The Indians are still jockeying for position in the October picture, but there is another battle going on within the team.
With his latest homer in a 5-2 win over the Royals on Thursday, Carlos Santana not only moved Cleveland a little closer to a division crown, but he put the pressure on Mike Napoli for the Tribe’s home run title this season. Santana and Napoli are now tied at 34 shots apiece with 10 games left on the schedule.
“When we went into the year, everybody said, ‘How are you going to score?'” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “And then you look up and you’ve got two guys who have hit 30. It’s been fun.”
More important for the American League Central-leading Indians was that the victory trimmed their magic number to four to clinch their first division championship since 2007. Alcides Escobar belted a two-run homer for Kansas City, but it was not enough for the Royals, whose elimination number in the AL Wild Card race is down to five.
“It’s in everyone’s mind,” Indians rookie Mike Clevinger said of the postseason picture. “Everyone knows to stick to business as usual and keep the same grind every day.”
Royals lefty Jason Vargas, making his second start coming back from Tommy John rehab, was charged with two runs in his four innings of work, while righty Dillon Gee allowed three in 2 2/3 innings of relief. Santana drove in four of the five runs scored off that pair of Kansas City arms, providing sufficient support for Clevinger.
Clevinger, who has the spotlight on him in the wake of injuries to Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, worked five solid innings, in which he gave up two runs (on Escobar’s seventh homer of the year). Clevinger struck out four, walked two and dodged harm at a handful of turns.
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