CLEVELAND -- Now, that is a little more like it.
After a rocky start to the 2018 season on a west-coast trip in Seattle and Los Angeles, the Cleveland Indians celebrated their home opener with early clutch hitting and a workmanlike performance from the pitching staff in a 3-2 comeback victory over the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field Friday.
PHOTOS: Cleveland Indians celebrate 2018 home opener at Progressive Field
The Royals broke through with a pair of runs in the first inning against the Indians.
Left fielder Jon Jay led off the game with a single to center field, and second baseman Whit Merrifield followed with a double to right that put two runners in scoring position with nobody out.
Third baseman Mike Moustakas brought in Jay with an RBI groundout to second base, and designated hitter Lucas Duda continued the rally when he flared a single to right field, which plated Merrifield for Kansas City’s second run of the game.
Although the Royals took a lead before the Indians came to the plate, the advantage was short lived.
It did not take long for Indians outfielder Michael Brantley to find his swing in his first at-bat of the regular season, and it produced two runs in the bottom of the first inning.
Despite Royals starter Danny Duffy having control issues against the first four batters of the season, Brantley jumped on the first pitch he saw with the bases loaded and hit the two-seam fastball into shallow right field, which drove in infielders Jason Kipnis and Jose Ramirez.
Brantley’s hit gave the Indians a 3-2 lead over the Royals with just one out in the first inning.
First swing of the season, first hit and RBI of the season.
That's a way to come back, Dr. Smooth!
Earlier in the frame, Ramirez lined a single up the middle and into center field, which drove in shortstop Francisco Lindor, who got on base with a lead-off walk, one of three free passes Duffy surrendered to the Indians’ first four hitters of the game.
Brantley was activated from the 10-day disabled list just prior to Friday’s home opener.
Although Carrasco struggled his way through the first inning, he settled into quite the groove and set down 13 consecutive Royals hitters, starting at the end of the first and carrying all the way through the fifth frame, but the top of the sixth required quite a bit of work.
Carrasco surrendered singles to catcher Drew Butera and Jay, and they moved to third and second respectively on Merrifield’s sacrifice bunt to the mound. The Indians elected to load the bases and keep alive a potential double play when they walked Moustakas intentionally.
However, that is when Carrasco buckled down and got out of the jam without any damage, as he struck out Duda and got first baseman Cheslor Cuthbert to line out to left field for the final out of the inning.
Carrasco finished the day allowing two earned runs, five hits and one intentional walk against four strikeouts over six innings of work against the Royals.
In the top of the eighth inning, left-handed reliever Andrew Miller walked the first batter and surrendered a follow-up single, but he started better locating his pitches and struck out Moustakas and Duda swinging before fighting back into a full count and setting down Cuthbert looking to end the threat.
