Aaron Civale struck out six and didn’t issue a walk while picking up the first complete game of his young career as the Cleveland Indians pushed their winning streak to five with a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
The 25-year-old Civale allowed five hits and narrowly missed a shutout when Pittsburgh pushed across a run with Josh Bell's sacrifice fly in the ninth.
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Aaron Civale struck out six and didn’t issue a walk while picking up the first complete game of his young career as the Cleveland Indians pushed their winning streak to five with a 6-1 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday night.
Santana turned on a full-count cutter from reliever Dovydas Neverauskas (0-3) and sent it over the right-field seats for his third home run of the season.
Having a dominant pitching staff helps. Civale gave the bullpen a break by working Cleveland's team ERA to 2.61, the best in the majors. The Pirates failed to put a single runner in scoring position against the efficient Civale until pinch-hitter Cole Tucker doubled leading off the ninth.
TRAINER'S ROOM
Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (4-0, 1.30 ERA) will look to stay unbeaten in the series finale on Thursday. Bieber, who leads the American League with 54 strikeouts, is coming off seven shutout innings in a victory over Detroit last Saturday.
Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana, right, celebrates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault delivers during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Indians in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Carlos Santana broke open a scoreless game with a three-run homer in the sixth inning, one night after slamming a towering three-run blast to lift Cleveland to a 10-inning victory. Domingo Santana added a bases-clearing double in the eighth as the Indians improved to a season-best six games over .500 (15-9).
Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana watches his three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Santana turned on a full-count cutter from reliever Dovydas Neverauskas (0-3) and sent it over the right-field seats for his third home run of the season.
Pittsburgh's National League-worst batting average dropped to .211 when it failed to muster much of anything against Civale. The Pirates have dropped 13 of 15 and their 4-16 record is the worst in the major leagues a third of the way through the abbreviated 2020 season.
Cleveland's offense is no better than Pittsburgh's, but a little goes a long way for AL Central contenders. The Indians, whose .200 team batting average is dead last in the majors, are now 12-0 this season when scoring three or more runs.
Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana watches his three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Having a dominant pitching staff helps. Civale gave the bullpen a break by working Cleveland's team ERA to 2.61, the best in the majors. The Pirates failed to put a single runner in scoring position against the efficient Civale until pinch-hitter Cole Tucker doubled leading off the ninth.
VALIANT EFFORT
Pittsburgh starter Steven Brault matched Civale out for out over five scoreless innings. Brault needed 29 pitches to get through a shaky first but quickly settled down. He didn't allow a hit until consecutive singles by Franmil Reyes and Jordan Luplow leading off the fifth but escaped the jam by turning a double play in which he caught a line drive with a 110 mph exit velocity off the bat of Domingo Santana then threw to first to double off Luplow.
Cleveland Indians' Domingo Santana, center, celebrates as he stands on second base after driving in three runs with a double during the eighth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
TRAINER'S ROOM
Pirates: RHP Kyle Crick (right shoulder strain) threw a live bullpen on Tuesday and is nearing closer to a return. ... RHP Mitch Keller (left oblique strain) is playing catch and could begin throwing off the mound early next week. ... IF Phil Evans, whose season ended following a scary collision with outfielder Gregory Polanco on Aug. 8, will have surgery to repair his fractured jaw.
UP NEXT
Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana watches his three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Indians: RHP Shane Bieber (4-0, 1.30 ERA) will look to stay unbeaten in the series finale on Thursday. Bieber, who leads the American League with 54 strikeouts, is coming off seven shutout innings in a victory over Detroit last Saturday.
Pirates: RHP Trevor Williams (1-3, 3.98) picked up his first win of the season last Friday against Cincinnati. Williams is 6-3 with a 3.47 ERA in 14 career interleague starts.
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Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana hits a three-run home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Cleveland Indians' Carlos Santana, right, celebrates as he returns to the dugout after hitting a three-run home run off Pittsburgh Pirates relief pitcher Dovydas Neverauskas during the sixth inning of a baseball game in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Steven Brault delivers during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the Cleveland Indians in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. (AP PhotoGene J. Puskar)