Carlos Santana leads Cleveland to win over Pirates
A clutch home run in the 10th inning from Carlos Santana propeled the Clevland Baseball Club to a win over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Carlos Santana drove in 5 of Cleveland’s 6 runs on Tuesday night and powered the team to a 6-3 victory in extra-innings over the Pittsburgh Pirates The first two runs came in the 3rd inning with a bases-loaded two-RBI double from the Cleveland first baseman. After a Franmil Reyes sacrifice fly to make it 3-1 Cleveland, the team did not score until the 10th inning. That is when Carlos Santana made his final mark on the game.
Francisco Lindor reached base after being hit by a pitch to put men on first and second base. Santana came up to the plate and proceeded to hit a three-run homer on the second pitch of his at-bat to give Cleveland a 6-3 lead.
There was a question about whether or not the ball was fair or foul, but it was ultimately ruled fair and a three-run homer for Santana.
Santana’s bat is starting to heat up and that is good news for a that desperately needs offensive help. The team continues to be at or near the bottom of most offensive categories.
On the mound
Carlos Carrasco got the start for Cleveland and it was another short outing. Cookie allowed 3 runs on 5 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5 in 4.1 innings. Carrasco threw 91 pitches in the game when he made his exit and it just seems like he isn’t all the way back yet. Cleveland will need Carrasco to start going deeper into games considering their current pitching situation.
Cleveland got some good performances out of their bullpen. Oliver Perez, Cam Hill, Phil Maton, James Karinchak, Nick Wittgren, and Brad Hand combined to strikeout 10 batters and only allow 4 hits in 5.2 innings. The bullpen really stepped up when the team needed them to and manage to keep Cleveland in the game long enough to be able to come away with a win.
