Reaction: Cleveland Indians Scrape By In 3-1 Win Against White Sox

Despite some close calls, the Indians managed to scrape out a 3-1 win against the White Sox in Chicago on Tuesday. Trevor Bauer followed in Corey Kluber‘s footsteps from the night before, throwing seven innings of one-run baseball and giving up just three hits and three walks, while striking out seven. Lefty Jose Quintana started for the White Sox, allowing eight hits and four walks, and striking out just four batters while giving up two runs.

Key Moments
First Inning
Jason Kipnis continued his hot streak, starting off the game with a triple to right field. After Jose Ramirez walked, Kipnis scored on Michael Brantley‘s sacrifice fly to give the Tribe an early lead.

Fourth Inning
With two out in the bottom of the fourth inning, Jose Abreu hit a ground-rule double, and Bauer walked Adam LaRoche. Abreu came around to score when Avisail Garcia singled to center field, tying the game.

Fifth Inning
The tie didn’t last long, as the Tribe responded the following inning. Kipnis lined a two-out single to the shortstop, but Alexei Ramirez couldn’t make the play. That set the stage for the Tribe’s Ramirez to hit an RBI double to left field, before Chicago escaped down 2-1. Brandon Moss tacked on a run in the eighth inning, with a one-out solo shot over the wall in right center field.

The Positives
Will Kipnis ever cool off? The Tribe second baseman is batting .338, and went 2-for-4 on Tuesday. Ramirez also showed some positive signs, with a walk and an RBI hit. In addition to the home run, Moss has looked good defensively, as he’s made some plays at first base in the last two games that Carlos Santana certainly would not have. The biggest positive was the pitching, which was stellar throughout the game.

The Negatives
Aside from an error by Ramirez, the Tribe played a pretty clean game. Michael Bourn was 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts, but everyone else had a hit, so it’s hard to find much to complain about. Despite a treacherous eighth inning, even the bullpen managed to hold the lead., with Marc Rzepczysnki and Cody Allen turning in game-saving performances.

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Check It Out
– Chicago’s parade of lefties will continue on Wednesday, as the Tribe takes on Carlos Rodon. Rodon, who made his major league debut as a reliever the last time the Indians were in town, has a 4.96 ERA in 16.1 innings.

– The White Sox will face right-hander Shaun Marcum, who is making his debut as an Indians starter. He had an appearance for the Tribe earlier this spring, when he went five innings out of the bullpen on April 12, earning a 1.80 ERA and four strikeouts before being designated for assignment and eventually shipped off to Columbus.

– Marcum, who has struggled with injury in recent seasons, is finally returning to the mound as a starter, and his debut should be an interesting one. He is 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA in Columbus this season, but Bruce Chen was pitching just as well for the Clippers before his debut with Cleveland.