Kluber fires 3-hitter as Indians blank Orioles 12-0 (Jun 19, 2017)
BALTIMORE (AP) While Corey Kluber mowed down the Baltimore Orioles and the Indians ran around the bases at Camden Yards, Cleveland's bullpen did absolutely nothing.
That, as much as anything else, really made it a perfect night for manager Terry Francona.
Kluber pitched a three-hitter for his fifth career shutout, Jason Kipnis and Carlos Santana homered and the Indians extended their longest winning streak of the season to six games with a 12-0 victory Monday night.
Santana and Austin Jackson had three RBIs apiece for the AL Central leaders, whose recent surge has lifted them to a season-best six games over .500 (37-31).
Kluber (6-2) struck out 11 and walked none in his 12th career complete game and second shutout this season. The right-hander gave up a first-inning single to Adam Jones, a single to Seth Smith in the sixth and a single to Hyun Soo Kim in the eighth.
To cap it off, Kluber struck out the side in the ninth.
''These nights are rare but you'll take them because you can completely rest your bullpen,'' Francona said. ''That goes a long way.''
Francona didn't hesitate to call on his relievers in a four-game sweep at Minnesota. In this one, he never emerged from the dugout until the game was over.
''Your goal every game is to try to finish it,'' Kluber said. ''We played a lot of baseball this last weekend and the (bullpen) covered a lot of innings for us. So I guess that's an added bonus of it.''
Cleveland batted around in the fourth and fifth innings and sent eight men to the plate in a three-run sixth that made it 11-0. The Indians banged out a season-high 10 extra-base hits, including seven doubles.
''We did a lot of good things,'' Francona said. ''We scored and then we kept at it and put our foot on the gas.''
Orioles starter Dylan Bundy (7-6) allowed six runs, six hits and three walks in 4 1/3 innings. It was another in a series of poor outings by Baltimore pitchers, who have yielded at least five runs in 16 straight games.
''I didn't have anything,'' Bundy said. ''I was battling out there, trying to get outs, trying to locate as best as I could.''
Despite taking two of three from St. Louis last weekend, Baltimore has dropped nine of 12. Beginning with a 6-1 loss to Washington on June 8, the Orioles have been outscored 106-54.
''This is the team that we have, so we just have to go out there and play and try to win,'' Smith said.
Bundy kept pace with Kluber until the fourth, when Jose Ramirez, Edwin Encarnacion and Lonnie Chisenhall hit successive doubles to get the rout underway. Ramirez has doubled in seven straight games , an Indians record, and Encarnacion's RBI double was his 1,500th career hit.
Jackson capped the four-run fourth with a two-run double . Kipnis and Santana homered in a four-run fifth, and Cleveland continued the onslaught in the sixth against relievers Vidal Nuno and Gabriel Ynoa.
SMALL CROWD
One positive for the Orioles was that only 13,875 fans bore witness to this blowout on a humid night. The game started 29 minutes late because of rain, and by the end there were only a couple thousand fans in attendance.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Indians: OF Michael Brantley was activated from the paternity list and immediately placed on the 10-day disabled list with a right ankle sprain. The injury initially occurred earlier this month, and Brantley aggravated it last week.
Orioles: SS J.J. Hardy was placed on the 10-day DL with a broken right wrist and will miss four to six weeks. ... All-Star closer Zach Britton (forearm strain) put off the start of his rehabilitation assignment by one day because of the threat of rain at Aberdeen. He will start for the Class A club on Tuesday. ... RHP Darren O'Day (right shoulder strain) will pitch a simulated game Wednesday.
UP NEXT
Indians: Josh Tomlin (4-8, 5.83 ERA) seeks his second win in a row Tuesday night after beating the Dodgers on Thursday.
Orioles: Chris Tillman (1-5, 8.07 ERA) takes another crack at earning his second win. He's lost his last five starts and is winless in seven outings since May 7.
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