CLEVELAND, Ohio – Closers usually lose games in drips and drabs or by one violent bolt out of the blue. Either way when they leave the mound, the game is in flames behind them.
Rarely is a closer forced to walk both paths in the same inning. But there are always exceptions as Cody Allen discovered Wednesday night at Progressive Field.
Allen started the ninth inning against the White Sox with a 7-5 lead. When leadoff hitter Justin Morneau struck out, he was two outs away from his 24th save. The same two outs separated the Indians from a seven-game lead in the AL Central.