CLEVELAND: Holding a one-run lead midway through Thursday night’s game, Houston Astros reliever Chris Devenski carved through the Indians’ lineup — until he ran into Francisco Lindor.
Devenski, one of the top relievers in baseball, struck out five of the first nine hitters he faced and twice stranded the tying run in scoring position. But with a runner on first in the seventh inning, Lindor flipped the script and crushed the longest home run of his career to propel the Indians to a 4-3 win at Progressive Field.
Per MLB Statcast, Lindor’s prodigious two-run shot that landed in the visitors’ bullpen beyond center field went an estimated 456 feet. It was also his team-leading sixth home run of the season.
Devenski relieved Astros starting pitcher Mike Fiers in the fifth inning with a 3-2 lead. Lindor lined out to first base with Yan Gomes as the tying run on third before Michael Brantley hit a flyout to center to end the inning.
In the sixth, Edwin Encarnacion reached on a two-base error by center fielder Josh Reddick with nobody out. Still, Devenski cruised through the inning, striking out the side. He recorded two more strikeouts in the seventh before Lindor got the best of him.
Encarnacion and Abraham Almonte each hit a solo home run off Fiers, making all four Indians runs courtesy of home runs.
Starting pitcher Corey Kluber threw seven innings, allowed three earned runs on eight hits and struck out 10. It was the 25th double-digit strikeout game of his career and the first of his 2017 season.
He was helped by a highlight-reel catch by Almonte in the first inning. With the bases loaded, Yuli Gurriel hit a ball to deep right field, but Almonte snagged the potential bases-clearing hit as he crashed into the wall, saving Kluber from a disastrous inning.
Lindor credited Almonte’s catch for the Indians’ win even more than his go-ahead home run.
“He won the game right there. He won the game,” Lindor said. “And then coming up to hit, hitting the home run when nobody was doing anything. Him and Encarnacion stepped up huge. Abe, the way he went after that ball, I think he had a play like that earlier in the year, but he didn’t get to it. He kind of slowed down as he was getting to the ball, and the ball hit the wall. Today, he went all out.”
Cody Allen pitched the ninth to record his fifth save of the season in as many chances. He was aided by Gomes throwing out Jose Altuve trying to steal second base for the first out of the inning.
Josh Reddick and Carlos Beltran each followed with singles, putting the tying run on third with only one out. Allen recovered to get Carlos Correa to pop out in foul territory before striking out Brian McCann to end the game.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at www.ohio.com/indians. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/RyanLewisABJ.