Yankees Outlast Indians After Ellsbury Bomb in 14th

The Cleveland Indians got things going early on Wednesday night, plating three runs in the first after singles by Jason Kipnis and Michael Brantley, who were driven in by Lonnie Chisenhall (RBI groundout) and Nick Swisher (two-run single). All things were quiet until Josh Tomlin served up a long-ball to Yankees first baseman Mark Teixiera in the top of the 4th. The Yankees would score four unanswered runs to take the lead, including Teixiera’s second home run of the night in the top of the 5th. The Indians tied it up in the bottom of the 5th on a Carlos Santana single that scored Asdrubal Cabrera, tying things up at four until extra innings. What felt like four hours later, the Yankees added a run in the top of the 14th when Jacoby Ellsbury blasted an 0-2 pitch (with two outs) into the right field seats to make it 5-4 New York. Chase Whitley earned the win for the Yankees (4-2) with David Robertson picking up his 22nd save for New York. Vinnie Pestano fell to 0-1 on the season for Cleveland.

Positives

– Lonnie Chisenhall can put this into the “shortstop of the future” file for the Indians to consider:

– After allowing the second home run to Mark Teixiera, Josh Tomlin would retire seven in a row to complete his seven innings. He didn’t walk a batter and has now walked just five batters over 50.1 innings since the start of June (eight starts).

– Cody Allen: first and second with no outs in the top of the 10th. Teixiera flies out to Brantley in center, Brian Roberts grounds into a double play to end the inning  reached on a fielder’s choice to leave runners on the corners with two outs…and he strikes out Ichiro Suzuki to end the potential rally. He’s really good.

– With his six plate appearances tonight, Lonnie Chisenhall is officially a qualifier in the batting race. He is hitting .325/.386/.522  on the season, though he is just 5-for-29 over his last eight games (.172).

Negatives

– When 15.5 percent of flyballs leave the yard and you only get grounders 38 percent of the time, you’re going to allow 13 home runs in your first 77 innings. Bombs continue to be the “issue” for Tomlin, who does a fine job of throwing strikes, but continues to be too vulnerable in the middle of the plate far too often.

– 0-2 with two outs, you can’t allow that kind of pitch in the zone against a good hitter. Waste one! Vinnie Pestano allowed his fourth hit in eight appearances since returning to Cleveland in the game-winning homer by Ellsbury in the top of the 14th.

– With Brian Roberts on deck and Derek Jeter on first, why were the Indians pitching to Mark Teixiera in the top of the 5th with two outs when he hit his second home run of the game? Teixiera’s homer made it a 4-3 game at the time, but Brian Roberts came into the game hitting .247/.313/.378 in 295 plate appearances, while the slugging Teixiera had mashed the Indians to the tune of a .310/.412/.537 in 318 career plate appearances entering Wednesday’s game. – Carlos Carrasco didn’t make an appearance due to logging three innings on Sunday, but with just ten appearances since the start of June (with a 0.98 ERA over 18.1 IP), you have to wonder if he’s going to take on a bigger role for the Indians at some point. 

Check It Out – The Indians bullpen had pitched 18.2 consecutive scoreless innings over the club’s last five games (3-2) prior to the home run that Pestano allowed in the 14th.

– Cleveland ranks behind the Angels (31-15) and A’s (30-15) in home winning percentage with their 26-18 record at Progressive Field after tonight’s loss.

– Because it was getting late…this happened:

– With a win on Thursday, the Indians will be 9-4-1 in series held at Progressive Field in 2014.