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Indians rally late, but bats can’t bail out Kluber
- Updated: September 7, 2016
CLEVELAND — The cards were seemingly stacked against the Astros on Tuesday night. Last year’s American League Cy Young Award winner, Dallas Keuchel, was scratched from his scheduled start, forcing Houston to use a patchwork pitching staff opposite Tribe ace Corey Kluber.
The Astros made it work in a 4-3 win, in which Brad Peacock turned in an admirable effort — although abbreviated — while Marwin Gonzalez and Alex Bregman did the heavy lifting on offense. Kluber flinched only briefly, but it was just enough to allow Houston to deal the ’14 AL Cy Young winner his first loss since July 3.
“A good team win,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “We had to piece it together with Peacock going, really, on two days’ rest after a relief outing. He wasn’t going to go extremely far; I wanted him to go as long as he could and be as good as he could, and he turned in a nice performance, and the bullpen pieced it together. We had a little bit of flurry at the end and came out with a one-run win.”
Kluber, who has been one of the game’s top arms again this season, was charged with four runs on four hits in his seven innings. The right-hander ended with nine strikeouts and three walks, including two that came just prior to a three-run homer by Gonzalez on a hanging curveball in the second. Bregman used a triple to bring one more run in for Houston in the third.
“It was more so the walks than the curve,” Kluber said. “I threw a bad curve — just one of them. The one for the homer, obviously, wasn’t a good pitch, but I think the walks were the bigger issue.”
Carlos Santana belted his 29th home run in the eighth off Houston’s Luke Gregerson. The Indians added a run in the ninth against closer Ken Giles, but that was as far as their comeback bid went.
Cleveland’s AL Central lead remained at 4 1/2 games over the Tigers, who lost to the White Sox on Tuesday. The Astros, who are 13-4 in their last 17 games and have won three straight, remained two back for the AL’s second Wild Card spot.
“We have been playing good baseball lately, and to beat a pitcher like that is great,” Gonzalez said. “It gives us a little confidence for the next game, and we have to keep going.”
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