Corey Kluber hasn't had his ideal start to the 2016 season. The former Cy Young award winner entered the game 2-5 with a 4.30 ERA. He has been very inconsistent as he delivered a complete game shutout May 4th against the Detroit Tigers but has also had rough starts including lasting just 2.2 innings against the Houston Astros. On Friday, Kluber was tasked against the hottest offense in baseball and desperately needed a statement start.
Kluber delivered in a huge way and led his team to victory.
The Cleveland Indians defeated the Boston Red Sox on Friday night by a final score of 4-2. Kluber got the win, Clay Buchholz got the loss while Cody Allen picked up his tenth save of the season. The win moved the Indians to 22-17 while Boston fell to 25-17.
Kluber struggles early, but Indians bounce back
After Clay Buchholz battled back following a Carlos Santana leadoff double to open up the game, the sizzling Red Sox offense came to bat against Kluber.
Mookie Betts is one of the few players in the lineup not hitting over .300, but got the game started in a big way with a leadoff double. Dustin Pedroia would bunt him over to third. Then, Xander Bogaerts would come through with an RBI groundout to get the Red Sox on the board.
Jackie Bradley Jr. led off the second inning, and he has been on a tear. The right-fielder entered the game with a 24 game hit streak, the highest in baseball this season. Bradley has also showcased more power than expected, as he entered the game with seven home runs as well as a tremendous .338 batting average.
Bradley would extend the hitting streak, and would do so in a big way. The 26-year-old took Kluber deep, good for his eighth home run of the season. The score extended to 2-0 in favor of the Red Sox in just the second inning.
However, the Indians would bounce right back to back their ace. In the third, after Rajai Davis singled and Carlos Santana walked to open up the inning, Jason Kipnis hit a three run shot that just cleared the Pesky Pole. The home run brought the score to 3-2, and Buchholz, who has struggled heavily in 2016, was greeted with boos from the crowd. With the loss, Buchholz is now 2-4 with a 5.92 ERA and a 1.47 WHIP. The 31-year-old will be a free agent this winter, and was surely looking for a better start to the season for a better contract.
The inning would not be over for Buchholz and the Red Sox. Francisco Lindor, the very next batter, would walk. Pitching coach Carl Willis then visited the mound, and Buchholz was then thumped with boos. With former Red Sox first baseman Mike Napoli at the plate, Lindor attempted to steal second, but a throwing error by Christian Vazquez allowed Lindor to reach third base. Napoli would go on to strike out but Jose Ramirez smacked a sacrifice fly to Jackie Bradley Jr. which allowed Lindor to get under the tag, extending the lead to 4-2.
Kluber dominates the rest of the way out
After the Indians got four runs in the third, Corey Kluber would settle down and have a great outing. He would not give up another run the rest of the way out and finished seven strong innings surrendering five hits, two runs, two walks, and struck out six. From the third to six inning, the Red Sox as a team had only three baserunners including an error from Napoli.
Kluber still occupies a 4.10 ERA, but has a 3.91 ERA in May.
Buchholz, on the other hand, would settle in nicely as well. It was not pretty, but he pitched three more scoreless innings to finish his night. He finished six innings allowing five hits, four runs, three earned runs, four walks, and struck out three.
Bryan Shaw would come in to pitch in the eighth inning, and had to deal with the heart of the Red Sox lineup. Pedroia would lead off the inning with a hard-hit single, then Bogaerts would just avoid a double play beating out the throw at first base. That brought in arguably the most clutch hitter of all time David Ortiz to the plate, potentially being the tying run. However, he would not come through this time. The designated hitter grounded into a double play to end the inning.
It was a tough night for the Red Sox offense, and would continue in the ninth against Allen. The closer would strike out the side, securing the Indians' 22nd victory.
Road ahead
The two teams will face off again on Saturday at 4:05 p.m. ET at Fenway Park.
Joe Kelly will come off the Disabled List and make his first start since his shoulder injury against the Indians while Trevor Bauer will get the nod for the Indians.
Before the game, Jason Varitek, Larry Luchhino, Tim Wakefield, and Ira Flagstead were all inducted into the Red Sox Hall of Fame. Varitek and Wakefield were key members in both the 2004 and 2007 World Series victories for the Red Sox, while Luchhino was a president and CEO of the club during 2004, 2007, and 2013. He stepped down last season, but his position with the Red Sox was much deserved of the honor. Flagstead died in 1940, but was a tremendous defensive outfielder for the Red Sox.