CLEVELAND (AP) Carlos Carrasco pumped a fist and strode off the mound after his final pitch of the afternoon resulted in a crucial double play.
Carrasco struck out 10 and allowed one run in seven innings, helping the Cleveland Indians defeat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Wednesday.
His 109th pitch induced Lorenzo Cain to bounce into a double play that preserved Cleveland’s two-run lead.
”I had over 100 pitches,” Carrasco said. ”Then, I just tried to get a double play. That’s what we did.”
Carrasco (7-4) worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second and got a double-play ball in the fifth as he improved to 2-0 against the Brewers. He struck out 14 in a five-hitter at Milwaukee on May 9.
Michael Brantley hit a tying single in a three-run fifth, when Jose Ramirez hit a go-ahead double and scored on Yonder Alonso’s bases-loaded walk from Chase Anderson (4-5). Travis Shaw’s RBI single had put Milwaukee ahead.
Cody Allen got four outs for his 11th save in 12 chances as the Indians completed a two-game sweep. Allen saved Tuesday night’s 3-2 win for ace Corey Kluber.
”We faced two pretty good starters and a very good closer,” Brewers manager Craig Counsell said. ”We didn’t have any margin for error against their pitching.”
Anderson (4-5) allowed three runs in 4 1/3 innings. The Brewers have lost three straight for the first time since April 26-29, when they dropped four in a row.
Counsell was ejected by plate umpire Quinn Wolcott after Shaw was called out on strikes in the eighth. Counsell said he was in the dugout when he was tossed.
”Nothing was brewing all day,” he said. ”It was a benign ejection. I didn’t use any profanity, so I’m not sure why it happened. Now, once he ejected me, there were some words exchanged, but why it happened, I don’t understand it.”
Carrasco struck out four of his first six hitters and then allowed hits to five of the next seven. Christian Yelich led off the third with a double, took third on a groundout and scored on Shaw’s single.
Milwaukee loaded the bases with two outs in the second, but Cain flied out. Shaw grounded into an inning-ending double play with two on in the fifth.
”It was one of the toughest parts of the game, bases loaded,” Carrasco said. ”But it’s OK. I have to get outs. That was big.”
Indians manager Terry Francona thought Carrasco’s early troubles helped him later.
”Because he had to reach back for his last stuff, I think he found his best stuff and then for the rest of the game he was really good,” Francona said.
SPEEDWAY
Rajai Davis stole three bases for the 13th time in his career.
MILLER TIME?
Francona said LHP Andrew Miller (inflammation in right knee) felt fine after throwing a bullpen session. Miller will have one more side session, but it hasn’t been decided whether he will go on a minor league rehab assignment. Miller went on the 10-day DL on May 26 with the knee injury and also missed two weeks with a strained left hamstring.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Brewers: LHP Wade Miley (right oblique) continues to make progress while playing catch, according to Counsell. The 31-year-old was injured in a May 8 start against the Indians and has been on the 60-day DL since May 12.
Indians: OF Brandon Guyer (strained neck) could come off the 10-day DL Friday when the Indians open a series in Detroit.
UP NEXT
Brewers: RHP Jhoulys Chacin (4-1, 3.39 ERA) is to start Friday at Philadelphia.
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer (4-4, 2.77 ERA) is slated to open a series at Detroit on Friday.
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More AP baseball: https://apnews.com/tag/MLBbaseball
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