CLEVELAND, Ohio – Mike Clevinger looked set for the MLB’s 60-game sprint on Monday night at Progressive Field. So did several of his teammates.
The Indians were delayed early, but joined together to beat the Pirates, 11-7, in the middle game of a three-game exhibition series between the teams. The series ends Wednesday at PNC Field.
In his last start, Clevinger said he was having trouble trusting his surgically repaired left knee during delivery. There was no sign of that Monday as he allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. Pittsburgh’s three runs came with a two-run homer by Phillip Evans in the second and an initial homer in the fifth by Guillermo Heredia.
Clevinger struck out five of the last eight men he faced and seemed ready to take second place in the rotation. Shane Bieber will pitch the first game of the season on Friday night against Kansas City at Progressive Field. Clevinger walked one and threw 67% of his pitches (43 of 64) for strikes.
“I thought it was much better,” said manager Terry Francona. “A couple of fast balls leaked through the middle, but his break balls were really good and he kept his speed in the five innings. I thought it was a good step in the right direction. “
Right fielder Jordan Luplow also looked ready for the season. Luplow, after missing last week with back pain, hit a home run on his first at-bat at night to complete a fifth inning of four runs. He just missed another home run in the seventh.
Luplow felt that there was a possibility that he might not be ready to open the season.
“There were a couple of days when it was difficult getting out of bed,” Luplow said. “I thought he was more serious than he was. The training staff stayed with me and showed confidence that we would get through it. So far so good. “
César Hernández, José Ramírez and Francisco Lindor were three other candidates who asked that the season begin in the next five minutes. Hernández started the fifth with a single. Ramirez walked and Lindor homered in the right-field seats in front of Richard Rodriguez with a 6-3 lead. Luplow’s homer made it 7-3.
Hernández, Ramírez and Lindor, the top three hitters in the lineup, were 5-for-8 with five RBIs. Lindor finished with four RBIs. When Hernández, Ramírez and Lindor left after the fifth inning, the top of the order remained warm. Mike Freeman, who replaced Hernandez at second base, homered in the sixth and doubled in the eighth.
The bottom of the first started with Hernández on a 12-hitting singles batting single.
“I told him that was the best at-bat shift I’ve seen all year,” said Francona. “You probably saw 20 pitches tonight. That at bat in the first leads us directly to getting runs. “
Bradley Zimmer also had a little fun. He doubled and singled his first two at-bats off the ninth hole. He entered the game with a .556 average (10 of 18) with four home runs and seven RBIs in eight games within the squad since the start of Spring Training II.
Cole Tucker stole a third hit from a big catch against the wall in left center in the sixth. Tucker, normally a shortstop, is the older brother of the No.1 Indians Carson Tucker.
The Indians led the lead to 10-5 in the seventh. Yu Chang, who replaced Lindor in a few words, hit a single to start the seventh. Jake Elmore scored it with a double on the wall in left field. Greg Allen singled to score Elmore.
The bullpen could not keep the Pirates away. Brad Hand homered Josh Bell in the sixth. Nick Wittgren gave a walk full of bases in the seventh. Adam Cimber started the eighth and allowed four Pirates in a row to reach the base. Colin Moran hit a home run while Evans doubled and scored with an infield hit and shot error by third baseman Christian Arroyo to make it 10-7.
Hunter Wood was relieved and hit Socrates Brito in the infield to load the bases and then retired the next three batters. James Karinchak came in the ninth and hit the side in order.
Jake Bauers’ home run in the eighth to make it 11-7. It was the Indians’ fourth home run. They finished with 15 hits, including two each from Hernandez, Freeman, Lindor, and Zimmer.
The Pirates took a 2-0 lead in the second on Evans’ two-run homer. Colin Moran singled to start the inning before Clevinger left a 2-2 fastball in the middle of the plate for Evans.
The Indians tied the score with two runs in the third. Zimmer doubled the left field line with one out. Hernandez, who opened the game with a 12-pitch at-bat that ended on a single against Trevor Williams, flew deep to the right when Zimmer went to third.
Chris Stratton relieved Williams and Ramirez singled to the wall on the right to make it 2-1. Lindor, with the Pirates’ defense shifted to the right, turned the wall in left field to score Ramirez and make it a 2-2 game.
If he’s scoring at home, Ramirez recorded his first lost official Spring Training II helmet on the way home.
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