Morton Shuts Down Tribe, Astros Top Indians 4-1; Three Takeaways From the Loss

By Corey Perez Friday evening didn't go as planned for the Cleveland Indians as they fell to the Houston Astros by a score of 4-1. Indians starter Mike

By Corey Perez

Friday evening didn't go as planned for the Cleveland Indians as they fell to the Houston Astros by a score of 4-1. Indians starter Mike Clevinger pitched well in his 6.1 innings allowing only three runs, but unfortunately his counterpart Charlie Morton pitched better.

Morton had been pitching well all season and it continued tonight, but it was George Springers two RBIs, including a homerun in the third inning, that were the difference. The Indians lineup was on its toes all night long, as Morton retired 19 of the 21 batters be faced.

Here are three takeaways following Friday's loss to the Astros

1. If only he could hit..

The Indians are looking for guys to play out in the outfield right, and have been all season. One 25 year old is getting his chance, Friday night he made quite the highlight play to save a two homerun, but Greg Allen also struck out three times. Allen made a play he will surely remember for the rest of his life, and also recorded his fifth hit of the season. His season average is now (.200,) but also poses to be a threat on the base paths.

His speed is what landed him a spot on the Indians postseason roster last season, pairing that with his ability to make plays like he did tonight… Allen could be quite the prospect but his bat is still a few steps behind the rest of his play. Hopefully he is able to figure things out because he would be a great Young cornerstone guy to grow with as an Organization.

2) One was good. The other was great

Friday nights game was sure to be a pitchers duel as both Mike Clevinger and Charlie Morton game in without blemishes and possessed sub 3.0 ERA. Unfortunately for Cleveland Clevinger's (6.1 IP, 6K, 3ER) weren't enough as Morton was able to dominate Cleveland's lineup most of the night.Morton allowed just four hits and one run, but his most impressive stat was his eight strikeouts. Morton came into Friday striking out batters at one of the better rates in baseball and he had guys guessing all night.

3) Below .500 Blues

The Indians fell (21-22) following Friday nights loss. Coming into the season the Tribe were favored to win the AL Central by a very large number of games, right now they hold just a one game lead over the Minnesota Twins. While no it's not time to hit the panic button by any means, the Twins have talent and are more than capable of going on a winning streak while the Indians “figure things out.” What was once thought to be easy could end up being a fight. Then again it is only May 19th.