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CLEVELAND, Ohio – Oscar Mercado said it must be perfect.
"But that was not the case," said the defensive player of the Indian rookie center.
He was not alone on Friday night in the seventh inning, which turned the Indian 3-1 lead into a 5-3 loss to the Twins in the first All-Star match against both teams. The Indians have spent the last four weeks down the Twins. They reduced their lead in the central part of the Central AL from 11 1/2 to 5 1/2 games, but with a chance to get closer to the division leader, they stumbled.
Nick Goody started seventh and paused when Minnesota's Luis Arraez sent a laser to the left field that third baseman Jose Ramirez captured while diving. But it was a chance for Goody.
Miguel Sano, the base player of the third goal of the 6-4, with a capacity of 272 pounds, sent a helicopter to the third base of the knoll. Goody came out of the mound to play the ball, but beat him with his glove for a mistake. He complicated the situation by walking Ehire Adrianza before Byron Buxton turned right to send Sano to third place on the second outing of the inning.
"Anytime you give anything to the right teams, it can come back to bite you," said manager Terry Francona. "Nick wanted to get in front of the ball, he was going back and the ball was bouncing, everyone was wondering why he was not putting himself in front of the ball, so he rushed to pass in front of him and mow it. was a runner with whom we really did not have to push. "
The Indians still had a chance to come out of the inning with a 3-1 lead intact.
Left-handed Oliver Perez relieved to face Max Kepler, Minnesota left-winger hitting the right defender. Kepler's soft ground found a sore spot in the tribe's passage between the first and second. The short stop Francisco Lindor slipped the ball on the run and made an unbalanced throw from a jump to the first. Carlos Santana recovered the ball and the referee of the first goal, Gabe Morales, recalled Kepler.
But Kepler said he was safe while he was crossing the bag and the manager, Rocco Baldelli, challenged the call. The exam took 1:42 to reverse Morales' outgoing call. Just like that, Kepler had a RBI single and the Twins had a score of 3-2 tied for points while Sano scored in third place.
"I thought the room was close," Lindor said. "When he called, I thought he was out." But they said he was safe so he is safe. "
Francona had no choice but to accept the whims of the passage, a double-edged sword of significant proportions.
"It's a pity: Oliver made a very good pitch and the ball is hit in the ideal place," said Francona. "Kip (second base player Jason Kipnis) is in the quarter and he comes out strong. Frankie is coming. You think you're out of the way and some hitters later, you lose one.
"We will save more points than we give up by doing it. But when it happens, it hurts.
Perez remained in the game to allow Jorge Polanco, striker of the All-Star batting right, to hit on his right. Polanco, meanwhile weak, launched a 0-1 throw on a line above the head of Mercado. He may not have had the chance to catch himself, but he does not look graceful in pursuit of the ball.
"It seemed that from the start he was stuck in his feet," said Francona. "Then he went wrong. After that, it was too late.
Mercado said, "The ball was well hit, it was a straight line above your head, in this situation it's instinct, you're going in the right direction or you're not.
"I had to be perfect and I was not. This is the unfortunate situation. "
Adrianza and Kepler scored for a 4-3 lead. In eighth place, Mitch Garver scored the lead over Tyler Clippard for the last round of Minnesota.
The Indians in pursuit of a fourth consecutive title to the AL Central would be better helped if they could win the Saturday and Sunday matches against the Twins. If they do not do it, it will not decide their season. There are 73 games, including 10 against the Twins, after this series.
"We are trying to win every possible series," Lindor said. We did not win tonight, but we have to win two. We will be fine. "
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