CLEVELAND, OH – Oscar Mercado made a superman-like diving catch in the ninth, that helped the Indians hold on for an 8-6 win over the White Sox on Wednesday night.
Here’s Oscar Mercado’s Superman-like catch that saved the Indians pic.twitter.com/ietPcHWkeF
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien)
September 5, 2019 The Indians blew an 8-2 lead, after Nick Goody and Brad Hand both allowed 2-run homers in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively.
Hand allowed four total hits in the ninth and issued a walk before Terry Francona was forced to take out his closer.
Nick Wittgren entered with the bases loaded, one out and an 8-6 lead. Eloy Jimenez appeared to hit the game-tying line drive to center field, but Mercado's diving catch prevented any runs from scoring. Wittgren struck out Ryan Goins to end the game.
Shane Bieber allowed two runs and six hits in seven innings. He issued two walks and had nine strikeouts. Bieber got in trouble early on, allowing two runs in the second inning, but battled through it for another quality start. He improves to 13-7 on the year. His ERA fell to 3.24.
Franmil Reyes continued to stay hot, finishing 2-for-3. He hit a 2-run homer in the fifth off of Ivan Nova, his 34th of the season.
Mercado had a big night at the plate too, finishing 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Rookie Yu Chang also flashed for Cleveland, finishing with two singles and two RBI.
Now accepting applications for the Cleveland chapter of the Franmil Reyes Fan Club.To the San Diego chapter, we know you miss him. We promise we're taking good care of him! ❤️#RallyTogether pic.twitter.com/b7rvjQfenU
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians)
September 5, 2019 The Indians improve to 81-59. They’re 43-28 at home this season. The Indians are 5.5 games behind the Twins in the AL Central, who lost to the Red Sox on Wednesday night.
Kluber Update
It doesn’t sound like the Indians expect Corey Kluber to contribute anytime soon. The two-time Cy Young Award winner was close to returning from a broken forearm, but he suffered an internal oblique strain in his last rehab start on August 18.
“He feels like he was one start away from coming to pitch and that went away,”
Francona said. “He’s miserable about it, and it’s not his fault. He’s doing stuff in the water right now. He’s got a ways to go.”
Up Next
The Indians finish their series against the White Sox on Thursday afternoon. Zach Plesac gets the start for the Tribe. He’s 7-5 this season with a 3.61 ERA. Reynaldo Lopez will start for the White Sox. He’s 8-12 on the year with a 5.41 ERA.
