Carlos Carrasco made his first start in more than a year today, but as sharp as he looked you’d never know. He struck out ten batters across six innings while allowing only two runs. A start like that puts any team in position to win, especially one like Cleveland whose offense sputtered through the first two games.
They did not sputter today.
Led by two home runs off the bat of Jose Ramirez, the Tribe scored nine times. Domingo Santana reached in all four of his plate appearances and Cesar Hernandez once again notched two hits. The ample lead allowed the Indians to work members of the bullpen who had yet to see action this season; they held the Royals scoreless in the seventh, eighth, and ninth.