Opening day was supposed to be yesterday for the Boston Red Sox but things did not go as planned.
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Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Corey Kluber delivers in the first inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox, Tuesday, April 5, 2016, in Cleveland. In 14 career starts against Cleveland overall, Price is 10-2 with a 2.24 ERA.
He allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out 10.
In a battle of former Cy Young Award winners, another season of heightened expectations got off to a familiarly clunking start.
October 5, 2003: Facing elimination, with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning against the Athletics in Game 4 of the ALDS, Ortiz rips a double that plates two runs and gives the Red Sox a 5-4 lead that stands.
“When the lights go on, ” said Ortiz, “Papi goes on”.
Price set the tone for Boston’s reconfigured bullpen and he and three relievers didn’t allow a hit after the fifth inning. And this time, Price couldn’t keep the runner at third, with Marlon Byrd popping a curveball into left field, where Holt didn’t even try to keep Carlos Santana from scoring the tying run.
The Tigers hit three homers but went 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position before Kinsler put them ahead in the 11th. Buchholz simply does not care, nor give up runs, when runners are on base via the hit.
Besides his ability to throw his fastball in the upper 90s, and his strong location Price has a lot more to offer to the Red Sox. Cleveland tallied 15 strikeouts as a club Tuesday, a dozen coming from four of their new veteran hitters.
“I don’t think the conditions are an excuse”, said Kluber, who made his second straight Opening Day start.
An RBI single by Boston left fielder Brock Holt followed by a wild pitch two batters later quickly ended Kluber’s outing, exiting behind a 4-2 deficit.
The Kansas City Royals received their 2015 World Series rings, then took a 2-0 loss to the Mets with Noah Syndergaard pitching six dominant innings.
Ortiz began his farewell season with a bang, connecting for his 504th homer in the ninth. That home run tied him for 26th all-time with Eddie Murray. He’s smart and unsafe.
“He came out and threw a bunch of strikes early”, Francona said.
Last year, the Indians scored two or fewer runs in 21 of Kluber’s 32 starts and they’ve already done it once in 2016.
“Got to let that kid play”. We went out there and gave it our all.
“We’re going to have a good offense”, Kipnis said.
CLEVELAND (AP) – The extra day didn’t bother the Red Sox and neither did the stinging cold. “We’re going to get better”. Facing off against Trevor Bauer with Dustin Pedroia on first, Ortiz crushed his final first homer of the year over the wall in right, making it 6-2.
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Jim Berdysz is an Indians Beat Reporter for Indians Baseball Insider who has covered the Tribe for the last three seasons.
