Shaky start, errors doom Indians in 6-2 loss to White Sox

In this last week of baseball for the Tribe, the team managed to put together solid starting pitching, patient hitting and disciplined defense en route to a five-game winning streak. Unfortunately things weren't clicking in any area of the game, and the streak came to an end Sunday afternoon, as the Indians fell to the Chicago White Sox 6-2.

RHP Danny Salazar

Shaky Start
Throughout last week, the Indians got five solid starts on the mound to power the win streak. But the staff took a step back today with Danny Salazar on the hill. The young flamethrower went five innings, allowing four runs on seven hits, while striking out nine and walking three. Things might have gone differently if the defense had backed him up, and if he made a few more big pitches when he had to.

Errors Are Killers
Defensive errors again came back to haunt the Tribe, as the Indians committed three on the day. All three of the errors happened in scoring situations and led to runs for the Pale Hosers. The scoring was aided early on by an error in the bottom of the 1st inning, and Leury Garcia singled home a pair of runs to make the Indians pay for it. The error helped the White Sox stake themselves to a 3-0 lead after one.

In the bottom of the 6th with the White Sox holding a 4-1 advantage, and the Indians struggling to get back in the ballgame, the Tribe shot themselves in the foot again. Cleveland's defense had Jose Abreu caught at home plate, thanks to a great throw from Brandon Guyer. Unfortunately, Roberto Perez dropped the ball as the runner crossed home plate.

The third and final error happened in the bottom of the 8th inning. As Carlos Santana was trying to make what looked like a routine pick at first base and end the inning, he couldn't cleanly glove the ball, as it bounced off his toe, and allowed the final run of the day to score for the White Sox. When the Indians play good baseball, solid and disciplined defense is one of the big keys to success. Unfortunately, the errors ended up hurting the Tribe today.

Tribe Lineup: Property of Derek Holland

LHP Derek Holland

For as shaky as Salazar was, and as badly as the defense played for Cleveland, Derek Holland was that good for the White Sox against the Indians for the second straight start. Holland didn't make things easy for the Tribe as he went six innings. He allowed only one run on three hits, while striking out six and walking three.

In two starts against the Tribe this year, Holland is 2-0 with a 0.75 ERA.

But the dominance that Holland has over Cleveland extends beyond just the last two starts. After this latest start, Holland is now 7-1 with a 2.27 ERA against the Indians in his career. Lefties have given the Indians fits so far this year, and this was no exception. Cleveland hitters are only batting .237 so far this season against southpaws.

Due Up
After returning to Cleveland for an off day on Monday, the Tribe resumes play by opening a three-game set against the Houston Astros. Tuesday's game is set for 6:10 p.m. Josh Tomlin toes the rubber for Cleveland, while lefty Dallas Keuchel makes the start for the Astros.

WP: Derek Holland (2-2, 1.99 ERA)
LP: Danny Salazar (1-2, 4.37 ERA)

Sources
Cleveland Indians team site
ERA Calculator at miniwebtool.com