|
 "He's just such an intelligent hitter. Having him up there in those
situations, I'm glad he's on our side. He's something to watch,"
Cleveland manager Terry Francona told reporters.
The left fielder broke a 3-3 tie with his first blast, leading off
the seventh inning, as the Indians opened a two-run advantage.
Detroit scored twice in the top of the eighth to get back on level
terms before Brantley went deep again in the bottom of the eighth, a
two-run shot off left-hander Blaine Hardy (4-3), to give Cleveland
their winning margin.
"The first homer was a fastball in that I finally caught up to and
the second homer was just a reaction swing on a slider," Brantley
said.
Right-hander Cody Allen (2-4) pitched the last 1 2/3 innings to get
the win.
Cleveland broke a 1-1 tie with two runs in the sixth inning off
right-hander Alfredo Simon.
Center fielder Abraham Almonte led off with a bunt single and a
steal of second base. After catcher Yan Gomes flied out, second
baseman Jose Ramirez walked, putting runners at first and second
with one out.
Third baseman Giovanny Urshela lined a double into the gap in
left-center field, scoring Almonte and Ramirez, and giving the
Indians a 3-1 lead.
The Tigers countered with two runs in the top of the seventh inning.
With one out, catcher James McCann and shortstop Andrew Romine both
singled, and center fielder Anthony Gose drew a walk from
right-hander Danny Salazar, loading the bases with one out.
Right-hander Bryan Shaw relieved Salazar and his first pitch was
wild, allowing McCann to score from third to cut the Cleveland lead
to 3-2.
[to top of second column] |
Shaw retired left fielder Rajai Davis on an infield popup for the
second out but second baseman Ian Kinsler singled to right field and
Romine scored on the play.
The game did not remain tied very long, however, as Brantley hit
Simon's second pitch of the bottom of the seventh over the wall in
center field for his 14th home run, giving Cleveland a 4-3 lead.
One out later, Chisenhall singled, stole second and scored on a
single by Gomes.
Simon, who came into the game with a 4-0 record and 1.50 ERA in four
starts against Cleveland, gave up five runs on nine hits in 6 2/3
innings.
"He's been very successful against Cleveland this year and his pitch
count was down, so I let him come out for the seventh," Ausmus said.
"We made some adjustments against him tonight. We don't want anyone
to be 4-0 or 5-0 against us," Brantley said.
(Editing by John O'Brien)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
