Field Level Media
May 22, 2018
Jose Ramirez and Yonder Alonso drove in three runs apiece and Trevor Bauer pitched six scoreless innings as the Cleveland Indians cruised to a 10-1 win over the host Chicago Cubs on Tuesday night at Wrigley Field.
Jason Kipnis added two RBIs, and Michael Brantley finished 2-for-6 to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. Cleveland climbed back to .500 and remained atop the feeble American League Central division.
Ian Happ hit a 433-foot home run in the ninth inning to help Chicago avoid its fourth shutout loss.
Bauer (4-3) stayed red-hot with six scoreless innings. He allowed seven hits and two walks while striking out six. The 27-year-old has not allowed a run in 14 innings over his last two outings.
The Cubs' futility against Bauer is nothing new: The Indians' right-hander improved to 3-0 with a 0.46 ERA in three career regular-season starts against Chicago. He has allowed one earned run in 19 2/3 innings in those outings.
Cubs right-hander Tyler Chatwood (3-4) gave up four runs in 2 2/3 innings to draw his first loss since April 17. Chatwood surrendered four hits and issued six walks while striking out one.
Cleveland scored four runs in the third inning, three in the fourth and three in the fifth to build a 10-0 lead.
Ramirez opened the scoring for the Indians with a three-run home run in the top of the third. After Francisco Lindor and Brantley reached base, Ramirez went deep to right field for his team-leading 14th homer.
The Indians tacked on another run in the third on Roberto Perez's sacrifice fly.
Cubs left-hander Mike Montgomery relieved Chatwood but could do little to stop Cleveland. Melky Cabrera hit a one-run double and Kipnis followed with a two-run single to make it 7-0 in the fourth.
Alonso added a bases-clearing double in the fifth to increase the lead to double digits.
The game marked the teams' first meeting on Chicago's North Side since the 2016 World Series. Cleveland won two of three games at Wrigley Field to build a 3-2 series lead, but Chicago rallied with a pair of road wins to clinch its first championship since 1908.
--Field Level Media