The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Tribe finishes opening trip 2-4
Angels conquer Tribe in 13 innings
ANAHEIM, CALIF. » The Indians’ offense is about as cold as the weather the Tribe will be returning home to this weekend.
Cleveland had no extra-base hits, and no hits at all in extra innings in a 3-2 loss to the Angels on April 4.
Zack Cozart hit a game-ending home run in the 13th inning for Los Angeles.
Brandon Guyer and Jason Kipnis drove in early runs, but Indians finished a season-opening West Coast road trip at 2-4.
“As a club right now, we don’t have anybody hot,” manager Terry Francona said. “We certainly had chances. We had runners on base. We just couldn’t get a hit . ... The last couple of hours was tough sledding for us.”
It was the opposite for the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani.
He didn’t think his long drive to center field off Corey Kluber in
the fifth inning would get out of the park, so he sprinted around first base while it soared over the fence for his second homer in two days.
Ohtani made the same sprint with the same thoughts one day earlier, when his first big-league homer also surprised him by flying over the wall.
“There was a runner on second base, so I was just trying to get a base hit and keep my swing compact, and it ended up clearing the fence,” Ohtani said through a translator. “I think everything is going really well right now. I’m off to a good start.”
Neither team scored again after Ohtani’s drive until Cozart, the Angels’ new infielder, connected for his first career walk-off homer against Zach McAllister (0-1).
Kluber pitched seven innings of three-hit ball with six strikeouts, but remained winless despite two strong starts to open the season. He credited Ohtani for capitalizing on a misplaced fastball: “I was trying to force him away, and I ended up in the high third (of the strike zone),” Kluber said.
Ohtani also singled leading off the 10th to go 2 for 5, giving him six hits this season and five in his only two home games. He will make his first home pitching start April 8 against Oakland, one week after beating the Athletics on the road in his big league pitching debut.
“At the plate, he’s starting to get comfortable,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “You can see the big power he has. Corey Kluber is a guy that does not give up a lot of home runs. He’s as tough as there is. (Ohtani) made him get a ball over the plate, and Shohei got a hold of it. That’s obviously a big hit in the game.”
Noe Ramirez (1-1), the Angels’ eighth reliever, came on with two outs in the 13th and struck out Erik Gonzalez with two Indians on base. Los Angeles’ bullpen pitched 8 1/3 innings of scoreless, two-hit ball.
Tyler Skaggs retired 12 of 13 Indians after a rough first inning, but couldn’t get out of the fifth.
The Angels didn’t get a hit off Kluber until a oneout single in the fifth by Andrelton Simmons, who has a hit in each of Los Angeles’ first seven games for the second consecutive season.
One out later, Ohtani connected.
Trainer’s room
INDIANS» Cleveland intends to activate All-Star LF Michael Brantley before Friday’s home opener against Kansas City, Francona confirmed. Brantley participated in extended spring training games this week before heading to Ohio ahead of the team. He had right ankle surgery in October and didn’t play much in spring training.
Up next
INDIANS » Weather permitting, Carlos Carrasco (1-0, 7.94 ERA) will return from a rough season opener when the Indians host the Royals in their home opener April 6.