The Indians have not hit a lot of home runs thus far in 2019, but Saturday the last of six homers on the day between the Indians and Seattle Mariners counted the most.
That homer came off the bat of Carlos Santana, a two-run shot in the the 8th inning with the Tribe trailing 4-3.
The straightaway shot to center gave the Indians the one-run lead and eventual 5-4 win as Brad Hand worked the ninth.
The M’s didn’t go away easy after their loss to the Indians in the 9th on Friday, hitting four solo homers to account for all their runs off of Tribe starter Carlos Carrasco.
The Indians countered with homers from Santana and Francisco Lindor to account for three of their five runs in the win.
The Tribe will go for the sweep Sunday at 1:10pm. For now, here’s a look back at the exciting Saturday win to make it five straight against Seattle.
1. Carlos In the Clutch
The Tribe slugger was patient in his last AB of the day, working the count to 2-1 before slamming a high fastball from Seattle pitcher Roenis Elias over the wall in center to secure the victory.
This season has been a rebirth for Santana, and he’s been the most consistent and best Indians hitter on the roster since day one.
He now has four homers and 17 RBI on the season for the Indians, as they get ready for play Sunday against Seattle. Every at-bat for pitchers against Santana has been a struggle, and just by determination he’s been able to work some base on balls that in years past would not have happened.
Indians fans were cold to bringing back Santana from the moment the deal was announced. Many of those have turned back to cheering for Santana after his excellent start to 2019.
2. A Swing and a Drive Type of Day for Carrasco
Carrasco gave up four solo homers in the Indians win, and while that’s a crazy number, it’s also you can handle a lot better since they were all solo shots.
The line on Carrasco, 7.2 innings, four runs, seven hits, no walks and nine K’s. He threw just 94 pitches, which is why some are questioning as to why he was pulled with gas left in the tank.
The no-decision on the year keeps Carrasco at 2-3 on the young season.
3. Go For the Sweep
A game on Sunday at 1:10pm will complete the season series with the Mariners, and better yet a win means a perfect 6-0 against Seattle in 2019.
The M’s started the season as the hottest team in the Majors, but have cooled back into reality and after Saturday’s loss they sit at 18-17 on the year.
This team at one point in 2019 was 13-2, meaning they have dropped 15 of their last 20 games, and are now in a complete tailspin, having lost six in row.
This is a young club that will rebound, but for now the Indians have a shot to win their second three-game set against them this season, and they need to find a way to do that before welcoming the White Sox in for four games starting Tuesday evening.
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