Indians Tidbits...

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<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>1 Down, 2 To Go: Indians Top Yankees

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Jhonny Peralta scores; Jorge Posada drops the ball

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 3, 2005

The Indians scratched out a 6-5 triumph at Jacobs Field on Tuesday night that was much, much more than your ordinary one-run victory. It was over the vaunted New York Yankees, a team that is in the same situation as Cleveland -- right in the thick of a six or seven-team scrum for a wild-card playoff berth.
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Cleveland has so many rivals in the race, but none with the mystique of the Yankees, who came to town for a three-game series having done something that no club in that storied franchise had ever done. New York had twice in a row scored four runs in the eighth inning to overcome a deficit and win -- the first time that had happened since the Cincinnati Reds did it in 1975. The last AL team to do it was the 1962 Kansas City Athletics and the Yankees had never done it before.

So when Victor Martinez drove in two runs and Ron Belliard hit a three-run double to help the Indians take a 6-1 lead, the Yankees pretty much had them right where they wanted them.

Sure enough, Alex Rodriguez hit a two-run homer, Tino Martinez hit a solo shot and the Yankees scratched out two more runs to trail, 6-5.

Bob Wickman got his 28th save, in typical Bob Wickman fashion. He yielded a two-out double to Bernie Williams in the ninth, then got the always-dangerous Derek Jeter to ground out to end it.

Scott Elarton (7-5) allowed three runs and four hits over the first six innings. He struck out four without a walk.

But the Yankees got an unearned run in the seventh when reliever Arthur Rhodes fielded a grounder, but threw it away for his first error in 417 games and more than seven seasons. In the eighth, Scott Sauerbeck uncorked a wild pitch that went all the way to the backstop, enabling Gary Sheffield to score from third base.

Martinez singled home Jhonny Peralta, who had doubled, to put Cleveland ahead, 1-0 in the first inning off Al Leiter.

Leiter walked two in the second inning and Grady Sizemore added an RBI single to make it 2-0. Then in the third, Leiter walked the bases full and Belliard brought them all home with a double down the left-field line for a 5-0 advantage.

Martinez hit his 14th homer in the fifth off Scott Proctor to make it 6-1.

Before the game, Cleveland called up veteran infielder Ramon Vazquez from Buffalo to fill the roster spot created when Brandon Phillips was sent back to the Bisons on Sunday. Vazquez had been acquired by the Indians from Boston for infielder Alex Cora on July 7. He hit .214 (18-for-94) in 21 games at Buffalo.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (63-49) outlasted visiting Indianapolis, 9-8. Brandon Phillips (.257) hit two solo homers, his 12th and 13th, and scored three runs in his first game back with Buffalo after spending most of July riding the bench with the Indians. Joe Inglett (.309) had two hits and three RBI, Mike Kinkade (.285) went 3-for-4, Jason Cooper (.272) drove in two runs while Ryan Garko (.298) and Dusty Wathan (.257) also had two hits apiece for Buffalo. Jose Diaz (1-0, 5.51 ERA) gave up one run over 1 1/3 innings, but got the win. Starter Jeremy Guthrie (5.20 ERA) allowed two runs (one earned) over six innings, but Chris Cooper (5.87 ERA) was pounded for four runs in just two-thirds of an inning. Jake Robbins (2.43 ERA) yielded an unearned run in the ninth, but got his 18th save.

CLASS AA AKRON (62-46) lost to visiting Reading, 6-3. Indians DH Travis Hafner went 0-for-4 and was hit in the right arm with a pitch in his second game of an injury rehab assignment with the Aeros. Lefty Jason Stanford struck out one in one inning in his first appearance for the Aeros and third overall as he continues to come back from elbow surgery. Red-hot Ryan Mulhern (.302) went 2-for-3 with his 10th homer and two RBI. Dan Denham (9-7, 3.15 ERA) allowed four runs over seven innings and Edward Mujica (4.19 ERA) yielded two runs in one inning.

CLASS A KINSTON (15-23) lost at home to Myrtle Beach, 6-4. Ryan Goleski (.207) had three RBI and Rodney Choy Foo (.273) had two of the K-Tribe's seven hits. Starter Tom Mastny (2.54 ERA) gave up two runs over five innings and Matt Davis (6.09 ERA) pitched two scoreless innings, but Jim Ed Warden (3-4, 3.99 ERA) was tagged for four runs over the final two innings to lose it.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (16-21) won in Hagerstown, 7-4. Matt Whitney (.224) hit a two-run homer, his third, and Tim Montgomery (.280) hit a three-run shot, his fifth, for the Captains. Ryan Knippschild (2-0, 3.46 ERA) gave up three hits, but no runs in one inning for the win. Starter Reid Santos (5.04 ERA) yielded four runs (three earned) over five innings. Jesus Soto and Kieran Mattison (3.32 ERA) each pitched one scoreless inning, with Mattison striking out the side and getting his 19th save.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (20-22) lost at Vermont, 8-3. Recently-signed outfielder Brent Thomas (.231) had two hits and two RBI while Boodle Clark (.206) had two hits and drove in the Scrappers' other run. Kevin Dixon (2-2, 4.11 ERA) allowed six runs (four earned) in only 3 2/3 innings and Mark Jecmen (3.42 ERA) gave up two more runs in 2 1/3 innings, though he did strike out five without a walk. Then Dustin Roddy (2.08 ERA) fanned four in two perfect innings.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (16-23) was not scheduled.
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<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>2 Down, 1 To Go... Could Tribe Sweep?

