The Indians wrap up their six game trip through the Realm of Artificial Turf on Wednesday night when they face the Toronto Blue Jays at the Rogers Centre, seeking to end their journey away from home at 3-3.
Last night the Indians got good pitching, some fine defense from Jack Hannahan, and a slew of extra-base hits in beating Toronto 6-3.
Josh Tomlin will look for more of the same tonight.
Tomlin (6-2, 2.74 ERA) is coming off of a loss in Tampa Bay last Friday, in a game wherein he surrendered 10 hits and four runs in six innings of a 5-0 Rays win. This will be only the second appearance of Tomlin’s career against the Blue Jays, against whom he has no record and a 1.69 in only 5.1 innings of work.
Josh will be opposed by the Blue Jays’ Kyle Drabek (3-3, 4.16 ERA), who is coming off of a no-decision in Toronto’s 4-2 win over the White Sox last Friday. In that one, Drabek worked 6.2 frames and allowed only two runs on three hits. Drabek did, however, issue five walks in that game to go with four strikeouts. The game tonight will mark Drabek's first-ever appearance against Cleveland.
For the season, in 62.2 innings, Drabek has the same total of free-passes as K’s — 42.
That, folks, is a lot of walks in slightly less than seven full games pitched, so it would behoove the Tribe to make Drabek work and to run up his pitch-count if at all possible.
Tomlin, conversely, in 65.2 innings, has issued only 10 walks, to go with 34 strikeouts.
On Thursday the Indians open a seven-game homestand, which begins with four against the Texas Rangers, starting Thursday night, and continues next vs. the Minnesota Twins.
It will be good to get back on natural grass and to be home. It would be even better to take the field tomorrow night at 33-20.