Oakland Athletics Knock Off The Cleveland Indians 3-2

The Oakland Athletics defeated the Cleveland Indians with a 3-2 win this afternoon.  Danny Salazar started the game, but did not pitch to his potential today as he failed to get out of the second inning. The A’s outhit the Indians eight to six, as the Tribe struggled with runners on base, leaving fourteen runners stranded.

Billy Butler started the scoring by hitting a solo home run, followed by a RBI single that drove in by Billy Burns. Down 2-0, Marcus Semien scored off of a sacrifice fly. The A’s did all their scoring in the second inning, but it would prove to be enough.

In the third, Erik Gonzalez hit into a ground out off of Kendall Graveman, allowing Francisco Lindor to score on the play.  Later, Brandon Moss showed no signs of rust from his time off, hitting his second home run of the spring in the fourth inning. The Indians failed to take advantage, leaving runners on base the rest of the afternoon.

More from Cleveland Guardians News

• Cleveland Guardians tantalizingly close to locking up AL Central tiebreakers
• Cleveland Guardians: Terry Francona becomes meme in profanity-laced ejection
• Say goodbye to defensive shifts and hello to bigger bases, pitch clock in 2023
• Cleveland Guardians: Shane Bieber second-fastest to 800 strikeouts in major-league history
• The next week will make or break the Cleveland Guardians’ season

What stood out?

Danny Salazar, who finished with a stat line of two hits, three runs, and two walks over 1 2/3 innings,is a candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation, but cannot afford outings like this.  With Gavin Floyd injured and Josh Tomlin dealing with arm issues, it’s unclear how much time those two will miss, so Salazar will be counted on to make a contribution in the rotation.

Salazar was much more impressive in his first outing, and with the competition for the rotation thinning out, he needs to improve next time out to show he can handle taking the ball every fifth day. Otherwise he may find his season starting in Triple-A.

Moss had a great game today against his old team, going 2-for-3 with the home run.  It’s exciting to see how quickly he’s acclimated to Cleveland, and how well he’s playing after missing time. Being optimistic with the return of Nick Swisher when he gets back into the lineup, coupled with Moss could be a shot in the arm for the Indians’ offense.

What’s up next?

The Cleveland Indians are back home as they take on the Kansas City Royals at 4:05 PM.