Reaction: Series win alludes Cleveland Indians at home against Orioles

Entering the game with a seven-game streak with six or more innings with at least six strikeouts and three or fewer walks, Cleveland Indians’ starter Carlos Carrasco saw his streak snapped at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles in the series-deciding loss on Sunday afternoon. Carrasco allowed five earned runs in just four innings of work, though he didn’t get much support from his defense.

Key Moments

First Inning

The O’s wasted little time getting on the board, as Adam Jones pounded a two-out solo home run to the left field bleachers.

Fourth Inning

Baltimore extended their lead to 4-0 in the top of the fourth, as five straight batters reached with two outs. Chisenhall was unable to make a big play with two outs and allowed the first runner of the inning to score on an infield single by Manny Machado. Travis Snider drove in two more with a single of his own in the next at-bat.

The Indians had their best opportunity for a big inning in the fourth, as David Murphy led off the frame with a double down the right field line. Brandon Moss followed suit and drove Murphy home with a double of his own. Nick Swisher was hit by a pitch, giving the Tribe two runners on with no outs. Lonnie Chisenhall, who had an awful day all around, struck out before Yan Gomes did the same and Michael Bourn grounded out weekly to kill a potential rally.

Ninth Inning

Matt Weiters pushed the O’s lead to 7-2 with a solo home run off Zach McAllister in the ninth. Cleveland, then, added a meaningless run with a single by Ryan Raburn, which plated Jason Kipnis.

The Positives

-Kipnis continued his ridiculously good hitting in Progressive Field. The Indians’ second baseman was the only Indians’ player to tally multiple hits, clubbing two doubles and a single in the contest.

-The platoon of Murphy and Raburn continued to produce. Murphy was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored as the starter, and Raburn added a hit and two RBIs of his own as a pinch hitter in the seventh inning.

-Both Ryan Webb and Austin Adams pitched extremely well out of the Indians’ bullpen. Webb threw 1.1 innings and struck out three batters, lowering his ERA to 1.08. He was charged with an unearned run after an error by Chisenhall plated one. Adams pitched 1.2 innings and struck out four, lowering his season ERA to 0.96.

The Negatives

-The Indians’ defense was absolutely atrocious. Chisenhall committed two errors in the game and misplayed another softly hit ground ball that facilitated a big fourth inning for the O’s. Moss misplayed a ball in right field and a lack of hustle turned a double into a triple by Weiters. Even Gomes got in on the action, allowing one pass ball and misplaying a handful of other pitches on the afternoon.

-For the second time in this series, the Tribe was unable to get back to the .500 mark and now sit at 27-29 heading into this week’s series against Seattle. They have played poorly at home this season, going 11-16 in 27 games at Progressive Field.

Check It Out

-In a move we all saw coming, the Indians optioned Jose Ramirez to Triple-A after the game on Sunday. The Tribe is off on Monday, so a corresponding move is unlikely to be made until Tuesday. When the series starts against Seattle, fans could be getting their first glimpse of prized prospect Francisco Lindor…or they could be taking another peak at Zach Walters.

-Many members of the Tribe shaved their heads as a sign of support for Mike Aviles and his daughter, who was diagnosed with leukemia last month. Indians owner Paul Dolan joined the club today, allowing Aviles to shave his head in the dugout before the game. Here’s what he had to say after the game:

"Tribe owner Paul Dolan talks poignantly about why he shaved his head this morning in support of Mike and family: https://t.co/LPhhILiEjP— #VoteKip #VoteTribe (@Indians) June 7, 2015"

Next: Ramirez optioned to Triple-A Columbus