Reaction: Carrasco shelled as Cleveland Indians lose to Milwaukee

Defense haunted the Cleveland Indians again, as the Tribe committed two errors in a 6-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Friday night. Cleveland’s No. 2 starter Carlos Carrasco was shelled in the loss, allowing six runs in 2.1 innings.

Key Moments

2nd Inning: Brewers get on the board early

After retiring three of the first four batters in the first inning, Carlos Carrasco labored through the second inning. Jean Segura started the rally with a one-out single to centerfield before Scooter Gennett clubbed a double to centerfield. Gennett scored two batters later on an error by Lonnie Chisenhall.

2nd Inning: Indians offense responds, takes the lead

Chisenhall made up for his error in the top half of the inning, smacking a two-out, two-RBI triple to right field to tie the game. Jose Ramirez followed the drive with a single to left field, scoring Chisenhall and giving the Tribe an early lead.

3rd Inning: Carrasco is chased after four-run inning

Carrasco gave up a home run to Adam Lind on a full count to lead off the third inning. Three hits later, Gennett singled to score Khris Davis and Segura, chasing Carrasco from the game. Martin Maldonado singled off relief pitcher Ben Heller to give Milwaukee a 6-3 advantage.

The Positives

-Lonnie Chisenhall continued his late push this spring, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Chisenhall hit his first triple of the season and is now hitting .302 this season.

-Opening Day shortstop Jose Ramirez had one hit and stole his second base of the season off Wily Peralta and Jonathan Lucroy. Despite hitting just .230 this spring, Ramirez looks ready to contribute — offensively and defensively — to the postseason-hopeful Tribe.

-The Tribe bullpen threw 6.2 innings without allowing a run. They walked one and allowed just two hits after a tough outing by Carrasco.

The Negatives

-As well as Chisenhall played offensively, he was equally bad in the field. The third baseman made two fielding errors, racking up his fourth and fifth errors of the spring.

-Carrasco labored through 2.1 innings of work, allowing six runs (five earned run), including a home run to lead off the third inning. While his 7.00 ERA is not necessarily a point of concern, it is something to watch as Cleveland moves toward Opening Day with Carrasco as their No. 2 starter.

Check It Out

-Cleveland will take on the Brewers again on Saturday in what will be their final game of the spring. The regular season begins on Monday, as the Tribe heads to Houston to take on the Astros in a three-game set. Reigning Cy Young winner Corey Kluber will be on the bump for the Indians, taking on left-hander Dallas Keuchel. 

Live Feed

Motor City Bengals

-The Indians rescinded the Triple-A option handed out to Josh Tomlin, as Paul Hoynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported today that Tomlin will undergo arthroscopinc surgery on his right should on Wednesday. He will open the season on the big league disabled list and is expected to miss three to four months. Tomlin missed a week of camp early this spring with shoulder pain, but returned to the mound to compete for a job in the rotation. The pain has apparently returned since his minor league start on March 30.

–Austin Adams beat out first baseman Jesus Aguilar and utility man Michael Martinez for the final spot on the Indians’ Opening Day roster, giving the Tribe eight relief pitchers in the bullpen – not including Zach McAllister, who will not be needed as a starter often until late April. Zack Meisel of the Northeast Ohio Media Group responded with a piece about how the Indians can avoid overuse and fatigue of the deep relieving corps, writing:

"Those totals only paint part of the portrait, however. The Indians monitor the quantity and quality of innings and the number of pitches. Above all, they ensure the relievers rarely warm up without entering the game.“We want to make sure that if they’re using their bullets, they’re using them in the game,” Callaway said.If a reliever gets loose and isn’t summoned to the mound, the Indians typically count that as an outing when evaluating who is available for a particular game."

–Jason Kipnis made an interesting observation on Thursday night while watching the Cavaliers-Heat game on TV about Cavs’ high-energy forward Tristan Thompson:

I say “interesting” because Kipnis, himself, is really the Indians’ equivalent of Thompson.

Next: 5 questions the Indians' face heading into Opening Day