Indians’ 8 stolen bases tie franchise record

CLEVELAND — Rajai Davis was not about to reveal any secrets of his trade. The veteran is savvy when it comes to stealing bases, and he and the Indians undoubtedly picked up on something that could be exploited within Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs’ delivery on Friday night.

In the first inning of Cleveland’s 13-3 rout of Los Angeles, Davis worked an 11-pitch walk and then promptly stole second base. After dusting himself off, the Indians outfielder sprinted once again, sliding safely into third for another theft. Three pitches later, Davis jogged home when Jason Kipnis singled to left field. Those were the first two in a series of eight stolen bases for Cleveland.

Asked what the Tribe saw in Skaggs’ approach, Davis winked.

“We just kind of have that aggressive nature,” Davis replied. “And we’ve just got to go from there. We kind of just take what they give us.”

The Indians were not about to tip their hand, but something was discovered — whether before Friday via a scouting report or once on the basepaths — that led to a record-tying night for the club. Davis ended the evening with three steals and Jose Ramirez did the same. Kipnis and Francisco Lindor also added one theft apiece.

The eight steals tied the most in a single game in Cleveland history, matching a mark set by Braggo Roth (four), Joe Harris (two), Tris Speaker (one) and Bill Wambsganss (one) on Aug. 27, 1917, against the Washington Senators. In that game nearly a century ago, the Senators had seen enough, and they handed the ball to Hall of Famer …

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