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Ben Broussard admires his 11th homer.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 4, 2005

Ben Broussard homered to spark an unlikely six-run uprising against Mike Mussina and Cliff Lee shut down the New York Yankees 1-2-3 the next inning as Cleveland claimed a 7-4 win Wednesday night at Jacobs Field. The Indians moved within one victory of doing something they have not achieved since 1970 -- a three-game sweep of the Yankees in Cleveland.
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Lee (12-4) fell behind, 4-0, but somehow managed to win for the sixth time in his last seven decisions. He went 6 2/3 innings, Bob Howry and Scott Sauerbeck each pitched two-thirds of an inning and then Bob Wickman worked a perfect ninth for his 29th save.

Wickman leads the American League in saves, while the Indians won for the fifth time in six games to pull within a half-game of New York in the wacky wild card race. Cleveland is just 3 1/2 behind wild-card leader Oakland, leads Toronto by one game, Minnesota by 1 1/2 and Texas by three.

Broussard's 11th homer triggered a six-run fifth inning that lasted 36 minutes. Mussina made 44 pitches before being replaced with two outs. Cleveland sent 10 men to bat and got three singles, two doubles and two walks after Broussard's blast.

Aaron Boone, who had his contract extended earlier in the day, went 2-for-3 with two RBI, Broussard had two hits and two RBI, while Jeff Liefer and Coco Crisp also had two hits, one RBI and one run apiece.

Staked to a 6-4 lead, Lee made quick work of the Yankees in the sixth, striking out two.

"Anytime you have a big inning like that you want to go out and put up zeros," Lee told reporters. "Early on they were geared up for my fastball, so I changed it up and it seemed to work."

It was the complete opposite for Mussina, who looked unhittable early, then couldn't do anything right. "The fifth inning was a disaster," he told reporters. "I tried everything. I wish I had an answer, but I don't."

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (63-49) had a day off. With a 4 1/2 game in the Northern Division of the Class AAA International League, the Bisons are scheduled to resume play Thursday night in Rochester.

CLASS AA AKRON (63-46) outlasted visiting Reading, 8-7, as Brad Snyder (.283) and Franklin Gutierrez (.261) both went 4-for-5. Snyder drove in four runs with a pair of two-run homers, giving him 10 since being called up to the Aeros and 16 for the season. Ryan Mulhern (.302) also hit a two-run homer, his 11th for Akron and 28th of the season, while Ivan Ochoa (.245) had two hits, including his first homer. Jake Dittler (7-7, 3.45 ERA) gave up five runs over seven innings but got the win. Juan Lara earned his third save. Indians DH Travis Hafner, on an injury rehab assignment with the Aeros, went 0-for-4.

CLASS A KINSTON (16-23) edged visiting Myrtle Beach, 4-3. Ryan Goleski (.210) had two hits, including a solo homer, his 10th, Rodney Choy Foo (.281) went 2-for-3 with a solo homer, his third, and Micah Schilling (.207) had two hits and two RBI. Nick Pesco (7-9, 3.69 ERA) gave up one run over seven innings.Todd Pennington (3.07 ERA) earned his third save.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (16-22) was blanked in Hagerstown, 5-0. Chris Gimenez (.219) had two of the Captains' five hits. Aaron Laffey (7-5, 2.90 ERA) yielded three runs (two earned) over six innings, Brandon Rickert (4.41 ERA) allowed two unearned runs over one inning and Adrian Schau (5.28 ERA) struck out two in a perfect inning.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (20-22) had a day off and will try to snap its five-game losing streak Thursday night in a home game against Staten Island.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (16-24) fell in the ninth inning to visiting Pulaski, 6-5. P.J. Hiser (.326) had two hits and two RBI, while Niuman Romero (.280), Nick Petrucci (.261) and John Drennen (.196) all had two hits apiece. Starter Christopher Hicks (3.34 ERA) allowed one unearned run over five innings, but Wilander Cruz (4.85 ERA) yielded three runs in just 1 2/3 innings. Albert Vargas (1.42 ERA) gave up one run over 1 1/3 innings and Josh Harris (1-4, 10.64 ERA) lost it by allowing three hits and one run in the ninth.
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<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Indians Come Close, Can't Sweep Yanks

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Bob Wickman ... no sweep for you.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 5, 2005

Not so fast, so-called Indians fans -- at least those loud ones in the crowd of 40,048 Thursday night who derisively and prematurely jeered the New York Yankees. They must feel a little foolish today after Alex Rodriguez and Jason Giambi hit ninth-inning homers to turn a 3-2 Cleveland lead into a 4-3 Indians defeat.
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It should have been a fabulous night for true Tribe fans to celebrate what could have been one of the franchise's shining moments. Perhaps the karma of those chiding another team instead of joyously celebrating their own club's good fortune tempted fate -- which again handed long-suffering Cleveland fans another kick in the seat of the pants.

Most of those fans who were chanting are probably too young to remember the last time the Yankees were swept in Cleveland -- since it hasn't happened since 1970. They prematurely thought they indeed had a three-game sweep. Instead, they'll have to settle for two of three -- still quite an achievement for a scrappy Cleveland club that continues to challenge in the AL wild-card race.

"I'm proud of the way these guys battled," said manager Eric Wedge. "I can't say enough about Kevin Millwood's performance or the way the entire team got after it. Sure, we wanted to win all three, but we gave ourselves a chance to win all three against a very good team. I mean, that's A-Rod and Giambi who hit those. It happens."

Millwood pitched eight superlative innings, yielding only solo homers to John Flaherty and Jason Giambi. The right-hander scattered eight hits and struck out eight without a walk. Such a performance no doubt would lead many of those same fans to question why Wedge would lift him to start the ninth. And they'd be wrong again.

"I was done," Millwood said. "I spent my last bit in the previous inning. If I had gone out there in the ninth, I would've been real tired. You've got to know when you're done."

Bob Wickman, trying for his fourth save in four games, gave up Rodriguez's 30th homer to tie it. One out later, Giambi hit his second homer of the game and 21st of the season to put New York up, 4-3.

