Astros strong-arm Cleveland in 7-1 win
CLEVELAND — Ninety-six feet separated George Springer from a baseball bound for the base of Progressive Field’s right-field wall. Springer started his sprint from center field. Gerrit Cole craned his neck to track his teammate’s progress.
“I was hoping. I was hoping,” Cole said after the Astros’ 7-1 win Thursday night. “It was carrying a bit more than I anticipated. It was going to be a tough play up against the wall. I thought he was going to get there, but I didn’t know if he was going to snag it.”
The pitcher put himself in a pickle, allowing the first two runners to reach in the fourth inning of a two-run game. Cole compounded the problem by mislocating a changeup to Jose Ramirez. The slugger swatted it toward Springer. At worst, this would clear the bases.
“That’s a two-run double easily, possibly a two-run triple with nobody out,” Josh Reddick said.
Springer’s speed denied such a
scenario. The center fielder covered the 96 feet, crashing into a chain-link fence but holding on to the catch with an extended left arm. Only one run scored on this scary sacrifice fly.
“(If ) plays like that don’t happen, you never know what could happen,” Reddick said. “It could turn into a big inning that we couldn’t come back from.”
Cole commended his teammate with a hat tip, collected himself and returned to work. He is a fly-ball pitcher in name only, more accurately a strikeout savant who rarely requires defensive help.
Thursday transformed the narrative. Cole matched his season low with four strikeouts. Houston’s outfield saved him three runs in the first four innings, cutting down two Cleveland runners at home plate.
Preserving the lead and not allowing these early innings to implode allowed the righthander to settle. Cole (13-5) completed seven innings of one-run baseball for the fourth consecutive start.
Praise heaped upon the Houston outfield so often centers on its offense. Springer hammers home runs regularly. Left fielder Michael Brantley brings a levelheaded lefthanded approach behind him.
The production continued Thursday. Springer smacked a leadoff home run on Cleveland starter Danny Salazar’s third pitch of the game. Brantley supplied a run-scoring single in the seventh and a sacrifice fly during the eighth, part of Houston’s fiverun ambush of the Indians’ major league-best bullpen.
What ordinarily goes unnoticed, though, is the impact they contribute defensively. Along with Reddick, Houston’s outfield is worth 27 defensive runs saved, according to FanGraphs. No American League outfield is better. Only the Los Angeles Dodgers have a higher mark in the major leagues.
“Our defense was excellent,” manager A.J. Hinch said. “If the ball doesn’t hit the wall or doesn’t go out, I always feel like our outfield has a chance to make a play.”
Cole’s initial ineffectiveness allowed the defense to dominate.
The often-overpowering righthander could not harness much command in the first three innings. He credited Cleveland’s approach, one that allowed even good off-speed pitches outside the strike zone to end up in play. Cole required 72 pitches to finish five innings.
An 18-pitch second started with his falling behind 2-1 to recent trade acquisition Franmil Reyes. Both Reyes and Yasiel Puig made their Cleveland debuts Thursday.
Reyes rocketed a single up the middle. Jason Kipnis launched the next pitch into the left-center gap. Brantley and Springer converged on the baseball while it bounced on the warning track.
Both men reached for it, but Brantley corralled it. Reyes rounded third base as Brantley fired a throw to Carlos Correa. Correa uncorked a 94.5 mph dart from short left field to home plate. Martin Maldonado applied the tag to Reyes, who stood no chance against this superb relay.
More trouble materialized in the fourth. Cole walked Carlos Santana on five pitches to start the frame. Puig pulverized a double, continuing his career-long success against Cole.
Ramirez’s rocket nearly scored them both. Springer prevented it.
Reyes still remained. He skied a two-strike curveball to Reddick in right field. Reddick gave chase near the foul line and caught it without issue. Puig proceeded home.
“Had enough hang time to get under (the ball). Didn’t really have enough time to get behind it but made sure I kind of slowed down right before I got to it to make sure I didn’t lose momentum going to the plate,” Reddick said.
Reddick fired a rocket home. Puig was out with ease and without a slide. Cole came from the field after another unscathed inning, while Reddick pumped his fists.
“We had to play crisp, and we did,” Cole said. “We really had to play crisp in a one-run ballgame for the most part, until we blew it open late.”
Five runs allowed the Astros to pull away in the final three frames. They secured their American League-best 70th win and finished a trade deadline-dominated road trip with a 4-2 mark.
“They’re a playoff-bound team that’s playing really good,” said Alex Bregman, who finished 3for-3, including his 27th home run, and reached base five times. “They’ve got a great group of guys over there. To win a series against them is huge.”