Indians’ Gomes hurt in loss to Tigers

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

On a day when Indians fans discovered an unlikely star, one of Cleveland’s most proven players had to be carried off the field.

In an instant, the fun got real serious.

Indians catcher Yan Gomes sprained his right knee while blocking the plate in the ninth inning and Cleveland dropped its second straight at home, 9-6 to the unbeaten Detroit Tigers on Saturday night.

With the Tigers leading 6-5, Gomes’ leg was struck by sliding Tigers outfielder Rajai Davis as he kept his foot on the plate for a force. Davis slid hard through the catcher’s leg, and Gomes remained on the ground for several minutes. He did not put any weight on his leg as he was helped off.

Cleveland manager Terry Francona said Gomes will undergo further tests, including an MRI, today. Francona did not think Davis made a dirty play.

“Gomer was just trying to hang on to the plate and it looked to me like he [Davis] just clipped his heel and that kind of turned his knee,” Francona said.

Gomes blossomed into one of the AL’s best catchers last season, when he batted .278 with 21 homers and 74 RBIs. He also played exceptional defense and anchored the league’s youngest starting staff.

Indians reliever Cody Allen (0-1), who gave up Ian Kinsler’s RBI single and a two-run double to Yoenis Cespedes in the ninth, said it was difficult to see Gomes go down.

“It’s always tough to see a teammate carried off, especially Yan,” Allen said. “He means so much to us. We hope he’s OK.”

The Tigers were able to overcome starter David Price’s throwing error, an injury to Victor Martinez and the arrival of Indians outfielder Jerry Sands, who drove in four runs with a pair of two-run, two-out doubles.

With the Indians four outs from another loss, Sands, serenaded by Cleveland fans with chants of “Jer-ry, Jer-ry,” delivered his second double to tie it at 5. Sands, recalled from Triple-A Columbus on Friday, gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead in the sixth with a two-run double before the Tigers scored three times in the seventh.

Not long after the Indians fans began chanting his name, the scoreboard in Progressive Field lit up with “JERRY,” a potential future star for the Indians. He received several standing ovations and Cleveland’s dugout erupted after both his big hits.

“That was really something,” Francona said. “I wish we were sitting here on a comeback win, but it still doesn’t diminish what he did. That was pretty neat.”

Sands, who also played for the Dodgers and Tampa Bay, said the chants were nothing new.

“It was fun,” he said. “It started in A-ball actually, and then I got it in Dodger Stadium as well. It gets the fans going, obviously. Sometimes they start the cheering, and not that it’s not warranted, but whether I do something special or not special, regardless they start it. But it’s always fun for them to get into the game and obviously a chant is always fun. “

Cy Young winners Price and Corey Kluber both pitched well enough to win, but came away with no-decisions.

Price didn’t allow an earned run in 52/3 innings, and may have cost himself his second win with a throwing error in the sixth, when the Indians took the lead and chased the left-hander.