"If not for me, we win three games," said Wickman, who was entirely too critical of himself, since in saving the first two games of the series, it could also be said that if not for the right-hander, Cleveland doesn't win two.

Wickman thought he made at least a decent pitch to Rodriguez.

"It wasn't exactly in the right spot, but it wasn't the worst pitch, either," said Wickman. "It was low, but he went down and got it.

"Giambi hit a slider. That was the first homer I've given up all year on a breaking ball.

"I felt good, I just didn't get it done."

Travis Hafner got it done in his first game back, however. The Indians' DH, who had been sidelined since with a concussion since being hit by a pitch July 17, got two hits and singled home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning.

Jhonny Peralta drove in Cleveland's other runs with a double and groundout.

All of it was worthy of some cheering, not boorish jeering of the Yankees.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (63-50) lost at Rochester, 4-1, as the Bisons got only three hits and made two errors. Fausto Carmona (4-2, 2.39 ERA) allowed three runs over six innings, Fernando Cabrera (1.23 ERA) yielded one run in one inning and Francisco Cruceta (5.36 ERA) pitched one perfect inning. Too bad Buffalo didn't have an offense player with initials F.C. to go with their pitchers. Jason Cooper (.273), Andy Abad (.291) and Jake Gautreau (.273) had the Bisons' hits with Gautreau getting an RBI.

CLASS AA AKRON (63-47) lost in 12 innings at home to Reading, 7-4, though Ryan Mulhern (.306) had two more hits, including his 12th homer for Akron and 29th overall of the season. Shaun Larkin (.230) also had two hits and a homer his seventh for the Aeros and ninth overall. Armando Camacaro (.239) had three hits and Ben Francisco (.265) went 2-for-6 for Akron. Victor Kleine (0-5, 3.89 ERA) allowed three runs in the 12th to lose it. Starter Ron Bay gave up four runs over seven innings, Rafael Perez (1.05 ERA) pitched one perfect inning and Travis Foley (4.25 ERA) worked a scoreless 1 1/3 innings.

CLASS A KINSTON (16-24) fell to visiting Lynchburg, 3-2. Rodney Choy Foo (.281) drove in both runs without an official at-bat, hitting two sacrifice flies and walking twice. Starter Sean Smith (3.42 ERA) struck out 10 over six innings, allowing one run four hits and two walks. Chris Niesel (5-4, 4.87 ERA) gave up two runs over 1 2/3 innings and Tony Sipp (2.63 ERA) got a blown save by allowing inherited runners to score, though he was credited with working a scoreless 1 1/3 innings.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (17-22) won in 11 innings at Hagerstown, 7-4. Ricardo Rojas (.217) led off the 11th with his third homer and Matt Whitney (.225) added a two-run double later in the inning. Fernando Pacheco (.237) had three hits and three RBI, while Tim Montgomery (.277) and Josh Noviskey (.247) each had two hits for the Captains. T.J. Burton (4-7, 4.62 ERA) worked two scoreless innings for the win and Kieran Mattison (3.23 ERA0 yielded a walk and two hits in one inning, but got his 20th save.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (20-23) lost at home to Staten Island, 5-0. Jose Constanza (.263) had three of the Scrappers' seven hits as Mahoning Valley lost its sixth straight. Ryan Edell (1-2, 2.65 ERA) yielded three runs over innings.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (16-25) lost at home to visiting Pulaski, 8-3. Jason Schutt (0-4, 7.07 ERA) gave up seven runs (six earned) over only 3 1/3 innings.
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<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Tribe Topples Tigers With 9-Run Sixth

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Coco Crisp ... a two-run homer.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 5, 2005

Robby Thompson managed the Indians to a 9-6 victory Friday night -- and he won't be allowed in the Tribe dugout on Saturday. If that sounds a little weird, get a load of how the Indians won -- with your ordinary, run-of-the-mill nine-run sixth inning in which Casey Blake and Coco Crisp both drove in three runs, each getting a single and a home run.
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Manager Eric Wedge served a one-game suspension handed down earlier in the day by the American League for his part in a beanball battle in Seattle on July 29. Wedge, Kevin Millwood, David Riske and Thompson were all ejected that day. Wedge and Thompson each got one-game suspensions -- and Thompson will serve his Saturday. Millwood began serving his five-game suspension Friday, while Riske appealed his four-game suspension and pitched against the Tigers.

C.C. Sabathia (7-9) had another of his meltdown innings after pitching well -- but it was nothing to what Tigers starter Nate Robertson (5-10) and reliever Roman Colon experienced in the sixth inning.

Sabathia broke his personal five-game losing streak. He trailed, 1-0, then suddenly led 9-1 before giving up four runs in the Tigers' five-run seventh that got Detroit back into the game. Riske, Rafael Betancourt and Bobby Howry each worked one inning of relief, with Howry pitching a perfect ninth for his third save.

Sabathia held Detroit hitless until Carlos Guillen opened the fourth with a single. Guillen eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Ivan Rodriguez -- who before the game also was handed a four-game suspension (which he appealed) for arguing with an umpire earlier this week.

Then Cleveland's one-thru-nine offense worked to perfection as the Indians' first seven batters in the sixth all hit safely. Blake triggered the uprising with his 13th homer. Grady Sizemore then tripled and scored on Crisp's ninth homer for a 3-1 lead. Jhonny Peralta doubled, went to third on a single by Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez added an RBI single. Another single by Jose Hernandez loaded the bases before Ron Belliard struck out for the first out of the inning.

Aaron Boone hit an RBI single, Blake came back with a two-run single for his second hit of the inning, and Sizemore walked to reload the bases. Crisp got an RBI single for his second hit in the rally and Blake scored the final run of the uprising on an error by Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge. After Hafner struck out, Martinez narrowly missed adding a grand slam, but his long fly ball was caught to end the inning.

