Corey Kluber was better than he’s ever been, but John Axford couldn’t slam the door.
Kluber set a team record with seven straight strikeouts from the third to fifth innings and established a new career high by punching out 13, but he checked out before the ninth, having thrown 110 pitches.
The Indians’ closer blew his second save of the season and second against the White Sox, giving up a three-run homer to Dayan Viciedo in the ninth inning, as Chicago won, 4-3, on Sunday at Progressive Field.
Axford wasn’t aggressive, and before he knew it, the White Sox had two runners on and Viciedo standing in the box.
“Two walks, falling behind guys didn’t work out in that sense,” Axford said. “Two guys were on without even me really challenging them. It wasn’t until the guy I challenged, who put the ball in play, that things didn’t go well.”
Axford walked Gordon Beckham to lead off the ninth on four pitches, struck out Major League home run-leader Jose Abreu, then issued a free pass to Adam Dunn on a full count, bringing Viciedo to the plate.
Facing the White Sox on April 13, Axford gave up a ninth-inning homer to Alexei Ramirez, his first blown save of the season.
With one big swing, Viciedo snatched a series sweep from the Tribe, as White Sox closer Matt Lindstrom came on to record his fourth save of the season.
“I was just looking for a good pitch to hit, a good pitch to make contact with,” Viciedo said. “… I think [Axford] made a mistake, and I made him pay for it. I was glad I was able to do that.”
Axford leads the American League with nine saves, and with Minnesota coming to town for four games, he needs to move on from Sunday quickly.
“When you have a hiccup, sometimes you lose a game,” Indians manager Terry Francona said of Axford. “You certainly want to adjust and get better, but you also have to have a bit of amnesia, come back tomorrow and get a save.”
Clearly disappointed, Axford was very quiet after the game, maintaining the perspective Francona needs from a closer.
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