Rangers Lose To Indians
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ARLINGTON, Texas — The Cleveland Indians used perhaps the toughest out in baseball during the last three weeks to defeat the Texas Rangers an eighth consecutive time.
Second baseman Jason Kipnis hit a game-winning, two-run homer off Neftali Feliz, capping a three-run ninth-inning rally in the Indians’ 10-8 comeback victory on Saturday night.
Kipnis was 3-for-6 with two RBIs and two runs scored in a game that featured 27 hits.
Kipnis is hitting .425 in 17 games since becoming the Indians’ leadoff hitter and .517 in 14 games in May. In the first two games of the three-game series, he’s 7-for-11.
“I thought maybe I was only going to get one good pitch the whole at-bat,” Kipnis said. “I thought I missed my chance on (the second pitch) because he threw it 88 right over (the plate) … I wasn’t actually trying to pull (the next pitch). It was low and in and I just dropped my hands on it.”
Feliz (1-2), who blew his third save of the season, was the latest Texas reliever to falter in May.
Right-hander Scott Atchison (1-1) picked up the victory for Cleveland (14-21). Right-hander Cody Allen registered his sixth save by retiring the Rangers (15-22) in order in the bottom of the ninth.
Before the Indians’ rally, Atchison was on the hook for the
loss after giving up Texas catcher Robinson Chirinos’ solo home run with two outs in the eighth.
Chirinos was 3-for-4 with a single and a double. Seven Rangers had RBIs, including shortstop Elvis Andrus, whose RBI single in the fifth tied the score.
Second baseman Thomas Field and right fielder Shin-Soo Choo, who was 3-for-5 with an RBI, hit solo home runs for the Rangers (16-21).
Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall went 3-for-5, including a double to lead off the Indians’ ninth, and added an RBI. Center fielder Michael Bourn was 2-for-4 with two RBIs.
After Chisenhall’s double, Feliz retired Bourn but walked catcher Brett Hayes with a wild pitch, allowing Chisenhall to advance to third with one out. Texas tried to turn a game-ending 6-4-3 double play, but Hayes’ hard slide into Field at second caused a wild relay that would have been late anyway. Chisenhall scored, setting up Kipnis’ at-bat.
“It was a hard slide in,” Texas manager Jeff Banister said. “It was clean. That’s how you play the game. We didn’t make the play.”
The teams combined for five errors.
Feliz’s struggles mirrored those of his reliever teammates.
The Rangers’ bullpen has allowed runs in nine of the past 11 games and has a 6.50 ERA in May. Relievers have also yielded 14 homers in the first 16 games this month.
“We can’t continue to give up runs,” Banister said. “That’s probably the thing that is concerning the most … the home runs. Late out of the bullpen. We’ve got to figure out how to keep the ball on the park.”
Neither starting pitcher figured into the decision.
Cleveland right-hander Danny Salazar gave up seven runs — five earned — and nine hits in 4 2/3 innings. Texas right-hander Colby Lewis labored through his five innings, giving up six runs, seven hits and three walks while striking out seven.
The Indians scored in each of the first four innings, including three runs in the top of the first.
Designated hitter David Murphy collected a sacrifice fly, followed by right fielder Brandon Moss’ base hit that scored left fielder Michael Brantley. Bourn’s run-scoring double brought Moss home.
Texas chipped away and, down 6-4, took its first lead with three in the bottom of the fifth, keyed by Andrus, who had run-scoring single and scored the go-ahead run.
After driving in first baseman Mitch Moreland, who reached with an RBI double, Andrus broke for second trying to steal. Catcher Roberto Perez’s throw was wild to the first-base side of second, striking the sliding Andrus. The ball ricocheted into the no-man’s land of short left field.
Andrus broke for third and never stopped as Indians fielders gave chase to ball. Andrus rounded third and slid just ahead of shortstop Jose Ramirez’s throw and under the tag of Perez.
“We’ve seen him get hot like this before,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said of Kipnis. “He’s seeing a lot of pitches and getting on base. Kip has just been phenomenal in that situation. A great swing off a really good pitcher.”
