CLEVELAND _ The Indians went down fighting, clawing and scratching, but not even Michael Brantley's game-tying grand slam in the bottom of the ninth was enough in an 8-6 loss to the Texas Rangers in 12 innings Tuesday night at Progressive Field.
The Indians were down to their last strike, last out, last hope. And with their chances of victory sinking into the depths of defeat, Brantley brought them back with a thunderous swing at the last possible moment.
The Indians had been quiet all night offensively. They trailed 6-2 in the ninth, but three singles against Rangers reliever Keone Kela loaded the bases with two outs, creating a slight opening but still with a four-run deficit.
Enter Brantley, who, down 0-2 in the count, turned on a curveball from Kela and launched a game-tying grand slam to right field, the first of his career.
But it proved to not be quite enough. The Rangers got to the Indians' stretched-out bullpen in the 12th inning. Nick Goody's 27th and 28th pitches were both belted for home runs by Joey Gallo and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to give the Rangers an 8-6 lead, one that they were able to protect this time. Goody had pitched effectively to that point, retiring the final out in the 10th and pitching a scoreless 11th.
Rangers reliever Alex Claudio finished it in the 12th, pitching a 1-2-3 inning. This time, there were no heroics just as the credits were about to roll.
The Indians trailed 6-0 but chipped away in the seventh. With two runners on, Jason Kipnis lined a two-run double to right field to cut the lead to 6-2. It wasn't until Brantley's momentous swing that the Indians tied it, but the Rangers' power display in the 12th was the difference.
Indians starting pitcher Mike Clevinger pitched 62/3 innings, allowing three runs on seven hits and seven strikeouts. He was cruising until the fifth inning, when Delino DeShields lined a solo shot to the Home Run Porch and Shin-Soo Choo and Jurickson Profar followed with back-to-back doubles to put the Rangers ahead 2-0.
In the seventh, the Indians (15-13) turned to Jeff Beliveau, who delivered in one of the season's biggest moments in Monday night's win. The Rangers (12-19), though, got the better of him on Tuesday night. With two outs and a full count, Profar lined a double down the left-field line that scored two, giving the Rangers a six-run advantage.
