CLEVELAND — Corey Kluber knew exactly what to do after one of the worst outings of his career.
“When that one’s over you flush it and move on to the next one,” he said after throwing a three-hitter as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Rays 6-0 on Tuesday night for their fifth straight win.
Kluber (7-7) bounced back from allowing a career-high eight runs and nine hits over five innings in Kansas City last Wednesday.
He took a one-hitter into the ninth against the Rays before Brad Miller and Evan Longoria singled with one out, but retired the final two hitters for his third career shutout.
Kluber, who struck out nine and walked two, felt strong when he went out for the ninth to finish his third complete game of the season, throwing 115 pitches.
“Until Tito (manager Terry Francona) tells me I’m done, I try to keep the mindset that I’m going to keep going back out there,” he said. “I don’t know what my pitch count was but I wasn’t really concerned with it.”
Rays manager Kevin Cash was Cleveland’s bullpen coach for two seasons, including 2014 when Kluber won the AL Cy Young Award.
“Corey Kluber is pretty good, to say the least,” Cash said. “Stating the obvious, he really had it going. There’s not much to say after that because it was a quiet night with the bats.”
Juan Uribe homered for the fourth straight game, a solo shot in the eighth. Jose Ramirez hit a two-run homer, also in the eighth.
The AL Central-leading Indians won their 10th straight game at Progressive Field.
Jason Kipnis‘ RBI single, on a play in which Rays centre fielder Desmond Jennings was charged with a three-base error when the ball hopped over his head, gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the third.
Rookie left-hander Blake Snell (0-2), making third major league start, allowed three runs in 6 2/3 innings. Tampa Bay has lost a season-high six straight.
Kipnis lined a hit to centre with two outs in the third and Yan Gomes on second. Jennings charged the ball, but it took a bad hop and bounced over his glove as he jumped. Jennings chased the ball as it rolled to the warning track.
Kipnis was waved home and beat the relay throw to the plate with a head-first slide. The play was quickly ruled an RBI single and Jennings was given an error.
“It was kind of the perfect storm,” Francona said. “It’s like icing in hockey, nobody is there. The ball is ahead of everybody. That was a weird hop, I thought they could have given him a home run because it was such a weird hop.”
Lonnie Chisenhall added an RBI single in the sixth.
Snell, rated Tampa Bay’s No. 1 prospect, allowed seven hits, struck out three and walked three.
BIG BAT
Uribe has homered in four straight games for the first time in his career. He has six homers for the season after hitting two in his first 48 games.
Uribe’s blast, which curled toward the foul pole in left field, followed Jose Ramirez’s two-run homer, giving the Indians their first back-to-back home runs of the season.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Rays: RHP Ryan Webb (strained right pectoral) made his second rehab appearance at Triple-A Durham, striking out two in one perfect inning Monday.
Indians: OF Michael Brantley has been diagnosed with right biceps tendinitis and has been given a cortisone shot. He had surgery on his right shoulder in November.
UP NEXT
Rays: RHP Chris Archer was a fifth-round draft pick of the Indians in 2006. He is 0-4 with a 4.91 ERA in four career starts against Cleveland.
Indians: RHP Trevor Bauer has a 3-2 record with a 3.23 ERA in 10 starts after making his first six appearances of the season in relief.
