TORONTO (AP) — Carlos Carrasco pitched a gem
Ivan Rodriguez Jersey , and AL MVP contender Jose Ramirez came to the plate at the perfect moment.And still the Cleveland Indians couldn’t turn it
into a victory.Kevin Pillar hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 11th after
Ramirez grounded out with the bases loaded in the top of the inning, allowing
the Toronto Blue Jays to beat the Indians 3-2 on Friday night.Pillar’s second
career walkoff home run came off right-hander Adam Cimber (3-6). It was Pillar’s
12th homer of the season.The loss was Cimber’s first with Cleveland following a
midseason trade from San Diego.“I thought the slider was the right pitch there,”
Cimber said. “Just didn’t execute it and he smacked it.”The Blue Jays recorded
their eighth walkoff win of the season, one more than they had last year.
Toronto is 20-12 in one-run games.Cleveland dropped to 2-7 in extra innings. The
Indians’ magic number to clinch a third straight AL Central title remains at
seven.Carrasco matched a season best by striking out 14 over eight innings. The
right-hander allowed two runs, one earned, and six hits.After establishing his
fastball, Carrasco relied on his slider and changeup to keep the Blue Jays
swinging and missing. He struck out four straight over the first and second
innings and fanned a pair in six of his eight innings.“Even on 3-2, I was using
my slider,” he said. “It was good.”Just not good enough for the Indians to
triumph.“Anytime a guy pitches that well, you want to give him a win
http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-shin-soo-choo-jersey ,” infielder Jason Kipnis said.Toronto won for the first time in franchise history
when striking out at least 20 times.“There’s probably not a better slider in the
game,” Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said of Carrasco. “He attacks. If he’s on,
there’s going to be some walking back to the dugout.”Yan Gomes hit a solo home
run for the Indians.Pillar had reached third base with two outs in the ninth,
but Neil Ramirez sent the game to extra innings by getting Richard Urena to fly
out.Cleveland loaded the bases with two outs in the 11th, but Danny Barnes (3-2)
relieved Jake Petricka and got Ramirez to ground out to second base.Ramirez
opened the scoring with a two-out RBI single off Marco Estrada in the fifth, but
the Blue Jays scored in the bottom half when Rowdy Tellez doubled and scored on
Aledmys Diaz’s sacrifice fly.The Indians reclaimed the lead on a two-out homer
by Gomes in the sixth, his 13th, but Toronto tied it again when Randal Grichuk
and Tellez hit back-to-back doubles off Carrasco in the seventh.Tellez has six
doubles in his first three games, making him the first rookie since Joe DiMaggio
in 1936 to have six doubles over any three-game stretch in his debut
season.Toronto put runners at first and second with two outs in the eighth, but
Carrasco ended his outing by getting Grichuk to ground into a fielder’s
choice.Estrada allowed two runs and five hits in six innings.EXCLUSIVE
COMPANYAstros teammates Gerrit Cole and Justin Verlander are the only other
pitchers to strike out 14 or more twice this season.SHAPIRO SPEAKSBlue Jays
president and CEO Mark Shapiro touched on a number of subjects in a rare media
availability several hours before the game. Shapiro denied a rift with team
owner Rogers Communications and shot down a report linking him with the New York
Mets.“This is where I want to be
Prince Fielder Jersey ,” he said.Shapiro also responded to Thursday’s criticism from the MLB Player’s Association over the Blue Jays decision not to
promote top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr., viewed as a manipulation of the
19-year-old star’s service time.“I feel strongly that the best thing for
Vladdy’s development is the path that we’ve laid out,” Shapiro said, adding that
he welcomes “scrutiny” from the union. Guerrero was named Baseball America’s
minor league player of the year Friday.YOUTH MOVEMENTRegarding the roster
rebuild currently underway in Toronto, Shapiro said “there’s no longer any gray
area about where we are,” adding that a return to competitiveness could be “a
matter of two, three, four years, because that’s the amount of time it takes for
players to transition to the major league level.”TRAINER’S ROOMIndians: 3B Josh
Donaldson (left calf) went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts in a playoff game for
Double-A Akron. … OF Michael Brantley (left foot) sat for a second straight day.
