Mitch Talbot's elbow injury forced the Indians to replace their 5th starter with Jeanmar Gomez. Prior to Tuesday night, Gomez did have some major league experience, but he struggled mightily in his 2011 debut, and the Royals took full advantage.
Gomez began to falter in the 3rd inning. Alcides Escobar hit an infield single and advanced to 2nd base when 1st baseman Carlos Santana botched a rundown in which Escobar was trapped. Escobar then scored on Chris Getz's triple. Melky Cabrera's groundout plated Getz, and the floodgates were opening.
Kansas City added a tally in the 4th and 2 more in the 5th, prompting Tribe skipper Manny Acta to yank his young starting pitcher. Gomez lasted only 4 1/3 frames, and he surrendered 5 runs. It was the 1st time since April 5th that a Cleveland pitcher did not record a quality start.
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| Gomez's rough outing put the Tribe in a deep hole |
The 5-run deficit appeared daunting, but the Indians refused to admit defeat. In the 7th, Lou Marson cranked a 2-RBI double to the right-center field gap. Marson, though, was later thrown out at the plate to end the threat.
Carlos Santana produced a RBI single in 8th, and, as the game entered its final inning, the Indians were only trailing by 2 runs. The Royals closer, Joakim Soria, nearly blew the save in the 9th due to his uncharacteristic lack of command. An error, a single, a hit batsman, and a bases-loaded walk brought the Tribe to within 1. However, Soria struck out Santana looking, and the Indians' heroic effort proved to be in vain.
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