Reaction: Cleveland Indians’ Kluber Pitches a Gem in First Win of the Season

Near perfect, Corey Kluber earned his first win of the season with an 18-strikeout performance for the Cleveland Indians

It took him until the middle of May, but Cleveland Indians reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber got his first win of the season over the St. Louis Cardinals. Kluber (1-5) pitched a gem, nearly finishing up with a no hitter on his way to eight innings with 18 strikeouts, while only giving up one hit. For St. Louis, John Lackey (2-2) pitched 5.1 innings, gave up two runs and five walks.

Key Moments

First Inning

St. Louis OF Matt Holiday was hit by the pitch. Holiday then left the game.

With Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana already on base, Brandon Moss drove in Kipnis which allowed Santana to move up to third base.

David Murphy then followed up with his own RBI single, scoring Santana.

Third/Fourth/Seventh Innings

With the stat line Kluber had, there obviously were not many outs that were not due to strikeouts. On three separate occasions — the third, fourth and seventh innings — Kluber struck out the side. The third strike out in the seventh happened after Kluber gave up his first hit of the game.

Fourth Inning

Terry Francona was ejected from the game after Kipnis was hit in the back by a pitch from Lackey. Both benches were warned after the beam-ball, largely because Cleveland had already hit Matt Holiday (who left the ballgame) with a pitch in the first inning. Francona was rightfully upset about the warnings, as he was concerned the thought of an ejection would discourage Kluber from throwing inside.

Seventh Inning

Former Indian Jhonny Peralta got the only hit off of Kluber, a single.

The Positives

Could this have been the wake up call, the pitching staff has been waiting for? That is certainly possible. Salazar pitched a great game the other day. With Salazar’s and Kluber’s performances, this could start up the momentum the team has been struggling to keep. Kluber was in the zone all day, showcasing why he is the reigning Cy Young award winner.

Cody Allen got his fifth save of the season, giving up no hits and had one strikeout.

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The Negatives

Again very little runs are scored. The offense still cannot provide the pitching staff with adequate run production.  Two runs today and three yesterday are not going to cut it, regardless of the team’s pitching performances. Cleveland left 13 men on base. Cleveland also was 2-13 with runners in scoring position. Let’s hope the offense can start carrying its weight soon.

Check it Out

Tomorrow’s game versus St. Louis starts at 12:10 PM and includes a very good pitching match up with two of the better pitchers in the majors. Trevor Bauer (2-1) with a 4.19 ERA looks to give the team another great pitching day against the Cardinals starter Michael Wacha (5-0) with a 2.09 ERA

Next: Indians drop series opener to Cards