Cleveland nearly erased an 11-1 deficit in the final three frames but weren’t able to complete the improbable comeback in Friday’s night 11-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It was a nail-biter by the ninth inning, but Cleveland’s fate seemed all but sealed after a disastrous first inning for starter J.C. Mejía, who was pitching on short rest.
Mejía loaded the bases with no outs in the first inning. Colin Moran’s RBI groundout gave him his first out of the game but also plated a run to give Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead. It only grew from there, as Jacob Stallings doubled to the gap in right-center to plate a pair of runs before Gregory Polanco deposited a two-run homer into the stands in right field.