CLEVELAND, Ohio – In a year when top is bottom and left is right, the Cleveland Indians suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday in the most 2020 way possible.
Kansas City scored the lead run in the top of the tenth inning without the benefit of a hit when pinch runner Brett Phillips moved to third base on a sacrifice bunt by Erick Mejia and came home flying to the center by Maikel. Franco by a 3-2 lead.
A baseball purist’s worst nightmare came true.
Phillips, running for Alex Gordon, started entry at second base under the new “auto-runner” rule in lieu of additional entries during the 2020 season to reduce the length of games. Greg Holland kept a career lead at the bottom of the tenth, giving the Royals their first victory in this shortened 60-game season.
James Karinchak suffered a loss of bad luck in his first appearance, allowing Phillips to score the unearned run after throwing a flawless ninth. Manager Terry Francona said he thought Karinchak’s season debut was “tremendous.”
“It came on pumping strikes,” said Francona. “To me, that’s probably the best player to pitch when there’s a runner in second place, an open base, and you can let his stuff play.”
On Friday night, Los Angeles infielder / pitcher Shohei Ohtani became the first automated running back in major league baseball history when the Angels lost in additional innings to Oakland. Ohtani found himself out at third base in the 10th inning for LA
Indians starter Mike Clevinger later indicated that he is not completely satisfied with the new rule.
“This is not a travel ball, this is not the Perfect Game (high school exhibition circuit),” said Clevinger. “You know how hard it is to get a runner at second base to get out of the back of any bullpen, how incredibly difficult is that? And now all of a sudden, you just have a guy at second base with a guy like Karinchak on the mound. I’m not happy with that. “
Cleveland had a chance to win the game in the last of the ninth when the Indians loaded the bases with one out, but Royals reliever Scott Barlow struck out Oscar Mercado and Roberto Perez to escape injury. Barlow picked up the victory (1-0) and Holland got his first save, striking out Francisco Lindor with two runners on board for the final start.
Cleveland’s offense had just four hits, and only one came after the third inning, Lindor’s ninth inning single.
“We had a lot of opportunities with guys at the base today and we didn’t make it,” Lindor said after opening the season 1-9 at the plate. “I put a lot of this loss on me.”
Things got off to an ominous start for Clevinger, who hit a pair of home runs with two off in the first inning.
Jorge Soler reviewed his swing on a 2-2 slider that lost the strike zone, and first base umpire Tripp Gibson ruled that the 2019 American League home run leader did not turn around, giving him a chance to see some more pitches at bat.
With that second chance, Soler didn’t lose another Clevinger hanging slider, laying him on the railing in front of the stands in left field to give the Royals an early lead. Before Clevinger could pull himself together, Salvador Perez made it 2-0 at Kansas City with an impressive 434-foot boost to the left center two pitches later.
Clevinger said his confidence never wavered after what he considered a missed call.
“At the beginning of my career, it was easy to let that turn into other innings, but it was a quick erase,” Clevinger said. “I knew he was making good pitches.”
It was the first time the Royals hit consecutive home runs since Sept. 10 against the White Sox when Alex Gordon and Ryan O’Hearn homered in Chicago. It was also the first time that Clevinger allowed more than one home run in a single inning during his career.
Clevinger entered the game 9-0 for life against the Royals with a 1.93 ERA in 14 appearances. His 0.96 ERA against the Royals last season was the lowest in the majors among pitchers who made multiple starts against Kansas City in 2019.
Clevinger lasted seven innings, allowing four hits, including two solo homers and six strikeouts. A batter did not walk.
Cleveland tied the score at 2-2 in the third thanks to three straight base hits against rookie Brady Singer and some direct engagements by Cesar Hernandez. After a single by Bradley Zimmer, Hernández stroked a base in the middle and moved to third with a single driven by José Ramírez. With Carlos Santana batting and two out, Hernández threw home on a wild pitch from Singer that escaped from Salvador Pérez.
Singer, the Royals’ first-round draft pick in 2018, kept the Indians on a hit and a two-strikeout walk on their first trip through Cleveland’s batting order. He completed five innings, allowing just two runs on three hits with two walks and seven strikeouts on his major league debut.
“It has speed, which we knew,” said Francona. “He has that ball that breaks the ball. We had a really tough time against all of his pitchers, firing today. So we will have to be a little more disciplined regardless of who is pitching. ”
next: Carlos Carrasco is slated to make his 2020 debut for the Indians, starting for the first time since May 30 in Chicago before announcing his diagnosis of leukemia. The Royals have yet to announce a headline. The first launch is scheduled for 1:10 pm. The game will air on SportsTime Ohio, WTAM 1100 AM, and WMMS 100.7 FM.
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New Indian face masks for sale: This is where you can buy Cleveland Indians-themed facial liners for coronavirus protection, including a mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All MLB proceeds donated to charities.
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