Kluber whiffs 11 as Tribe blanks Rays

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Corey Kluber’s closing argument for the AL Cy Young Award was a convincing one.

Kluber struck out 11 in eight innings, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Tampa Bay Rays 1-0 on Friday night.

The game concluded about an hour before the Indians were eliminated from playoff contention by Oakland’s 6-2 victory at Texas. The A’s victory also put an end to Kluber’s breakout season.

Kluber (18-9), who allowed five hits and walked two, is tied for the AL lead in wins. He recorded his 11th double-digit strikeout game of the season and leads the majors with 269 strikeouts.

“He looked like he was on a mission, but he’s looked like that all season,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “That was Corey Kluber at his best, and he’s done it so many times.”

The race for the AL Cy Young Award appears to be down to Kluber and Seattle’s Felix Hernandez. The Mariners ace, who was roughed up in his last outing, is expected to start Sunday.

Kluber, as he has all season, deflected talk of any personal achievement.

“It’s not my call,” Kluber said when asked about his chances. “It would be a great accomplishment, but the biggest thing is the team winning.”

Cody Allen, who pitched a perfect ninth for his 24th save, believes Kluber should win baseball’s biggest prize for a pitcher.

“He’s been our horse all year,” Allen said. “He’s an elite talent. He’s a guy you can run out there and match him up against anybody. Every time he pitches we have a pretty good chance to win. A guy like him is pretty special.”

Kluber was at his best when his team needed him the most, going 5-0 with a 1.12 ERA in his last five starts. He had recorded 14 strikeouts in each of his past two outings, becoming the first pitcher since Randy Johnson in 2004 to have consecutive 14-strikeout games.

Kluber also helped Cleveland set the major league record for strikeouts in a season when he fanned David DeJesus in the eighth inning for the team’s 1,429th K of the season. Detroit’s pitchers fanned 1,428 in 2013.

“That says we’ve got pitchers on this staff with good stuff,” Kluber said. “That record speaks volumes for our staff.”