James Shields’ two most common themes from this season played out once again Saturday in a 3-1 loss to the Indians: a lack of run support — 3.86 per game, 11th lowest among American League starters — and his penchant for giving up the long ball — in Saturday’s case, back-to-back homers.
In the sixth inning, Michael Brantley hit a Shields curve over the right-field wall. The next batter, Jose Ramirez, tattooed a Shields fastball 424 feet to right-center for his 34th home run. Shields dropped to 4-14 after his seven-inning outing.
“It’s been a frustrating season, there’s no doubt about it,” Shields said.