The Indians finished a three-city trip at 4-4 after a comeback victory over the Dodgers on Wednesday.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians played the Los Angeles Dodgers in the finale of a three-game trip Wednesday. Here is a capsule look from The Plain Dealer reporter Dennis Manoloff:
Game: 84.
Opponent: Dodgers.
Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles.
Time of day: Afternoon.
Time elapsed: 3 hours, 30 minutes.
Attendance: 50,199.
Result: Indians 5, Dodgers 4.
Records: Indians 41-43, Dodgers 48-39.
Scoreboard watch: The Indians remained 7.5 games behind first-place Detroit (47-34) in the AL Central. The Tigers defeated the Athletics, 9-3, to sweep a three-game series in Detroit.
Batting .500: The Indians went 4-4 on a trip to Arizona (1-1), Seattle (1-2) and the Dodgers (2-1). They rescued what could have been a problematic trip with impressive victories to close the L.A. series.
On Tuesday night, they amassed 13 hits and defeated heretofore sizzling Josh Beckett, 10-3. On Wednesday, they had nine hits and rallied late.
Only the remainder of the season will determine the actual significance of the two victories in Los Angeles, but at the moment, they qualify as enormous -- and for more than just the psychological value of a .500 West Coast trip. Tuesday's occurred after the Tribe had been shut out on one hit in consecutive games for the first time in franchise history (dating to 1914). Wednesday's occurred on a getaway-day start (12:10 p.m. local time) and featured a comeback against a quality club in its house.
Going small to come up big: The Indians scored three in the eighth inning against reliever Brian Wilson to pull ahead, 5-3. They did so using National League-style small ball -- something that had been missing, for the most part, from their previous seven games in NL venues (2-5). They relied on plate discipline, good base-running and timely hitting. Here is a breakdown of the at-bats:
*Michael Brantley walked. Wilson, who relieved lefty starter Hyun-Jin Ryu to begin the inning, fell behind, 2-1. After a foul, Wilson threw two balls -- the second of which, an 89-mph cut piece, was close. Credit Brantley for a good eye and plate umpire Larry Vanover for not expanding the zone even a little bit. Vanover called a ball a ball.
*Carlos Santana walked. On the first pitch, Brantley got a good jump and stole second. Dodgers catcher A.J. Ellis did well to make it interesting; second-base umpire Angel Hernandez appeared ready to call Brantley out, but shortstop Carlos Triunfel never controlled the throw and the ball dribbled away. (The Indians undoubtedly would have challenged because the tag would have been applied to Brantley's hip on a head-first slide.)
Santana took two strikes, then spit on three pitches -- two of which were close. Wilson, obviously, thought he had Santana struck out twice (1-2 and 3-2). Some umpires might have rung up Santana, but Vanover again refused to widen his zone. K-box supported Vanover. This was a situation where Santana's ranking among league leaders in walks probably helped; he got the benefit of the doubt on each call.
Bottom line: Brantley and Santana had professional ABs that did not require hits to be impactful.
*Yan Gomes struck out swinging. Gomes swung and missed at three pitches. Wilson overmatched him.
*David Murphy hit an RBI single. Murphy, pinch-hitting for Ryan Raburn, lined a 1-0 fastball in front of left fielder Matt Kemp, whose throw to no one in particular enabled Santana to advance to third and Murphy to second. Murphy expertly went with a pitch on the outer half. He stayed compact to the ball and didn't try to do too much.
Murphy's hit and RBI meant the six-hole in manager Terry Francona's lineup went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Raburn belted a two-run homer in the fourth for the only runs off Ryu.
*Lonnie Chisenhall was intentionally walked. No-brainer.
*Mike Aviles hit a two-run single. In a 2-1 count, Aviles dumped a 93-mph fastball in front of right fielder Yasiel Puig. Murphy turned on the afterburners once he hit third to ensure that Puig's throw had no chance. Puig's throw was cut, but Chisenhall still had enough speed to reach third before the tag.
