?” “
The Indians excluded by Twins after Aaron Civale’s return
Terry Francona has his foot surgery and 4 other things
Polanco and Buxton lead Minnesota charts, claim 5-2 loss to Indians
Staying Ahead of COVID-19 Outbreaks and 4 More Things
[ad_2]
Source link