CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Indians are averaging a major league-best 5.9 runs per game at home
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The Indians have won five games in a row and outscored their opponents 38-6 during the streak.
Cleveland’s offense is led by third baseman Jose Ramirez, who finished third in the MVP voting last season, and is having another monster year. Ramirez is in the top six in the American League in many of the key offensive categories.
Ramirez is third in home runs (22), fifth in on-base percentage (.398), fourth in slugging percentage (.609), sixth in RBIs (50), and fourth in walks (49).
“He wasn’t swinging the bat well in spring training, but once the season started — wow,” said Indians manager Terry Francona. “It’s his power. His consistent contact. He doesn’t strike out. He’s a good baserunner. It’s the whole package. He’s really exciting to watch.”
So is the Indians’ Saturday starter Trevor Bauer (6-5, 2.50 ERA), who had a career year last season, and seems intent on eclipsing it this year.
In his last start, a 6-2 win over the White Sox on Monday, Bauer pitched seven scoreless innings on three hits, with eight strikeouts and two walks. That’s the latest in a two-month hot streak for Bauer. In his last seven starts he is 4-2 with a 1.99 ERA, and a .199 opponents’ batting average, while averaging 13 strikeouts per nine innings (72 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings).
Saturday will be Bauer’s fourth start against the Tigers this year. In his first three he is 3-0 with a 1.17 ERA. However, Bauer’s career numbers against Detroit aren’t nearly as impressive: a 7-5 record and 5.95 ERA in 15 appearances, including 14 starts.
Indians pitchers have tossed an American League-high eight shutouts, including their last two games, 12-0 over the White Sox on Wednesday and 10-0 over the Tigers on Friday.
Although they are missing Miguel Cabrera, who is on the disabled list with a ruptured biceps tendon, the rebuilding Tigers are in second place in the AL Central, six games behind the division-leading Indians.
“It seems like they are playing with more energy,” Francona said. “Sometimes when a guy goes down, a team takes the mentality of ‘us against the world.’ You use whatever you can, and they are doing a good job using that.”
The Tigers on Saturday will start left-hander Francisco Liriano (3-2
Authentic Baker Mayfield Jersey , 3.90 ERA), who will be activated off the disabled list, and will make his first major league start since May 26. The Tigers lost that game 8-4, to the White Sox.
Liriano, who took the loss that day, pitched five innings, allowing five runs on six hits, with eight strikeouts and three walks. Liriano was placed on the disabled list on May 30, with a right hamstring strain.
Saturday will be Liriano’s third start against Cleveland this year. The first two did not go well. In those two starts Liriano went 0-1 with a 6.10 ERA, having given up seven runs on 10 hits, three of them home runs, plus six walks in 10 1/3 innings.
In 22 career appearances (17 starts) against Cleveland, the 34-year-old Liriano is 5-7 with a 4.39 ERA.
The Tigers have struggled against the Indians in recent years. Detroit is 3-8 vs. Cleveland this year, and since June 24, 2015, the Tigers’ record against the Indians is 6-21.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — These are fun times for the defending World Series champion Houston Astros and trying times for the Kansas City Royals.
The Astros will seek their 11th straight victory Sunday when they close out a three-game series in Kansas City. It will conclude a 10-game Astros road trip in which they have won the first nine, making it the most successful 10-game trip in franchise history. Their previous best was 8-2 last year. They have scored at least six runs in six consecutive games.
“We’re having a good time right now, obviously, we’re in a good stretch,” Astros manager A.J. Hinch said. “And you have to enjoy the ups because there are a lot of times during the season where it can get frustrating.”
Dallas Keuchel picked up his first victory since May 13, allowing two unearned runs over six innings, while Max Stassi and Alex Bregman belted three-run homers as the Astros routed the Royals 10-2 on Saturday.
It has been an exasperating season for the Royals, who have lost five straight and 11 of 12. They are 2-12 in June, scoring 28 runs in 14 games. They fell to 10-25 at home.
They’ve also lost starting right fielder Jorge Soler for at least six weeks, probably longer, with a fractured left big toe.
“He had a CT scan that showed the crack isn’t big enough to warrant surgery right now,” Royals manager Ned Yost said. “We’ll check again in 10 days to see how it’s doing.
“He was very disappointed
http://www.officialbruinsproonline.com/authentic-adidas-brad-marchand-jersey , very upset last night. I’ve never seen him that upset, a lot of words in numerous languages coming out of his mouth. He knew something was wrong. He was putting together a really, really good, solid year where he’s getting a chance to play every day and was doing some nice things.”
With the Royals’ Triple-A Omaha club playing Friday night in Tacoma, Wash., plus the two-hour time change, they did not have time to get a body to Kansas City for an afternoon game. They will announce Soler’s roster replacement Sunday.
“We’re not the Enterprise, you can’t beam them up,” Yost said.
Meanwhile, first baseman Lucas Duda will join the Storm Chasers on Sunday in Reno to begin a minor league rehab assignment. Duda hit .256 with four home runs and 19 RBIs in 37 games before going on the disabled list May 14 with right foot plantar fasciitis.
Rookie right-hander Brad Keller will make his fourth career start and 25th appearance in the series finale. Keller, who is a Rule 5 draft pick from the Arizona Diamondbacks, is 1-2 with a 2.31 ERA.
Keller is coming off his longest major league start, going 5 1/3 innings in a no-decision last Sunday in Oakland against the A’s. He allowed two runs on five hits.
He has limited opposing hitters to 30 hits, while walking 13 and striking out 23 over 35 innings.
Keller will face the Astros for the first time. Two of his three starts have been against American League West opponents, posting a 2.79 ERA over 9 2/3 innings.
He ranks fourth among AL rookie pitchers with 24 appearances and an opponents’ batting average of .231.
He was primarily a starter in the minors. In 106 appearances, he made 100 starts, including the last 50, but had not pitched above Double-A before this year.
The Astros will counter with right-hander Lance McCullers, who is 8-3 with a 3.83 ERA in 14 starts. He has yielded 66 hits and 35 earned runs over 82 1/3 innings with 32 walks and 81 strikeouts.
McCullers, who has a career 27-19 record with a 3.64 ERA, is 1-0 with a 2.14 ERA in three career starts against the Royals. He had a 2.57 ERA in two no-decisions starts last season against Kansas City, allowing four runs on eight hits over 14 innings, while striking out 18 and walking two.
Salvador Perez has two hits, both home runs, in six at-bats against McCullers.