Carlos Carrasco struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings and the Indians had 12 hits in a 7-3 victory over the Yankees on Friday night in Yankee Stadium.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Right-hander Carlos Carrasco gave up one run and struck out 11 in 6 2/3 innings and second baseman Jose Ramirez went 3-for-3 with one walk and three runs as the Cleveland Indians defeated the New York Yankees, 7-3, Friday night at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. Tribe left fielder Michael Brantley was 2-for-5 with two RBI.
Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast:
Impressive stuff: The Indians (57-64) are 4-1 against the first-place Yankees (67-54) with two games remaining in the season series.
The Indians secured consecutive season-series victories against the Yankees for the first time since 1968-1969. Last year, they went 4-3, including 2-1 at Yankee Stadium, where they won the final two.
The Tribe hadn't won four straight in the Boogie Down since 1995.
Hit dogs: In the five games against New York this year, the Indians have amassed 59 hits.
Hip, hip, Jose: Yes, Ramirez committed a between-the-legs error that led to a run and put the Indians in an extremely tight spot in the bottom of the eighth. But Ramirez more than made up for it at the plate, and he did so from the nine-hole.
Ramirez saw 24 pitches without making an out.
Dr. Smooth punishes: Yankees manager Joe Girardi must have forgotten who was coming to the plate for the Indians with runners on second and third and one out in the ninth inning of a one-run game. How else to explain the decision to pitch to Michael Brantley, one of MLB's best in the clutch?
Brantley faced lefty Justin Wilson and fell behind, 0-2. No big deal: For Brantley, that's when a plate appearance actually gets interesting. After taking two pitches for balls and spoiling two others, Brantley slapped a slide piece to left for an RBI single to push the Tribe's lead to 5-3.
Fox SportsTime Ohio analyst Rick Manning, addressing the viewers and STO play-by-play voice Matt Underwood, said: "They had a chance to walk him; they chose not to. I can't believe they didn't do it. Like you said: 'You play with fire, you get burned.' The next time, I think they'll walk Michael Brantley and take their chances with somebody else.''
The next batter, Carlos Santana, grounded to third. The Yankees failed to turn two, and another run scored, because Brantley disrupted second baseman Stephen Drew's throw enough with a clean, hard slide.
Jerry Sands doubled to drive in Santana to account for the final margin.
Thunder stick: Santana led off the sixth with a homer against righty Masahiro Tanaka to give the Indians a 3-1 lead. Santana lined a 3-2 fastball into the right-field seats. It came one pitch after Yankees catcher Brian McCann failed to secure Santana's pop in the field box next to the Tribe dugout.
Cookie Express in high gear: Carrasco allowed five hits and walked one. He threw a tidy 81 of 108 pitches for strikes.
Carrasco (12-9, 3.53 ERA) secured the Tribe staff's 17th game of 10-plus strikeouts.
The composite line from Carrasco's past five starts is sensational:
39 2/3 IP, 18 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 6 BB, 40 K, .134 opp avg. (2-1, 1.36 ERA)
In his past seven road starts, Carrasco is 4-1 with a 1.56 ERA.
Against the Yankees, Carrasco relied on a fastball/changeup/slide/knuckle-curve combination. The curve was as nasty as it has been all season.
Here is a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Carrasco's start Friday:
First inning
(L) Brett Gardner -- 95 fastball called strike; 95 fastball outside/low (barely); 94 fastball, single to left.
Skinny: Gardner went with thigh-high fastball and shot it into hole at short.
(L) Chase Headley -- 94 fastball foul; 94 fastball foul; 89 slider foul; 94 fastball foul; 97 fastball outside; 88 changeup down and away; 89 slider foul; 95 fastball, fly to left-center (down).
Skinny: Quality AB by Headley. Center fielder Abraham Almonte made catch.
(R) Alex Rodriguez -- 95 fastball foul; 95 fastball foul; 88 changeup, swinging strikeout.
Skinny: Carrasco and catcher Yan Gomes set up Rodriguez perfectly. Pitch dived to inside corner at knees.
(L) Brian McCann -- 95 fastball called strike (outside corner at knees); 95 fastball foul (pitch to hit); 84 curve down and in (McCann barely checked; Gardner stole second without throw); 89 fastball inside; 89 slider foul (inside); 97 fastball foul (outside); 89 slider inside (supposedly); 90 changeup foul; 90 changeup, pop to right.
Skinny: Carrasco held the Yankees scoreless despite three quality ABs. He also was Bucknor'd in the first: Plate umpire CB Bucknor, too often a misadventure in that role, missed the call on the 2-2 slider to McCann. It was on the inside corner at the knees.
(23 pitches)
Second inning
(L) Carlos Beltran -- 96 fastball called strike; 96 fastball inside; 91 changeup foul; 90 slider, swinging strikeout (under hands).
Skinny: Carrasco worked over a tough out.
(L) Greg Bird -- 97 fastball foul; 96 fastball called strike (comeback to inner third); 91 slider down and in; 97 fastball, swinging strikeout.
Skinny: Fastball ran away at belt.
(R) Chris Young -- 90 slider inside (supposedly); 96 fastball called strike (knees); 91 slider foul; 85 curve foul (outside); 91 changeup inside; 96 fastball, swinging strikeout (scraped knees).
