 during a four-run eighth before George Springer's three-run homer helped make it a blowout in the ninth.Miller was pulled after allowing Altuve's double, and Gonzalez then laid down a perfect bunt toward the mound off Cody Allen. Allen picked up the ball, but his flip to catcher Yan Gomes was too late to get Altuve as he dived across the plate.Springer's homer off Josh Tomlin highlighted the ninth, when the Astros sent 10 batters to the plate. Houston has won 13 of 16 and is 4-1 against Cleveland this season.Miller escaped a seventh-inning jam by getting pinch-hitter J. D. Davis to hit into a double play with the bases loaded. The left-hander was charged with three runs in two-thirds of an inning. Allen loaded the bases and then walked Max Stassi.Joe Smith (2-1) recorded the final out in the seventh.Corey Kluber and Dallas Keuchel locked up in a battle of AL Cy Young Award winners. Kluber pitched 6 1/3 scoreless innings and Keuchel gave up two runs in six innings.Kluber was the Cy Young winner in 2014 and last season, while Keuchel won the award in 2015.Cleveland scored in the third on Jose Ramirez's RBI double and again in the sixth on Jason Kipnis' groundball with the bases loaded.Miller has struggled since missing two weeks with a strained hamstring. George Springer led off the eighth with a double and Alex Bregman walked. Both runners scored when Altuve doubled into the left field corner.BIG NIGHTGame 6 of the Eastern Conference playoffs between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Boston Celtics at Quicken Loans Arena - located across the street from Progressive Field - marked the 14th time the teams have played at home the same day since the start of the 2015 NBA playoffs with the Cavaliers hosting a postseason game.MOVING UPKluber struck out seven and moved into third place in franchise history with 1,279 career strikeouts. He trails Hall of Famer Bob Feller (2,581) and Sam McDowell (2,159).STREAKSCorrea set a team record with his 51st consecutive game without an error at shortstop. Roger Metzger played 50 straight games without an error in 1976.Brantley extended his hitting streak to 14 games with a third-inning double.TRAINER'S ROOMAstros: OF Josh Reddick (leg infection) remains in Houston. He was placed on the 10-day disabled list Monday.Indians: RHP Danny Salazar (sore shoulder) will return to Cleveland next week to be examined by the team's medical staff. The All-Star is in extended spring training in Arizona and hasn't pitched this season.UP NEXTRHPs Lance McCullers Jr. and Carlos Carrasco meet Saturday in a rematch of a May 20 game in Houston. McCullers held the Indians to one hit over seven innings and beat the Indians for the first time in his career. Carrasco gave up a two-run homer to Brian McCann in the seventh inning and got the loss.---More baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball)
Indians feel better about bullpen against Astros 3h ago• 2 min read CLEVELAND -- Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona has his bullpen security blanket back. That's a good thing for Francona and a good thing for the Indians' beleaguered bullpen.On Friday night, the Indians, with a healthy Andrew Miller back in their bullpen, host the Houston Astros in the second game of a four-game series.Cleveland's bullpen has the fewest wins (3-11) and highest ERA (5.51) in the American League, but a big reason for that was the two weeks ace Miller spent on the disabled list and the three bumpy appearances he had after coming off the DL.Miller was on the disabled list from April 26 to May 10 with a strained left hamstring. In his first three appearances after being activated, Miller pitched 1 2/3 innings, giving up four runs and three hits (two doubles and a home run) while walking five.But in Miller's last two appearances on Tuesday and Wednesday in Indians wins over the Chicago Cubs, he pitched two scoreless innings with two hits, two strikeouts and no walks."That was just what we needed," Francona said. "Now that he's pitched in a couple games (after coming off the DL), you'll hopefully see him be the guy that we can really rely on." Miller didn't get a chance to perform Thursday night in the first game of the series as the Astros routed the Indians 8-2, scoring five runs in the fifth inning, including three on a home run given up by Indians reliever Neil Ramirez.Miller and closer Cody Allen have been the only dependable relievers in the Cleveland bullpen, which makes shutting down the Astros' lineup problematic."Guys will emerge. We believe that," Francona said of the struggles by his other relievers. "We'll try to keep putting guys in a position to succeed." Miller and Allen aside, slumping bullpen in a series against the defending World Series champions is not how Francona would have drawn it up."These guys are really good," Francona said of the Astros. "That doesn't mean we're going to back down, but we do respect how good they are."Last year, even before they won the World Series, the way they played the game really stood out. They're fun to play. Not because you think you're going to push them around, but because they're so good it's just fun to play them." Friday's pitching matchup will feature two starters who between them have won three of the last four American League Cy Young Awards. Cleveland's Corey Kluber won it in 2014 and 2017, and Houston's Dallas Keuchel won it in 2015.Kluber (7-2, 2.36 ERA) is off to another strong start this year. Keuchel (3-6, 3.43) has been a little more inconsistent.Friday's Kluber-Keuchel duel will be an encore from a week ago. In their last starts, Kluber and Keuchel faced each other on May 19 in Houston. Kluber and the Indians won 5-4.In that game, Kluber pitched seven innings, giving up two runs and six hits with 10 strikeouts and no walks. Keuchel gave up four runs and six hits in five innings with three strikeouts and two walks.In nine career appearances against the Astros, Kluber is 6-3 with a 3.17 ERA. In seven career appearances against the Indians, Keuchel is 4-1 with a 2.76 ERA.
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