The Indians received a break when Rangers scheduled starter Matt Harrison was scratched because of a blister. Dave Bush, who started in Harrison's place, had started a couple games this season, but hadn't gone long into the game. And it looked like they'd take advantage, scoring three runs in the second inning. Included in that second inning was yet another double by Grady Sizemore, who now has 20 extra-base hits in just over 100 at-bats.
But Carlos Carrasco and the defense couldn't hold the lead. Carrasco gave up three runs in the fifth inning, two of them coming with on two-out singles. In the the sixth, bad defense led to three more Texas runs. The rally should have been short-circuited when MItch Moreland got caught rounding first base (my guess is he was assuming Nelson Cruz would try to score), but Matt LaPorta was distracted by Cruz, and he let Moreland go safely back to the bag. Cruz would score on a sacrifice fly; if LaPorta tags out Moreland, that fly ball would have been the third out of the inning. Later in the sixth, Carlos Carrasco threw a pitch by Carlos Santana; the runner did not attempt to go home, but Santana's toss to Carrasco at the plate was wild, and after the ball bounded back towards the infield, Endy Chavez did come home.
The Indians gifted the Rangers another run in the ninth when Matt LaPorta made an awkward toss to Rafael Perez, who trying to cover first base.
Meanwhile the Rangers got a nice outing from Michael Kirkman, who had relieved Bush in the fifth inning. Kirkman had made one appearance in April, got rocked for 6 runs in 1.2 innings, and was sent back to the minors. He was recalled earlier this week, and tonight he went three innings, allowing the Rangers to only have to use their back-end relievers for two innings.
Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
Santana | .217 | Carrasco | -.455 |
Hannahan | .051 | Brantley | -.141 |
Smith | .030 | Duncan | -.092 |