Rondell White sparked Detroit's five-run seventh with a homer and Inge hit a three-run shot off Riske later in the inning.

Peralta and Blake each had three of Cleveland's 16 hits.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (63-51) got only one hit and lost at Rochester, 5-1. Jose Morban (.306) doubled to lead off the third inning and eventually scored on an error. Otherwise, the Bisons got two walks and struck out 11 times. Buffalo right-hander Jason Davis (6-4, 5.21 ERA) allowed five runs on five hits and one walk over eight innings. He struck out seven.

CLASS AA AKRON (64-47) won at Altoona, 4-1. Ben Francisco (.270) had two hits and two RBI and Javier Herrera (.249) went 3-for-4 with one RBI for the Aeros. Jason Stanford (1-0) allowed one unearned run over two innings, but was the winner. He gave up two hits and struck out three. Starter Brian Slocum (4.64 ERA) pitched four scoreless innings, Edward Mujica (3.80 ERA) worked two scoreless and Juan Lara struck out one in a perfect ninth for his fourth save. Lara has yet to allow a run in nine innings over eight outings since being promoted from Kinston.

CLASS A KINSTON (17-24) scored twice in the eighth and twice more in the ninth and defeated visiting Lynchburg, 5-4. David Wallace (.185) hit his 10th homer leading off the bottom of the ninth to tie the score. Brandon Pinckney then walked, advanced on a wild pitch, was bunted to third by Argenis Reyes and scored on a sacrifice fly by Nate Panther to win it. Brian Barton (.328) and Mike Conroy (.259) each went 2-for-4 with Barton driving in one run and Conroy two. Starter Adam Miller (4.11 ERA) gave up two runs over five innings, Jim Ed Warden (4.18 ERA) allowed two over two innings and Kyle Collins (7-7, 3.76 ERA) struck out two over two perfect innings to win it.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (18-22) won at Hagerstown, 8-3. Fernando Pacheco (.238) hit a grand slam, his 10th homer of the season for the Captains. Brian Finegan (.295) had one hit and two RBI while Wyatt Toregas (.218) went 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Cody Bunkelman (3-4, 3.47 ERA) gave up one earned run and one unearned run over five innings. Ryan Knippschild (3.18 ERA) allowed one run over the final four innings and got his first save.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (20-24) lost in 11 innings to visiting Staten Island, 3-1. The Scrappers got only four hits and P.J. Hiser (.286) drove in a first-inning run. Starter Joe Ness (1.74 ERA) pitched five scoreless innings and Justin Pekarek (1.50 ERA) struck out seven and allowed an unearned run over four innings. He has fanned 43 in 30 innings this season. Matt Loberg (0-3, 3.00 ERA) pitched a scoreless 10th, then gave up two runs in the 11th.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (17-25) edged visiting Pulaski, 2-1, on an two-out RBI single by Jansy Infante (.232) in the 10th inning. Alfred Ard (.257) had two hits, including his first homer. Jorge Riera (2-1, 4.05 ERA) gave up only one hit over five scoreless innings. Starter Michael Storey (3.76 ERA) allowed one run over five innings.
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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Cleveland 4, Detroit 2</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER height="1" type="block" width="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>August 6, 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 6, 10:52 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>DETROIT (AP) -- Jake Westbrook wiped out his struggles against the Detroit Tigers with one impressive start.

Westbrook got his first win against the Tigers in four outings this season and won his fourth straight start overall, leading the Indians to a 4-2 victory Saturday night.

Westbrook was 0-3 with an 18.32 ERA against Detroit before giving up four hits and two runs in seven innings.

``Well, you try to forget them in one sense,'' Westbrook said. ``But you want to remember them because you don't want them to happen again. They put it on me the first couple of times through, but tonight I felt good.''

Jhonny Peralta homered and Grady Sizemore had an RBI triple as the Indians won for the seventh time in nine games. Westbrook (10-12) only blemish was Magglio Ordonez's two-run homer. Westbrook walked one and struck out eight.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>``Jake pitched real good,'' said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge, who returned from a one-game suspension after being ejected from a July 29 game in Seattle. ``He did a good job keeping the sinker down and was good at working it in and out. He was able to mix in some breaking pitches , but the sinker is his strength.''



But it was the slider, Westbrook said, that was working early.

He mixed sliders and changeups early, when he struck out five of the first seven Detroit batters.

``Sometimes when I'm striking out guys it's like I'm not doing my job, because I'm a groundball guy,'' Westbrook said.

Wedge was happy to get another strong performance from a Cleveland starter.

``It all starts with your starting pitcher,'' Wedge said. ``He gives you a chance to win or he doesn't. Starters can't control whether you win or lose a game, but they can control whether or not they give us a chance to win.''

The Indians helped themselves with clutch hitting; the first three runs came on hits with two outs.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 6, 10:34 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>``Two-out hits really help finish an inning,'' Wedge said. ``You take an inning where you're looking at no runs and get one, or two, and it really helped us out tonight.''

Bob Wickman pitched the ninth for his 30th save in 35 chances.

Detroit's Jeremy Bonderman (13-8) went six innings for the Tigers, who have dropped eight of 11. He walked two and struck out six.

``I thought I pitched not great, but I pitched well enough to keep us in the game and give us a shot down the stretch,'' Bonderman said. ``I wasn't on my game. I hit a lot of 3-ball counts, 3-2 counts.''

The Indians scored their first three runs with two outs.

In the first, Coco Crisp and Travis Hafner scored on two-out singles by Victor Martinez and Ben Broussard to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead.

Sizemore hit his RBI triple in the fourth, scoring Casey Blake, who had singled with two outs.

Peralta homered in the seventh for Cleveland to make it 4-2.

``That solo shot was big,'' Wedge said. ``For the last two weeks now, we've been seeing pitches and really working up there. They've made adjustments and stuck to the plan.''