Skinny: Bucknor missed the first pitch. Carrasco was as good as striking out the side would suggest.
(14 pitches)
Third inning
(L) Stephen Drew -- 95 fastball foul; 89 slider, fly to center.
(R) Brendan Ryan -- 96 fastball called strike; 89 slider foul (hanger); 96 fastball foul; 90 slider, pop to center (off outside corner at knees).
(L) Brett Gardner -- 95 fastball outside; 88 changeup outside/low (barely); 94 fastball up and away; 93 fastball called strike; 94 fastball high, walk.
(L) Chase Headley -- 93 fastball called strike (Gomes almost picked off Gardner); 87 changeup swinging strike (at feet); 96 fastball, fielder's choice/5-6.
Skinny: Third baseman Giovanny Urshela, as part of the shift, fielded to left of shortstop's position and flipped to Francisco Lindor.
(14 pitches)
Fourth inning
(R) Alex Rodriguez -- 95 fastball low and away; 95 fastball foul; 82 curve swinging strike (in dirt); 84 curve low; 96 fastball foul; 85 curve, swinging strikeout (in lefty batter's box).
Skinny: Carrasco broke out the knuckle-curve in earnest. All three had serious depth.
(L) Brian McCann -- 88 changeup foul; 96 fastball outside (barely); 94 fastball called strike; 85 curve, swinging strikeout (down and in dirt).
Skinny: Ridiculously good curve.
(L) Carlos Beltran -- 95 fastball, double to center.
Skinny: Beltran pounced on pitch on outer third at thighs.
(L) Greg Bird -- 95 fastball, RBI single to left.
Skinny: Bird, similar to Lindor earlier in the game, went with a pitch and shot it into left for the RBI. The Indians had an opportunity to erase the speed-challenged Beltran at home, but Michael Brantley's throw went up the line. Gomes was unable to get back to tag Beltran, who had missed the plate with his initial head-first dive.
(R) Chris Young -- 96 fastball inside; 88 changeup low; 95 fastball, fly to left.
Skinny: Brantley, moving in and to his right, made a diving catch of a looping liner.
(15 pitches)
Fifth inning
(L) Stephen Drew -- fastball called strike; 94 fastball called strike; 83 curve, swinging strikeout.
(R) Brendan Ryan -- 93 fastball inside; 93 fastball called strike (inside corner); 87 changeup called strike; 96 fastball foul; 83 curve, swinging strikeout (in lefty's batter's box).
(L) Brett Gardner -- 87 changeup called strike; 88 changeup outside; 94 fastball called strike (outer third); 84 curve foul (Gardner barely got a piece); 95 fastball, called strikeout (over plate at knees).
Skinny: Carrasco and Gomes crossed up the pesky Gardner. Gomes gave a belt-high, inside target as a decoy.
(13 pitches)
Sixth inning
(L) Chase Headley -- swinging strike; 85 curve, pop to center.
(R) Alex Rodriguez -- 87 slider called strike; 87 slider called strike; 93 fastball high/outside (barely); 83 curve foul; 96 fastball foul (on hands); 89 slider outside; 94 fastball, grounder to third.
Skinny: Pitch ran to inner half at knees.
(L) Brian McCann -- 82 curve foul; 93 fastball up and away; 88 changeup, pop to right-center (down).
Skinny: Almonte called off right fielder Lonnie Chisenhall.
(12 pitches)
Seventh inning
(L) Carlos Beltran -- 93 fastball called strike (outer third); 81 curve foul; 87 changeup foul (broken bat); 90 slider in dirt; 88 slider foul (broken bat); 94 fastball foul; 83 curve, swinging strikeout (down and in).
Skinny: Carrasco went to the back leg with more nastiness. Beltran thought he had checked, but third-base umpire Dan Iassogna disagreed. Beltran and the Yankees dugout were disgusted. On Thursday night, Yankees manager Joe Girardi did not like Iassogna's zone and was ejected in the ninth inning.
Manning said: "They get upset here. They want all the calls.''
Fox SportsTime Ohio showed a replay.
Manning, who calls them as he sees them even if the Indians haven't benefitted, said: "The intent was there. I'm not going to say he did not swing.''
(L) Greg Bird -- 86 changeup called strike; 94 fastball swinging strike; 88 changeup in dirt; 88 changeup foul; 88 slider, swinging strikeout.
Skinny: Bugs Bunny slider to back foot.
(L) Jacoby Ellsbury PH -- 94 fastball outside; 87 slider called strike; 89 slider, single to right (hanger).
(L) Stephen Drew -- 94 fastball called strike; 93 fastball, single to left.
Skinny: Drew shot a pitch on outside corner at knees through the hole. It is mind-boggling that Drew's average is below .200.
(L) Didi Gregorius PH --
(17 pitches)
(Lefty Kyle Crockett relieved Carrasco. Crockett struck out Gregorius in three pitches; Gregorius swing through an 0-2 fastball (91) at the knees. Gregorius, as the Yankees do, complained to Bucknor after the out because he disagreed with an 0-1 strike call on a breaking pitch.)
Memo to the Yankees: Just because your batter takes a pitch doesn't automatically make it a ball. And just because your pitcher throws a pitch that the opposition batter takes doesn't mean it is a strike. But you knew that already.