Carrasco takes loss, but saves bullpen

ARLINGTON -- Outside of a couple pitches that got away from him against Mitch Moreland, Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco pitched well in Sunday's series finale.

But those two pitches proved to be costly in the 5-1 loss to the Rangers at Globe Life Park. Moreland drove in the first run of the game with a double off the top of the right-field fence and brought home two more with a 407-foot home run to center in the sixth.

"That changed the game," Carrasco said. "He got me on the home run. I missed that spot. It was just a bad pitch."

Carrasco gave the bullpen a much-needed break by pitching a complete game, allowing five runs on seven hits over eight innings while striking out nine and walking two. He threw a career-high 114 pitches, 77 for strikes.

"He pitched a complete game, which we really needed," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "He made a couple mistakes basically to Moreland that really cost us the runs. … The two-run homer to Moreland hurt."

Carrasco retired the side in the first, fifth and seventh innings while only allowing a two-out walk in the fourth. He gave up a hard-luck run in the third when Prince Fielder dropped an RBI single in shallow center that Michael Bourn didn't get a good break on. Bourn's first step was back and, by the time he realized it was well in front of him, it was too late.

The only other run Carrasco surrendered came in the eighth when Delino DeShields led off with a single to center. DeShields stole second and moved to third on a groundout to first by Fielder before scoring on a sacrifice fly by Adrian Beltre.

But Carrasco made sure the bullpen, which worked 9 2/3 innings over the first two games of the series, didn't have to work.

"That's what I'm trying to do," Carrasco said. "We used the bullpen a lot the last two games. But that's something that made me happy. I feel good."