Four batters. That was all it took to derail Trevor Bauer and the Indians on Tuesday night.
In the opener of a three-game set with the Twins, Bauer turned in a performance that was solid throughout with the exception of one brief, damaging lapse. In light of a lack of much run support, a swift four-run setback for the right-hander in the fourth inning was sufficient in sending the Tribe to a 4-3 loss at Progressive Field.
Bauer was in no mood for finding silver linings.
“They scored enough to win,” Bauer said of Cleveland’s offense. “I didn’t do my job.”
It marked the second loss in a row and fifth defeat in the past nine games for a Cleveland club that is trying to stay within striking distance of the American League playoff race.
The Indians are now positioned five games back of both the Royals and Tigers, who are tied atop the AL Central standings. In the AL Wild Card race, Cleveland was five games back of the second spot, pending the result of Seattle’s late game with the Astros. Each loss at this stage carries a little more sting for the Tribe.
“It’s real frustrating. We know what’s at stake,” Indians center fielder Michael Bourn said. “We need to win games like that to stay in the [race]. The more we lose, the more we fall behind. We put ourself in a deeper hole. We almost have to, not win out, but close to it, to make it to the playoffs. Either we do it or we don’t. There’s no hiding from it.”
Bauer was strong out of the gates, shaking off his season-long woes in the first inning and retiring the first 11 Twins batters he faced. That stretch took him two outs into the fourth, when Joe Mauer got Minnesota going with a double to left field. Kennys Vargas followed with an RBI double of his own and Trevor Plouffe then added a run-scoring single.
That set things up for Twins right fielder Oswaldo Arcia, who crushed the first pitch he saw from Bauer for a towering two-run shot to right field. The home run, which was the 16th of the season for Arcia, effectively erased the early work by Cleveland’s offense and pushed Minnesota to a 4-2 advantage.
The last three hits off Bauer came in a span of three pitches.
“He pitched really well,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “He had that one four-hitter sequence where he gave up the bloop double and then three straight pitches, all the damage was done, and they made it hold up.”
Twins righty Trevor May, who entered the evening with a 9.38 ERA, logged five innings and limited the Indians to just two runs. Both came in the second, when Carlos Santana led off with a single and Jason Kipnis delivered a double. A groundout from Lonnie Chisenhall and a sacrifice fly from Yan Gomes plated a pair of runs to give Cleveland an early lead.
That is where the Tribe’s offense ended against May.
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