Here are 12 Walk-Off Thoughts after the Indians’ 4-3 loss to the Houston Astros Tuesday night.
1. Even the best pitchers in the game can have an inning unravel on them. It included Corey Kluber Tuesday night.
2. Kluber has put himself in the thick of the AL Cy Young race and has seemingly gotten better as the season has progressed. But on Tuesday, combined with a slow offensive night, a six-batter stretch in the second and third innings was enough to sink the Tribe.
3. Kluber retired the first five batters of the game and then, with two outs in the second, pitched like someone other than Kluber. He walked Evan Gattis and Colby Rasmus to put two on and then, up 0-2 on Marwin Gonzalez, left a curveball in the middle of the zone that was crushed for a three-run home run.
4. It was supposed to be in the dirt. Here’s where it ended up.
5. Said catcher Roberto Perez, “I think Kluber, his curveball has been really good the last, I don't know how many outings. I was trying to get him to bounce one and he just hang it.”
6. Said Kluber, "Yeah, I mean it was a two-strike count and I’m not trying to throw breaking ball right in the middle of the zone and it was a bad pitch and he took advantage of it."
7. Kluber was bothered by the two walks, saying, "No, I think it was moreso the walks than the curve. I threw a bad curve, just one of them. The one for the homer obviously wasn't a good pitch but I think the walks were the bigger issue."
8. To open the third, Kluber gave up a double to George Springer and a triple to Alex Bregman. Just like that, the Astros had enough offense to outlast the Indians on Tuesday.
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9. Kluber ended up throwing seven innings and striking out nine. Outside of that six batter stretch, he allowed one hit and one walk.
10. It just shows how quickly an inning can unravel, and how that one unraveling can be the difference in an otherwise terrific start. It happens fast, even to Cy Young candidates.
11. Said Perez, “Oh man, it sucks. Especially that second inning. Two outs. We walked two batters and then a mistake. You've got to give them credit. They put good ABs against him that inning, and that's what cost us the game.”
12. Kluber has been about as solid as they come in recent weeks. Tuesday’s outing snapped Kluber’s streak of 10 consecutive quality starts (three or fewer runs allowed in at least six innings), which had been the second-longest such streak in the majors, behind only Detroit’s Justin Verlander. It also ended his streak of seven consecutive decisions won, the longest streak of his career. On Tuesday night, two walks led to a major mistake.