Bauer goes ballistic with ball, Tribe drops game Central in race

The unraveling of Trevor Bauer and the Indians came in the fifth inning on July 28 at Kaufmann Stadium.

Bauer, the sometimes mercurial right-hander who may or may not have been making his final start in a Cleveland uniform, was none too pleased with himself as the Royals drove him from the mound on their way to a 9-6 victory in the finale of a four-game series.

Nicky Lopez had just singled in two runs, giving the Royals a 7-5 lead. The TV cameras caught Bauer reacting to the disappointment of the moment by turning his back to home plate, walking off the mound and firing the ball over the wall in center field.

This is bad form for an accomplished, presumably mature big-leaguer under any circumstance. The fact that Indians manager Terry Francona was on his way to the mound to take that ball from Bauer when he let fly amplified the pointlessness of showing up one of the game’s best managers.

Those cameras also captured Bauer trying to own his mistake and Francona, clearly peeved, offering a brief reply with finger pointed resolutely toward the visitors dugout.

“We certainly discussed it, and we should,” Francona said of the Bauer incident in his postgame meeting with reporters.

Bauer was repentant after the game, calling his actions “childish, embarrassing, unprofessional.” He was correct on all counts.

As bad as they looked and played in the moment, Bauer’s meltdown and the loss to the Royals were aberrations in what’s been an eye-opening, season-saving run of solid and sometimes spectacular play by the Indians.

They’s won the previous three games against the Royals and 16 of their last 20 overall while climbing forcefully back into what’s now a heated battle with the Twins for the American League Central Division race.

With the loss in Kansas City and Minnesota’s victory over the Chicago White Sox on July 28, the Twins’ lead is back at two games.

For perspective, consider that on June 2, going into a three-game series against Minnesota at Progressive Field. the Indians were 2930 and 11 ½ games in arrears of the Twins.

They are 33-13 since, the best record in baseball during that span. The pitching is good, the hitting is better, Francisco Lindor is flashing Most Valuable Player form, the real Jose Ramirez is back, rookie outfielder Oscar Mercado is a godsend and, hey, there are 57 games remaining on a schedule filled with potential drama.

That schedule gets testier for the Indians after an off day on July 29.

The defending World Series champion Houston Astros, who swept the Indians out of the AL Division Series last October, are in for three games at Progressive Field starting July 30.

Following three-gamers at home against the Angels and Rangers, the Indians face a grueling trip that opens on Aug. 8 with with four games in Minnesota followed by stops in Boston and New York to play the Yankees and Mets.

So much can happen in weeks to come. Maybe the Indians will get an out-ofthis-world trade offer for Bauer and part company with the talented righthander before he gets to free agency after the 2020 season.

If that happens, it’s unfortunate for everyone involved that a tantrum will be the parting image of Bauer as an Indian.

Reach Glasier at DGlasier@News-Herald. com. On Twitter: @nhglasier

COLIN E. BRALEY — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Indians manager Terry Francona has words with Trevor Bauer as Bauer is taken out in the fifth inning against the Royals on July 28 in Kansas City, Mo.