CLEVELAND (AP) — Blake Snell has put himself in the middle of the race for the AL Cy Young Award.Snell moved into a tie for the major league
lead with his 17th win as the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 5-3 on
Saturday night.Snell (17-5) is tied with New York’s Luis Severino and
Cleveland’s Corey Kluber — two other top candidates for the award — for the most
wins in the majors. Snell is 5-0 in his last six starts and his 2.02 ERA is
second in the AL behind Chris Sale’s 1.97.Snell allowed two runs in 6 2/3
innings
Dwight Gooden Jersey , giving up both in the second with one being unearned thanks to a throwing error by third baseman Matt Duffy. The left-hander
worked around trouble early but retired nine of the last 10 hitters he faced and
struck out the side in the sixth.“We always talk about what his best start is,
this and that,” Rays manager Kevin Cash said. “You can argue that was his best
start because he didn’t have anything. He didn’t cruise by any means. He had to
work. But that was a pretty telling performance from Blake and how far he’s
come.”Snell said his stuff improved as the night progressed.“I started slow,
frustrated about that,” Snell said. “But I’m very happy with how I came back,
fastball started to jump there towards the end, slider, everything started to
work a lot better.”The Indians had nine baserunners in the first four
innings
Keith Hernandez Jersey , including stealing three bases in the first.“We had some really good at-bats early just to get what we did,” Indians manager
Terry Francona said. “His stuff is phenomenal. Velocity, breaking ball,
changeup. He’s got the whole package.”Tampa Bay scored four times in the sixth
off Shane Bieber (8-3). Matt Duffy tied the game with a two-run double. Tommy
Pham’s RBI double put the Rays ahead before Kevin Kiermaier added a run-scoring
single.Brandon Lowe homered off the foul pole in right field to in the
ninth.Jason Kipnis, whose playing time will decrease after the Indians acquired
third baseman Josh Donaldson from Toronto on Friday, started the ninth with a
pinch-hit home run off Chaz Roe.Roe retired the next two hitters and Adam
Kolarek got pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso for his second save. The Rays have won 10
of 12.Duffy’s two-base error on Brandon Guyer’s ground ball started Cleveland’s
rally in the second. Melky Cabrera and Yan Gomes drove in runs with back-to-back
doubles. Snell retired the next two hitters before Michael Brantley singled to
center. Gomes was waved home, but was an easy out at the plate on Kiermaier’s
throw.“It was big,” Cash said. “Not that we can’t come back from three
runs
Jorge De La Rosa Jersey , but there’s a big difference between three and two runs.”Cleveland’s lead quickly disappeared in the sixth. Lowe singled and
took third on Joey Wendle’s double. Duffy’s double down the right field line
tied the game. Pham’s one-out double to left-center gave Tampa Bay the lead and
finished Bieber.Kiermaier’s single off Tyler Olson scored Pham, with the run
charged to Bieber. The rookie right-hander allowed four runs in 5 1/3
innings.TRADE FALLOUTDonaldson arrived at the ballpark shortly before game time
after having flight issues that delayed him. The 2015 AL MVP was given a loud
ovation and waved to the crowd when he was shown from the dugout on the
scoreboard in the seventh inning.Donaldson has been sidelined for three months
by a strained calf and it’s not clear when he’ll make his Indians debut.
Donaldson will play third base with All-Star Jose Ramirez moving to
second.Francona said Kipnis will be affected more than any player on Cleveland’s
roster by Donaldson’s addition.“Nobody will ever root against him, I can promise
you that,” Francona said. “Getting Donaldson is good for us, and I don’t know
where Kip ends up, but I guarantee every time he hits I’ll be pulling for him
like I always do. He can help us. We don’t think otherwise.”TAKING A SHOTIndians
left-hander Oliver Perez remained in the game after being hit on his pitching
hand by Lowe’s comebacker in the sixth. Perez threw a couple of warmup pitches
and joked with his teammates before play continued.TRAINER’S ROOMRays: Kiermaier
was removed the game in the seventh inning after his back tightened up when he
threw Gomes out at the plate. He expects to play in Sunday’s series
finale.Indians: Francona said additional tests on the stress fracture in Trevor
Bauer’s right leg showed minimal improvement, a diagnosis the team was
expecting. Bauer was hit by a line drive on Aug. 11. The team is still hopeful
he’ll return before the regular season ends.UP NEXTIndians RHP Carlos Carrasco
(16-7, 3.38 ERA)
http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-taijuan-walker-jersey , who is 8-2 in his last 11 starts, will start the series finale on Sunday. RHP
Diego Castillo (3-2, 3.73) will start for the Rays. CHICAGO (AP) A man, who was
wearing a plastic bucket on his head when a large metal pin fell from Wrigley
Field’s centerfield scoreboard during a Chicago Cubs game, said he feels lucky
to be alive.Kyle McAleer was sitting with his family and friends under the
manual scoreboard when he was hit by a 6- to 8-inch pin during last week’s game
against the Arizona Diamondbacks.The 20-year-old Iowa man said he began wearing
the bucket with his family as a ”rally cap” after he saw former Cubs player
Starlin Castro wear one a few years ago.McAleer said he put the bucket on his
head about a half-inning before his injury. He said he believes he might have
been killed without it.”It might have fractured my skull. It definitely could
have been fatal. I am extremely lucky,” McAleer said.Cubs spokesman Julian Green
said the incident occurred when a loose pin that rolled out of the scoreboard
when a tile was being changed. The scoreboard is now secure, Green said.The Cubs
have sent McAleer some gifts, including a jersey. McAleer praised the team for
their quick response
Jarrod Dyson Jersey , but said no decision has been about legal action.”If it was any other injury than a head injury, chances are this already would have
been settled,” McAleer said. ”But the fact it was a head injury, and there’s
still a definite possibility I could suffer concussion symptoms within a couple
of weeks or months after the incident.”