*Nick Swisher struck out looking. Wilson was relieved by lefty J.P. Howell as Swisher pinch-hit for pitcher Bryan Shaw. On the fifth of an eight-pitch at-bat, Aviles easily stole second. Vanover rung up Swisher on a full-count fastball. Swisher went nose-to-nose with Vanover for several seconds, and he had a legitimate gripe: The pitch, as K-box showed, was inside. This turned out to be the opposite of Santana in that the struggling Swisher didn't get the benefit of the doubt.
Swisher has been an easy target because of his problems at the plate and in the field. This should not be one of those times. Swisher had a lengthy AB and demonstrated a good eye.
*Jason Kipnis flied to left.
Four-out magic: The Dodgers pulled within 5-4 on Scott Van Slyke's homer off Scott Atchison in the eighth. After a lineout, Cody Allen relieved and got the final out of the inning.
Allen earned the four-out save -- but it wasn't easy. Kemp flied to deep center with runners on second and third to end the game.
Bauer power: Indians right-hander and Southern California native Trevor Bauer, pitching in Dodger Stadium for the first time as a major leaguer, allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out two. He threw 64 of 102 pitches for strikes.
Bauer's start can be viewed through two prisms:
1. Bauer was so-so. He should have done more against a watered-down lineup that included the pitcher. Among the Dodgers who did not start were .312 Puig, .290 Jose Uribe, .271 Hanley Ramirez and .257 (but always dangerous) Adrian Gonzalez.
Bauer threw too many pitches and didn't dominate, as evidenced by the low strikeout total.
2. Bauer was good. He deserved better than the outcome, which was a start of 5 2/3 innings and a no-decision. He was one out from a quality start.
Bauer carried a two-hit shutout into the fifth and led, 2-0. He opened the inning by getting a flyout, then gave up a single, then got another flyout. He was retiring the pitcher away from carrying a three-hit shutout into the sixth.
In Ryu's previous at-bat, he punched a 1-2 curveball into center for a single. Bauer was not going to get beat with a breaking ball to the pitcher again -- and Ryu knew it. After taking a fastball for a ball, Ryu started his swing early in anticipation of another heater. His hips cleared well before the ball arrived, meaning the only place Bauer could get hurt was on the inner half -- and that assumes Ryu makes decent contact. Bauer's pitch was over the plate but at the knees, and Ryu lined it to left for an RBI double.
Those who want to call the pitch a mistake by Bauer have a right to do so. But they would be mistaken. This simply was a case of Ryu, employing some of the ugliest swing mechanics imaginable, running into one. Good luck for Ryu, bad luck for Bauer.
What happened with the next three batters, though, is on Bauer. He walked Dee Gordon in four pitches and Ellis in seven. Bauer had Ellis down in the count, 1-2.
Andre Ethier, in a 2-2 count, got a fastball up and sent it into center for a two-run single and 3-2 lead.
Bauer had let Ryu's hit rattle, or at least unnerve, him. But he righted himself enough to induce a grounder by Kemp and keep the Indians in the game.
Bauer remains winless on the road in his career (0-5 in nine starts).
Quick work: Bauer retired the Dodgers on eight pitches in the second. Clint Robinson popped to second (one pitch), Van Slyke flied to center (five) and Miguel Rojas popped to short (two).
Science of pitching: Bauer and catcher Gomes did a terrific job of mixing pitches and changing locations in the fourth. Bauer retired Ethier (called strikeout), Kemp (fly to right) and Robinson (grounder to first).
L.A. gloves: Ryu allowed the two runs on seven hits in seven innings. He walked none and struck out eight. He was sharp.
The line would not have been as good, though, if not for two stellar defensive plays in the fifth.
With Asdrubal Cabrera on second and one out, Brantley lined toward third. Rojas dived to his right to take away a hit, possibly for extra bases. Santana followed by punching a full-count pitch to right for a single. Van Slyke fielded cleanly and fired to Ellis, who tagged Cabrera.
