Bauer follows Kluber's game plan, posts 10 K's Ace's 18-strikeout showing vs. St. Louis confirms young righty's approach

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1 Bauer follows Kluber's game plan, posts 10 K's Ace's 18-strikeout showing vs. St. Louis confirms young righty's approach By Jordan Bastian / 5:57 PM ET + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- Matt Adams made the hardest contact among the Cardinals batters during Trevor Bauer's time on the mound on Thursday. After swinging through a cutter from the Indians starter in the sixth inning, Adams slammed his bat into the ground, splitting the piece of lumber. That was the kind of day Bauer was having for the Tribe. "He was outstanding," Indians manager Terry Francona said. Bauer exited in line for his third victory of the season, but Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter altered the script with a two-run home run off Tribe lefty Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth inning. That was enough damage to sent Bauer to a no-decision and the Indians to a 2-1 loss at Progressive Field. One day after Cleveland ace Corey Kluber tied a nine-inning club record with 18 strikeouts in an overpowering effort against St. Louis, Bauer followed suit with a strong showing of his own. The 24-year-old right-hander piled up 10 strikeouts -- marking his third career double-digit showing -- and scattered four hits and three walks in 7 1/3 innings. Bauer said he followed a similar plan as Kluber. "That was my game plan going in," Bauer said. "He basically followed the exact same game plan that I was going to. [It was] confirmation that it was going to work. I was going to pitch this way regardless." It was a return to form for Bauer, who had struggled in his previous two outings. Heading into Thursday's effort, Bauer posted a ERA with six strikeouts and three walks in 9 1/3 innings combined over his past two starts. That was a drastic dropoff from the first four starts of the year for Bauer, who turned in a 1.80 ERA with 28 strikeouts and 13 walks in 25 innings in that span. "I got back to doing things that I know work for me," Bauer said. "[That's] being aggressive, the intent I throw the ball with, pitching a more [effective velocity], efficient game plan -- stuff like that. I was happy to see it turn out that way. It's unfortunate that we came out on the losing end again." Bauer's gem for naught as late homer sinks Tribe By Jordan Bastian and August Fagerstrom / MLB.com 6:10 PM ET COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter launched a two-run home run off lefty Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth inning on Thursday, spoiling a strong start from Indians starter Trevor Bauer and helping St. Louis claim a 2-1 victory at Progressive Field. Following a one-out walk to Peter Bourjos in the eighth, Bauer was pulled in favor of Rzepczynski, who had not given up a home run to a lefthanded batter since June 12, That streak came to a close when Carpenter lifted a 2-1 pitch to deep center, where it just cleared the wall beyond the reach of a leaping Michael Bourn. "Honestly when I hit it, I thought I hit it way out," Carpenter said. "But then I saw the wind, and I knew that there might be a play on it. Bourn was running after it and had a shot to rob it, but just missed it. It was close." The late homer allowed St. Louis starter Michael Wacha to walk away with a no-decision -- maintaining his 5-0 record to start the season -- after relinquishing just one run over his five-plus innings of work. Wacha's lone blemish came in the sixth inning, when Michael Brantley belted a leadoff home run. The righty scattered five hits and finished with seven strikeouts and two walks. One day after Tribe ace Corey Kluber tied a nine-inning club record with 18 strikeouts against the Cardinals, the 24-year-old Bauer piled up 10 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings in a no-decision for the Indians. It represented the third career double-digit strikeout showing for Bauer, who walked three and allowed four hits in the victory. "I got back to doing things that I know work for me," Bauer said. "[That's] being aggressive, the intent I throw the ball with, pitching a more [effective velocity], efficient game plan -- stuff like that. I was happy to see it turn out that way. It's unfortunate that we came out on the losing end again." More > MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Smooth shot: Following five shutout innings from Wacha, Brantley put Cleveland on the board with his fourth home run of the season. The Tribe's All-Star left fielder drilled an 88-mph fastball on a 1-2 count, sending it over the wall in right field for a leadoff shot in the sixth. "We had chances early and made him work," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "[We] just didn't have much to show for it, if anything, but at least we had the pitch count up. And Brantley hits that ball, so it looks like maybe we can make it stand. It didn't work." Brantley's solo home run Brantley's solo home run 5/14/15: Michael Brantley drives a solo home run to right off Michael Wacha to break the scoreless tie for the Indians Wacha working: Wacha had worked into at least the sixth inning in each of his six starts this season, and he wasn't going to let a 35-pitch first inning change that. Wacha was removed after allowing a solo homer and a double with no outs in the sixth. Following a second-inning triple by Bourn, Wacha retired 11 consecutive batters. "The guy threw 35 pitches in the first and almost 60 after two and still managed to stay in the game," Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said of Wacha. "You don't see that many pitches in the first two innings without a crooked number on the board somehow. And he was able to really make quality pitches to get out of trouble." Falling for fakeouts: Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina halted an Indians run-scoring opportunity in the sixth inning with a crafty move. The Indians had runners on first and third with two outs, and there was an 0-1 count to Roberto Perez. Perez took strike two, and Bourn broke for second base. When Molina pump-faked to second, Lonnie Chisenhall broke for home, and Molina tagged him out in no-man's land. It was the third out Cleveland made on the basepaths after a pair of poorly-executed bunt attempts led to outs at third and home earlier in the game. More >

