Field Level Media
Jun 27, 2018
Edwin Encarnacion and Lonnie Chisenhall hit back-to-back homers to help the Cleveland Indians notch a 5-1 victory over the host St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday night.
Rookie right-hander Shane Bieber pitched six strong innings and got his first major league hit as Cleveland salvaged the finale of the three-game set.
Jason Kipnis and Tyler Naquin each had two hits and one RBI for the Indians.
Jose Martinez had two hits and one RBI for St. Louis, which had a four-game winning streak halted.
Bieber (3-0) gave up one run and six hits before exiting. He struck out five and walked one.
Bieber also lined a double into the left-center field gap in the fourth inning in his second big league at-bat.
Right-hander Neil Ramirez replaced Bieber to open the seventh and retired five straight hitters. Left-hander Oliver Perez recorded the final out in the eighth, and right-hander Cody Allen worked a flawless ninth in a non-save situation as the Indians' bullpen stymied the St. Louis bats.
Cardinals rookie right-hander Jack Flaherty (3-3) gave up four runs and six hits over four innings. He struck out five and walked two.
Encarnacion got Cleveland on the board with a leadoff homer in the second when he drove a 2-0 fastball 402 feet into the stands in left. It was Encarnacion's 13th career blast against the Cardinals, but his first since June 25, 2011.
Chisenhall followed by slugging a 3-2 fastball from Flaherty over the fence in right. His homer traveled 366 feet.
The Indians added two runs in the third, with Chisenhall plating the first on a fielder's choice and Kipnis following with a run-scoring single to center.
St. Louis got on the board in the bottom of the third as Martinez stroked a two-out single to right to score Matt Carpenter from second.
Cleveland increased its advantage to 5-1 in the sixth when Kipnis led off with a single, was sacrificed to second and scored on Naquin's double into the left-center field gap off left-hander Austin Gomber.
--Field Level Media