Cord Phelps’ homer helps Cleveland Indians defeat Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 – MLB Update
The Cleveland Indians on Sunday, June 19, swept the three-game series against the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2 at Progressive Field, Cleveland.
Cord Phelps hit his career’s first three-run homer in the 11th inning to accomplish a majestic win, third in row in front of the packed crowd.
"It was very tough, one of my toughest days of work," manager Manny Acta said. "Yesterday we won the game and didn't feel like celebrating. I understand that some (players) are a little upset, but we have to do what's best for our team."
Neil Walker, contrary to how the Pittsburgh offence usually started the game, had a two-run homer in the very first inning when Justin Masterson came as the starter for the Indians. Masterson gave up three hits and allowed two runs, which resulted with an
early 2-0 lead for the Pirates.
Jeff Karsten pitched a scoreless first inning to maintain the team’s lead. However, it did not go for long as Carlos Santana homered, bringing the Pirates lead down to 2-1 in an inning that saw two hits. Lou Marson followed with his single to level the score
in the very same inning.
The game was then effectively in the control of the pitchers who did not allow the respective teams’ hitters to open their bats. Both Justin Masterson and Jeff Karstens were impressive, as they had solid innings to restrict the offense. They both pitched
brilliantly to hold the offence in check.
The Indians kept flipping the pitchers in an attempt to keep the defence strong enough to avoid major hits from the potentially resurgent Pirates’ offence. Chad Durbin relieved Masterson in the sixth inning, while Rafael Perez replaced Durbin in the seventh.
Cleveland rotated their pitching to keep the Pirates’ offence guessing and not to let them settle into one particular pitcher.
After throwing seven solid innings, the Pirates decided to go for first change as Jose Veras came out to pitch in the eighth inning. The game did not see any major change with the score tied 2-2.
After what manager Manny Acta called something “worth the wait, Cord Phelps took on an otherwise unplayable Tim Wood and hit his career’s first three-run homer to seal a great 5-2 victory for the Cleveland Indians.
"That's my first walk-off of any kind, at least that I can recall," said Phelps. "That was awesome. Really cool."
The Indians put in a brilliant performance to take command of the game and dominate the Pirates throughout. The Pirates fought hard, but it was not enough to contain the aggressive Indians’ offence. It will be interesting to see how Cleveland carry their
winning momentum into their next match-up.
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