ECM PADRES REPORT: TRIBE DOES THEIR RUN DANCE AND PILES IT ON TO AVOID SWEEP AGAINST PADRES

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Story by Liz Alper

Photo:  Lonnie Chisenhall's three-RBI night helped the Tribe avoid a sweep to the Padres.  Via @Indians on Twitter

July 6, 2017 (Cleveland) - For a fourth-place team, the Padres are certainly holding their own against a first-place team in the Indians.  They got the series win last night, now it was time to try for the sweep tonight against Josh Tomlin, who was on the mound for the Tribe against Dinelson Lamet.

The hot-handed rookie wasn't so hot today as the Indians took advantage of him right away.  Michael Brantley tripled in the first to score Francisco Lindor and Jose Ramirez scored him with a two-run homer to make the score 3-0 Tribe.

In the third, Brantley got on base again and Lonnie Chisenhall drove him in with a sac fly.  Bradley Zimmer hit a sac fly to score Edwin Encarnacion to up the score to 5-0 Cleveland.

In the fifth, the Padres started to claw back.  Erick Aybar hit a ground rule double that Hunter Renfroe scored on and Allen Cordoba hit a sac fly to score Corey Spangenberg to make the score 5-2.

But Encarnacion hit a solo homer in the bottom half of the fifth to bring the Indians’ lead back to four and kick Lamet out of the game.  Jose Torres came in and got the three outs, but the Indians led 6-2.

The new pitcher didn't help.  Yan Gomes hit a solo homer in the sixth.  After a Jason Kipnis double, Encarnacion hit a two-bagger of his own to drive him home.  Ramirez singled to score Encarnacion and the the Indians’ three-run sixth ended with them leading 9-2.

Chisenhall added two more runs for good measure in the eighth with a double and the Indians piled it on in the series finale to win 11-2 and avoid the sweep.

The Padres go back to National League play for the weekend with a stop in the City of Brotherly Love.  First pitch is at an unusual time on Friday:  3:35 p.m.  Nick Pivetta starts for the Phillies against Clayton Richard.