Kluber Out-duels Sabathia , 5-2, Evens Series

A day after putting up a 13-spot on the Tribe, the Yankees were held to just two runs as they felt to the Indians in game two of the weekend series. The 2007 AL Cy Young Award winner C.C. Sabathia took the ball for New York this afternoon and struggled, as he allowed two homeruns in a game for the third consecutive outing. For Cleveland, 2014 AL Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber absolutely dominated the Yankees today, improving to 11-8 with his gem of a performance in the Bronx.

Both former Cy Young Award winners held their opposition scoreless in the first, but it was the bottom of the second inning that saw the first scoring action of the game. With one out, Starlin Castro lofted a single into left, coming around to score when two batters later rookie Gary Sanchez plugged the gap in left-center with a two-out double, his third double in his first four games. After a sharp single to right field by Aaron Hicks that advanced Sanchez to third, Cory Kluber threw a wild pitch to Ronald Torreyes that missed the target by 2-3 feet that allowed Sanchez to score, widening the Yankee margin to two.

Similar to last night's game, the Indians took a few innings to chip away at the Yankee lead, but would eventually battled back to tie the game. Jason Kipnis launched his 19th homerun of the season into the stands in right field to lead off the fourth that made it a 2-1 score. In the top of the fifth, after Abraham Amonte walked, advancing to second on a Carlos Perez ground out, Rajai Davis hit a two-out single to left that scored Almonte and knotted the game up at two.

Sabathia's struggles continued in the top of the sixth as the Tribe took the lead and knocked the big lefty out of the ballgame. With one out, Mike Napoli torched a hanging C.C. slider way over the wall in right-center to push Cleveland ahead by one. Then, after allowing a single to Carlos Santana, Sabathia walked Brandon Guyer and was pulled for righty reliever Anthony Swarzak, who got Abraham Almonte to strike out to end the threat with no further damage.

The Yankees pitching staff was once again bitten by the longball as Rajai Davis hit a line drive solo shot about 10 rows deep in left off Swarzak to extend the Indians lead to 4-2.

Corey Kluber was a strike throwing machine this afternoon, tossing eight innings of two-run ball, holding the Yanks to just five hits while walking one and striking out eight.

Cleveland tacked on one more run in the top of the ninth before they sent out their new closer Andrew Miller to sit down his former teammates. And, may I say it really sucked to see him come in and mow Yankee hitters down the same way he did for so long in pinstripes. Miller allowed one hit to Gardner before striking out Ellsbury and Teixeira. Brian McCann grounded out to short to end the ballgame and tying the series at a game apiece.

Here's to hoping tomorrow's rubber game looks more like last night's game rather than today's contest, with first pitch scheduled for 1:05 PM/EST.