Indians celebrate division title with eyes on Series win

CLEVELAND — There was champagne chilling on ice for them, bottles and bottles of bubbly and beer.


But before the Cleveland Indians partied after winning a second straight AL Central title, there was work to be done to complete a week none of them will ever forget.

They could have taken the easy route and phoned it in.

Not this team.

“We want to win,” Corey Kluber said.

Cleveland’s ace pushed to the front of the Cy Young race with another dominant start and Edwin Encarnacion hit a two-run homer as the Indians, who officially clinched the division crown a day earlier, kept on rolling with a 3-2 victory over the Kansas City Royals.

Kluber (17-4), who has lost once since July 4, allowed three singles in seven innings and has not given up a run in 22 straight.

The right-hander set the tone on a day of celebration which began with the Indians standing together in front of their dugout to watch a flag rise beyond the center-field wall commemorating their latest division title.

The Indians were going to have a good time — win or lose — but they didn’t want to disappoint another sellout crowd or fans captivated by their recent record 22-game winning streak.

“When we come out here and it’s time to play, we want to win,” Kluber said. “Nobody in that clubhouse likes losing, so regardless of whether we clinched or not, we were going to come out and try to win the ballgame and here’s what we’re going to do from here on out.”

Encarnacion homered in the fourth off Danny Duffy (8-9) as the Indians improved to 33-5 since Aug. 11 despite getting only three hits.
The Royals closed to 3-2 in the eighth on a two-out, two-run single by Brandon Moss off Tyler Olson. Cody Allen finished the inning and then worked out of a two-on jam in the ninth for his 28th save.

As they left the field, the Indians were handed AL Central championship T-shirts, caps and swimming googles to put on before heading to their clubhouse. Moments later, champagne corks popped and the room was turned into a free-for-all of sudsy spray.

Last year, the Indians celebrated their division, playoff and AL Championship Series wins on the road. Being at home made this one more special.

“It never gets old,” said pitcher Josh Tomlin, who has been with the Indians since 2010. “This is why you play the game — to win. And to be able to celebrate victories like this or little milestones like this.”

Kluber could be on his way to a second Cy Young Award win, following 2014′s. The right-hander is 10-1 in his last 10 starts.

Despite missing nearly a month, he leads the league in wins (17), ERA (2.35), shutouts (3) and complete games (5).

In the major statistical categories, Kluber trails only Boston’s Chris Sale, his closest competition for the pitching award, in strikeouts.

“He’s a tough draw,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “He’s a premier guy. The year he won the Cy Young is the way he looks now. He’s in the conversation again this year.”

CENTER OF ATTENTION

Jason Kipnis didn’t embarrass himself in the outfield. He didn’t do anything, really.

The Indians’ two-time All-Star second baseman made his debut in center but didn’t have a chance. He had been on the disabled list since Aug. 6 with a hamstring injury.

“It was good. I didn’t touch a ball all day offensively or defensively,” said Kipnis, who struck out twice. “I had nothing, but it was fun. Obviously, I had some nerves.”

As soon as Kipnis left the game, two balls were immediately hit to center.

ANOTHER STREAK

The Indians have allowed four runs or less in 24 consecutive games, the longest such streak since the St. Louis Cardinals had a 25-game run in 1942-3.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Royals: C Salvador Perez (pulled side muscle) and OF Lorenzo Cain (rest) sat out but are expected to return Tuesday for the series opener in Toronto.

Indians: All-Star 2B Jose Ramirez (hamstring) was rested for the second day in a row as a precaution. … Team president Chris Antonetti said there is still no clarity on whether OF Michael Brantley will return this season. He’s been out since Aug. 9 with an ankle injury. … Rookie OF Bradley Zimmer (broken hand) is keeping up with his conditioning and maintaining his arm strength after surgery. Zimmer had a plate and nine screws inserted into his hand, which he broke on a headfirst dive into first.

