Field Level Media
May 2, 2018
Edwin Encarnacion hit three home runs and drove in six runs as the Cleveland Indians romped to a 12-4 victory Wednesday over the visiting Texas Rangers.
Encarnacion hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added a two-run shot in the second, both off Rangers starter Matt Moore. He tagged a solo shot in the eighth inning off Jesse Chavez.
It was the third three-home run game of Encarnacion's career and the first since 2015 when he was a member of the Toronto Blue Jays. It was also the 30th multi-homer game of Encarnacion's career.
The Rangers' Nomar Mazara, Juan Centeno and Joey Gallo each hit solo home runs off Indians starter Corey Kluber. Mazara's fifth of the season came in the second inning, and Centeno's first of the season came in the third. Gallo hit his 10th homer in 2018 in the seventh inning.
The Indians' Jason Kipnis added a three-run home run, his first of the year, in a five-run second inning. Francisco Lindor and Erik Gonzalez each had three hits for the Indians, with Lindor hitting a solo home run in the eighth, his fifth of the season.
Kluber (5-1) won his fifth consecutive start after opening the season with a loss and a no-decision. The right-hander gave up three runs on six hits over seven innings, the sixth time in seven outings he has pitched at least seven innings.
Between a Delino DeShields single in the third inning and Gallo's home run in the seventh, Kluber retired 11 consecutive batters.
Cleveland scored double-digit runs for the first time this season. The Indians had given up double-digit runs twice in the past five games and four times since Opening Day.
The five home runs gave the Indians 42 on the season. They entered play Wednesday fourth in the American League in home runs.
Moore (1-4) gave up a career-high 10 runs on 11 hits over four innings. His previous high for runs in a game was nine, done twice, the last time against the Los Angeles Dodgers in May 2017.
With consecutive victories over the Rangers, the Indians improved to 7-5 since their April 17-18 series at San Juan, Puerto Rico, against the Minnesota Twins. The Rangers have dropped three of their past four games and have gone 5-7 since April 18.
--Field Level Media