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 That trend continued Sunday afternoon at Progressive Field when
Michael Brantley led off the bottom of the 12th inning with a home
run as the Indians rallied to beat the Rangers 4-3.
The Indians are 6-1 vs. Texas this season and they have outscored
the Rangers 50-23 in the seven games.
Center fielder Brantley's home run was the second of two dramatic
homers by the Indians. Trailing 3-1, Indians right fielder David
Murphy tied the game with a two-run homer with one out in the bottom
of the ninth to force extra innings.
"It got us to extra innings and when you're in extra innings at home
you like your chances because all you've got to do is score one run
and it's over," Murphy said.
The Indians' victory completed a three-game weekend sweep of Texas.
The win went to right-hander Scott Atchison (5-0), the last of seven
Cleveland pitchers.
The Indians wasted chances to win it in the 10th inning when they
had runners at first and second and one out and failed to score, and
in the 11th when they had the bases loaded with one out and failed
to score.
Brantley, the first batter in the bottom of the 12th, belted a 3-2
pitch from right-hander Phil Klein (0-1) over the right field wall
for his 16th home run. It is Brantley's second walkoff home run in
extra innings this season, the first Indians player to do that since
Jim Thome in 2001.
"I wasn't looking for any one pitch. A 3-2 count, he threw me
everything. I just tried to put a good swing on it," Brantley said.
"With Michael you know you're going to get a quality at bat," said
Indians manager Terry Francona. "You may not get a hit, but you know
you're going to get a quality at bat."
In the bottom of the ninth, pinch hitter Chris Dickerson, batting
for designated hitter Nick Swisher, drew a walk off Texas closer
Neftali Feliz. Murphy, the former Ranger, hit Feliz's first pitch
into the seats in right-center field for a game-tying home run, his
seventh of the season.
"It helps that I have some familiarity having played behind him and
seen him first hand," Murphy said. "But it's a little different when
you're in the box against him. I do know his tendencies. The home
run was just a fastball right down the middle."
"I felt great, the results just weren't what I wanted today," Feliz
said.
Texas manager Ron Washington was more upset with the walk to
Dickerson than the home run by Murphy.
"It wouldn't have mattered what Murph did if (Feliz) hadn't walked
Dickerson ... Feliz didn't execute with two batters today,"
Washington said.
Prior to Murphy's homer, Rangers right-hander Yu Darvish and
left-hander Neal Cotts had held Cleveland to one run on four hits
through eight innings.
"There wasn't much to yell about until Murph's homer," Francona
said.
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Texas struggled to score runs in the first two games of the series,
getting outscored 14-2 in losing both games. After scoring two runs in
18 innings in those two games the Rangers scored three runs in the first
two innings against right-hander Trevor Bauer.
With one out in the first inning, shortstop Elvis Andrus doubled and
scored on a single by right fielder Alex Rios. The hit gives Andrus a
hit in all 25 games he has played in his career at Progressive Field.
Bauer started the second inning by hitting first baseman J.P. Arencibia
and then walking center fielder Leonys Martin and catcher Chris Gimenez
to load the bases with no outs.
Second baseman Rougned Odor's sacrifice fly drove in Arencibia and a
sacrifice fly by designated hitter Shin-Soo Choo drove in Martin to give
Texas a 3-0 lead.
Darvish struck out at least one hitter in six of the seven innings he
pitched. The Indians cut the Rangers lead to 3-1 in the second inning.
With one out, third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall doubled over the head of
Martin in center field. Darvish struck out Swisher for the second out,
but Murphy poked a double down the right field line, scoring Chisenhall.
After his rocky first two innings, Bauer settled down and held Texas
scoreless on three hits over the next five innings. He was removed from
the game with one out and two on in the eighth inning. In a career-high
7 1/3 innings, Bauer gave up three runs on six hits with four walks and
four strikeouts.
"I thought Trevor was really good," Francona said. "If they score again
(after getting three runs) it's more of an uphill battle for us,
especially with Darvish pitching."
NOTES: Indians C Yan Gomes, who was given a scheduled day off Saturday,
was not in the starting lineup Sunday due to a stiff neck. ... Indians
OF Michael Bourn, who has been on the disabled list since July 6 with a
left hamstring strain, will continue his rehab Monday by running the
bases. There is still no timetable for his return. ... Texas C Geovany
Soto was 1-for-3 with a double in a start for Triple-A Round Rock
Saturday night. It was the second rehab game for Soto, who has been on
the disabled list since July 22 with a right groin strain.
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