The Tigers broke through in the sixth. Chris Shelton led off the inning with a walk and Ordonez followed with a two-run homer, his fifth.

Westbrook then retired the next six Detroit batters. <SMALL>Notes</SMALL> Westbrook's eight strikeouts tied a career high. ... Both teams wore Negro League uniforms. The Indians wore those of the Cleveland Buckeyes, the Tigers those of the Detroit Stars. ... Indians bench coach Robby Thompson served a one-game suspension for being ejected in a game July 29 against Seattle.



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<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Cleveland 6, Detroit 5</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>August 7, 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 7, 4:32 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>DETROIT (AP) -- Casey Blake felt the Cleveland Indians got lucky Sunday.

Ronnie Belliard hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the eighth inning, helping Cleveland overcome four errors to beat the Detroit Tigers 6-5 and complete a three-game series sweep.

Blake and Grady Sizemore also homered for the Indians, who committed two errors on one play leading to three runs in the Tigers' five-run second inning.

``With those four errors, we probably didn't have any business winning the game,'' Blake said. ``But we kept scrapping, came back and, obviously, a big homer.''

David Riske (3-3) pitched 1 1-3 innings for the win, and Bob Wickman worked the ninth for his 200th career save and 31st this season. Tiger starter Jason Johnson allowed three runs -- one earned run -- and six hits in seven innings.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>He split a nail in the sixth fielding a grounder, and that's why manager Alan Trammell pulled Johnson after seven innings.



``It didn't bother me at all. I pitched a good seventh inning. I felt good and confident and I would have went out for the eighth,'' Johnson said. ``I wasn't surprised by the decision to take me out. They must have had a plan in mind.''

Detroit led 5-3 going into the eighth. After a one-out walk to Jhonny Peralta by reliever Craig Dingman, Vic Darensbourg entered and walked Travis Hafner.

Belliard then hit the second pitch from Fernando Rodney (1-2) over the left-field fence.

``I know I hit it good, but I didn't know if that ball was going to go out,'' Belliard said.

``I wanted to get the pitch low and away,'' Rodney said. ``But I got it up high.''

Three Cleveland errors led to a five-run second inning for Detroit. Nook Logan scored on his single to left field during the two-error play.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 7, 3:00 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Rondell White led off with a single. Ivan Rodriguez followed with a grounder to third baseman Aaron Boone, whose throw to second went into right field and allowed White to advance to third. Craig Monroe's sacrifice fly made it 1-0.

John McDonald then singled to send Rodriguez to second. Logan followed with a single to left and Crisp's throw to the plate beat Rodriguez, but he knocked the ball out of catcher Josh Bard's glove. First baseman Jeff Liefer retrieved the ball and threw home to try to get McDonald, but the throw went over Bard's head and Logan also scored for a 4-0 lead.

``Coco made a good throw. ... I caught it and I never really got a hold of it,'' Bard said. ``I had it for a split second. I think it was already moving when I reached to tag him.''

Logan got credit for an RBI, Bard was charged with an error for losing the ball and Liefer got an error for his wild throw.

``There's no chance that I thought I could score on that play,'' Logan said. ``But when the ball got away from the catcher, I was following McDonald's lead. And when I saw it go to the backstop, I just took off.''

One out later, Brandon Inge homered.

The Indians got three in the fifth on the homers by Blake and Sizemore.

Blake hit his 14th home run of the year, a solo shot, with two outs. Bard then reached on an error by third baseman Inge and scored on Sizemore's 12th homer of the season.

Indians starter Scott Elarton allowed eight hits and five runs -- one earned -- in 5 2-3 innings. <SMALL>Notes</SMALL> The Indians' Peralta is 8-for-16. ... Detroit 1B Chris Shelton is in a 2-for-18 (.111) slide. ... Blake was 2-for-4 to stretch his hitting streak to nine game (15-for-32, .469) and has three home runs and six RBIs in that span.



</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Go Figure: Indians Score 11 In Ninth

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>

Cliff Lee and Carl Willis were sweating it out.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 10, 2005

The beauty of baseball was in full bloom in Kansas City on Tuesday night, where down suddenly became up. Such unpredictability is the essence of sports, but seldom has it been displayed so dramatically. There never will be a logical explanation for the sequence of events that transpired as the Indians scored 11 runs in the ninth inning to hand the bumbling Royals their 11th consecutive loss, 13-7.
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>
"It was a crazy game," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge told reporters in an understatement topped only by Royals manager Buddy Bell's assessment: "We're playing, really, really bad."

Wedge best described it by saying, "It was two different games."

You think?

A severe miscalcuation by Wedge early in the game -- when he let left-hander Cliff Lee pitch to Royals right-handed slugger Mike Sweeney with first base open -- helped Kansas City take a 7-2 lead. More about that later, because the Indians' incredible uprising pulled their skipper's bacon out of the line of fire by second-guessers.

Kansas City entered the ninth leading, 7-2, and called on Mike MacDougall to get the final three outs. Instead, Cleveland scored 11 runs on one homer, two walks, three singles, four doubles -- and three astoundingly rockhead errors that led to eight unearned runs. Try to follow along, if you will:

Casey Blake doubles to left.
Grady Sizemore doubles to left, scoring Blake. 3-7.
Coco Crisp singles to center, scoring Sizemore. 4-7.
Jhonny Peralta is called out on strikes.
Travis Hafner doubles Crisp to third.
Victor Martinez singles to left-center, scoring Crisp. 5-7.
Ron Belliard reaches first when his blooper is dropped by shortstop Angel Berroa, scoring Hafner, though pinch-runner Rafael Vasquez is forced out at second. 6-7.
Jeff Liefer, pinch-hitting for Ben Broussard, hits a fly ball to left that Chip Ambres simply drops, scoring Belliard, with Liefer going to second. 7-7.
Aaron Boone doubles on the first pitch to left, scoring Liefer. 8-7.
Jimmy Gobble replaces MacDougall, falls behind in the count, 3-0, and then intentionally walks Blake.
Sizemore singles to right, scoring Boone and Blake -- Sizemore going to second on right-fielder Emil Brown's error. 10-7.
Crisp walks.
Peralta hits his 16th homer to left-center, scoring Sizemore and Crisp. 13-7.
Hafner strikes out.