UP NEXT

Royals: Either RHP Ian Kennedy or Sam Gaviglio will start against the Blue Jays. Kennedy missed his last turn in the rotation with shoulder fatigue. Gaviglio has started twice since being claimed on waivers from Seattle.
Indians: RHP Mike Clevinger will look for his 11th win on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game series in Los Angeles. He was drafted by the Angels in 2011 and traded to Cleveland in 2014.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Blazing Indians extend win streak to 19 straight

CLEVELAND — Unrelenting and unbeatable at the moment, the Cleveland Indians refuse to lose.


With their latest overpowering win, they extended baseball’s longest winning streak since 2002 to 19 games with an 11-0 blowout of the Detroit Tigers on Monday night to move closer to a record that has stood for 101 years.

Francisco Lindor tripled home three runs off rookie Myles Jaye (0-1) in the second inning, and the Indians, who haven’t lost since Aug. 23, added another blowout to their growing list of lopsided conquests.

The defending AL champions aren’t just rolling, they’re steamrolling opponents, outscoring them 132-32 during a stretch that includes six shutouts.

Carlos Carrasco (15-6) struck out nine in six innings, Lindor had four RBIs and Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer as the Indians lowered their magic number to clinch the Central to six.

Cleveland is the sixth team in history to win at least 19 straight, and the streak is the longest since the 2002 Oakland Athletics won 20 in a row — a run that was celebrated in the film “Moneyball.”

The Indians can match those A’s on Tuesday, and their chances of getting No. 20 are strong with AL Cy Young Award contender Corey Kluber starting.

At this point, it hardly matters who’s on the mound.

Cleveland joined the 1906 Chicago White Sox (19), the 1947 New York Yankees (19), the 2002 A’s (20), the 1935 Chicago Cubs (21) and the 1916 New York Giants (26) as the only teams to reel off 19 consecutive wins. The Giants’ record run is in the books as the major league mark, although it did include a tie, which does not count as an official game in baseball, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Even tying these Indians during a game has been nearly impossible.

Cleveland has trailed in only four of 171 innings, scored first in 18 of 19 games and has hit 38 homers. In a season where other teams have displayed dominance, the Indians stand alone.


“No knock on the Dodgers or the Astros, they’re obviously both very good teams,” said Tigers manager Brad Ausmus. “I think this is the most balanced team and probably the biggest threat to anybody in baseball to win a World Series because they do kind of cover every facet of the game.”

Cleveland’s streak has happened despite the team missing three of its best players: All-Star reliever Andrew Miller, All-Star left fielder Michael Brantley and second baseman Jason Kipnis. They’re all on the disabled list.

“It’s just the next guy up,” Kipnis said. “It doesn’t matter who it is or what goes down. We like the depth that we have. We have the players that go out and compete each night and you’re going to win a lot of games when guys play with that attitude.”

MILLER MOVING

Miller threw 30 pitches in a simulated game, a major step in his recovery from knee tendinitis. The team will see how Miller responds Tuesday before deciding the next move. Kipnis faced Miller during the workout and doubled off the left-hander.

“After I fouled one off, I said, ‘I’ve already had a better at-bat than I have ever versus him in a game,’” Kipnis said. “He smiled at that one.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Tigers: RHP Jordan Zimmerman received an injection last week for the neck injury that’s bothered him since last season. He will begin a throwing program in the next few days, and Ausmus said Zimmerman will make a few more starts if there are no setbacks. Zimmerman is 8-12 with a 6.18 ERA in 27 starts. … OF Mikie Mahtook (sore left groin) was out of the lineup for the third straight day.

Indians: Rookie CF Bradley Zimmer will undergo surgery on his broken left hand on Tuesday in New York. Zimmer got stepped on while diving into first base on Sunday. The Indians do not have a timetable on his return, but it’s safe to assume his season is over.

UP NEXT

Kluber is 7-1 with a 1.92 ERA in his last eight starts. The right-hander, who leads the AL in ERA (2.56) and opponent batting average (.192), will face Detroit’s Matt Boyd.

source: sports.inquirer.net