Cleveland Indians’ Offense Disappoints in 7-1 Loss to Kansas City Royals

The Indians’ offense failed to provide many fireworks for the Fourth of July crowd on Friday night, as they were shut down 7-1 by Yordano Ventura and the Royals. Josh Tomlin, who was coming off his one-hit complete game in Seattle, lasted just 5.2 innings and allowed five runs on ten hits while striking out six. Ventura pitched 8.1 innings, walking two and giving up six hits, including a home run. He also struck out four.

Jun 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (17) removes Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Josh Tomlin (43) from the game during the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Key Innings

Top of the 3rd, tied 0-0
Royals’ second baseman Christian Colon made his MLB debut a memorable one when he tripled over the head of Michael Bourn and scored on a single by Lorenzo Cain. Later on in the fifth, back to back doubles from Colon and Cain would add another run.

Top of the 6th, Indians trail 2-0
Singles from Salvador Perez and Alcides Escobar put runners on base as Tomlin neared the end of his night in the sixth inning. With two outs, Mike Moustakas launched a three-run home run into the seats to put the Royals up 5-0. Vinnie Pestano came on in relief and struck out Colon to end the inning, but the damage had already been done.

Top of the 9th, Indians trail 5-0
Axford struggled in his appearance. He allowed a one-out single to Moustakas, and a passed ball allowed the third baseman to advance to second. Colon hit his second double of the night to score the run, and Cain reached on a hit-by-pitch. Then, with two out, Billy Butler reached on a throwing error by Lonnie Chisenhall, and Colon was able to score the final Royals’ run of the night. A solo blast by Michael Brantley in the bottom of the inning kept the Indians from being shut out, but it was far too little to help their cause.

The Positives

Carlos Carrasco and Pestano both had scoreless outings, with Pestano retiring all four batters he faced and Carrasco pitching a perfect inning of his own. Brantley and Jason Kipnis each had a pair of hits.

The Negatives

After going 0-3 with a walk on Friday night, Nick Swisher is now hitting .194/.284/.318 with five home runs. His struggles have continued deep into the season, and it’s costing him playing time.

Check It Out

– Ventura has the highest average fastball velocity among qualified pitchers, averaging 96.6 mph.

– The Royals are last in home runs, with just 49, but they are fourth in stolen bases, with 66 bags swiped this season.

– Kansas City has just a .672 OPS against left-handed pitchers, and they will face T.J. House on Saturday night.