Trevor Bauer took the mound angry in the fifth inning on Tuesday night. No matter what pitch the Indians starter threw to that point, it seemed like the A’s had an answer. Oakland had collected hits off his four-seamer, two-seamer, cutter and changeup, and Bauer was fed up.
“I decided after the fourth I just wasn’t going to let them hit the ball anymore,” Bauer said, after an overpowering showing in a 9-4 win over the A’s.
With his velocity climbing and his curveball as effective as it’s been all season, Bauer struck out the side in the fifth and never looked back. In a span of 10 batters from the fifth to the seventh innings, the right-hander piled up nine punchouts. When the smoke cleared, Bauer had established a career-high 14 strikeouts, helping Cleveland match a franchise record for a nine-inning game with 19 on the night.
Bauer’s 14 strikeouts were also the most for an American League pitcher this season.
Bauer’s frustration may have fueled his fastball — his four-seamer jumped to 95.8 mph in the fifth from 93.6 mph in the third — but it was his curveball that really made the difference. Per Statcast™, Oakland entered the evening ranked last in the Majors in average (.119) and slugging percentage (.178) against curves, and Bauer took full advantage with 46 thrown in his seven innings.
That helped balance a fastball that topped out at 97.1 mph.
“It’s just me being really, really, really [ticked] off,” Bauer said of the velocity.
Seven of Bauer’s strikeouts came via his curve, and each of those came from the fifth inning on. The pitcher generated 10 swinging strikes with the pitch and got 10 called strikes with the pitch. Only one was put in play. On the night, Bauer threw 41-percent curveballs, which was a considerable jump from his season rate (21.6 percent, entering Tuesday).
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