Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians Drop Opener to Blue Jays; T.J. House Struggles Again

Tribe finish dismal April with another loss

High expectations finished with the worst April since 2003 for the Cleveland Indians. The 5-1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays capped off a disappointing 7-14 opening month and is a sign that things may need to change soon. One of those changes coming could be T.J. House, who was ineffective again, allowing five runs in the fourth without recording an out. His ERA ballooned to 13.15 in four starts, encompassing just 13 innings.

The Tribe were able to knock Jays starter Daniel Norris out in the third inning after just 78 pitches, but Norris was able to escape several jams, including the second inning when we walked two straight to load the bases after allowing a single to Ryan Raburn but retired the next two, allowing no runs in the inning. The two teams will go back at it tonight at 7:10 pm ET.

In out #TBT piece, Co-editor Cody Norman takes a look at Corey Kluber and his Cy Young season–one that saw him struggle in April as well. He did manage a couple of wins in the first month, but his numbers didn’t reflect what was coming in that spectacular season. Kluber sat with a 4.14 ERA , while opponents were hitting a robust .299 against him. So have faith, Klubot will return.

After a move to the bullpen following several chances in the rotation, Zach McAllister has been a beacon of hope in an otherwise dismal bullpen group. It’s still very early, and with the way things are progressing with the rotation, it’s not out of the question that he may still get another shot out of necessity.

These and some other stories you might have missed:

‘Big fourth inning lead Jays to victory over Indians’ – MLB.com

‘Kluber’s April numbers on par with Cy Young season’ – Wahoo’s on First

‘McAllister growing in the Indians bullpen’ – Wahoo’s on First

‘KC Royals declaw the Detroit Tigers 8-1’ – Kings of Kauffman

‘Rodriguez, Kluber top list of April surprises’ – ESPN.com

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