2 "He got a little overaggressive," Francona said of Chisenhall. "They had that long mound visit there. Bourny took off, and he got a little too aggressive, and they handled that very well." QUOTABLE "My job is to get that guy out. I fell behind with a couple good sinkers that he laid off. And then I tried to go again, and it's probably the straightest ball I've thrown in a long time. I tried to go sinker, and it stayed straight. If you leave a ball middle up to a lefty, he's usually going to hit it pretty good." -- Rzepczynski, on Carpenter's home run REPLAY REVIEW With runners on the corners and one out in the fourth inning, St. Louis' Kolten Wong attempted a steal of second base. It was initially ruled that Wong narrowly beat the tag from shortstop Jose Ramirez, but Francona challenged the call. Following a review lasting 57 seconds, the call was overturned and catcher Perez was credited with his fourth caught baserunner of the season. WHAT'S NEXT Cardinals: The Cardinals head back to St. Louis for a three-game series against Detroit before getting back on the road. Carlos Martinez will start on Friday at 7:15 p.m. CT for the Cards. He's looking to right the ship after a pair of ugly outings in which he allowed seven earned runs in each. Martinez has not faced the Tigers before. Indians: Veteran left-hander Bruce Chen labored in his season debut with the Indians, but the club wants to give him another chance as its fifth starter. Chen will take the mound for Cleveland on Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET in the opener of a three-game road series against the Rangers. The 37-year-old lefty gave up six runs on 10 hits in four innings on Saturday vs. Minnesota. Zep's miscue to lefty, baserunning mistakes sting By Jordan Bastian / 4:26 PM ET + 5 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- Marc Rzepczynski had a decision to make. The Indians left-hander had already fired off three sinkers against Cardinals third baseman Matt Carpenter and fell behind in the count in the eighth inning on Thursday. Rather then turn to his slider, Rzepczynski opted for a fourth sinker. "And it's probably the straightest ball I've thrown in a long time," Rzepczynski said. Carpenter sent the ill-fated offering to deep center field and that was the difference in the ballgame. The baseball cleared the wall, eluded the glove of leaping center fielder Michael Bourn and resulted in a two-run home run that sent Cleveland to a 2-1 loss to St. Louis to wrap up a three-game Interleague set at Progressive Field. Rzepczynski took the loss for the game's decisive blow, but there were a series of miscues throughout the contest that paved the way for that moment. Cleveland ran into a trio of outs on the basepaths and could not capitalize on some early traffic against Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha. Add it all up, and the Indians were dealt another discouraging defeat. "Any time you play a one-run game, every little thing is important," said Indians starter Trevor Bauer, who struck out 10 in 7 1/3 innings. "We seem to be on the losing end of a lot of the little things this year." The Indians ran into a pair of outs on bunt attempts in the loss. The first came in the second inning, which looked promising for the Tribe when Bourn delivered a one-out triple. Two batters later, Jose Ramirez attempted to bunt for a hit with runners on the corners, but Wacha gloved the grounder and initiated a rundown that ended with Bourn being retired with home plate in his sights. "[Ramirez is] trying to take that ball by the pitcher," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "On Jose's part, I thought it was a really good idea. He just didn't get it by the pitcher, and that puts the runner in a really tough spot." With the Indians clinging to a 1-0 lead in the sixth inning, Brandon Moss doubled, but was then retired in a rundown between second and third base. That out came to fruition after Lonnie Chisenhall bunted a ball back to reliever Kevin Siegrist. Later in the same inning, Chisenhall (on third base) fell for a pump fake by Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina when Bourn attempted to steal second. Chisenhall ran for the plate and was easily chased down for the inning's final out. "Bourny took off, and [Chisenhall] got a little too aggressive," Francona said. Couple those mistakes with the fact that Cleveland went 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position -- including coming up empty during a 35-pitch first inning for Wacha -- and the end result was another afternoon of frustration for the Tribe. "Any time a team is struggling a little bit, yeah, every mistake is sometimes magnified," Rzepczynski said. "If we're winning a lot of games, sometimes that doesn't matter. I know, for me personally, it's frustrating. I went out there, faced one hitter, gave up a home run and it cost us a game. "But, I think that's the first home run I've given up in a long time against a lefty." Rzepczynski was correct. The southpaw had not yielded a homer to a left-handed batter since June 12, This season, Rzepczynski has given up a.333 average (.867 OPS) in only 21 at-bats against lefties, but he had excelled in that area in the past. Rzepczynski limited lefty hitters to a.180 (.441) showing in '14 and a.179 (.480) showing in '13. "I feel so good when he's facing a left-hander, even some of the better ones in the league," Francona said. "He's just so dominating. Today, he kept pumping the fastball and, once he got ahead, I kept thinking he's going to break out that breaking ball and sweep it around. He never got to it, and [he] paid for it." Chen eyes better result as Tribe heads to Arlington By August Fagerstrom / MLB.com 5:00 PM ET + 0 COMMENTS The Tribe will head to Arlington to begin a seven-game road trip on Friday after playing six at home. A pair of veteran lefties will take the mound in the series opener at Globe Life Park. Bruce Chen (0-1, ERA) makes his second start of the season for Cleveland, while Wandy Rodriguez (1-1, 2.70 ERA) goes for Texas.

