Cleveland Indians fall to Texas Rangers 3-5 as Ubaldo Jimenez gives up four runs - MLB Update
Starter Ubaldo Jimenez costs four runs as the Cleveland Indians lose to the Texas Rangers 3-5 at Progressive Field, Cleveland, Ohio on August 31, 2012 in the first match of the three game series.
Indians were struggling from the start as is indicated by the fact that they posted their first run in the bottom of the fourth. In contrast, Rangers managed the lead in the first inning and substantiated it in the third with two more runs.
Jimenez proved the team’s undoing as the momentum that he allowed the Rangers in the beginning remained on their side throughout the game and the Indians failed to fight back effectively. He threw little more than five innings and gave up four runs while
leaking eight hits. However, he was impressive with regard to drawing strike-outs in the game.
Meanwhile, the Indians’ offence was by and large mediocre as their hitters struck only five hits in the match. Apart from the single by the catcher Carlos Santana and the home-run by first baseman Casey Kotchman, none of their batters sent any base-runner
aboard.
Santana smacked two hits in four at-bats while contributing one RBI as Kotchman added two RBIs and struck one hit on Friday.
Indians’ manager Manny Acta had proclaimed it before the game that if the pitchers do not step up, then whatever effort their offence can make will be destroyed.
He was aware of the areas that his team was vulnerable to. Since he saw his starter struggling in the match it is not difficult for him to find the scapegoat at the end of the game.
"For the most part, pitching sets the tone," manager Manny Acta said. "You can scratch out runs here and there, but it is all about pitching."
Meanwhile the Indians will be planning ways to impose a challenge on the Rangers and disallow them to win in the rest of the matches of the series.
They will be working on their bullpen to make sure their starters put up better shows in the upcoming games. It will be interesting to observe as to whether they can stop the Rangers from clinching a series victory.
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