It gave the Indians their eighth win in nine games as Cleveland pulled into a tie for second place with the New York Yankees in the AL wild-card race. It was the Indians' second straight amazing comeback as Cleveland overcame a 5-0 deficit to win 6-5 Sunday in Detroit.

The Indians didn't exactly ride the crest of that triumph in the early innings Tuesday.

"Obviously we didn't play particularly well early in the game," said Wedge. "But that's why you play this game until the end. The guys did a great job of taking advantage of opportunities at the end. You don't take anything for granted."

In the second inning, Kansas City put runners on second and third with two outs. Sweeney, a .302 hitter this season against lefties and a slugger who has always pounded Cleveland pitching, came to the plate. With lefty Matt Stairs next in the order, the prudent move seemed to be to walk Sweeney. But Wedge let Lee pitch to the right-hander, who hit an 0-1 pitch for his 18th homer and a 3-0 lead.

After Peralta singled home a run in the top of the third, the Royals made it 4-1 when Martinez was called for catcher's interference, allowing Berroa to score from third. Brown made it 5-1 with an RBI double in the fifth.

The Indians left the bases loaded in the second and eighth innings and Peralta was picked off first to end the third.

Brian Tallet pitched well in relief of Lee, who gave up six runs (five earned) over five innings. Tallet worked two scoreless innings before running into trouble in the eighth. He yielded a homer to Berroa to make it 7-2, then walked two more. Scott Sauerbeck (1-0) then made three pitches and got two outs. Sauerbeck, who missed all of the 2004 season, ended up getting his first win since 2003, when he pitched for Pittsburgh.

The key swing of the bat in the entire game, however, was one that isn't seen in the box score. It was by Liefer, who was batting for Broussard because "I just wanted Lief to hit right there," according to Wedge. Liefer fell behind in the count 0-2, and then took one of he more awkward looking swings, but managed to just tick a hard slider foul to stay alive. "Lief just got a piece of one, like I said, it's a crazy game," said Wedge.

Two pitches later, he sliced his drive to left that hit the heel of Ambres' glove, allowing the tying run to score.

Crisp had three of Cleveland's 17 hits and scored four runs. Martinez also had three hits, while Sizemore, Peralta, Hafner, Belliard and Boone had two apiece.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (64-55) lost at Pawtucket, 4-3, and fell out of first place in the Northern Division of the International League. The Bisons are just 14-24 since June 27. Jason Cooper (.268) hit his 10th homer, a solo shot. Including his time at Akron, he has 21 homers for the season. Cooper (.268) went 2-for-4 with three RBI. Andy Abad (.292) went 3-for-4, but the Bisons got only two other hits. Starter Fausto Carmona (2.62 ERA) gave up three runs -- all homers -- over six innings. Jose Diaz (1-1, 4.35 ERA) allowed one unearned run in 1 1/3 innings. The run was unearned because of a fielding error in left field by Cooper -- his first of the season.

CLASS AA AKRON (67-48) rolled to an 11-1 lead and held off Erie, 13-9, to keep a five-game lead in the Southern Division of the Eastern League. Brad Snyder (.296) hit a three-run homer off heralded right-hander Justin Verlander. Snyder went 2-for-4 with three runs and five RBI overall. Ryan Mulhern (.321) went 4-for-4 -- all doubles -- and drove in three runs, Franklin Gutierrez (.261) was 3-for-6 with two runs. Ron Bay (3-2, 4.25 ERA) gave up two runs over six innings. He struck out seven and walked one. Victor Kleine (4.58 ERA) was pounded for nine hits and six runs (four earned) in only 1 2/3 innings and Juan Lara (0.79 ERA) gave up one run over the final 1 1/3 innings.

CLASS A KINSTON (19-25) swept a doubleheader at Myrtle Beach, winning the completion of a suspended game from Monday night, 6-4, then blanking the Pelicans, 6-0. Nick Pesco (8-9) gave up four runs over five innings in relief, but won the suspended game. Kyle Collins got his first save. Mike Conroy drove in two runs for Kinston. In the regular game, which was turned into a seven-inning contest as the second part of the "doubleheader," Chris Niesel (6-4, 4.61 ERA) allowed three hits over five scoreless innings while Shea Douglas and Jim Ed Warden each worked one scoreless inning to complete the shutout. Brian Barton (.331) and David Wallace (.191) each had two hits and two RBI, while Stephen Head (.304) and Conroy (.267) also had two hits apiece.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (19-23) was rained out for the second night in a row at Kannapolis. The Captains had a 2-0 lead in the third inning of the first game of a scheduled doubleheader when rain resumed. Brian Finegan (.297) tripled in the first and scored on a wild pitch. Trevor Crowe (.239) tripled in the third and scored on Matt Whitney's sacrifice fly. Aaron Laffey (2.83 ERA) started for the Captains and gave up three hits in three scoreless innings. All the individual statistics from the innings count, though the two games will not be made up. The Captains are off Wednesday and open a homestand Thursday at Classic Ballpark in Eastlake, Ohio.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (23-25) battered Brooklyn, 11-3. Trevor Mortensen (.264) hit a three-run homer, his second, to lead the Scrappers. Jose Constanza (.257) and Matt Fornasiere (.266) had two RBI apiece. Starter Ryan Edell (2-2, 3.00 ERA) allowed three runs over five innings. Mark Jecmen (2.78 ERA) walked three and struck out one, but did not allow a hit over the final four innings for his first save.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (18-28) scored four runs in the ninth inning, but lost at Greenville, 8-7. Jason Denham (.200) went 2-for-2 with two RBI and Cristo Arnal (.236) went 3-for-4 for Burlington. Jason Schutt (0-5, 7.55 ERA) gave up six runs (four earned) over three innings, Julio Pinto (3.91 ERA) gave up two runs over three innings and Paul Lubrano (0.82 ERA) struck out three over two perfect innings.
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[scarletandgrey]

