Rangers Lose To Indians

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ARLINGTON, Texas — Cleveland has struggled on the road this season, but the Indians had one of those afternoons that will help them forget for at least one day being the worst road team in the majors so far this season.

Cleveland starter Josh Tomlin pitched into the ninth and the Indians supplied plenty of power at the plate, including home runs by Carlos Santana and Yan Gomes on the way to an 8-3 victory on Saturday at Globe Life Park.

Indians right fielder David Murphy, playing in his second game in Texas after leaving the Rangers to sign with the Indians, went 3-for-4 with a double and drove in a run.

“Playing against your old team you get up for it,” Murphy said. “The Rangers are a team that have always played well at home. We’ve played well at home this year and haven’t played too well on the road. It’s good to gain a little momentum on the road.”

Tomlin went eight innings and left after giving up a single to Rangers third baseman Adrian Beltre to start the ninth. Tomlin held Texas to three runs on seven hits to set up Cleveland for the win.

He fought off a two-run rally by the Rangers in the sixth and kept his pitch count low enough to possibly finish the game. But he didn’t raise too much of a fuss when Indians manager Terry Francona took the

ball from him in the ninth.

“For me, it was just go out there and throw strikes and try to get as deep as I could in the game and try to save that bullpen a little bit,” Tomlin said. “I’m more happy we got the win.

“I wasn’t disappointed. I would’ve like to have finished it, don’t get me wrong. But the main thing is we won the game.”

Tomlin, from Tyler, Texas, had his deepest outing of the season in his first trip to his home state this season.

“I grew up here so that kind of heat, I’d rather have it hot like that,” Tomlin said. “You sweat a little bit and get a little better grip on the ball.”

Texas starter Nick Tepesch wasn’t exactly sharp, but he did work around five hits and four walks while giving up only one run in the first five innings.

But Cleveland got to him in the top of the sixth, when Murphy and first baseman Santana singled, and catcher Gomes hit a three-run home run to center.

Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus singled to lead off the sixth, running his streak of hitting safely against the Indians to all 39 games of his career against Cleveland.

Andrus scored on a double by Beltre, who would later score on a wild pitch as Texas cut the Indians’ lead to 4-3 in the sixth.

But the Indians responded with a four-run rally in the top of the seventh to take control.

Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall singled to center to drive in left fielder Michael Brantley. Chisenhall came around to score later on Ryan Raburn’s fielder’s choice, before Santana blasted a two-run home run to right to score Raburn.

Santana’s home run boosted the Indians to a five-run lead.

“It was a critical inning,” Rangers manager Ron Washington said. “You’ve got to give those hitters credit for fighting off pitches and finding holes. That’s what happened. Sometimes you make the pitches and you don’t get the results you’re looking for.”

The Rangers took the initial lead in the bottom of the third when center fielder Leonys Martin scored on a sacrifice fly by Andrus.

The Indians answered in the top of the fourth when second baseman Jason Kipnis led off with a single, went from first to third on a single by Chisenall and came home on Murphy’s sacrifice fly to center.

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