Indians hope to keep riding offensive surge with Kluber on mound
An extended offensive surge against their interleague rivals has the Cleveland Indians riding high.
Though they again haven't had much success scoring runs for Corey Kluber, the Indians hope to change that and get the best of Boston's Clay Buchholz for the second time this season.
The visiting Indians look to stay hot at the plate while trying for a fifth consecutive victory Friday night against the Red Sox.
Cleveland (21-17) batted .346, recorded 20 extra-base hits and walked 24 times to outscore Cincinnati 43-16 during a four-game home-and-home series sweep. Carlos Santana went 5 for 12 with seven RBIs in the series, and homered twice in Thursday's 7-2 victory.
"We're positive,'' Santana said. ''I see a lot of energy.''
The Indians tagged Buchholz (2-3, 6.11 ERA) for five runs - highlighted by a three-run first-inning homer from Santana - and five other hits in four-plus innings of a 7-6 win April 6.
Though Boston (25-16) has won the right-hander's last three starts, he again gave up five runs, this time on two homers - including a second-inning grand slam - while lasting six in a 6-5, 11-inning win over Houston on Saturday. Buchholz has allowed eight home runs - two more than he did in 18 starts last year.
Santana and Jason Kipnis are a combined 6 for 12 against him.
The Indians, though, have scored once with Kluber (2-5, 4.30) on the mound in his last two outings. His 3.61 run support average ranks among the lowest in the AL.
Kluber, though, didn't help his cause in those two efforts.
After tossing a five-hitter in the 4-0 victory over Detroit on May 4, he's yielded nine runs, 12 hits and walked six in 9 1/3 innings to lose two straight. Four of those runs came in Saturday's 6-3 loss to Minnesota.
Since Kluber went 18-9 with a 2.44 ERA during his Cy Young Award-winning 2014 season, he is 11-21 with a 3.64 ERA in 40 starts. That still isn't enough for manager Terry Francona to lose confidence in the right-hander.
''I know that when he pitches, we still really like him out there,'' Francona told MLB's official website. "He will continue to work on what he needs to - a little bit out of the stretch, things like that - and be the guy we always need."
Jackie Bradley Jr. is 2 for 11 against Kluber (2-5, 4.30), but one of those hits came in two at-bats during Boston's 6-2 victory April 5. Kluber also gave up a two-run homer to Mookie Betts and two other runs in 5 1/3 innings of that contest.
Bradley looks to extend a major league-leading 24-game hitting streak that's the longest by a Boston player since David Ortiz's 27-game run over the 2012 and '13 seasons.
"I'm just pleased with helping the team out," said Bradley, who is batting .407 with seven home runs and 28 RBIs during the streak. "I'm sticking with my approach and the hits are falling."
Bradley and Betts both homered Wednesday for the Red Sox, who avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of Kansas City by winning 5-2 in the nightcap of a doubleheader.
Ortiz is batting .343 with four home runs and 10 RBIs in his last nine games against Cleveland.