I thought the game was over last night so I changed the channel. When I turned it back the Tribe had put 2 on the board top make it 7-4 with two guys on and the tieing run at the plate. Arter that it was all down hill for the Royals commiting 3 Errors to give away lead and an 11 run ninth. I loved it

 

[exhawg]

I thought the game was over last night in the bottom of the 8th so I went to bed. I was shocked this morning when I saw that they had come back to win.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

You have to love the tribe, they have struggled at times but this is where we need to make up some ground on Oakland, while Oakland is playing the Angels and Twins, the Tribe has the Royals and Devil Rays.

We have to win these next two series.

 

[AKAK]

You have to love the tribe, they have struggled at times but this is where we need to make up some ground on Oakland, while Oakland is playing the Angels and Twins, the Tribe has the Royals and Devil Rays.

We have to win these next two series.

I have to beleive... that regardless of last night... We're chasing the Angels at this point.... and we're in a death struggle with the Yankees to do it... the Twins have nosedived since Hunter went down.. and the Yankees Pitching Troubles continue... it hurts them to have lost a great start by Chacon last night as well...

 

[scarletandgrey]

Don't the angels lead the west? Or are both the angels and the A's in front of us in the wild card?

Edit: I quit being lazy and looked it up. LAA does lead the west leaving us in a race with NYY to catch the A's who hopefully lose again tonight to the LAA.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width=750 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top width=560><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR><TR><TD class=yspsctnhdln>Cleveland 6, Kansas City 1</TD></TR><TR><TD height=7><SPACER type="block" width="1" height="1"></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Preview - Box Score - Recap </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>By DOUG TUCKER, AP Sports Writer
August 11, 2005

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 10, 11:48 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Things have gotten so bad in Kansas City, Wednesday night's 6-1 setback to Cleveland actually felt like an improvement to the Royals.

And coming off Tuesday night's frightful collapse where they gave up 11 runs in the ninth inning, who could argue?

``It looked better because I've never seen anything like last night,'' Royals manager Buddy Bell said of his team's 12th straight loss. ``Yeah, it looked better because it was more of a conventional loss.''

Grady Sizemore hit a 3-1 pitch for his first major league grand slam and added an RBI single to power the Indians past the hapless Royals, who matched the club-record 12-game skid of 1997.

``I just wanted to get a pitch where I could drive some runs in,'' said Sizemore, who set a personal best with five RBIs. ``I happened to get a fastball and put a good swing on it.'' C. C. Sabathia (8-9) went six innings, giving up seven hits and one run, with six strikeouts and one walk. After losing 4-3 to New York in their last home game, the Indians are 5-0 on a six-game trip to Detroit and Kansas City.

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>Sabathia has won two straight after breaking out of a five-game losing streak of his own.

``Getting out of jams was something I wasn't doing on the losing streak,'' he said.

The Royals now have the longest losing streak in the majors this year. They have not won since July 27 when they rallied from five runs down to beat the White Sox 6-5 in 13 innings. In their last four games, they've allowed 46 runs.

Right-hander Zack Greinke (3-14) went 4 1-3 innings and remained the losingest pitcher in the majors. He gave up seven hits and four runs, with four walks and four strikeouts.

Sizemore, who was 3-for-3 with two singles and two walks, has reached base in seven straight plate appearances. He hit a 3-1 pitch in the second for his first major league grand slam.

The Indians loaded the bases on singles by Jeff Liefer and Aaron Boone and a one-out walk to No. 9 hitter Casey Blake. Sizemore's homer carried 408 feet over the fence in right-center.

Blake, extending his hitting streak to 11 games, doubled off Shawn Camp with one out in the sixth and made it 5-1 on Sizemore's RBI single.

<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=1 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=ysptblbdr2><TABLE class=yspwhitebg cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>
<SMALL>AP - Aug 10, 11:40 pm EDT</SMALL>
More Photos</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The Royals got a run in the third on an RBI double by David DeJesus, who broke a 1-for-32 skid.

Sabathia's biggest pitch came in the fifth when the Royals had the bases loaded with two out and Emil Brown lined out to shortstop Jhonny Peralta. Earlier in the inning, Coco Crisp made a great diving catch to save a run.

``If we had won 11 in a row, I guarantee you that ball would have been to the left or right and gotten through,'' said Royals catcher John Buck.

Crisp had an RBI single in the eighth.

Bell was ejected in the ninth inning by home plate umpire Tim Tschida for arguing from the dugout.

``I think it was more of a misunderstanding than anything,'' Bell said. ``I can't really get into it. There was no swearing or anything like that. Two long nights for both of us. Tschida's a good umpire and he did a good job tonight. That's all I can say.''

<SMALL>Notes</SMALL> According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Indians on Tuesday night were the third road team in major league history to score 11 runs in the ninth. The Chicago White Sox did it Aug. 19, 1970, against Boston and the Toronto Blue Jays did it July 20, 1984, against Seattle. ... The official scorer changed one of the Royals' three errors in the ninth Tuesday to a fielder's choice, giving Ronnie Belliard an RBI. ... Sizemore made an outstanding bellyflop catch of John Buck's shallow pop fly in the second. ... The Indians have homered in 17 of their last 19 games. ... Sizemore's previous RBI high was three, also against Kansas City.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=0 width="98%" align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD colSpan=3>Now Liefer's Slam Wins For Indians

</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top bgColor=#ffffff>

Jeff Liefer, right, and those he drove in.

