Jays lose late in Cleveland
Indians stage second comeback 3-2 win of weekend series
CLEVELAND — If the baseball season ended today, the Blue Jays and the Indians would be firstround playoff opponents and if this three games series at Progressive Field is any indication, that could be some first-rate entertainment.
For the second time in the series, the Indians came from behind for a 3-2 victory with some late lightning on Jose Ramirez’s eighth-inning two-run home run Sunday, to take the series victory 2-1 but over the course of the weekend, there was nothing to choose between these two division-leaders. In a stadium that had more than its share of boisterous Blue Jay fans, the Toronto offence couldn’t get the job done.
“We played well, but this kind of game magnifies our need to score more to win,” said manager John Gibbons. “We have a tough time in those low-scoring games.
“Our fans have been tremendous. They travel everywhere we go. It’s big here, big out in Seattle, big everywhere and it’s a good feeling. I hate to disappoint them.”
The Blue Jays took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the eighth, with Marcus Stroman on the mound. After he got the first hitter, Carlos Santana to ground out with his 100th pitch of the game, manager John Gibbons went to lefty Brett Cecil. Cecil got Jason Kipnis to fly out for the second out but Francisco Lindor’s infield single kept the inning alive for Ramirez.
He hit the first pitch he saw from Cecil into the seats just inside the foul pole in left for a two-run shot.
“They’re a darn good team: A dynamite offence, good pitching, great balance, all those switch-hitters, speed,” said Blue Jay manager John Gibbons. “There’s a reason why they’re really good. It was one of those series, back and forth, either team could have won each of them. They got the best of us.”
In the top of the ninth Cleveland reliever Cody Allen pitched around walks to Josh Donaldson and Edwin Encarnacion to close it down.
On Friday, the Indians hit two ninth-inning homers to overcome a 2-1 Toronto lead. Saturday, the Jays held on for a 6-5 victory in the second game.
“They’re one of the best teams in the big leagues,” said Stroman. “They’re a team we’re going to be battling down the stretch and hopefully we’ll see them at some point in the playoffs. Great squad. It definitely had that playoff feel all weekend. It felt like home game for us a lot of the time. Shout out to Canada for coming down and showing us your support.”
In this one, Stroman outlasted 2014 Cy Young winner Corey Kluber, matching him pitch for pitch and then some, carrying a shutout into that eighth inning.
Stroman worked 7.1 innings, striking out nine.
“I felt good but at the end of the day we didn’t win so it’s ... frustrating,” said Stroman. “I felt fine. I’ve worked hard to get my body in position to go seven-to-nine innings.”
After struggling in June, Stroman has put together a string of eight solid outings in his last nine starts.
“I think it’s the adjustments I made about a month and a half back,” he said. “I’m just starting to get comfortable with them. The more I get comfortable the more my stuff plays and the better sequences I can throw and I can start mixing it up. Russell (Martin) and I have gotten into a good groove of mixing my pitches, not relying on my sinker and it’s been helpful and successful.”
But in the end, the Indians had the ability to finish and the jays didn’t.