The Cleveland Indians losing streak continued on Sunday at Target Field in Minnesota, as the team fell 7-5 to the Twins in a game they led at one point 3-0.
The early lead gave fans some hope that they finally would be able to snap out of the funk they are in, but instead they are now in the midst of a six-game losing streak, their longest since the 2015 season.
Triston McKenzie got the start for the Indians, and was victim of the long ball, as his slider wasn't as sharp as it's been the last few outings.
The team now sits at 26-21, 14-10 away from Progressive Field. The team gets a day off Monday prior to starting a series in Chicago to play the Cubs Tuesday night.
Here's a few observations from game 47, as the club will again try to find a formula to turn things around with 13 games left.
McKenzie's Sliding Struggles
The Tribe rookie gave up went 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on three hits with a walk and seven strikeouts, giving up three homers to allow the Twins back into the game.
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Marwin Gonzalez hit a two-run homer to put the Twins back into the game 3-2 in the third inning, then Nelson Cruz and Ryan Jeffers each hit homers to put the Twins up 5-3.
Cruz's homer was a solo shot on a slider to make it 3-3, and Jeffers hit a two-run shot to put the Twins up 5-3.
It was the slider that McKenzie couldn't get over, and while he struck out seven, the homers were his undoing.
"That whole team isn't guys you can mess around win," McKenzie said.
The rookie threw 82 pitches in the loss, falling to 2-1 on the season with his ERA rising to 3.91.
"Losing six in a row is definitely no fun, but I feel like we are in a good spot," McKenzie said. "The off-day will help us."
McKenzie is one of the guys being counted on for the postseason when it comes to the rotation, and while it's hard to assume he's going to be as good as he was in his first couple of starts, hopefully Sunday was a learning experience he can take away from.
Finally a Couple Runs
It comes in a losing effort that most won't care to recall, but it was probably the best day at the plate for the Indians in the past few weeks.
The club put up five runs on 13 hits, including building the 3-0 lead with a run in the first, and two in the third on a Carlos Santana single and a Franmil Reyes sac fly.
The team was facing Michael Pineda as well as four Twins relief pitchers, and for the most part it felt like they had a decent game plan against them.
The Tribe put up a run in the sixth on a Francisco Lindor sac fly, and a run in the 8th to make it 7-5 on a single by Sandy Leon scoring Tyler Naquin.
If this team gets 13 hits on a nightly basis they will eventually break out of this slump, and with them heading to Chicago for a pair this week against the Cubs.
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It remains to be seen if more changes will come to this lineup, as Sunday the club stayed with the formula of the last few days lineup wise.
Lindor stayed in the leadoff role, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, Cesar Hernandez hit second (3-for-5, hitting .266) and Carlos Santana was in the four hole, and he was 3-for-5 with two RBI.
Overall the top four in the lineup were 10-for-19 with three runs scored and three RBI.
It's exactly the type of effort this team is going to need if they are finally going to get back on track this week and break their six-game losing streak.
Looking Ahead
The Tribe gets a much needed and hopefully helpful off day on Monday, and then will play in Chicago against the first-place 28-20 Cubs, a team that beat them twice earlier this season at Progressive Field.
After that the Tribe heads to Detroit, where they take on the Tigers in an important four-game set before they come home for four huge games against the first-place White Sox starting Monday, September 21st.
After those four games against the Sox the team will host the Pittsburgh Pirates, a team they swept at PNC Park earlier this season.
Those seven games against the White Sox and Pirates likely will dictate where this team starts the playoffs, and if there's any shot of them winning the AL Central.
That last homestand actually lines up well for the Tribe as they get the White Sox at home, and then host the 14-30 Pirates.
Again this team still has a chance to do damage before the playoffs begin, but they have to find a way to get things going, and hopefully taking a breath after Monday's off day will help them re-focus.
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Game #47 Observations: Indians Losing Streak Reaches Six, Swept in Minnesota Following 7-5 Loss - Sports Illustrated
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