ATHLETICS: Sprinklers douse A’s
second on a headfirst dive after Oakland first baseman Yonder Alonso thought the inning had ended with a double play and began walking to the dugout. His throw to the plate was too late to get Santana.
Moments later, the sprinklers went on, adding more slapstick to a comedic inning for Oakland.
“At times as a group things get contagious, whether it’s the strikeouts, whether it’s the errors and now you start thinking about what you don’t want to happen as opposed to what you want to happen, and guys get a little bit tight,” Melvin said. “That’s why I think we have games like we do today. We saw the biggest problems that we have is the defense and the strikeouts.”
Kluber (4-2) had been sidelined with a strained lower back, an injury that kept the righty sidelined for four weeks and deprived a struggling rotation – the Indians came in with the AL’s highest ERA – of its leader.
However, despite the long layoff, Kluber looked like his dominant self, allowing just two hits and recording his 26th career double-digit strikeout game.
“It’s nice to have him back, which kind of gives everyone a lift,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “But then when he comes out and just throws the way he did. In fact, I hate to use the word throw because he pitched and his breaking ball was so, so good. He was crisp right from the get-go.”
Leading just 1-0, the Indians scored four runs – three unearned – off Jharel Cotton (3-6) in a wild sixth, when errors, replays and runs were followed by the below-thegrass sprinklers popping on in left field and spraying.
“You know, those things seem to be a little more funny when you’re winning than when you’re losing,” Francona said.
Kluber coasted through the first three innings, striking out five straight at one point while plowing through Oakland’s freeswinging lineup.
He worked out of a firstand-third situation in the third by striking out Mark Canha for the second time and was otherwise in control for his entire 77-pitch outing.
Afterward, the typically stoic Kluber didn’t want to make too much of his outing.