NEW YORK (AP) — Michael Conforto hit a tiebreaking homer moments after an embarrassing error by Indians left fielder Oscar Mercado, and the resurgent New York Mets rolled from there to a 9-2 victory.
Mercado flubbed an easy fly in shallow left in the sixth and Conforto clocked his 27th homer, a two-run drive that gave the Mets a 4-2 lead.
The Indians fell three games behind first-place Minnesota in the AL Central but still leads the wild-card standings.
J.D. Davis also went deep and Steven Matz permitted only one earned run in 6 1/3 innings as the Mets opened a critical homestand against a trio of playoff contenders with a resounding performance.
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Indians ace Corey Kluber has been shut down for two weeks with an abdominal strain, an injury he sustained during his comeback from a broken arm. Kluber was pulled from a start with the Clippers after one inning.
He returned to Cleveland and the team says the two-time Cy Young Award winner will not throw for two weeks before he’s re-examined.
The right-hander hopes to make an impact in Cleveland’s playoff push.