Red Sox explode, bury Indians

8/13/2012

CLEVELAND -- A 14-1 loss is hardly the best way to wrap up a homestand.

Indians pitchers were knocked all over the ballpark on Sunday in the lopsided loss to the Boston Red Sox. Already trailing 6-1, Cleveland allowed eight runs in the fifth inning to turn this one into a rout.

Corey Kluber (0-1) gave up six runs in 3⅓ innings. Josh Tomlin followed Kluber and was even worse in allowing seven runs in 1⅓ innings. Tomlin and Frank Herrmann combined to throw 57 pitches in the fifth when the Red Sox sent 13 men to the plate.

"It was catch-up baseball from the get-go," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "It's not fun at all when you come to the plate and you're down by five runs."

Tomlin, who lost his spot in the rotation in late July, will have his right elbow examined this week in Cleveland and won't make the trip out west that begins today in Los Angeles. He didn't pitch last September because his elbow was sore, and Tomlin said Sunday it has bothered him for more than a month. That was a fact he didn't share with his manager.

"I felt like I could go out there and get outs," Tomlin said. "It didn't hurt every single day, but there were days it did hurt."

After winning 12 games last season, Tomlin is 5-8 with a 6.36 ERA in 21 appearances.

"Usually when a guy isn't 100 percent healthy that's when the command goes away a little bit," Acta said. "He had [symptoms] last year and he's had them once in a while. We're going to check him out. That's not him."

Carlos Santana made his first outfield appearance in 300 career games. He began the game at first base, but was moved to left field in the sixth inning. Acta decided to rest right fielder Shin-Soo Choo for the last four innings, and Shelley Duncan moved from left to right.

Kluber, making his third career start, allowed three runs in the first on Dustin Pedroia's RBI double and Adrian Gonzalez's 13th homer. That brought out Acta, who spoke sternly to the pitcher and catcher Lou Marson. Kluber allowed six runs in the first inning in his first start in Kansas City.

"I didn't want to go through what we did [in that game] when after he gave up six runs and that's when they started throwing his best pitch, which is that slider," Acta said. "That's a swing-and-miss pitch for him. The game started the same way today."

Jon Lester (6-10) cruised with the big lead after struggling to an 0-5 record and 7.49 ERA in seven starts since beating Toronto on June 27.

NOTES: 2B Jason Kipnis missed his fourth straight game with a stiff neck, but Acta expects him to play today. ... OF Michael Brantley was given the day off. ... INF Jose Lopez, designated for assignment on Aug. 7, was released. ... The Indians open a nine-game trip today against the Angels. RHP Justin Masterson (8-10) meets LHP C.J. Wilson (9-8).