For the second consecutive day, the Indians’ typically stellar bullpen cost the club a game.
Jacoby Ellsbury delivered a two-out, two-run, walk-off double against Tribe sidearmer Joe Smith in the ninth inning, sending Cleveland to an improbable 6-5 loss to close out a four-game series at Fenway Park.
The Indians entered the ninth with a three-run lead, but with two runs already in and the bases loaded, a pinch in closer Chris Perez’s right shoulder forced him to exit the game. That’s when Ellsbury drove Smith’s offering into left-center field, sealing the Tribe’s fate.
“That’s a tough duty,” manager Terry Francona said of Smith’s situation. “A 2-1 count, you’ve got to throw a strike. He did, and to Ellsbury’s credit, he put the barrel on it and we’ve got to go regroup.”
After winning the series opener, the Indians dropped three straight contests, the last two of which saw the bullpen reliniquish late-inning leads. The face of the recent struggles has been Perez and setup man Vinnie Pestano, the duo that is supposed to anchor the ‘pen.
On Saturday, Pestano, who just came off the disabled list May 17, allowed a career-high four runs and four hits in the eighth to send Cleveland to a disheartening 7-4 loss. His 5.25 ERA is the highest it has been at any point in his career.
Sunday marked Perez’s first appearance since May 20, a game against Seattle in which he and Pestano both gave up home runs on the same day for the first time in their careers.
For Perez, this is not the first time he’s dealt with shoulder issues this season. A shoulder strain limited the two-time All Star during Spring Training and, on May 12 in Detroit, he felt discomfort in his right shoulder and was held out of the game.
“It’s unfortunate that both of us are going through this right now,” Perez said. “Hopefully it’s nothing serious for both of us. Just get some treatment, get some medicine and hopefully come out there in the next couple weeks.”
The Indians will have more information about a potential DL stint for Perez, or the extent of the injury on Monday, when the club travels to Cincinnati for a two-game series against the Reds.
The loss spoiled a stellar outing from Indians right-hander Corey Kluber, who was in line for a well-deserved win. The 27-year-old gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings while striking out a career-high 10 and walking one.
“I think the big key was getting ahead of guys,” Kluber said. “A couple times I fell behind guys, they were able to put a couple hits together. For the most part, we worked ahead all day and Carlos [Santana] did a really good job back there.”
Francona called Kluber’s performance “tremendous.”
“He’s gaining confidence,” he said. “You can see it in the way he attacks pitches, the way he attacks hitters, and the results of this game weren’t what we wanted at the end, but his start was fantastic.”
The Tribe’s offense offered a pair of home runs off Boston lefty Felix Doubront to support Kluber’s performance. With two outs in the fifth, Jason Kipnis pulled an 0-2 offering from Doubront down the right-field line, where the baseball snuck around Pesky’s Pole for a solo home run. Kipnis’ eighth shot of the season pushed Cleveland out front, 3-1.
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