Bauer Beat Up as Indians Toppled Again by Twins 7-1; Three Takeaways

The last 48 have not been a blast for the Tribe and their offense, which left the month of May hitting as well as any team in the Majors.

Friday the team was held to four runs by the Twins, and while they got off to a good start with a run on a double steal on Saturday, the bats again were held in check as the Twins shut down the Tribe and eventually got to Trevor Bauer for six runs (three earned) in a Minnesota 7-1 win.

The victory means that the best the Indians can do in the four-game set in the Twin cities is come up with a split, something they will try and do Sunday afternoon.

For now they sit at 30-27 on the year, and while the Twins are still under .500 at 24-30, they have bested the Indians and done a nice job doing it the last two days.

Here’s three takeaways from the latest Indians setback.

1. Bauer’s Day

Trevor Bauer took the hill for the first time since a career-high 127 pitches against the Astros last Sunday, and while he struck out six in the outing, he was not as sharp, allowing six hits and three walks.

He was tagged for six runs in the game, three of which were not his fault (more on that in a bit), but was unable to pitch out out a tough situation and eventually let the game get out of reach in the sixth.

“I was just out there trying to do everything I could to help my team win,” Bauer said after the loss.

The Indians led 1-0 when Eddie Rosario homered to right for a two-run shot that gave the Twins the lead for good in the 3rd.

They tacked on four more in the 6th to put the game out of reach, dropping Bauer to 4-4 on the year. On the day he threw 104 pitches, 64 strikes.

The Indians went 0 for 9 with runners in scoring position and 2 for 16 with runners on base – and that’s about all you need to know about how bad the day was at the plate for the Tribe.

The team started good, as they got a run in the second on a heads up double steal that saw Greg Allen score to give the Indians a quick 1-0 lead.

Little did they know that would be the only run that crossed the plate for the Wahoo’s on the day. Twins hurler Lance Lynn kept them in check, as he struck out five and allowed only two hits while throwing a season-high 113 pitches.

The only Tribe hits he allowed were a Jason Kipnis one-out single in the second and Francisco Lindor’s leadoff single in the fifth.

The team put runners on base and had shots to put up more runs, but in the end couldn’t get the big hit, which is why they ended the day with a single run on seven hits.

3. Defensive Woes

The game was still in doubt when Kipnis booted a routine double-play grounder in the sixth, opening the door for a four-run rally for the Twins that not only put the game away, but chased starter Trevor Bauer.

Max Kepler and Ryan LaMarre had RBI singles during the Twins rally after the fielding flub by Kipnis, putting the game away.

That wasn’t the only gaffe by the Indians defense in the 6th, but a passed ball by catcher Roberto Perez also allowed Twins runners to advance and Ryan LaMarre to score to make it a 7-1 Minnesota lead.

There’s been way too many times in 2018 when the Indians defense has a complete lapse, and it reared its ugly head again on Saturday, making Bauer’s line look worse, allowing six runs, three of which were earned.