3 The things to know about this game Former Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo will face the Tribe for just the 12th time in his career. Choo struggled to open the season, posting a.096/.254/.173 batting line over his first 63 plate appearances. After receiving a two-game rest, Choo has slashed.345/.383/.709 in his next 60 plate appearances and was moved to the top of the Rangers' lineup. Choo extended his American League-best 14-game hitting streak with a single in his first at-bat on Thursday as part of a three-hit game. It will be just the eighth time that former Rangers outfielder David Murphy faces his former team after signing with the Indians in Murphy crushed Texas last season, going 12-for-25 with seven extra-base hits (six doubles, one home run) against the Rangers. Starters Chen and Rodriguez are very similar to one another. They are both soft-tossing, contact-oriented lefties who found new homes after struggling last season. Chen's fastball averages 85 mph, and he threw 48 1/3 innings for Kansas City last season due to back troubles. Rodriguez averages 88 mph on his fastball and has thrown a combined 89 1/3 innings over the last two years, dealing with knee and elbow injuries. Kluber, Perez on the same page, and it shows Righty strikes out 18, allows one hit in eight innings after rough start to season By Jordan Bastian / 12:09 PM ET + 5 COMMENTS CLEVELAND -- As has been his nature since emerging as one of the best arms in baseball, Corey Kluber downplayed his personal accomplishments on Wednesday night. Fresh off one of the most dominant outings in baseball history, the Indians ace said he was just happy that his team won. Young catcher Roberto Perez, on the other hand, smiled widely and allowed himself to get swept up in the moment. "I can't wait to watch the replay," Perez beamed after the Indians' 2-0 win over the Cardinals on Wednesday. Much had been made in recent weeks about the developing relationship between Kluber and Perez. With Cleveland's starting catcher, Yan Gomes, on the disabled list since early April, Perez was pressed into the everyday role sooner than anticipated. That led to a learning curve for the young catcher, especially with the reigning American League Cy Young Award winner. Needless to say, Kluber and Perez were on the same page on Wednesday against St. Louis. The right-hander matched a club record for a nine-inning game with 18 strikeouts and ended with no walks and just one hit allowed in eight innings for Cleveland. In the immediate wake of his outing, Kluber praised Perez for his work behind the plate. "The biggest thing, I thought Roberto did a great job keeping them off-balance," Kluber said. "We spend a lot of time talking about stuff and trying to understand each other, that kind of thing. I think probably some of that hard work paid off a little bit." Kluber had turned in a 7.43 ERA with 38 hits allowed and a.982 opponents' OPS in 23 innings in his four starts prior to Wednesday's game. In the days leading up to Kluber's start against the Cardinals, Perez spent more time with the pitcher and watched one of his bullpen sessions. "We've been talking a lot about trying to get the same relationship that he had with Gomes last year," Perez said. "And this year, trying to build that and get on the same page. The first couple starts, we weren't, but [against the Cardinals], he was commanding all his pitches, and it was fun to catch." Kluber said he was impressed with how Perez worked behind the scenes to help fix some of the issues that the righty may have been experiencing in previous outings. "I don't think it's something that you can just expect to happen right away," Kluber said, "especially when the guy hasn't caught you that often.... But, yeah, I do feel like the work we've been putting in, the time we've spent talking about stuff, it makes us more comfortable with each other." Tribe unveils new Feller exhibit at Progressive By Jordan Bastian / 12:14 PM ET + 1 COMMENT CLEVELAND -- Anne Feller walked slowly through the new exhibit honoring her late husband on Wednesday, looking over the artifacts both from his life and Hall of Fame career with the Indians. She stopped at a large photo on the wall of Bob and placed a hand on his forehead. Mrs. Feller was impressed by the display. "It's absolutely wonderful," she remarked. After the Bob Feller Museum fell on hard times in the pitcher's hometown of Van Meter, Iowa, the Indians worked with Feller's family to create the new exhibit at Progressive Field. Following months of planning, the Indians unveiled the collection in the third-floor Terrace Club on Wednesday, and Anne cut a ceremonial ribbon. Anne and Bob Feller's sons, Steve and Bruce, were also at the exhibit's opening ceremony. Anne, 85, then stayed for Wednesday's game, during which Indians ace Corey Kluber equalled Feller's 1938 club record for strikeouts (18) in a nine-inning game. Kluber donated one of the strikeout baseballs and loaned the jersey he wore to the exhibit. "Any time that you throw your name in there with Bob Feller," Kluber said, "that's obviously very humbling and a great accomplishment." The exhibit is overflowing with artifacts and memorabilia from throughout Feller's life and 18-year career with Cleveland. Feller won 266 games and struck out 2,581 batters in his time with the Tribe, who signed him when he was only 17 years old. The Heater from Van Meter made eight All-Star teams and missed parts of four seasons ( ) while serving in the Navy in World War II. "People can know about his life," Anne said. "And, particularly, know about his service on a battleship for four years during World War II. Those were some of the best moments of his life." One of the signature items in the collection in Cleveland is one of Feller's bats, which was used as a cane by Babe Ruth on June 13, 1948, when the Yankees slugger -- battling cancer -- addressed the crowd at Yankee Stadium with the Indians in attendance. The bat is in its own display case with a large mural of the famous photo of Ruth as a backdrop. Among the other items on display is the glove Feller wore during his no-hitter against the White Sox in the only Opening Day no-hitter in baseball history. The glove of Feller's father, William, is also on hand from the pitcher's childhood. There is the key to the city that Feller earned in 1951, the home plate from his no-hitter against Detroit that same year and various items from his youth in Iowa.

