David Murphy pulled into second base and gave a hard clap of his hands. What had been shaping up as a discouraging Easter Sunday at Progressive Field turned into a good day at the ballpark for the Indians.
With his double down the left-field line in the sixth inning, Murphy helped Cleveland overcome a rough outing from starter Carlos Carrasco and avoid a sweep at the hands of Toronto. The Indians picked up a 6-4 victory over the Blue Jays, salvaging a victory to wrap up what had been a disappointing series.
Cleveland is hoping this is more than a one-day turnaround.
“Hopefully, this is exactly what we need to get on a roll,” Murphy said. “We hadn’t been playing terrible, but we definitely haven’t been playing characteristic of ourselves.”
The win was certainly welcomed by the Indians, who had dropped seven of nine games heading into Sunday’s finale with the Blue Jays. The struggles had reached a point where Tribe manager Terry Francona felt compelled to call a team meeting following Saturday’s loss.
One day later, the Indians found ways to overcome some of the issues that have plagued them early on this year. Murphy delivered the decisive blow, but there were a variety of guys who played a role in adding one to Cleveland’s win column.
“I think that’s probably the best way we are as a team,” Francona said. “I think that’s the way we’re built, to get it across the board.”
The turning point on Sunday came via a helping hand from Toronto’s bullpen.
Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis was picked off and caught stealing by Blue Jays lefty Aaron Loup for the second out in the sixth inning, providing little hope for a Cleveland club that has been scratching and clawing for runs of late. Then came a lapse for Loup, who issued three straight walks to Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera to load the bases.
“I guess I just have to say it was one of those days,” Loup said. “Chalk it up to one of those rare days where you just kind of don’t have it.”
The trio of walks set the stage for Murphy, who has been one of Cleveland’s top hitters overall — especially with runners in scoring position — in the early going this season. Murphy slashed an 0-1 offering from Loup down the left-field line, sending the ball bouncing far enough to give all three baserunners time to score.
The three-run double from Murphy snapped Cleveland’s 0-for-15 drought with runners in scoring position, and pushed the Indians to a 5-4 lead. On the young season, Murphy is batting .500 (7-for-14) with six extra-base hits with runners in scoring position, and he has a .342 (27-for-79) average in his career with the bases loaded.
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