This Week In Indians Baseball: Week 7

After an off-day on Monday, the Tribe returned to action at Progressive Field and swept the division-rival Detroit Tigers, then got swept themselves at the hands of the Chicago White Sox. Overall, the Indians went 3-3.

Game 42: Indians 5, Tigers 3

W: Ubaldo Jimenez, L: Rick Porcello

Detroit jumped ahead to a two-run lead in the second on a three-run homer from Alex Avila. The Tribe chipped away with runs in third and fifth innings to tie the game. In the bottom of the sixth, the Indians took the lead for good with RBIs from Casey Kotchman and Jose Lopez. Jimenez went six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and six walks. Chris Perez came in and closed things out in the ninth. (full recap here)

Game 43: Indians 4, Tigers 2

W: Vinnie Pestano, L: Phil Coke

Zach McAllister got things started for the Indians, going 6.1 innings and limiting the damage to two runs on eight hits. Travis Hafner brought the offense to Progressive Field with a two-run shot in the sixth inning to tie the game and added another run on a fielder’s choice in the eighth to score Jason Kipnis. Carlos Santana added the final run on a sacrifice fly, bringing Asdrubal Cabrera home. Vinnie Pestano got the win after working out of a bases-loaded, no-outs jam in the top of the eighth. (full recap here)

Game 44: Indians 2, Tigers 1

W: Justin Masterson, L: Justin Verlander

Justin Masterson gave the Indians exactly what they needed in the finale of the series with the Tigers. He provided seven innings of work, only allowing one run on five hits and five walks. Offensively, the Tribe struggled against Verlander, but Shin-Soo Choo and Jose Lopez came up big. Choo led off in the bottom of the first with a home run and Lopez brought home the winning run on a single in the fourth, scoring Michael Brantley. Pestano provided an inning of scoreless relief and Chris Perez nailed down the save for the third straight day. (full recap here)

Game 45: White Sox 9, Indians 3

W: Jose Quintana, L: Jeanmar Gomez

The Indians were no match for the White Sox on Friday night. The White Sox scored early and often while the Tribe was only able to scatter three runs over nine innings. The home run haunted the Indians; Gomez surrendered two and Jairo Asencio gave up another in the ninth. The Indians got a home run of their own off the bat of from Shelley Duncan in the ninth, but it was not enough. (full recap here)

Game 46: White Sox 14, Indians 7

W: Jake Peavy, L: Derek Lowe

Lowe just didn’t have it on Saturday afternoon. His outing was cut short in the third inning after he allowed eight runs to cross the plate. The Indians’ offense tried to counter, scoring five runs in the top of the third on a double from Michael Brantley and a two-run homer from Jason Kipnis. Kipnis added another home run in the fifth, but it wasn’t enough to save the Tribe. Joe Smith and the defense struggled in the seventh, allowing four more runs to score. (full recap here)

Game 47: White Sox 12, Indians 6

W: Gavin Floyd, L: Ubaldo Jimenez

Jimenez struggled early, surrendering three runs in the first. The Indians came back in the top of the second and scored three of their own on Johnny Damon‘s first home run of the season. The Indians were able to scatter three runs over the rest of the game, but the White Sox continued to have big innings that the Indians couldn’t match.