Top of lineup leads Indians past Athletics
CLEVELAND — The top of the Indians’ lineup is filled with All-Star candidates, and they did well to bolster their respective cases in a 10-4 win over the Oakland Athletics in front of a sellout crowd at Progressive Field on Friday night.
Francisco Lindor, Michael Brantley and Jose Ramirez, locked into the 1-2-3 spots in the Indians’ lineup, all have built All-Star resumes this season. Lindor and Ramirez should surely be selected, and Brantley is on the bubble. Along with Edwin Encarnacion, in the cleanup spot, those four did most of the damage Friday night.
That quartet at the top combined to go 7-for-13 with seven RBIs and nine runs scored, bludgeoning the Athletics’ pitching staff.
Lindor finished 2-for-3 with a walk and three runs scored, the last of which came on a double-steal with Ramirez when the duo was on the corners in the seventh inning. Brantley went 2-for-4 with two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored. Ramirez added a 2-for-4 night with three RBIs and two runs scored. Encarnacion went 2-for-2 with three RBIs, two runs scored and two sacrifice flies.
Jason Kipnis also singled home a run in the second inning and Yonder Alonso capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
Friday’s game also featured the return of Carlos Carrasco, who was on the 10-day disabled list since June 17 after he was hit on his throwing elbow by a line drive. Carrasco’s outing got off to a rough start, but he went on to put together a respective start, allowing three runs on seven hits in 51/3 innings. He struck out seven.
It didn’t look great for Carrasco in the beginning. The leadoff hitter for the A’s, Dustin Fowler, belted a mammoth 467-foot home run to right field to put the A’s on top 1-0. Matt Olson then led off the second inning with a home run of his own, this one 438 feet to center field.
Prior to the Indians’ four-run seventh inning that put the game away, the A’s challenged their lead in the top half of the inning. With the Indians leading 6-3 and Zach McAllister on the mound, Matt Chapman and Marcus Semien both singled to open the inning. With two outs and Neil Ramirez on the mound, Mark Canha grounded an RBI double down the left-field line
to put the tying run in scoring position.
Jed Lowrie then walked to load the bases, setting up the biggest matchup of the night between Ramirez and A’s slugger Khris Davis. Ramirez eventually got the better of the battle, striking Davis out swinging and pounding his glove as he walked off the mound. After escaping the inning with the lead, the Indians’ lineup left no doubt.