The Aftermath: 3 Takeaways From the Indians' 4-3 Win Over Kansas City
The Cleveland Indians took another step toward clinching the AL Central title after a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night.
The Cleveland Indians are making baseball in Cleveland fun again as team got one win closer to clinching the AL Central with a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals Wednesday night.
Behind a 6 1/3 inning, two-run and nine-strikeout outing from Corey Kluber and a combined seven hits between Carlos Santana and Jose Ramirez, the Indians got the magic number down to five. The Detroit Tigers and Minnesota Twins had their game postponed, and are set to play a doubleheader today, meaning the Indians could get the number down to two with a win and two Tigers losses.
Wednesday’s win was dominated by the pitching staff. After Kluber left, the Royals were lucky enough to face Andrew Miller, Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen, who combined to go 2 2/3 innings, only allowing one run on one hit, which came on a Salvador Perez home run off of Allen in the ninth inning. It brought the score to 4-3 in favor of the Indians, but Allen was able to follow the lead of Miller and Shaw by closing out the game, picking up his 28th save of the season.
Allen did cut it close in the ninth, but his catcher Roberto Perez was able to pick him up by doing what no other catcher had done before.
Terrance Gore hadn't been caught stealing in the regular season. Ever.@robperez2015 put an end to that in a BIG spot. ????????#RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/zNpxJtkYlt
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) September 22, 2016
Doubles were the story of the night on offense, as Ramirez had three, followed by Jason Kipnis with two and Santana with one. Their contributions helped lead the offense, and will hopefully carry over into Thursday, as the Indians look to sweep the defending champs.
A Playoff Pitching Preview?
Corey Kluber proved once again why he is a Cy Young candidate with his performance Wednesday night. Making it into the seventh inning will be huge when the playoffs begin, so if Kluber can do that in an opening game, the Indians are going to have a great shot to get an early series lead.
But while his performance was great, the trio of Miller, Shaw and Allen was the most impressive part of the game. Miller came in and made batters look foolish once again, while the often, wrongfully criticized Shaw came in and pitched a perfect eighth. Allen gave up a home run, but he was able to get out of the inning and pick up the save, which is all that matters.
Having these three be ready to come out in the playoffs is almost unfair for opposing hitters. While it is nice to have them come out in succession, each pitching an inning, all three are capable of going longer if needed.
Along with Dan Otero, Zach McAllister and potentially Danny Salazar, the bullpen is going to have a lot of talent when the playoffs begin.
The Jose Ramirez Magic Continues
Jose Ramirez is becoming a legend in Northeast Ohio, and he is only 24 years old. After appearing in 97 games and finishing with a .219 batting average in 2015, Ramirez has become an everyday player, leading the Indians with a .315 average in 2016.
He was often thought of as a utility player before the season began, but Ramirez has cemented himself as the team’s permanent third baseman moving forward. The 5-foot-9, 180-pound third baseman leads the team in doubles with 42, becoming an unexpected threat for opposing pitchers to deal with.
His three doubles Wednesday night almost don’t come as a surprise given his dominance all season. While he has had a great regular season, his true greatness will be determined by how he plays in the playoffs. A severe drop-off in production wouldn’t take anything away from his 2016 season, but he is being relied on for big things in the next few weeks and hopefully late into October.
The End of a Reign
The Royals were officially eliminated from the AL Central title race Wednesday, just one year after winning the division, and ultimately the World Series.
The Royals were one of the best stories in baseball over the past two years, but injuries doomed the team’s chances of a repeat in 2016. They still have a mathematical chance at a Wild Card spot, but they are five games out of the second spot with only ten to play, and four teams in front of them.
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