The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Reyes’ HRs, Plesac’s strikes spark Indians
Franmil Reyes homered twice and Zach Plesac pitched seven dominant innings after getting an early lead to give the Indians a 4-1 win April 9 over the visiting Tigers, who scratched starter Julio Teheran just before the first pitch.
Reyes hit a two-run homer in the first off emergency starter Derek Holland (0-1) and added a 446-foot solo shot in the sixth to make it 4-0.
For the second straight game, one player carried the Indians offense. José Ramírez homered twice on Wednesday in a 4-2 win over Kansas City.
“When those hits start dropping, we’re going to be good,” Reyes said. “Hopefully we get more games like this where we take the lead earlier.”
Plesac (1-1) pitched scoreless ball, allowing just three singles while improving to 3-1 in five career starts against the Tigers. He has surrendered three earned runs in 30 2/3 innings against Detroit.
“He filled up the strike zone the entire night,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “The fastball, I don’t know what it said on the gun, but it had a lot of life to it.”
The Tigers avoided being shut out when Wilson Ramos homered off Bryan Shaw in the eighth.
Emmanuel Clase worked the ninth — breaking 100 mph on most of his 14 pitches — for his first save with Cleveland and the sec- ond of his career. He got one with Texas in 2019.
Detroit was forced to make the pregame pitching change after Teheran complained of tightness in his right triceps at the end of his warmup. He beat the Indians in his debut for the Tigers last week, allowing one run and four hits in five innings.
Teheran told pitching coach Chris Fetter about the discomfort, and Fetter called manager A.J. Hinch just as his relievers were heading to the bullpen in Progressive Field.
“He was willing to pitch,” Hinch said. “But it wasn’t looking good from what Fett told me, and there’s no need to risk further injury, so got Holland up and running.”
Hinch didn’t know if Teheran will miss extended time.
“You pull a pitcher right before the start of the game, it doesn’t feel good,” Hinch said. “It doesn’t look good. I’m not sure whether or not he’s going to be able to avoid any injury-list time or anything like that.”
Hinch used Michael Fulmer for four innings (68 pitches), so he is stretched out in case he has to take Teheran’s rotation spot.
Reyes’ 409-foot liner into the left-field bleachers gave the Indians a 3-0 lead in the first, which began with the announcement that Teheran wouldn’t be pitching.
In the sixth, Reyes ripped a 2-2 pitch from Fulmer over the wall in center and into some still blooming trees inside Heritage Park.
Center cut
Amed Rosario made his first start in center field for the Indians and the converted middle infielder was challenged right away when he had to run down a deep fly by Jeimer Candelario for the game’s first out.
Rosario initially froze before retreating.
“I’m glad I don’t chew anymore because I probably would have swallowed my chew,” Francona joked. “You know what, he doesn’t back down, man. He’s going to be OK. Is it going to be perfect? I don’t know. But he might just be OK.”
Miggy watch
Detroit slugger Miguel Cabrera went 0 for 4.
He entered the series one hit shy of tying Jesse Burkett (2,870) for 46th place in MLB history, and four hits behind Babe Ruth (2,873) for 45th.
Flame thrower
Clase threw nine pitches over 100 mph in his appearance Wednesday against Kansas City. In just two games, the right-hander had already thrown more triple-digit pitches (18) than all Cleveland pitchers combined since 2008.
Fast company
Indians manager Terry Francona believes there’s numerous reasons for pitchers throwing harder than in the past, and one is today’s pitches are recorded when the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand.
“I don’t want to be the old guy that’s like ‘They don’t throw like when I (played)’,” he said. “I’d be willing to go out on a limb and say if Nolan Ryan was pitching today, he would be one of the hardest throwers. He’d take your breath away. Literally.”
Francona faced the Hall of Famer 42 times in his career.
Up next
Indians RHP Aaron Civale (1-0) starts against Tarik Skubal (0-0) for the second time in a week. Civale allowed just two hits in seven innings in beating Detroit on April 4.