Kluber Flaunts Superpowers Again as Tribe Wins

Aug 15, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber (28) is congratulated in the dugout after leaving the game during the eighth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

7 2/3 Scoreless Innings Blemished Only By Shaw’s Blunders

He’s done it again.  Corey Kluber threw another 7 2/3 innings while striking out 10 more batters on Friday night as the Indians took the first game of their series against the Orioles.  Corey Kluber had a few messy situations, including a bases-loaded 1-out situation in the third, but as always he managed to pitch around it.  Once again, the only earned run that was charged to him came after he left. That extended Corey Kluber’s streak of not allowing an earned run while on the mound to 39 innings, lowering his elite ERA to 2.41.  Mike Aviles ended the game with a walk-off home run against RP Brian Matusz, and the Indians walked off in extra innings by a score of 2-1.

The Positives

Klubermania continues.  Corey Kluber was unable to earn the win due to Brian Shaw’s flubs in the eighth inning (he was unable to record a single out during his appearance and allowed the runner Kluber left on first base to score), but he remains undefeated since June 30th.  He has now pitched 47 2/3 innings in his last six starts while striking out a stunning 55 batters.  A meteor strike couldn’t stop this guy.  Zach Walters smacked his second homer as an Indian, providing the offensive support the Indians needed to get to extra innings.  And of course, Mike Aviles came through with his second walk-off hit this year in the form of a powerful homer.

The Negatives

The offense sputtered again.  The Indians managed only 6 hits (2 by Zach Walters) through 11 innings to the tune of only a pair of runs.  They need to pick up the scoring or they’ll have zero chance at the postseason.  Tyler Holt looked like a paraplegic moose in right field, taking terrible paths to multiple balls that should have resulted in outs but instead turned into base hits.  He’s clearly not the answer to the Tribe’s outfield needs.  Raburn’s incompetence continued as well.

Check It Out
-Corey Kluber now has more 10-strikeout outings than any Indians pitcher in the past forty years, and the same proves true for his number of 8-strikeout outings
-With the Royals’ win today, the Indians remain 6 games out of first place in the AL Central
-Corey Kluber is now second in all of baseball in strikeouts, sixth in ERA and fifth in WAR for pitchers.