Tribe Shut Out Again, Carrasco’s Performance Wasted

Sep 22, 2014; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Indians pitcher Carlos Carrasco (59) throws during the first inning of the second game of a double header against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Tribe Unable to Defeat Another Mediocre Starter, Carrasco Lowers ERA to 2.55

Playing a game with no potential postseason implications (their first in almost two years), the Indians were unable to put a run on the board to support Carlos Carrasco‘s stupendous outing.  Carrasco went 7 2/3 innings and struck out 10, but took a tough luck loss after allowing just one earned run.  Another error by Lonnie Chisenhall gave the Rays an unearned run early on, which was all Alex Colome needed to put the Tribe away.

The Positives

Even during a shutout, there was one offensive positive. Michael Brantley recorded his 200th hit on a single up the middle.  He became just the 18th player in Indians’ history to accomplish that feat, and is the only player in Indians history with 200 hits, 20 steals, 20 homers and 40 doubles in a single season.  Carrasco was, of course, brilliant again.  His 10 strikeouts over 7 2/3 innings put the icing on yet another phenomenal performance since coming out of the ‘pen.

The Negatives

Lonnie Chisenhall keeps proving that he can’t handle third base.  The Tribe’s offense scored less than two runs for the fourth time in its last five games, which is pretty embarassing for a major-league team.

Check It Out
-Michael Brantley became the first Indians hitter to record 200 hits in a season since Kenny Lofton in 1996 (210)
-Carlos Carrasco has an ERA of 1.30 since rejoining the rotation
-The Indians extended their major-league strikeout single season record to 1,442