Corey Kluber did not require much help, but the A’s made life a little easier for the Indians ace with a pile of miscues on Thursday afternoon. In his return from the disabled list, Kluber was dominant for Cleveland, which took advantage of three Oakland errors in an 8-0 victory at Progressive Field.
Two of the blunders for the A’s came in a wild sixth inning that included nine batters, four runs, two errors, two walks, two replay challenges, a passed ball, a bloop single and some levity when the sprinklers came on in the outfield. It was a turbulent turn of events that transformed a pitcher’s duel into a blowout.
“He was crisp right from the get-go,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “The score ended up 8-0. But, in his six innings, it was 1-0 the whole way and, man, he was really good.”
Kluber, who was activated before the game after being shelved for a month with a lower back issue, piled up 10 strikeouts and issued one walk in six shutout innings for the Indians. That extended Kluber’s club record with his 18th game consisting of 10 or more strikeouts and no more than one walk. Hall of Famer Bob Feller ranks second with eight such games.
Through the first five innings, Kluber and A’s starter Jharel Cotton locked horns in a tightly-contested battle. The lone breakthrough to that point came in the third, when Daniel Robertson doubled and then scored via a passed ball and a wild pitch. That 1-0 lead held until the sixth, when the wheels came off for Oakland.
Cotton exited after 5 2/3 innings, in which he was charged with five runs, but only one earned. The Indians added another three runs on three hits in the seventh, helped by a fielding gaffe by left fielder Mark Canha.
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