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Indians top Rays on another Kluber gem

Sep 27, 2014 - 4:39 AM Cleveland, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - Corey Kluber closed out a brilliant 2014 season in grand fashion, striking out 11 over eight scoreless innings to allow the Cleveland Indians to edge the Tampa Bay Rays in a 1-0 duel.

Kluber (18-9) scattered five hits and two walks to win his fifth consecutive start and state a final case for the American League's Cy Young Award. His latest gem was just enough to best counterpart Chris Archer, who gave up next to nothing except for a solo homer to Jose Ramirez in the first inning that wound up as the game's only run.

"I'd say it was his best, but he's done it so many times, he's done it so consistently," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Kluber. "We get the Jose home run and it holds up, because Archer pitched really, really well."

The effort still wasn't enough to keep the Indians alive in the playoff race, however, as Oakland's win at Texas on Friday eliminated Cleveland from contention for a wild-card berth.

Archer (10-9) deserved a better fate in Tampa Bay's sixth loss in eight games. The right-hander yielded just two other hits and a pair of walks after Ramirez's blast, while striking out six over 7 2/3 outstanding innings.

He put himself in an early hole, however, as Ramirez drove a high fastball over the wall in right center with one out in the bottom of the first inning for what turned out to be the pivotal run.

"I feel like I executed that pitch," said Archer of the homer. "So it didn't really derail my game plan, it didn't tell me that my stuff wasn't playing in the zone well."

The Indians recorded only one more hit until Mike Aviles singled on Archer's final pitch in the eighth, but Kluber gave the Rays few opportunities as well.

Kevin Kiermaier tripled off the Cleveland ace in the fifth, but that came with two out and Kluber promptly retired Ryan Hanigan to keep it a 1-0 game.

The Rays put two on in the seventh, with Matt Joyce coming through with a single and Kiermaier drawing a two-out walk. However, Hanigan took a called strike three for Kluber's ninth K of the evening.

Kluber fanned two more during a perfect eighth inning and Cody Allen set the side down in order in the ninth to nail down the victory and notch his 24th save.

Game Notes

The Indians' 12 strikeouts gives them 1,431 for the season, breaking the major league record of 1,428 set by the Detroit Tigers in 2013 ... Kluber upped his strikeout total to an MLB-best 269, the most by a Cleveland hurler in a season since Sam McDowell's 304 in 1970 ... Indians outfielder Michael Brantley went 0-for-3 to have his 15-game hitting streak halted ... James Loney had two of Tampa Bay's five hits.