|
 The Indians and Cubs were tied 3-3 in the top of the fifth inning
when rain delayed the game for 1 hour, 16 minutes. The Cubs had the
bases loaded with two outs, so Cleveland manager Terry Francona
brought in Allen to pitch as the game resumed.
"He asked me if I was open to it, and I said, 'Absolutely'," Allen
said.
Francona said, "You can't use your closer like that all the time,
but in that situation, I'd rather lose with our best in a situation
where the game is leveraged like that."
The move paid off. Allen retired catcher Miguel Montero on a fly
ball for the third out of the inning, preserving the 3-3 tie.
Indians third baseman Giovanny Urshela's RBI single in the seventh
inning drove in the eventual winning run. Instead of Allen finishing
the game, however, right-hander Bryan Shaw got the last four outs to
pick up his first save.
With one out and the score still 3-3 in the seventh, Cleveland
catcher Yan Gomes singled off left-hander Travis Wood (3-3). Center
fielder Michael Bourn also singled, moving Gomes to second.
Justin Grimm relieved Wood, but Urshela greeted the right-hander
with a line-drive single to center, scoring Gomes to give Cleveland
a 4-3 lead.
"For Gio to come through like that was big because Grimm has been
carving up right-handed hitters," Francona said.
The win went to right-hander Zach McAllister (2-2), who struck out
four in 1 1/3 innings of scoreless relief. In one stretch from the
sixth to the eighth innings, Allen and McAllister combined to strike
out seven consecutive batters.
Following the rain delay, both starting pitchers, Cleveland
right-hander Danny Salazar and Chicago right-hander Jason Hammel,
were removed from the game, setting up a battle of the bullpens.
"Everything was going nicely. The vibe in the dugout was great,"
Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "I thought we'd be able to do
something after the rain, but it didn't happen."
Cleveland took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, which began with
second baseman Jason Kipnis drawing a walk from Hammel. Shortstop
Francisco Lindor followed with a single, moving Kipnis to third.
Left fielder Michael Brantley bounced a ground-rule double into the
seats in the left field corner, scoring Kipnis and moving Lindor to
third. Lindor then scored on a passed ball charged to Montero.
Brantley went to third on the passed ball, still with no outs.
However, Hammel struck out first baseman Carlos Santana, designated
hitter David Murphy and right fielder Brandon Moss to end the
inning.
[to top of second column] |
The Cubs got a run back in the third inning off Salazar. Designated
hitter Kyle Schwarber singled and went to third on a single by
center fielder Dexter Fowler, who took a wide turn at first, drawing
a wild throw from Lindor. The error allowed Schwarber to score,
cutting Cleveland's lead to 2-1.
The Indians added a run in the fourth inning. Murphy led off with a
double, went to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly
by Gomes to make it 3-1.
In the top of the fifth, the red-hot Schwarber tied it with his
first major league home run, a two-run, opposite-field homer over
the left field wall. Schwarber went 6-for-9, with a triple, a home
run and four RBIs in the two-game series.
"Opposite field. That was very impressive," Maddon said of
Schwarber's home run.
Salazar pitched 4 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on
six hits with four strikeouts and one walk. Hammel pitched four
innings, allowing three runs (two earned) and three hits with six
strikeouts and two walks.
NOTES: Cleveland RHP Shaun Marcum was designated for assignment, and
INF Zach Walters was optioned to Triple-A Columbus. To fill the
roster spots, the Indians selected the contract of RHP Jeff Manship
and recalled LHP Kyle Crockett from Columbus. ... Indians OF Michael
Bourn was suspended for one game and fined by Major League Baseball
for making contact with an umpire during an argument after getting
called out on strikes in the fourth inning of Tuesday's game against
the Cubs in Chicago. Bourn appealed, and he started Thursday night,
going 1-for-3. ... Cubs RHP Neil Ramirez (right shoulder
inflammation) began a rehab assignment with Double-A Tennessee on
Wednesday, throwing one scoreless, hitless inning. ... Chicago's
17-0 win Wednesday featured the most runs scored by the Cubs in a
shutout victory since they beat the San Diego Padres 19-0 on May 13,
1969.
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
