While yesterday brought the fireworks, today saw the pitchers take their turn in the spotlight.
Cleveland Indians second-year starting pitcher Aaron Civale took the mound for the first time since spring training back in March. For Civale, it was business as usual, only surrendering two earned runs, but those runs ultimately were the difference as he took the loss, 2-1.
"For him to get through six innings, getting close to 100 pitches ... without laboring, pitching like a veteran, we were really pleased with his performance," Indians manager Terry Francona told reporters following Sunday's action.
Civale dealt with a strained groin in spring training, but ultimately made two starts, striking out nine in five innings pitched. He was a stabilizing force for the Tribe last year, finishing with a 3-4 record, 2.34 ERA, and 46 strikeouts in 57 2/3 innings pitched.
The stars of the day, however, were the relievers.
Indians relievers Hunter Wood, James Karinchak (1 run unearned), Oliver Perez, Adam Cimber, David Hernandez all pitched scoreless innings in the intrasquad matchup, and had a no-hitter entering the 6th inning. Nick Wittgren was the reliever to give up the first hit of the day.
As for the hitters, catcher Roberto Perez had both RBIs off of Civale in the win. Third baseman Jose Ramirez and outfielder Bradley Zimmer both had multi-hit games for the Tribe. Shortstop Francisco Lindor and first baseman Carlos Santana both had doubles in the matchup as well.
"He was quick to say, 'I will hit anywhere you want,' which I appreciated," Francona said of his talk with Lindor about the switch. "You do appreciate when players say things like that, but I want to also do what makes sense for our team."