4 The Indians also installed a touch-screen video board, which has a handfiul of clips from Feller's career. One piece of footage shows the time that Feller -- dressed in street clothes -- tested his fastball against a motorcycle. The former Bob Feller Museum is now the city hall in Van Meter, though Bob DiBiasio, the Indians' senior vice president of public affairs, noted that there is still a section of the building that honor's the pitcher's life. "With Bob's passing [in 2010]," DiBiasio said, "we struggled and had a challenge with the business model of the museum being in Van Meter. We realized we had to figure out a plan of attack that was a win-win for both Van Meter, Iowa, and for continuing to foster the legacy of Bob here in Cleveland, a place that he called home for many, many decades. "We wanted to make sure that we honored that incredible legacy here at Progressive Field." Carpenter's homer in 8th lifts Cardinals over Indians 2-1 By TOM WITHERS (AP Sports Writer) CLEVELAND (AP) -- Matt Carpenter's first three at-bats were miserable, forgettable and completely unproductive. He more than made up for them with one swing.carpenter hit a two-run homer off reliever Marc Rzepczynski in the eighth inning after Cleveland replaced starter Trevor Bauer, rallying the St. Louis Cardinals to a 2-1 win over the Indians on Thursday. Bauer struck out Carpenter three times and blanked St. Louis on four hits over innings before giving up a one-out walk to Peter Bourjos. Indians manager Terry Francona brought in the left-handed Rzepczynski (1-1) to face Carpenter, a lefty, who drove a 2-1 pitch over the wall in right-center - just above outfielder Michael Bourn's glove - to help the Cardinals win the series after being overpowered by Corey Kluber on Wednesday night. ''Obviously, I wasn't happy with the way the day was going,'' Carpenter said. ''What turned it around for me was the Bourjos at-bat. That kind of rejuvenated me. I knew I needed to follow up with another good at-bat and we had a chance to maybe do something. I was able to lay off a couple of tough sinkers and get one up in the zone.'' It's the first homer Rzepczysnki has given up to a left-handed hitter since June 12, 2012, when he was with the Cardinals. ''My job is to get that guy out,'' Rzepczynski. ''I fell behind with a couple good sinkers that he laid off. And then I tried to go again and it's probably the straightest ball I've thrown in a long time.'' Kevin Siegrist (2-0) pitched two scoreless innings, and Trevor Rosenthal put the tying run on with one out in the ninth before striking out pinchhitter Zach Walters and Jason Kipnis for his 12th save. Michael Brantley homered for the Indians, who haven't won consecutive games since April 8-9. Following Kluber's 18-strikeout performance, Bauer fanned 10, allowed just four hits and deserved a better fate. He kicked the dirt on the mound in frustration after walking Peter Bourjos on his 110th pitch, knowing Francona was coming to get him. Carpenter made things worse with his sixth homer, a shot that helped ease the sting for the Cardinals, who struck out 30 times in two games. Carpenter recently sat out a three-game series in Pittsburgh with what the Cardinals described as ''extreme fatigue.'' Carpenter had been dizzy and light-headed in the days leading up to staying behind when the team traveled. View gallerycarpenter's homer in 8th lifts Cardinals over Indians Cleveland Indians' Michael Bourn jumps but cannot catch a two-run home run hit by St. Louis Card ''It feels great,'' Carpenter said. ''I hate not being out here every day, missing time. Any chance you can come out here play and not only help us win a game but win a series, it's a big deal. I'm pretty happy with the way it played out.'' Brantley snapped a scoreless tie with his fourth homer to open the sixth against Michael Wacha, who settled in after two shaky innings and gave up five hits in five-plus innings. The Indians had other scoring chances, but had three runners thrown out, including two on rundowns between third and home. Cleveland's hitters made Wacha work, forcing him to throw 59 pitches in the first two innings. However, the Indians wasted a one-out triple by Michael Bourn in the second with a poorly executed bunt by Jose Ramirez. Bourn broke late on the apparent squeeze and got tagged out in a rundown. St. Louis didn't fare any better against Bauer, who followed Kluber's gem with his best since holding Houston without a hit for six innings in his season debut. ''We faced some really tough pitching,'' Carpenter said. ''They were nasty. Somehow we found a way to win two.'' SERIES DOMINATION The Cardinals are in series and improved to 5-0 in games on Thursday.

5 NO HOLLIDAY OFF Cardinals left fielder Matt Holliday talked himself into the lineup as DH after getting hit on the left elbow by Kluber. Holliday has reached base safely in 32 straight games, the longest streak in the majors this season and the third longest to start a season in club history. Albert Pujols had a 42-game streak in 2008 and 33-gamer in TRAINER'S ROOM Cardinals: OF Jon Jay went on the 15-day disabled list with a sore left wrist. Jay had surgery on the wrist in October, and he's hoping some rest will alleviate soreness. UP NEXT Cardinals: RHP Carlos Martinez (3-1), who has posted a ERA in his past two starts, opens a three-game series in Detroit. He has never faced the Tigers. Indians: LHP Bruce Chen (0-1) tries to bounce back from a rocky debut with Cleveland, the veteran's 11th team, in the opener of a three-game series at Texas. Cardinals 2, Indians 1: Thursday's One Last Thing on 'The little things' By Ryan Lewis Published: May 14, 2015 The Indians lost to the St. Louis Cardinals 2-1 Thursday. The loss dropped the Indians to this season. It also means they haven't won back-to-back games since the second and third games of the season in Houston more than a month ago. Trevor Bauer was terrific, throwing 7 1/3 innings pitched and leaving with a 1-0 lead. He also struck out 10 compared to only three walks. Marc Rzecczynski, though, allowed a two-run home run to Matt Carpenter in the eighth inning to take the loss. MORE: Indians manager Terry Francona agreed with the decision to pull Corey Kluber after the eighth inning in Wednesday night's game. The Indians also made three base running blunders, all in scoring position. Thursday's One Last Thing: It's the little things that are keeping the Indians down. A lot has been written about how inconsistent the Indians have been in all three phases of the game offense, defense, pitching. The Indians added a fourth on Thursday: base running. Michael Bourn broke for home on a Jose Ramirez bunt, but it didn't get past Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha, and Bourn was out at home by several steps. Later, Brandon Moss went for third on a ball hit to the left side and was easily out. In that same inning, with Lonnie Chisenhall on third, Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina pump-faked to second as Bourn was stealing. Chisenhall bit and was caught too far off the base. Three outs, including two just after Michael Brantley gave the Indians a 1-0 lead with a solo home run and all in scoring position. Those are three outs the Indians gave away to the National League's best team. Then the bullpen soured Bauer's terrific day in only four pitches when Carpenter took Rzepczynski deep. Both Bauer and Indians manager Terry Francona mentioned the little things or, at least the small details of the game when talking about the team's struggles and inability to win two straight games. MORE: See what Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti said about top prospect Francisco Lindor, shortstop Jose Ramirez, catcher Yan Gomes and more. Said Bauer: "Anytime you play a one-run game, every little thing is important. We seem to be on the losing end of a lot of the little things this year." Said Francona: "Well, it' an awful close game but we had chances to make it not a close game, where the walk in the eighth doesn't necessitate making a pitching change and things like that so when you're playing games like that every detail is magnified and we're coming up short more often than we need to." MORE: Indians-Cardinals box score It's been apparent from the top levels, as well. "It's just been inconsistent to start the year," said Indians General Manager Chris Antonetti earlier this week. "I still think, when you look at individual performances and pockets of the team--i think I touched on this the other day--you see reasons for hope and to be optimistic. But, we've yet to put games together consistently where we've pitched well, played well defensively, executed offensively and done that on a consistent basis. I think we're capable of that. I think we'll do that and perform like the team we think we can be, but we haven't done that yet." MORE: Indians ace Corey Kluber becoming more comfortable with catcher Roberto Perez. The Indians have gotten great starting pitching four games in a row and it's resulted in a 2-2 record. The bullpen has struggled. The defense has been among the league's worst. Now base running has become an issue. The little things have become a big problem for a team struggling to get out of the AL Central cellar. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED:

6 Indians faulty base running, bullpen lead to 2-1 loss to St. Louis Cardinals By Ryan Lewis Published: May 14, 2015 The Indians were on their way to winning back-to-back games for the first time in more than a month. Three base-running blunders and four pitches from the bullpen, though, were enough to sink the Indians in a 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field. The Indians lone run of the game came off the bat of Michael Brantley, who hit a solo home run in the sixth inning off of Cardinals starter Michael Wacha. There could have been more production, but the Indians ran themselves off the bases. In the second inning, Michael Bourn tripled to center field. Jose Ramirez tried to bunt to the right side to score him, but it was fielded by Wacha just off the mound. Bourn had already broke for home and was thrown out by several steps. In the sixth, just after Brantley gave the Indians a 1-0 lead, two of the next three outs were mostly at the Indians own doing. Brandon Moss doubled to left field but then was thrown out on a ground ball off the bat of Lonnie Chisenhall to the left side of the infield. Bourn then singled with two outs, allowing Chisenhall to advance to third. Bourn broke for second on a steal attempt. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina pump-faked to second, which got Chisenhall to come too far off of third, and he was eventually tagged out to end the inning. Starting pitcher Trevor Bauer threw the fourth consecutive quality outing for the Indians, following Danny Salazar, Carlos Carrasco and Corey Kluber. Bauer threw 7 1/3 innings pitched and struck out 10 batters compared to only three walks. He left with a runner on first. Marc Rzepczysnki entered the game and on his fourth pitch allowed a two-run home run to Matt Carpenter, giving the Cardinals (24-10) a 2-1 lead. The Indians (12-21) threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning after Lonnie Chisenhall doubled with two outs. Nick Swisher, though, struck out for the fourth time in the game to end the inning. David Murphy recorded a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the ninth with one out off of Cardinals closer Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal then started pinch-hitter Zach Walters off 3-0 but came back to strike him out. That left red-hot Jason Kipnis as the team s last chance. Rosenthal got Kipnis swinging, though, to end the game and record his 12th save of the year. Cardinals relief pitcher Kevin Siegrist was credited with the win, his second of the season. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Indians report: Corey Kluber s 18-strikeout performance a good sign for him and for his chemistry with catcher Roberto Perez; Terry Francona agreed with ninth-inning decision By Ryan LewisBeacon Journal sports writer CLEVELAND: In many ways, Indians ace Corey Kluber had one of the best pitching performances of the past 100 years Wednesday night. He struck out 18, walked none and allowed only one hit. That final line put him in some elite company, with names like Roger Clemens and Randy Johnson. And for a sub-9 inning game, he actually put his name on top of the list with the highest scored game (98) according to Baseball-Reference. It was a terrific sign for Kluber, who was one start away from setting the record for most winless starts to begin a season the year after winning the Cy Young Award, with eight. It was also a positive sign for Kluber and his comfort level with catcher Roberto Perez. Perez has long been viewed an above-average catcher, but Yan Gomes and the starting rotation especially Kluber seemed to be perfectly in sync last season. Now, it appears, Perez is finding that extra level of chemistry in knowing how to handle each pitcher and how to attack hitters. I don t think it s something that you can just expect to happen right away, especially when the guy hasn t caught you that often, Kluber said. The only time he s ever really caught me for an extended period of time was a couple years ago when I got sent down in spring training and those first couple starts in Columbus. It takes time. But, yeah, I do feel like the work we ve been putting in, the time we ve spent talking about stuff, makes us more comfortable with each other. When asked Wednesday night if a weight had been lifted off his shoulders now that he had earned his first win of the season, Kluber said, Maybe a little, and then directed the attention back to Perez. I thought Roberto did a great job keeping them off balance, Kluber said. We spend a lot of time talking about stuff and trying to understand each other, that kind of thing. I think probably some of that hard work paid off a bit. For Perez, he s searching to equal Gomes comfort level with each pitcher. It was huge for us. We ve been talking a lot about trying to get the same relationship that he has with Gomes last year and this year, trying to build that and get on the same page, Perez said. First couple starts we weren t, but [Wednesday night] he was commanding all his pitches and it was fun to catch. Questions about their comfort with one another weren t the only ones Perez answered about Kluber on Wednesday night. When I got to second base [in the sixth inning] I was talking to [Jhonny] Peralta and he asked if Kluber was on early in the season, Perez said. I told him that was the old Kluber and Cy Young we know about. He was outstanding tonight. I was happy to be back there. After Kluber s 18th strikeout that ended the eighth inning, he had thrown 113 pitches. Indians manager Terry Francona had been ejected, so the decision on whether or not to send Kluber out for the ninth was bench coach Brad Mills to make. He chose to keep in mind the long-term view for Kluber and decided the team was better served not pushing him any further and brought in closer Cody Allen. Allen finished up with a ninth that included a strikeout.