… LHP Andrew Miller (left shoulder) will throw a side session Saturday.UP
NEXTIndians RHP Adam Plutko (4-5, 5.04) faces Blue Jays RHP Sean Reid-Foley
(1-2
http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-adrian-beltre-jersey , 5.51) on Saturday afternoon. Plutko is winless in seven outings since a June 24
victory over Detroit. Reid-Foley allowed one run in seven innings to beat Miami
for his first career win last Sunday, his third big league start. DENVER (AP) —
Viewed as a power pitcher, Jon Gray always felt he needed to rely on
strikeouts.He altered that thinking. This is Jon Gray: Version 2.0.Gray threw
effectively into the seventh inning and Ian Desmond hit a two-run triple in the
sixth, leading the Colorado Rockies to a 6-2 win over the San Diego Padres on
Wednesday night.“Jon wasn’t as crisp as we’ve seen him, but yet he pitched into
the seventh inning,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.All part of his change.He
was sent to the minors earlier this season to hone his command and Gray returned
a different pitcher. He doesn’t rely on his fastball as much as he placed more
faith in his breaking pitches.“It’s more of a controlled aggression than being
aggressive,” Gray explained. “I’m not trying to make it nasty and throw it under
their bat. I’m trying to make a quality pitch that’s sharp, that’s in the strike
zone, but keeping it out of the heart of the plate.”Gray (10-7) went 6 1/3
innings and allowed two runs before running out of steam and turning it over to
the bullpen. He’s now 3-0 with a 2.59 ERA over seven starts since his recall
from Triple-A Albuquerque.“I hit the reset button,” Gray said.After allowing a
run in the first
Nolan Ryan Jersey , Gray settled into a groove against a Padres team that was missing infielder Wil Myers after he was a late scratch. Myers sustained a cut
on his nose when a grounder hit him in the face while he was fielding during
batting practice.Padres manager Andy Green said after the game there was no
concussion.“He definitely took a hard one off the face. I don’t know that he was
ever pretty but he’s definitely not pretty right now,” Green said. “Probably
down (Thursday) and hope we can get him back in rhythm in L.A.”Myers was
scheduled to make his eighth start at third base as the Padres experimented with
sliding the veteran first baseman across the infield. Instead, Cory Spangenberg
moved to third and Jose Pirela played second.Rockies catcher Tony Wolters added
an RBI triple and a run-scoring sacrifice fly for the rolling Rockies, who began
the day 1 1/2 games behind NL West-leading Arizona.Jacob Nix (1-2) turned in a
solid outing in his first career road start. He allowed three runs over five
innings.“There’s still very much to like and a lot to look forward to,” Green
said of his right-hander.The Rockies improved to 24-24 against teams with a
losing record. In contrast, they’re 45-33 versus those at or above the .500
mark.“It shows you why you can’t sleep on anybody,” said Carlos Gonzalez, who
had an RBI single in the first.TRAINER’S ROOMPadres: INF Christian Villanueva
has a fractured finger and will be placed on the disabled list, Green
said.ROSTER MOVEThe New York Yankees acquired catcher Chris Rabago off waivers
from the Rockies and optioned him to Double-A Trenton. The move freed up a spot
on the 40-man roster for the Rockies, which could potentially be used to add
Matt Holliday. The slugger is currently hitting .346 with Triple-A
Albuquerque.GONE TO THE DOGSIt was a “ruff” night as a parade of pooches made
their way around the field before the game as part of a promotion called “Bark
at the Park.”“This is the tail end of the dog days” of summer
http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-rougned-odor-jersey , Black joked. “This is the back end of the dog days.”TROUBLESOME
INNINGSpangenberg had an RBI double in the first, which has turned into a
problematic inning for the Rockies. The starting pitchers have allowed 110 runs
in the opening inning this season.START OF SOMETHINGThe Rockies have now won
each of Gray’s last nine starts. It matches Ubaldo Jimenez’s stretch in 2010 for
the team’s longest win streak during a pitcher’s starts in franchise
history.THIS & THATGray was cruising along, retiring 12 straight, before SS
Freddy Galvis lined a solo homer in the seventh. … Desmond scored two runs and
stole a base.UP NEXTPadres LHP Joey Lucchesi (6-7, 3.79 ERA) makes his fourth
career start against Colorado on Thursday. The Rockies counter with LHP Kyle
Freeland (11-7, 2.96). He’s 7-2 with a 2.22 ERA in 11 starts at home.
