Indians ride 4 homers, Tomlin to victory
CLEVELAND -- The Cleveland Indians hit four home runs and Josh Tomlin pitched seven strong innings in a 6-3 victory over the Oakland A's Saturday night at Progressive Field.
Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez, Abraham Almonte and Mike Napoli all homered in support of Tomlin (11-3), who gave up two runs and six hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. Tomlin came into the game leading the American League with an average of 1.0 walks per nine innings. Saturday night marked only the third time in his 19 starts this season that Tomlin has walked more than one batter.
Rookie Dillon Overton (1-2) started for Oakland and gave up five runs on 10 hits, including three home runs, in 3 1/3 innings. Overton was recalled from Triple-A Nashville to make this start. It was his fourth major league start, and the home run ball has haunted him in each of them. In 18 1/3 innings Overton has given up nine home runs.
Tomlin gave up two runs on four hits in the first four innings, but in his last three innings held the A's scoreless on two hits. Bryan Shaw and Cody Allen pitched the last two innings for the Indians, who have won the first two games of this series.
Marcus Simien's solo home run off Allen with two outs in the ninth inning accounted for Oakland's third run.
In his first 18 starts this season Tomlin had a 6.50 ERA in the first inning and a 2.92 ERA in all other innings. True to those numbers, the A's scored a run in the top of the first. With one out Jake Smolinski walked and went to second on a single by Josh Reddick. Khris Davis struck out, but Danny Valencia singled to center scoring Smolinski with the first run of the game.
Cleveland got that run back in the bottom of the first on a solo home run by Kipnis, his 17th of the season, tying his career high set in 2013.
The Indians took a 2-1 lead in the second inning, on a leadoff home run by Ramirez.
Tomlin took that lead into the fourth inning when the A's tied it during a contentious at bat by Billy Butler. Butler and Cleveland catcher Chris Gimenez got into an argument and had to be separated by home plate umpire Tripp Gibson. Butler then hit the next pitch from Tomlin into the left-field bleachers for his fourth home run.
In the bottom of the fourth the Indians scored four runs, hit two more homer, and knocked Overton out of the game. Almonte homered on Overton's first pitch of the inning to give Cleveland a 3-2 lead.
Rajai Davis singled and scored on a double by Kipnis off the wall in center field. Liam Hendriks relieved Overton, and retired Francisco Lindor on a groundout. But Napoli belted his 23rd home run, over the wall in center field, a two-run shot that extended the Cleveland lead to 6-2.
NOTES: The A's traded OF Billy Burns to Kansas City for OF Brett Eibner, who was with Kansas City's Triple-A club at Omaha and has been assigned to the A's Triple-A club at Nashville. ... As expected, Oakland placed LHP Rich Hill on the disabled list with a blister on his left middle finger. The move is retroactive to July 20. LHP Dillon Overton was recalled from Nashville to take Hill's spot on the roster and start Saturday's game. ... Indians RHP Corey Kluber, who will start Sunday, has never beaten Oakland. In five career appearances, four of them starts, against the A's, Kluber is 0-4 with a 4.03 ERA. ... Before Saturday's game, Jim Thome, Frank Robinson, Albert Belle and Charlie Jamieson were inducted into the Indians Hall of Fame.