Reaction: Cleveland Indians Drop Rubber Game to White Sox, 6-0

The weather was cold, the Indians’ bats? Colder

Well, one way to look at it is even if the Cleveland Indians’

pitched a one-run game, it still would have been a loss. The Tribe threatened on more than one occasion, and the game wasn’t as lopsided as the score would lead you to believe. They made the White Sox work, unfortunately they were unable to find a way to cash in on opportunity.Kluber (0-2, 3.90) was actually in-line for a quality start

What Stod Out:

Kluber (0-2, 3.90) was actually in-line for a quality start through six innings before things came apart in the seventh. With the Indians (5-9) down 3-0, Kluber allowed three straight singles, capped off by an RBI double by Jose Abreu, who had already homered in the first inning.

The Indians again struggled with runners in scoring position, going 0-for-10 while leaving 11 stranded on the afternoon. Brandon Moss had the only extra-base hit in the game, a double in the sixth. 

The White Sox (6-8) did get six scoreless innings out of their starter, but he had to work for every bit of it. Jeff Samardzija (1-1, 3.33) threw 113 pitches just to get through sixth innings. But with a Cleveland offense still trying to find its way, it was more than enough.

Kluber struggled as his line shows (6 IP, 13 H, 6 ER, 6 SO, 1 HR Allowed), but even then he would have needed near perfection to win this game–as well as a few of the others. In his four starts, the offense has given him a grand total of FIVE runs in support.

What’s Next:

The Indians will have an off-day as they travel to Detroit for a weekend series with the Tigers. Danny Salazar (1-0, 3.00) is scheduled to pitch for the Tribe, and comes off an impressive performance after being recalled from Triple-A. The Tigers will answer with Shane Greene (3-0, 0.39) who has been superb so far this season.