Backed by a balanced effort from his offense, Indians ace Corey Kluber spun another gem to lead Cleveland to a series win over the Rangers with a 5-1 victory on Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field.
Kluber, who went eight innings and only allowed one run on three hits with one walk, struck out 12 batters and made some history in the process. The dozen-strikeout performance marked Kluber’s fourth straight start with double-digit punchouts. Kluber is now tied with Hall of Famer Bob Feller for the longest such streak in club history. Feller accomplished the feat between the 1938 and ’39 campaigns.
“He’s tremendous,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I think that goes back to his work ethic and the way he works at his craft. It’s not just by luck. It’s nice, we need it. We’ve had some ups and downs in our rotation.”
The outing put the finishing touch on a brilliant June for Kluber, who went 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 43 innings for the month.
Kluber was given more than enough support from the Tribe’s offense, which tallied nine hits on the day. Lonnie Chisenhall drove in two with a pinch-hit double in the sixth, and Edwin Encarnacion and Francisco Lindor each added an RBI.
The only run that the Rangers were able to score came on a first-inning solo shot by left fielder Nomar Mazara. Per Statcast™, Mazara’s 11th homer of the season traveled a projected 399 feet to the seats in right field and had an exit velocity of 104 mph.
“The offense didn’t hit today,” Rangers manager Jeff Banister said. “At any point in time we can break out and get rolling again. Look, it’s one of those situations where you face good pitching — they can make it challenging, and they did. We have to regroup and we have a little yard work to do.”
After being activated from the disabled list prior to the game, Rangers starter Andrew Cashner went five-plus innings and allowed five runs on six hits and two walks. He was handed his seventh loss of the season.
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