The Cleveland Indians took down the Chicago Cubs to win the series.
That is a great sentence to read given the history between the two teams.
It was a weird series that saw the Indians offense struggle to score, only for the Cubs offense to top them in that regard.
The final tally was a 5-3 advantage for the Indians as they now improve to 20-14 on the year.
Let’s look at the highlights from this 24-hour series.
Shane Bieber Keeps Making History
Shane Bieber is so great he keeps breaking his own records.
Tuesday saw the Indians ace finish with eight strikeouts in a start where he threw 121 pitches in 6.2 innings of work.
Eight strikeouts is an off-night for Bieber, but he still continued making history.
If you haven't been paying attention, Shane has been up to something special during his last 20 starts.#OurCLE pic.twitter.com/jSBmuOF5zV
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) May 12, 2021
He has now at least eight strikeouts in 20 consecutive games.
That is just a mind-blowing stat and the best part is he keeps breaking his previous best mark every time he does this.
And he reached game No. 20 after laboring through much of his start.
Bieber should be able to easily get eight strikeouts or more when he is actually going at his usual pace.
Some warmer weather should help him as well.
Amed Rosario’s Big Day
Wednesday was all about Amed Rosario.
He drove in both runs in the 2-1 Indians victory on a day when he got to battle the sun in center field.
It was his second three-hit game of the season as he continues to prove the Indians need to keep giving him chances in the lineup.
The swap of Francisco Lindor for Rosario and Andres Gimenez remains an interesting one.
Rosario’s name was in trade rumors right away and while he has not been great, he is only 25 years old and nearly posted a 3.0 WAR in 2019.
He deserves a longer look and a walk-off hit is a great way to keep himself in the lineup.
Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak Dominate Again
Can @SamHentges repeat anything that James Karinchak says coming off the mound? 😂#OurCLE | @DreKnott pic.twitter.com/OhDmJbIxg4
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) May 12, 2021
The Cubs got a firsthand look at the dominant duo of Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak.
It started Tuesday with the perfect formula of Bieber, Karinchak, and Clase for the save.
Wednesday saw the Indians empty the bullpen, but it was still Karinchak and Clase late.
This time Karinchak came out last and ended up with the win.
Nick Wittgren also had a clutch inning of relief late as both sides were desperate for a run.
Sweeping any series is great and the low-scoring nature of this one doesn’t take anything away from the victories.
The Indians now get to jump on a plane for Seattle in what is the first edition of late night Indians baseball in 2021.
The Mariners are also debuting some top prospects so it will be a fun watch for MLB fans all over.
Leave a Reply