7 Francona said he would have done the same thing. I didn t send word up to Millsy what to do. I would have done the exact same thing and I think for very sound reasons, Francona said. For him to try to finish, you re going to ask a guy to amp up for extra at 125, 100-something pitches. As a manager, you have to think of those things. If you could promise me he could have a six-pitch inning, yeah go ahead. This was too easy a decision. I wasn t down there but I never thought he was going back out. When Allen came out of the bullpen, the fans in attendance at Progressive Field booed, wanting to see Kluber finish the game and possibly reach 20 strikeouts. I thought they were just saying Kluuuuubes but I was laughing there, Allen said. If I was in the stands tonight, I probably would ve been booing too. Akron Beacon Journal LOADED: Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers series preview, pitching matchups Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Paul Hoynes, Northeast Ohio Media Group Where: Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas. When: Indians vs. Rangers, Friday through Sunday. TV/Radio: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM AM/1100 and WMMS FM/100.7 will carry the series. Pitching matchups: LHP Bruce Chen (0-1, 13.50) vs. LHP Wandy Rodriguez (1-1, 2.70) Friday at 8:05 p.m.; RHP Danny Salazar (4-1, 3.27) vs. RHP Colby Lewis ( ) Saturday at 8:05 p.m. and RHP Carlos Carrasco (4-3, 4.84) vs. RHP Nick Martinez (2-0, 1.88) Sunday at 3:05 p.m. Season Series: The Indians went 6-1 against Texas last year. The Rangers lead, , overall. Indians' update: They just finished a disappointing 3-6 homestand against Kansas City, Minnesota and St. Louis. After going 7-14 in April, they're 5-7 in May. Jason Kipnis is hitting.391 (27-for-69) since moving into the leadoff spot on April 26. Rangers' update: They just split a four-game series with the Royals. Former Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo is riding a 14-game hitting streak. Rodriguez, facing the Indians on Friday night, set a Ranger record with 34 straight outs during his last two starts. Injuries: Indians -- LHP TJ House (left shoulder), RHP Gavin Floyd (right elbow), RHP Josh Tomlin (right shoulder) and C Yan Gomes (right knee) are on the disabled list. Rangers RHP Yu Darvish (right elbow), RHP Lisalberto Bonilla (right elbow), OF Josh Hamilton (right shoulder), LHP Matt Harrison (spine), LHP Derek Holland (left shoulder), LHP Martin Perez (left elbow) SS Jurickson Profar (right shoulder), OF Antoan Richardson (back), OF Ryan Rua (right foot) and Nick Tepesch (right elbow) are on the DL. OF Leonys Martinez (left wrist) is day to day. Next: The Indians open a four-game series Monday night against the White Sox at U.S. Cellular Field. Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Akron RubberDucks catcher, manager ejected in loss to Altoona Curve Cliff Pinckard, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Cliff Pinckard, Northeast Ohio Media Group The Akron RubberDucks saw a close game slip away to the Altoona Curve on Thursday in a heated ninth inning that resulted in both catcher Tony Wolters and manager Dave Wallace getting ejected. Tony Wolters.pngTony WoltersAkron RubberDucks The 5-4 loss to the Curve in Altoona, Pa., was the third straight for the RubberDucks in Class AA Eastern League play. Akron (14-20) has lost nine of its past 12 games and is in fourth place in the Western Division, eight games out of first. With reliever Jeff Johnson pitching in the ninth, the first Curve batter flew out, but Dan Gamache got on base with a single. The next two batters walked to load the bases, leading to arguments with home plate umpire Blake Felix and the ejections of first Wolters, then Wallace. Johnson managed to strike out the next batter, walked in the winning run with two outs. Akron fell behind, 3-1, in the first inning, as the Curve jumped on starter Cody Anderson. But Anderson settled down and did not give up a run over the next five innings before being replaced in seventh by Enosil Tejeda. Meanwhile, the RubberDucks came back, getting a solo home run from Todd Hankins and another run on a double-play ball grounder. Down 4-3 in the eighth, Hankins again tied the game with a solo shot. He finished 4-for-5 with two homers and two RBI. Johnson (0-1, 0.64 ERA) took the loss for Akron. Altoona reliever John Kuchno (3-2, 2.18) pitched three innings, giving up just one run on three hits.cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: The Cleveland Indians' quest to win two straight games and Felix the cat: Zack Meisel's musings Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Mickey Callaway celebrated his 40th birthday on Wednesday. Corey Kluber's gift to his pitching coach was an eightinning effort for the ages. Kluber tallied 18 strikeouts and allowed only one hit, a seventh-inning single. He became the first pitched in 11 years to fan 18 hitters.

