Familiar problems dash Tribe's last best opportunity for postseason push
CLEVELAND -- It took the Indians nine minutes Monday evening to get within 2½ games of the Royals for a Wild Card spot. Then in an excruciating 3 hours and 3 minutes, they watched a prime opportunity vanish.
After playing the bottom of the 10th and holding on for a 4-3 win, the Indians were blanked 2-0 in Monday's regularly scheduled game at Progressive Field. With five games remaining, the Tribe remain 3½ games out of the second Wild Card but more importantly have an elimination number of three on a night when Seattle and Detroit also lost. Winning out and hoping for the Mariners and Royals to collapse down the stretch might be a little too much to ask.
Last year at this point the Indians held a one-game lead for the final spot and were a game behind the Rays for home field.
"It stinks but the truth of the matter is we have to win every game and we can't worry about what everybody else is doing," Mike Aviles said.
The theme of game number 157 though is a familiar one -- great starting pitching, bad fielding and an offense that can't take advantage of opportunities.
Coming off a complete game last Wednesday, Carrasco went 7 1/3 innings and allowed a pair of runs on seven hits with nine strikeouts and a walk. What victimized the right-hander though were two bad plays by his defense.
"You know what? Everything was good. Everything went perfect. We should've made those plays right there. That cost me two runs," Carrasco said. "I thought they had a pretty good chance of making them, but sometimes we don't make those plays. That can cost us."
"They were both hard-hit, but if we're able to [either execute or make a few] plays, we're still playing," he said. "The ball to Jose, that would have been a really nice play. They're makeable, it just happened awful quick. They were both hit really hard, kind of do or die."
Gimenez wasn't cutting himself any slack after the game either by saying he should have caught the line drive.
"I'm always the one out there saying that 'if a ball hits off you're glove, you should catch it' joking around. But I need to catch that ball," he said. "I flat out missed it. No excuses. I didn't lose (sight of) it. I need to make that play. I don't care if you've never played first base in your life. That's a ball you should catch."
In being shut out for the seventh time this season, the Indians were 1 for 7 with runners in scoring position and left nine on base. In the first Michael Bourn led off with a walk while Ramirez and Michael Brantley got singles to load the bases. The Indians came into the game hitting .421 with the bases loaded and less then two out but Carlos Santana flied out to second, Yan Gomes struck out and looking and Aviles flied out to right.
Danny Duffy, who had not pitched in two weeks due to tightness in his left shoulder, ended up throwing six scoreless innings.
Said Aviles of Duffy: "He was tough, throwing strikes, got out of a big jam early and settled in. Then everyone knows how good their bullpen is. They were able to keep us in check all night."
At 82-75, the Indians have back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001. Francona wasn't ready though to reflect on that as that will likely come a week from now. The focus remains on finding a miracle in the final five games.
"Right now, we have to try to find a way to win," he said.
