The Indians showed how dangerous their offense can be with an eight-run outburst in the third inning on Sunday at Progressive Field, powering their way to a 12-4 win over the Mariners in the series finale. Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley each launched home runs to help ignite Cleveland’s onslaught.
Seven different Tribe players drove in at least one run on Sunday, as Lindor added a two-run double to set the table for Brantley’s fifth homer of the season in the third.
“The ballpark’s playing pretty small, and you’ve got a couple fly-ball pitchers pitching,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “We took advantage. We swung the bats, we ran the bases, we were aggressive, we kept the line moving.”
Indians starter Josh Tomlin was given plenty of run support en route to his second win of the season. The right-hander went five-plus innings and allowed four runs on eight hits while striking out three before turning the game over to the Indians’ bullpen.
Mariners rookie right-hander Chase De Jong had a rough outing in his first Major League start. De Jong only lasted 2 2/3 innings and surrendered six runs on nine hits and two walks, taking his second loss of the season.
“It’s tough making your first Major League start,” Mariners manager Scott Servais said. “It’s not easy against a team who was in the World Series last year. No doubt, he wasn’t as sharp as when we saw him in relief over there in Oakland. He hung in there, and it got a little crazy after that.”
Nelson Cruz extended his hitting streak to 10 games with a second-inning home run off Tomlin, which gave the designated hitter his fifth homer in his last six games played.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online Sports