8 "He didn't even know it was my birthday," Callaway said. "I thought he did it for me." Here are five thoughts on the Tribe. 1. Horseshoes and hand grenades: Michael Bourn's back slammed into the center-field wall's green padding. His glove went flying. The ball sailed over his head. The glove hit the ground. Bourn hit the ground. He came up empty. The Indians relinquished their lead. Bourn came close to snagging Matt Carpenter's decisive, two-run home run in the eighth inning on Thursday. Moral victories, however, mean little to a team that has not won consecutive games in five weeks. Bourn's effort nearly salvaged a sloppy afternoon filled with baserunning blunders. Instead, the Indians fell to nine games below the.500 mark. 2. Left, left, left, right, left: Entering this season, Marc Rzepczynski had proven effective against left-handed batters. He limited lefties to a.210 batting average and.278 slugging percentage. Righties, on the other hand, hit.275 with a.438 slugging percentage. Rzepczynski only faced one batter on Thursday. Matt Carpenter, a left-handed hitter, socked a home run 402 feet into the bullpen seats in center. "My job is to get that guy out," Rzepczynski said. This season, lefties are batting.333 (7-for-21) against Rzepczynski. Righties have tallied only three hits in 12 at-bats. Carpenter's blast was the first he has served up this year, and the first he has allowed to a lefty since the 2012 campaign. 3. Every little thing: The Indians are 0-3 in one-run games this season. In such close contests, every miscue is magnified. "Anytime you play a one-run game, every little thing is important," said Trevor Bauer, who tossed 7 1/3 innings on Thursday and racked up 10 strikeouts. "We seem to be on the losing end of a lot of the little things this year." Rzepczynski echoed that sentiment. "Any time a team is struggling a little bit, every mistake is magnified," he said. "If we're winning a lot of games, sometimes that doesn't matter." The Indians are 1-11 in games following a victory. That lone win came more than a month ago in Houston. The Indians are in their 11 series this season. 4. A little help from my friends: Jason Kipnis boosted his slash line to.490/.576/.796 in May. He has 10 extra-base hits, 12 runs scored, eight walks and three stolen bases during the month. The top of the order hasn't been the Indians' issue, though. The unproductive bottom of the lineup has. Batting average is far from a tell-all unit of measurement, but Lonnie Chisenhall, Nick Swisher, Bourn, Roberto Perez and Jose Ramirez -- the five through nine hitters in Thursday's order -- are all batting below The cat and the cradle: Anne Feller weaved some entertaining anecdotes into her discussion with a couple of reporters on Wednesday about the unveiling of the Bob Feller exhibit at Progressive Field. Anne and Bob were married for 36 years. "We had a good life together and a wonderful cat," Mrs. Feller said. "Everyone knows about Felix. The cat came out of the woods. [Bob] said, 'Give him a little milk and he'll go away.' Sixteen years later, I finally realized he was not leaving." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: What the Cleveland Indians said after their 2-1 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group By Zack Meisel, Northeast Ohio Media Group CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Here is what manager Terry Francona and pitchers Trevor Bauer and Marc Rzepczynski said following Cleveland's 2-1 loss to the Cardinals on Thursday. On the approach entering the eighth inning. Bauer had thrown 101 pitches through seven. He recorded one out, walked Peter Bourjos and then departed. "We had Zep for Carpenter, just to keep him in the ballpark," Francona said, "and it didn't work." On Jose Ramirez's bunt in the second inning, which resulted in Michael Bourn being thrown out at the plate. "He's just trying to bunt for a hit and take it by the pitcher," Francona said. "If there's any contact there, we'll take our chances because it's going to be two outs and we'll have a runner at second anyway. He's trying to take that ball by the pitcher. On Jose's part, I thought it was a really good idea. He just didn't get it by the pitcher, that puts the runner in a really tough spot." On Lonnie Chisenhall being thrown out at home in the sixth. "He got a little over-aggressive," Francona said. "They had that long mound visit there, Bourn took off and he got a little too aggressive and they handled that very well." On the matchup with Carpenter. "My job is to get that guy out," Rzepczynski said. "I fell behind with a couple good sinkers that he laid off. And then I tried to go again and it's probably the straightest ball I've thrown in a long time. I tried to go sinker and it stayed straight. If you leave a ball middle up to a lefty, he's usually going to hit it pretty good." On the one-run loss, which dropped the Indians to 0-3 in such games this season. "Anytime you play a one-run game, every little thing is important," Bauer said. "We seem to be on the losing end of a lot of the little things this year." On Bauer's 7 1/3-inning, 10-strikeout performance.

9 "I got back to doing things that I know work for me," Bauer said. "Being aggressive, the intent I throw the ball with, pitching a more EV [effective velocity] efficient game plan, stuff like that. Happy to see it turn out that way. Unfortunate that we came out on the losing end again." Cleveland Plain Dealer LOADED: Trevor Bauer superb but Cleveland Indians lose to St. Louis Cardinals: DMan's Report, Game 33 Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer By Dennis Manoloff, The Plain Dealer CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Matt Carpenter hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning to give the St. Louis Cardinals a 2-1 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field. Tribe right-hander Trevor allowed one run and struck out 10 in 7 1/3 innings. Here is a capsule look at the game after a DVR review of the Fox SportsTime Ohio telecast: Nothing doing: The Indians (12-21, last place in AL Central) are in series. They are winless in series since taking two of three in Houston, April 6-9. Breaking through: The Cardinals won a series against the Indians for the first time in franchise history. The Cardinals (MLB-best 24-10) won the series despite their batters having struck out 40 times -- most in franchise history for a three-game series since at least At-bat of the game: Carpenter faced lefty Marc Rzepczynski with Peter Bourjos on first and one out in the eighth inning. Rzepczynski had replaced Bauer after Bourjos walked. Carpenter, a quality left-handed hitter, was 0-for-3 with three strikeouts. He was going to be Rzepczynski's only batter because righty Matt Holliday was on deck. Rzepczynski threw a first-pitch fastball (91 mph) for