Corey Kluber Fans 14 As Indians Sweep Blue Jays; Mark Reynolds Belts 2 HR In Colorado 13-3 Romp

Players of the Day for Sunday, July 23, 2017

American League

Following the all-star break, the Cleveland Indians played six straight games on the road and didn't look like the team that last season represented the American League in the World Series, losing five of six.

Kluber: 14 Ks

Since returning to the friendly shores of Lake Erie, however, the Indians have rolled to three straight wins, to the dismay of the Toronto Blue Jays, who were dismantled in the series by a combined score of 23-5.

Capping off the sweep was a dominating performance by Cleveland's ace, Corey Kluber, who allowed five hits an one lonely run in an 8-1 triumph at Progressive Field.

Kluber walked two and struck out a season-high 14 batters, getting each and every one of the Toronto position players at least once, including three whiffs by Jose Bautista.

Kluber is 8-3 with a 2.74 ERA and an incredible 0.96 WHIP. Opponents are batting .199 against him over the course of 16 starts. He's thrown two three-hit shutouts - both on the road - April 21 against the White Sox and June 19 in Baltimore.

Cleveland's victory keeps them 1 1/2 games ahead of Kansas City, which moved into second place in the AL Central with a 5-4 win over the White Sox while Minnesota dropped a 9-6 decision to Detroit.

The Indians welcome in Cincinnati Monday for a make-up game from May 25. After that they host the Angels for three games starting Tuesday.

National League

Reynolds: 2 HR

After the first of their three-game series in Colorado, the Pittsburgh Pirates appeared to be on their way to the top of the NL Central, going 7-1 since the all-star break. With two losses - including Sunday's 13-3 drubbing by the Rockies - the Pirates lost some of that momentum, dropping back under .500 (49-50), but find themselves still three games behind NL Central co-leaders, Chicago and Milwaukee.

The pressing issue for Pittsburgh is that they probably will have to win their division to make the playoffs, since the Rockies are leading for the first wild card at 58-42, with Arizona one game back. Pittsburgh is 7 1/2 off the wild card pace while the Rockies and Diamondbacks chase the runaway Dodgers, 10 1/2 ahead of Colorado.

Sunday was a showcase for Mark Reynolds, who parked a pair of home runs - his 20th and 21st - driving in three runs. He also singled, going 3-for-4 on the day.

Pittsburgh continues its nine-game road trip on Monday, heading to San Francisco for three games with the Giants. Colorado also hits the road. They start a three-game series in St. Louis on Monday.