CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) - The Cleveland Indians worked their late-game magic on Sunday, scoring three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to beat the Tampa Bay Rays, 3-2 - a win that snapped the Tribe's 11-game losing streak against their AL East counterparts.
The Indians entered the eighth down 2-1 before Harold Ramirez roped an RBI single off Rays reliever Matt Wisler (3-4) that tied the game at 2-2, and Bobby Bradley followed with a sacrifice fly that scored Amed Rosario just ahead of the tag.
Using a translator, Ramirez explained his approach against Wisler in his last at-bat: "I think I was looking for the fastball. I know he doesn't throw many fastballs, but I know myself, and I know when I'm just trying to sit too much on the slider, I don't get good connections, so I was able to just focus on the fastball and then adjust, when I was able to recognize a slider."
Indians right-hander Triston McKenzie pitched six innings allowing Tampa Bay’s two runs on five hits and a walk, along with six strikeouts.
"I felt like in my last start [against Houston], I attacked the zone a lot, but there was times where I was ahead of guys, and then I'd give them pitches in the zone that they were able to put in play," said McKenzie after the game. "I felt like today, the hits were a little more spread out, and I felt like when I needed to go out of the zone, especially when I was ahead of guys, I did that."
Not to be outdone, Rays starter Ryan Yarbrough pitched seven innings with five hits and one run allowed in a no-decision effort. The left-hander also matched McKenzie in walks (one) and strikeouts (six).
The Rays began the scoring with a run in the opening frame via an RBI groundout, but Cesar Hernandez responded with a towering solo home run in the bottom half. Hernandez, who hit his 17th homer of the season, also hit his 18th career leadoff home run and fifth of 2021.
The scoring stalled until the top of the sixth, when Nelson Cruz launched his 21st bomb of the year on a screaming line drive over the center field wall. However, McKenzie responded by retiring the Rays 1-2-3 after the score change.
"It's a tough at-bat," McKenzie explained about facing off with Cruz. "Strictly because if you make a mistake - or even if you don't make a mistake, and you make a good pitch, and it's kind of in his heat zone, the ball's going to go a long way."
"He's just very dangerous," McKenzie added. "Regardless of where the pitch is, he has the potential to change a game in one swing."
Bryan Shaw and winning pitcher James Karinchak (7-2) each worked a scoreless inning in relief, and Emmanuel Clase shut down the Rays in order to secure the Cleveland victory - one earned without two of the club's regular starters (Franmil Reyes and Jose Ramirez) or manager Terry Francona, the latter of whom missed his second straight game with a head cold (although Francona did manage his 722nd victory as Indians skipper, which passes Mike Hargrove for second on the franchise's all-time list).
The Indians (43-42) get back over .500 and will next take on the St. Louis Cardinals in a two-game home set, starting this Tuesday at Progressive Field. Cal Quantrill (2-2, 3.84 earned run average) is expected to start for Cleveland against longtime Redbirds right-hander Adam Wainwright (7-6, 3.56 ERA).
The Rays (60-40), meanwhile, will begin a three-game homestand against the New York Yankees on Tuesday.
Cleveland scores three late runs to clinch series capper
