Cubs Hope To Awaken Bats In Game Two Against Indians
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CLEVELAND (CBSMiami/SportsDirect) – It's a great time to be a sports fan in Cleveland.
Yes, you read that correctly.
The Cleveland Indians overpowered Chicago's bats in the opener of the World Series and hope to do so again as they seek a 2-0 series lead when they host the Cubs on Wednesday.
Light-hitting catcher Roberto Perez belted two homers while the trio of starter Corey Kluber (nine in six-plus innings), Andrew Miller (three) and Cody Allen (three) combined for 15 strikeouts in Cleveland's 6-0 victory in Game 1.
Perez became only the fifth catcher in World Series history to hit two homers in a single game, joining Hall-of-Famers Yogi Berra (1956), Johnny Bench (1976) and Gary Carter (1986), as well as Gene Tenace (1972).
"I was controlling my emotions, I think that was a big part of it," Perez told reporters. "It has been an unbelievable night. I can't describe the words right now."
Chicago will look to even the series with Jake Arrieta on the mound and also will need some of its other key offensive players to join Ben Zobrist (3-for-4) in swinging the bat well.
"I was not disappointed," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said in his postgame press conference. "I know we had 15 punch-outs, I get it, but the quality of the at-bats were not that bad."
TV: 7:08 p.m. ET, FOX
PITCHING MATCHUP: Cubs RH Jake Arrieta (0-1, 4.91 ERA) vs. Indians RH Trevor Bauer (0-0, 5.06)
Arrieta has given up four runs in three of his five career postseason starts, but he believes he's getting more comfortable with the higher-pressure stage.
"I think what you really learn with the more experience you get in the postseason is the finer details, controlling the running game, not allowing mental mistakes and not allowing your opponent to capitalize on your mental mistakes," Arrieta said during a press conference. "Because, obviously, at this point in the season, the team that makes the fewest mistakes typically wins the ballgames."
Arrieta started one game at Progressive Field as a member of the Baltimore Orioles and picked up the win despite allowing six runs - five earned - and six hits in six innings of a 14-8 victory on Aug. 10, 2010.
Bauer badly cut his right pinkie finger while working on his drone on Oct. 14 and had to leave his Game 3 start in the American League Championship Series against Toronto in the first inning three nights later as the finger began bleeding profusely.
He said the cut now is healed and he tested the finger by throwing 20 pitches on Monday without incident.
"Threw it with max intent, just like in a game, as close to game intensity as I could possibly get to," Bauer said during a press conference. "There's no pain, no blood. I was able to execute all my pitches to a high level, and I'm really encouraged by it."
WALK-OFFS
- Wednesday's start time was moved up one hour due to the threat of rain.
- Chicago OF Kyle Schwarber (knee) was activated after being out since early April and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
- Cleveland SS Francisco Lindor recorded three hits in Game 1 and is batting .371 in 35 postseason at-bats.
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