CLEVELAND, OH – Over 21,000 fans were bursting with excitement on Thursday night at Progressive Field with Yasiel Puig and Franmil Reyes making their Indians’ debut.
Unfortunately for the Tribe, the fun stopped there, as the Astros took the lead early and never looked back in their 7-1 win.
Houston hit two solo home runs in the first and fourth inning off of Indians starter Danny Salazar. It was Salazar’s first start since September 27, 2017. He allowed two runs and four hits in four innings. He was able to have some success, despite not throwing a pitch faster than 88.3 mph according to Baseball Savant.
The Indians’ revamped lineup had some success against All-Star Gerrit Cole, but they couldn’t get over the hump with runners on base. Franmil Reyes was thrown out at home plate while attempting to score from first on Jason Kipnis’ double in the third inning. Kipnis was stranded at second.
Yasiel Puig hit a double in the fourth inning, but was thrown out at home in an attempt to tag up on a fly ball by Reyes. The Indians had their opportunities against Cole, but he only allowed one run on the night. Cole has allowed one run or less in seven out of his last eight starts. He improves to 13-5 on the season.
The Indians fall to 63-45 on the season. They're three games behind the Twins in the American League Central division. It was the first series loss for the Indians since July 12-14 against the Twins.
No Tito
Indians manager Terry Francona had minor eye surgery on Thursday, which kept him from managing. Bench coach Brad Mills filled in for Francona. Mills was the Astros manager from 2010-2012.
Bad Bullpen
The duo of A.J. Cole and Tyler Olson gave up five runs in 1⅔ innings of work, which gave Houston a 7-1 lead and put the game out of reach. They allowed five hits and issued four walks (combined).
Newcomers
The crowd was excited to see Puig and Reyes in action for the Indians. Puig finished 1-for-3 with a double and a walk. He also had a stolen base.
Reyes finished 1-for-4 with a single. The 24-year-old threw his bat down in frustration in the seventh inning after hitting a pop out to first base.
PUUUUUUUUIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGG ------#RallyTogetherSTREAM: https://t.co/dEUyUTi6Gx pic.twitter.com/gK1gJFfnxa
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) August 2, 2019Up Next
The Indians' home stand continues on Friday against the Angels. Mike Clevinger will get the start for the Tribe. He enters with a 5-2 record and 3.28 ERA on the season. Taylor Cole will open for the Angels. He’s 1-1 on the year with a 2.94 ERA. He’s made four starts for Los Angeles this season. Dillon Peters is scheduled to come in for Cole. He has a 3.06 ERA in seven appearances.
