1 of the many keys to the Tribe's fast start has been its bullpen. Through the 1st 3 weeks of the season, the pen has been nearly unhittable, but that was simply not the case on Thursday night. Tony Sipp, Vinnie Pestano, and Chris Perez combined to blow a 2-0 lead, and the Royals were able to trim the Indians' division lead to 1 game.
Cleveland claimed that aforementioned 2-0 advantage in the top of the 5th inning. Grady Sizemore blooped a RBI single into center field, and Shin-Soo Choo plated a run with a fielder's choice. However, Choo's fielder's choice actually should have been a base-hit. Left fielder Alex Gordon made a diving trap of the line drive, and Grady Sizemore, the runner at 2nd base, was unable to determine whether Gordon had caught the ball or not. As a result, Sizemore was forced out at 3rd.
Josh Tomlin tossed 7 innings of shutout baseball, but, after issuing a 1-out walk in the 8th, he was replaced by Tony Sipp. Sipp then proceeded to retire Melky Cabrera before walking Gordon. Vinnie Pestano was summoned by Manny Acta in hopes that the young righty could end the threat. However, Pestano walked Billy Butler and surrendered a RBI single off the bat of Jeff Francoeur. Fortunately, Asdrubal Cabrera was able to knock down Francoeur's grounder, thus saving a run. Pestano did record the 3rd out, and the Indians were now clinging to a 2-1 lead.
Chris Perez quickly encountered trouble in the bottom of the 9th when he allowed a lead-off double. Kansas City eventually loaded the bases, and Cabrera lashed a walk-off 2-run single through the left side of infield.
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| The Royals celebrate their come-from-behind victory |
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