Indians’ 20-game winning streak against Tigers snapped in 10-5 loss
CLEVELAND — The Indians need only to lose their next 19 consecutive meetings with the Tigers in order to match Detroit’s unprecedented run of futility against Cleveland across the previous 498 days. Chances are pretty good that won’t happen, but welcome to 2020, where absolutely nothing is ever off the table.
Trailing by five early, Detroit scored 10 unanswered runs, slugging three home runs including a grand slam dagger by rookie Isaac Paredes in the fourth inning to hand Cleveland a 10-5 loss at Progressive Field on Friday.
Detroit’s victory snapped Cleveland’s winning streak against the Tigers at 20 games, dating to April 11, 2019. It’s the second-longest such streak against a single opponent in Major League Baseball since divisional play began in 1969. Only Baltimore’s 23-game run against Kansas City (196970) was longer.
The Indians are 61-18 against Detroit since 2016, marking the most victories and highest winning percentage for a Tigers opponent in that stretch. But on Friday night, what started out feeling like the same old song and dance quickly turned into a fire that Cleveland starting pitcher Adam Plutko could not put out.
Plutko retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced, but walked Detroit designated hitter Miguel Cabrera with one out in the fourth before serving up a two-run home run to Jonathan Schoop. He hit Jeimer Candelario with a pitch ahead of a single by JaCoby Jones and a walk to Jorge Bonifacio that loaded the bases.
Austin Romine’s RBI single cut Detroit’s deficit to two runs and left the bases full for Paredes, who fell behind in the count to Plutko, but smacked a grand slam to the bleachers in left for a 7-5 Tigers lead. It was the first grand slam of the season for Detroit and the first career home run for Paredes, who joined the Tigers earlier in the week, making his big league debut in Chicago on Monday.
Paredes became the 12th Tigers player in team history to hit a grand slam for his first big league home run.
Indians acting manager Sandy Alomar Jr. said Plutko was aggressive with his pitches early, but could not get Tigers hitters to expand their strike zones once he got ahead in the count. Once Detroit’s lineup got around to Plutko for a second time, he had trouble throwing his curveball for a strike.
“His breaking ball was not the same the second time around,” Alomar said. “We tried to do the best we could pushing him to go through five, but it didn’t happen. He was making mistakes.”
Plutko said he was pleased with the movement and velocity of his curve, but his other aspects of the pitch were lacking.
“The other aspect that goes with it is execution, which was obviously quite poor tonight, especially in the fourth inning,” Plutko said. “But as far as curveball goes, I made a little tweak on it in between outings and the results were really good movement-wise and the velocity. Some of the best curveballs I’ve ever thrown.”
Throughout Cleveland’s dominant run against Detroit, starting pitching had made all the difference. In the previous 20 games, Indians starters held a 2.29 ERA when facing the Tigers. Friday’s loss ends Cleveland’s overall six-game winning streak.
Waiting game
Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac both pitched this week at Lake County to stay ready for when the Indians return them to the roster.
President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti wouldn’t commit to the righthanders coming back this week — they’re eligible to return Monday after breaking curfew in Chicago — and said the wishes of their teammates will be weighed.
“Talent is a consideration,” he said, “but it’s not all about talent.”