CLEVELAND: Having already devoured Trevor Bauer in the fifth inning, Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera sat on the bench in the sixth eating a candy bar. It was that kind of night for the Indians, who attempted to rally in the ninth but fell just short.
Bauer went toe-to-toe with Cabrera on Friday night and learned a valuable lesson, one that many pitchers have had to be taught: given enough time, one of the best hitters of this generation is going to get the best of just about anyone.
Bauer (0-2) angered Cabrera with the first pitch he threw to him and later paid for it on the scoreboard in the Indians’ 7-6 loss to the Detroit Tigers. It was their third consecutive loss and sixth in the past seven games since sweeping the Texas Rangers to open the season.
Bauer’s first pitch to Cabrera in the first inning was high and inside. Cabrera took exception to it and began yelling and gesturing toward the Indians’ dugout. That at-bat ended with a walk. As Cabrera jogged by third base at the end of the inning, he continued to yell into the Indians’ dugout, eventually having to be escorted by the umpires back to his dugout.
Both benches were warned in an attempt to defuse the situation. Cabrera simply took his revenge in the fifth inning.
Leading 1-0 and with two runners on base, Cabrera took Bauer’s pitch, a cutter on the outside part of the plate, and belted a three-run home run to right field to extend the Tigers’ lead to 4-0.
Whether Cabrera was angry or just trying to make it more difficult to pitch on the inside part of the plate, he did what he has done so many times and again tormented a struggling Indians (4-6) club.
In the sixth, Bauer allowed a two-run home run to Alex Avila, which ended his night. He allowed the six earned runs on six hits and two walks and struck out six. Just after Bauer’s exit, Cabrera was seen eating a candy bar on the Tigers’ bench.
Offensively, the Indians’ lineup continued to heat up at a rate even slower than the Northeast Ohio spring, still struggling to put together any kind of a rhythm against Tigers starter Daniel Norris (1-0). That was until the ninth inning.
Trailing 7-1 entering the inning, Yandy Diaz brought the Indians closer with an RBI single up the middle. Tigers (7-3) closer Francisco Rodriguez entered with one out and the bases loaded. He struck out Abraham Almonte before facing pinch hitter Lonnie Chisenhall. Chisenhall, just activated from the disabled list on Thursday, crushed a grand slam to right field, slicing the Tigers’ lead to 7-6.
Rodriguez recovered, though, striking out Austin Jackson to end the game and rendering the wild comeback attempt moot.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.
