Taijuan Walker threw eight scoreless innings and catcher Chris Iannetta cracked a pair of homers and drove in four runs as the Mariners topped the Indians, 5-0, on Wednesday night for their second straight win over the American Central leaders at Safeco Field.
“It was just being more intense and having that edge, just going right after them with the fastball and keeping it the whole game,” Walker said after picking up his first win since April.
Walker got his first win in his last seven decisions with a dominant three-hit performance. The 23-year-old walked none and tied a career high with 11 strikeouts to improve to 3-6 with a 3.48 ERA.
“He beat us with velocity, and then he’d throw a split that came off the same angle as his fastball,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I’m not sure what he’s doing with these other teams, but he’s just really impressive. We’ve seen him four times and tonight might have been the best. It was a dominating performance.”
Cleveland right-hander Carlos Carrasco, in his second start since coming off the disabled list following a hamstring issue, allowed five hits and four runs in 6 2/3 innings, but two of the hits were Iannetta homers. Iannetta added an RBI double in the seventh in a three-hit night.
“I thought he threw the ball well. Early on, he was kind of feeling for it a little bit, but he settled down nicely,” Indians catcher Chris Gimenez said. “Really, unfortunately for us, two bad pitches kind of decided our night. At the same point, you’ve got to tip your cap to Iannetta. He did what he should do with a hanging slider. He put some good swings on it, and two balls went a long way.”
The Indians still hold a 2 1/2-game lead in the AL Central at 32-26, thanks to Wednesday losses by the Royals and Tigers. The Mariners (33-26) picked up a game in the AL West, now trailing the Rangers by three and having won four of their last five games at Safeco.
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