Indians blank Rays, 1-0
Published 1:26 am Monday, June 22, 2015
CLEVELAND (AP) — Roberto Perez slid home with the winning run on David Murphy’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning, and the Cleveland Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Sunday.
Rays starter Alex Colome retired his first 16 batters, but Cody Anderson kept the game scoreless in his major league debut for the Indians.
Murphy hit a 3-1 pitch from reliever Kevin Jepsen (1-5) to center field. Kevin Kiermaier made a strong throw home on one bounce, but catcher Curt Casali couldn’t come up with the ball as Perez slid across the plate for Cleveland’s first walk-off win of the season.
Perez led off the ninth with a single. Jason Kipnis singled to right, extending his hitting streak to 16 games, and Perez advanced to third.
Perez held at third on Francisco Lindor’s line drive to left that was caught by Joey Butler. Michael Brantley was intentionally walked before Murphy delivered.
Cody Allen (1-2) pitched the ninth for the win.
Colome allowed one hit in seven innings. His bid for a perfect game was broken up by Michael Bourn’s infield single with one out in the sixth.
Bourn hit a hard grounder behind first base. The ball skipped off the glove of Jake Elmore, who was playing a couple of steps off the bag, and rolled to his right. Second baseman Logan Forsythe picked it up, but his throw to Colome covering the bag was late.
Anderson held the Rays to six hits in 7 2-3 innings. Called up from Triple-A Columbus before the game, he struck out four and walked one.
Kiermaier doubled with one out in the eighth and went to third on a groundout. Cleveland manager Terry Francona pulled Anderson, who was given a standing ovation by the crowd of 20,847 as he walked to the dugout.
Marc Rzepczynski issued an intentional walk to Evan Longoria and struck out pinch-hitter Nick Franklin to end the inning.
Anderson, who began the season at Double-A Akron, was 4-3 with a 1.89 ERA in 13 minor league appearances.
Colome was coming off the shortest start of his career, lasting two innings and allowing six runs and seven hits in a 16-4 loss to Washington on Tuesday. He hasn’t won in six starts since defeating Oakland on May 21.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: Manager Kevin Cash doesn’t know if RHP Erasmo Ramirez (strained groin) will make his next scheduled start. Ramirez left Saturday’s game in the fourth inning.
Indians: C Yan Gomes, who has been bothered by a sore neck, had a scheduled day off.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Matt Andriese makes his fifth start of the season Monday night as Tampa Bay opens a three-game series at home against Toronto.
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer, getting an extra day between starts, faces the Detroit Tigers on Monday night at Progressive Field.