ST Game #12: Carrasco Makes His Spring Debut, Indians Fall to Angels 11-7 in Goodyear

Carlos Carrasco made his 2020 spring debut for the Indians, going two innings against the Angels as the Tribe fell to Los Angeles 11-7. Three Indians hit homers in the four-run setback that put the team at 3-9 on the season.

Cleveland Indians fans waited with anticipation for Tuesday afternoon, getting a chance to finally see Carlos Carrasco back on the mound in the starting rotation.

The Tribe starter went two innings, allowing two runs on three hits as the Indians eventually fell to the Los Angeles Angels 11-7 at Goodyear Ballpark.

The start for Carrasco came later than expected this spring after he suffered a minor hip injury earlier in training.

Carrasco is currently slated to be at the top of the rotation for the starting pitching staff when the team takes the field starting March 26 against the Detroit Tigers.

The loss for the Indians drops them to 3-9 on the season. They will be back on the field Tuesday as they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks on the road.

Here’s some tidbits from Tuesday’s affair against the Angels.

On the Mound: Just getting a chance to see Carlos Carrasco in a Tribe uniform on the mound in a start is enough to make any Indians fan smile.

He retired the side in the first inning, but didn’t get out of the second unscathed, as he allowed a couple singles as the Angels put up a pair of runs.

Carrasco in two innings allowed two runs on three hits, no walks and no strikeouts.

Expect to see the Tribe starter take another step forward when he takes the mound in a couple of days.

After Carrasco left the game, Brad Hand came in and threw a scoreless inning, as did relievers Oliver Perez and James Karinchak.

One pitcher whose struggles continued was that of Hunter Wood, who in one inning allowed two earned runs, four overall, on a hit with a walk and homer.

Wood’s ERA is now at an inflated 32.40 as he continues to try and do enough to make the final roster in a relief role.

Jefry Rodriguez also struggled coming in as a reliever, as he allowed four runs on three hits in 1.1 innings of work.

His ERA sits at 16.62 after a couple of starts and now an outing out of the pen.

At the Plate: The Indians blasted three homers in the four-run loss, with Franmil Reyes, Carlos Santana and Cesar Hernandez all getting in on the long ball action.

Santana went 3-for-3 in the win with a homer, while Hernandez had a pair of hits on the afternoon.

Reyes continued to impress at the plate, going 2-for-3 with a homer, run scored and a pair of runs batted in.

The team did not draw a walk on the afternoon, but did put up nine hits and seven runs. The team did strikeout 13 times in the loss.

Other Stuff: Reyes continues to be the most impressive bat in Goodyear, as he’s now hitting .500 and hit homer to the opposite field against the Angles was yet another indication of his offseason work.

How good has Reyes been? He’s recorded a hit in all 6 Cactus League games he’s played in, batting .500 (8-for-16) with 3 home runs, 7 extra-base hits and 7 RBI.

With a three-hit effort Santana raised his average to .412 on the spring with a .765 slugging percentage.

The team went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, leaving a pair of men on base in the loss.

Aaron Civale will get the ball in Wednesday’s outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He’ll go up against another new Diamondback as lefty Madison Bumgarner will take the mound. SportsTime Ohio will televise the game.