It’s been a whole half a month since Amy made it to a game. If this one is any indication, we shouldn’t even go to the K unless she’s with us. Aside from some stinkiness in the stands, this was an excellent outing. Our big key to success this year appears to be getting off to a strong lead early in the game. Even a good team has trouble coming from behind, and this isn’t a good team.
Thus it came as no small relief when we struck early. In the top of the first Luis Mendoza gave up a lead-off single but then got the next three batters in a row. In the bottom half, Indians pitcher Zach McAllister walked Alcides Escobar. Lorenzo Cain singled. Then on the first pitch to Billy Butler, Escobar and Cain pulled a double steal. Carlos Santana fired the ball into left, allowing Escobar to score and putting Cain on third (where he scored on a ground-out by Butler).
In the second we increased our lead. Chris Getz drew a two-out walk and stole second. That allowed him to score on a single by Jarrod Dyson, who in turn stole second and scored on a double by Alex Gordon. What a relief it was to see our team finally playing some solid baseball.
The trend extended to the field as well. In the second Mike Moustakas made a rare error on a sharp grounder from Jose Lopez; the sparse crowd wasn’t belting out “Moooooose!” at every ball hit to third, so perhaps the absence made him lose concentration.
However, he more than made up for it in the seventh. Mendoza seemed to be tiring a bit, and he gave up a lead-off walk to Santana. Though we still had a reasonably solid lead, a lead-off runner is never a good thing. Then Lopez hit a tough grounder to third. Moustakas fielded it from his knees and fired to second. Getz not only hauled in the awkward throw but also managed to fire to first in time to complete the double play. Rare indeed is the occasion in which one play draws two “!” for two different players.
So that was the play of the game, with a jumping snag by Escobar in sixth running it a close second. Cain and Escobar combined for a play on Jack Hannahan that nearly turned a double into an out, which was also noteworthy.
The game didn’t really have a goat, though Shin-Soo Choo’s dive in the top of the eighth came close. The pitch obviously didn’t hit him, but arguments from Ned Yost, Jose Mijares and Salvador Perez failed to convince plate ump Mike Everitt.
Mendoza was the player of the game. Though he’s nobody’s Cy Young candidate, apparently he’s capable of pitching a decent game if he gets a little run support.
The box score: INDIANS (2) AT ROYALS (5) INDIANS AB R H BI ROYALS AB R H BI Shin-Soo Choo 3 0 1 0 Alex Gordon 4 0 1 1 Asdrubal Cabrera 4 0 1 1 Alcides Escobar 3 2 1 0 Jason Kipnis 4 0 0 0 Lorenzo Cain 4 1 2 1 Michael Brantley 4 0 0 0 Billy Butler 4 0 0 1 Carlos Santana 3 1 1 1 Mike Moustakas 4 0 0 0 Jose Lopez 4 0 0 0 Salvador Perez 3 0 0 0 Johnny Damon 4 0 0 0 Eric Hosmer 3 0 0 0 Casey Kotchman 3 0 0 0 Chris Getz 2 1 0 0 Jack Hannahan 3 1 2 0 Jarrod Dyson 3 1 2 1 TOTALS 32 2 5 2 TOTALS 30 5 6 4 INDIANS 000 100 010 -- 2 ROYALS 220 010 00x -- 5 LOB--INDIANS 5, ROYALS 3. ERR--Carlos Santana, Mike Moustakas. 2B--Jack Hannahan (2), Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson. HR--Carlos Santana. HBP--Shin-Soo Choo. SB--Chris Getz, Alcides Escobar, Lorenzo Cain, Jarrod Dyson. INDIANS IP H R ER BB SO HR Zach McAllister 6 5 5 4 2 3 0 Vinnie Pestano 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 Chris Perez 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 ROYALS Luis Mendoza 7 1-3 4 2 2 1 3 1 Jose Mijares 0 2-3 1 0 0 0 0 0 Greg Holland 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 SO--Jack Hannahan, Asdrubal Cabrera, Jason Kipnis, Alex Gordon, Lorenzo Cain, Eric Hosmer (2), Salvador Perez. BB--Carlos Santana, Chris Getz, Alcides Escobar. LOCATION: The K CONDITION: Dry WEATHER: Hot, clear Buck seat: W- Guard: McConnell AFB Anthem: Minister in full voice Umpires: H - Everitt 1 - Diaz (I believe) 2 - Esterbrook 3 - Welke Time: 7:10 Temp: 99
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