Red Sox at Indians
The Cleveland Indians are banking on a strong rotation to lead them to the playoffs this season but are so far still looking for a quality start. Danny Salazar will take his turn for the Indians when they host the rubber match of a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox on Thursday.
Ace Corey Kluber was reached for four runs and nine hits in 5 1/3 innings in a 6-2 loss in the opener on Tuesday and Carlos Carrasco squandered a 4-0 lead before the offense and the bullpen came to the rescue in Wednesday’s 7-6 triumph. Former Boston slugger Mike Napoli was the deciding factor for Cleveland in Wednesday’s win, slugging a tie-breaking solo home run off Junichi Tazawa in the seventh inning. The Red Sox are counting on their offense to pick up a staff with plenty of question marks beyond ace David Price and David Ortiz is so far doing the job. The 40-year-old slugger and impending retiree homered in each of the first two games and nearly extended Wednesday’s contest with a drive to the wall in left in the ninth inning that ultimately found Jose Ramirez’s glove for the final out.
TV: 6:10 p.m. ET, NESN (Boston), STO (Cleveland)
PITCHING MATCHUP: Red Sox RH Joe Kelly (2015: 10-6, 4.82 ERA) vs. Indians RH Danny Salazar (2015: 14-10, 3.45)
Kelly looked ticketed for the bullpen after a rough first half of 2015 and an injury that robbed him of a month. The 27-year-old earned himself another look when he returned and ripped off eight wins in as many starts bridging August and September and solidified his spot with a strong spring. One of those eight wins came against Cleveland on Aug. 19, when Kelly scattered five hits and an unearned run over six innings.
Salazar went through his first full season as a major-league starter in 2015 and established himself as one of the better young arms in the game. The 26-year-old Dominican notched 195 strikeouts in 185 innings and limited opponents to a .226 batting average. Salazar carved up Boston twice in 2015, yielding a total of two runs and eight hits in 12 1/3 total innings while picking up a pair of wins.
WALK-OFFS
1. The Red Sox are 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position.
2. Cleveland LHP Ross Detwiler worked in each of the first two games and yielded a total of two runs in one inning.
3. Boston 1B Hanley Ramirez is 4-for-8 with a home run and a stolen base.