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 The Indians turned a triple play that sparked two video reviews,
and they rolled to a 10-3 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers at
Dodger Stadium on Tuesday night.
"That was kind of a crazy game," Cleveland manager Terry Francona
said. "There was a lot going on."
Third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall homered, and the Indians ended a
two-game slide and knocked the Dodgers (48-38) from their perch atop
the National League West with the San Francisco Giants defeating the
St. Louis Cardinals. Cleveland, broke out offensively, finishing
with 13 hits.
Murphy went 3-for-4. Left fielder Michael Brantley, second baseman
Jason Kipnis, first baseman Nick Swisher and catcher Yan Gomes added
two hits apiece. Chisenhall, Swisher, Gomes and Murphy each
contributed two RBIs.
"It felt great," said Murphy, who was mired in a 1-for-44 funk
entering the game. "We know what we're capable of, and when we play
like we're capable of, good things usually happen, and we usually
like the results. Tonight, that was the case."
Reliever Kyle Crockett (2-0) gave up a walk and a hit but no runs in
his only inning, the fourth, and he was credited with the win.
Dodgers starter Josh Beckett had his string of 14 scoreless innings
end in the first inning. Beckett (5-5) allowed five runs on six hits
in five innings. He struck out five and walked one.
Murphy said scoring in the first inning was huge for Cleveland.
"Anytime you have a quality pitcher out there and you can get to him
early, I think it helps everyone relax," Murphy said. "That kind of
set the tone, and we were able to have quality at-bats up and down
the lineup."
The Dodgers loaded the bases three times but failed to score on each
occasion. Overall, they stranded 10 runners to only four for the
Indians.
"We had opportunities to get back in the game," Dodgers manager Don
Mattingly said. "We just failed to take advantage of them."
Brantley's RBI double gave Cleveland a 1-0 lead with one out in the
first inning. Chisenhall followed and drove a 2-2 pitch by Beckett
into the seats in right for a two-run blast and a 3-0 advantage.
In the bottom of the inning, Dodgers right fielder Yasiel Puig
doubled, and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez hit a two-run homer to
cut the Indians' lead to one. It was Gonzalez's 14th home run of the
season.
Swisher's two-run double in the third gave Cleveland a 5-2 cushion.
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Puig blooped a base hit to shallow right to plate Beckett, who
reached on his second double of the game, to cut the deficit to two
runs with no outs in the fourth.
That was when the Indians (40-43) turned a triple play. Gonzalez
lined out to Brantley in left. Brantley's throw to the plate retired
Dee Gordon, who attempted to score from third but was tagged out by
Gomes. The catcher then threw out Puig, who tried to advance from
first to second. Initially, second base umpire Paul Nauert ruled
Puig safe, but the call was overturned after Cleveland manager Terry
Francona requested a review of Kipnis' tag on Puig.
Dodgers manager Don Mattingly asked for a review of Gordon being
called out, but that call stood.
"Brantley (made) a really good throw, (Gomes) with a great tag and
then we get Puig on the back side. That's a heck of way to get out
of an inning," Francona said.
It was the first triple play for the Indians since April 3, 2011,
when they turned one against the Chicago White Sox. For the Dodgers,
it was the first one performed against them since Aug. 15, 2011,
against the Milwaukee Brewers.
The Indians scored two runs in the sixth and three more in the
eighth to pull away.
Indians starter Justin Masterson lasted just three innings, allowing
three runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out seven and
threw 85 pitches.
NOTES: Los Angeles SS Hanley Ramirez didn't start for the third
consecutive game as he nurses a strained left calf. Ramirez struck
out as a pinch hitter. ... The Dodgers failed to win four in a row
for the seventh time this season. ... Cleveland RHP Trevor Bauer
(2-4, 4.39 ERA) will face Los Angeles LHP Hyun-Jin Ryu (9-4, 3.12
ERA) in the series finale Wednesday. ... The game drew a crowd of
46,300.
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