Cleveland Indians Drop Series Opener 5-2 Against Seattle Mariners

An unusually rough outing by Trevor Bauer cost the Indians the series opener against the Mariners on Tuesday night, as they fell 5-2 to Seattle. Bauer lasted just 4 1/3 innings, giving up five runs on eight hits and one walk, and striking out just three batters. Seattle starter Hisashi Iwakuma went seven innings, struck out six, and limited the Tribe to two runs on just six hits and a walk. Despite their efforts, the Indians couldn’t put up enough offense to overcome the Mariners’ early lead.

Jul 29, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher

(47) delivers in the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Key Innings

Top of the 4th, tied 0-0
After three solid innings, Bauer ran into trouble in the fourth. He gave up a leadoff single to Kyle Seager, the hit Mike Zunino with a pitch. Corey Dickerson hit an RBI double to score Seager, and Dustin Ackley followed with a two-out, two-RBI double of his own. Chris Taylor added on with yet another RBI two-base hit before Bauer was able to escape with a 4-0 deficit.

Top of the 5th, Indians trail 4-0
With one out in the fifth inning, Bauer gave up a solo home run to Zunino that was reviewed and upheld. That was Bauer’s last pitch of the night – Nick Hagadone came on in relief, with the Tribe trailing 5-0.

Bottom of the 5th, Indians trail 5-0
A leadoff double off the bat of Nick Swisher got the Tribe started in the bottom of the fifth. Yan Gomes followed with an RBI single, to give the Indians their first run of the game. A double by Chris Dickerson put runners at first and third, and Gomes was able to score when Jason Kipnis grounded out to first base. The two runs proved to be far too little to overcome Bauer’s poor outing.

The Positives

Hagadone pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings in relief, the longest outing of his career. He allowed just one hit, and perhaps most importantly, did not walk a batter. He also struck out three. John Axford pitched 1 1/3 perfect innings, and Carlos Carrasco and Kyle Crockett each had scoreless appearances as well.

The Negatives

Michael Brantley and Lonnie Chisenhall each went hitless on Tuesday night, continuing a recent trend of struggles at the plate. Bauer also had a tough game, struggling to locate his pitches and allowing too many hard-hit balls.

Check It Out

– Wednesday night’s game will be a true test of aces. Felix Hernandez leads AL pitchers in WAR, at 5.0, while Corey Kluber is fourth, at 3.8.

– Hernandez’s 1.99 ERA is the second-best in the league, behind Chris Sale’s 1.88. Their closest competition is Oakland’s Scott Kazmir, who has a 2.37 ERA. Kluber ranks eighth, at 2.77.

– Michael Brantley and Seattle’s Kyle Seager are in close competition for WAR amongst position players. Brantley’s 4.3 currently ranks fourth, while Seager is just one spot higher at 4.5. They trail only Mike Trout and Josh Donaldson.