a called strike. He threw a fastball (92) to catcher Roberto Perez's glove on the inside corner at the knees -- or so it seemed. Plate umpire Tim Timmons called it a ball. (For reasons known only to Fox SportsTime Ohio, viewers did not get to see a K-box.) If the second pitch had been called a strike, Carpenter would have been in jail; Rzepczynski undoubtedly would have opted for the first of multiple sweeping sliders. Instead, Rzepczynski threw a fastball (90) that clearly missed inside. In a 2-1 count, Carpenter was looking for a fastball and got a delicious one -- inner half at the thighs (91). Carpenter almost had no choice but to turn on it. He sent the ball deep to center and barely over leaping Michael Bourn for his sixth homer and 22nd and 23rd RBI. Rzepczynski inexplicably had given Carpenter four looks at the same pitch, a low-90s fastball, in similar spots. Not getting the second strike was a huge factor, no question, but Carpenter still needed to see at least one slider -- Rzepczynski's best pitch -- in the at-bat. Righty Zach McAllister replaced Rzepczynski. Don't blame them: Rzepczynski rendered moot the offense of Tribe left fielder Michael Brantley and second baseman Jason Kipnis. Brantley went 1-for-3 with a homer and walk. He socked a 1-2 changeup from Cardinals right-hander Michael Wacha over the wall in right to give the Indians a 1-0 lead in the sixth. Leadoff batter Kipnis went 2-for-4 with a walk. He saw 31 pitches, including 12 in a first-inning AB that began 0-2 and ended with a double. Bauer locked in: Rzepczynski ruined a terrific performance by Bauer, who gave up four hits and walked three. Bauer rebounded from two rough starts. Here is a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of his performance: FIRST INNING (R) Peter Bourjos fastball called strike (inner third); 93 fastball, fly to left (belt). (L) Matt Carpenter fastball low and in; 94 fastball low and in; 94 fastball low and away (barely); 93 fastball called strike (inner third at knees); 93 fastball swinging strike (outside corner at thighs); 93 comeback fastball, called strikeout. (R) Matt Holliday slider foul; 93 fastball up and in; 93 fastball inside; 84 off-speed up and in; 85 off-speed high, walk. Skinny: Bauer was not going to give Holliday a 3-1 fastball. (L) Matt Adams fastball high; (catcher Roberto Perez visits); 85 changeup, called strike (outer third); 92 fastball swinging strike (above belt); 78 curve, swinging strikeout (inside corner). Skinny: Serious 12-to-6 drop. (17 pitches) SECOND INNING (R) Mark Reynolds fastball called strike; 93 fastball, single to left (inner third). Skinny: Bauer didn't get the pitch deep enough inside. (L) Kolten Wong fastball, liner to right. Skinny: Bauer fortunate because Wong was all over it. Right fielder Brandon Moss barely moved. (R) Yadier Molina fastball called strike (inner third); 84 slider down and away; 93 fastball, single to center (over plate at knees).

10 (L) Jason Heyward fastball, fly to left. (R) Pete Kozma slider called strike (outside corner at knees); 93 fastball, foul pop to first. Skinny: Kozma missed a pitch to hit -- over plate at thighs. (9 pitches) THIRD INNING (R) Peter Bourjos -- first pitch, bunt to pitcher (letter-high). (L) Matt Carpenter --93 fastball inside; 85 changeup foul; 93 fastball foul (belt); 85 changeup, swinging strikeout (in dirt inside). (R) Matt Holliday fastball up and in; 77 curve down and away, swinging strike; 94 fastball swinging strike (inside corner); curve, grounder to short (down and away). Skinny: Decisive curve stayed close enough to zone that Holliday was forced to commit. AB was textbook in how to deal with a dangerous hitter. (9 pitches) FOURTH INNING (L) Matt Adams fastball inside (barely); 84 changeup high and away; 92 fastball, grounder to second (inner third). Skinny: Shift pays off: Second baseman Jason Kipnis fielded sharply hit grounder in short-right and threw from near foul line. (R) Mark Reynolds slider outside (barely); 84 slider called strike (belt); 85 splitter foul (outside corner); 78 curve foul; 94 fastball up and in; 78 curve, double to left (over plate at knees). Skinny: Reynolds was fooled to a degree but had the strength to send it off the wall. (L) Kolten Wong splitter away; 87 changeup called strike; 93 fastball inside (barely); 86 down and in (Reynolds to third on wild pitch; Perez attempted backhand but needed to block); 93 fastball foul (inside corner); 86 splitter foul (good depth); 78 curve outside (barely), walk. Skinny: Bauer raised his toward umpire Tim Timmons, who gestured toward Bauer. The 1-1 fastball was better than the curve. (R) Yadier Molina backup slider foul; 85 slider down and away (Wong caught stealing second); 95 fastball swinging strike (outer third); 93 fastball high; 94 fastball outside; (Perez visits mound); 94 fastball, called strikeout (above belt). Skinny: Bauer caught a break because the decisive pitch to Molina was high. Credit Timmons for not holding Bauer's arm flap against him...in order to erase Wong, Perez made a terrific throw and shortstop Jose Ramirez's left leg blocked Wong's left arm just long enough to prevent hand from touching bag before tag on body. Original call was safe; video review reversed it in 57 seconds. (22 pitches) FIFTH INNING (L) Jason Heyward fastball high and away; 93 fastball called strike; 92 fastball, fly to center (inner third at knees). (R) Pete Kozma fastball up; 93 fastball foul; 93 fastball up and in; 83 slider called strike (outer third at knees); 79 curve low; 94 fastball foul; 84 slider foul (above belt); 95 fastball foul; 94 fastball, called strikeout (over plate at knees). Skinny: Bauer changed eye levels to freeze Kozma. (R) Peter Bourjos slider called strike (outer half at knees); 76 curve (inside corner); 78 curve in dirt; 93 fastball high; 93 comeback fastball, called strikeout (outer half at knees). (17 pitches) SIXTH INNING (L) Matt Carpenter fastball called strike; 92 fastball up and in; 84 slider foul (inner half); 85 inside and in dirt; 86 splitter, called strikeout (scraped knees). Skinny: Carpenter disagreed with Timmons. (R) Matt Holliday fastball up; 93 fastball foul (inner third); 77 curve inside (barely); 93 fastball foul; 78 curve, fly to center. Skinny: Bauer kept Holliday off-balance. (L) Matt Adams fastball called strike (inside corner); 87 inside and in dirt; 86 changeup swinging strike (inside and in dirt); 86 splitter, swinging strikeout (inside and in dirt). Skinny: Strikeout pitch had same speed and similar action as previous pitch, a changeup, but super-slo-mo showed splitter grip...adams slammed bat into ground. (14 pitches) SEVENTH INNING (R) Mark Reynolds -- fastball foul; 92 fastball high; 83 changeup high; 93 fastball swinging strike (off outside corner); 85 splitter, swinging strikeout (outside and low). Skinny: Filthy split piece.