</TD><TD noWrap width=3></TD><TD vAlign=top>By Chuck Murr Indians Ink
Date: Aug 11, 2005

It was Jeff Liefer's turn to play hero as he hit a seventh-inning grand slam to give the Indians a 4-2 win over the reeling Kansas City Royals on Thursday night. The night before, Grady Sizemore's grand slam led Cleveland to a 6-1 victory.
</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=3>
The Indians (63-52) moved 11 games over .500 for the first time since the end of the 2001 season -- which was the last time Cleveland went to the playoffs. Their 10th win in 11 games completed a 6-0 trip and put them 2 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Angels in the AL wild card race.

Kansas City lost its 13th in a row, breaking a team record set in 1997.

Kevin Millwood (6-9) allowed eight hits and two runs over seven innings. Scott Sauerbeck pitched a perfect eighth and Bob Wickman worked the ninth for his AL-leading 32nd save in 37 chances.

The Indians got only two hits over the first six innings off D.J. Carrasco. Then Travis Hafner led off the seventh with a walk, Victor Martinez singled, and Carrasco threw late to third on Ron Belliard's sacrifice bunt to load the bases.

Liefer, a 30-year-old veteran brought up from Triple-A Buffalo on July 26, hit Carrasco's next pitch out over the wall in right-center for his first homer in the major leagues since June 26, 2004, when he played for Milwaukee. It was his second career slam, both coming at Kansas City. He hit one Sept. 2, 2003, off Royals left-hander Jeremy Affeldt.

Cleveland has hit at least one homer in 18 of its last 20 games.

MINOR MATTERS

CLASS AAA BUFFALO (65-54) scored three runs in the seventh inning and defeated visiting Ottawa, 3-1. Franklin Gutierrez singled in one run and Dusty Wathan's two-run single snapped a 1-1 tie. Ryan Garko (.298) and Wathan (.257) each had two hits. Andrew Brown (4-2, 3.41 ERA) gave up one hit over two scoreless innings and was the winner. Starter Jason Davis (4.79 ERA) gave up only four hits and one unearned run over six innings, striking out 10 and walking one. Jake Robbins (2.74 ERA) pitched a scoreless ninth for his 20th save.

CLASS AA AKRON (68-49) lost in 11 innings in Trenton, 5-4. Ryan Mulhern (.335) went 4-for-5 with a solo homer, his 13th for the Aeros and 30th overall this season. It extended his hitting streak to 19 games, during which he has batted .467 (35-for-75) with 11 doubles, one triple, 10 homers, 18 runs and 22 RBI. Eider Torres (.274) also hit a solo homer, his fifth, while Shaun Larkin (.233) had three hits and two RBI. Starter Jeremy Sowers (2.49 ERA) gave up two runs over six innings and Jason Stanford (1.49 ERA) allowed one run over two innings. Juan Lara (1.46 ERA) blew the save by allowing one run in the ninth inning and Victor Kleine (0-6, 4.62 ERA) pitched a scoreless 10th before yielding the winning run with two outs in the 11th.

CLASS A KINSTON (20-26) rolled to a 9-3 win at Myrtle Beach. Rodney Choy Foo (.272) hit a two-run homer and Brian Barton (.331) hit a solo shot, his seventh. Argenis Reyes (.299) had three hits, while Barton, Caleb Brock (.229), Ryan Goleski (.207), and Brandon Pinckney (.242) all had two hits. Tom Mastny (6-3, 2.40 ERA) allowed three hits, one walk and one run over seven innings, striking out seven. Matt Davis (6.00 ERA) pitched one perfect inning and Todd Pennington (4.42 ERA) gave up two runs in one inning.

CLASS A LAKE COUNTY (20-23) edged visiting Hickory, 8-7. Fernando Pacheco (.241) had three hits and two RBI, while Matt Whitney (.229) had two hits and two RBI. Wyatt Toregas (.222) and Juan Valdes (.222) also had two hits apiece. Jesus Soto (2-0, 0.56) blew a save when he allowed an unearned run in the eighth inning and Kieran Mattison (3.07 ERA) worked a scoreless ninth for his 22nd save. Dan Cevette (3.43 ERA) allowed one run over five innings and Brandon Rickert (4.17 ERA) pitched one scoreless before Adrian Schau (5.84 ERA) was pounded for five runs over one inning.

CLASS A MAHONING VALLEY (25-25) won at New Jersey, 8-2. Jensen Lewis (4-0, 2.12 ERA) gave up one run over six innings and Matt Haynes (2.84 ERA) allowed one run over the final three innings and got his second save. Cirilo Cumberbatch (.225) had two hits and two RBI, while Chad Longworth (.200) and Jose Chavez (.246) both had two hits and one RBI. Matt Fornasiere (.275) had two hits and scored twice.

ROOKIE LEAGUE BURLINGTON (19-29) won at Greeneville, 15-8. Boodle Clark (.241) hit a grand slam and drove in five runs, while John Drennen (.228) hit his sixth homer, a three-run shot, drove in four and scored three. Josh Roberts (.240) had three hits and three runs. Luis Valdez (3-4, 3.40 ERA) gave up four runs (two earned) over five innings. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

 

[AKAK]

Don't the angels lead the west? Or are both the angels and the A's in front of us in the wild card?

Edit: I quit being lazy and looked it up. LAA does lead the west leaving us in a race with NYY to catch the A's who hopefully lose again tonight to the LAA.

My point was that I figured that Oakland is playing so well that they are going to pass the Angels eventually... and they did last night, I think, though there is a lot left to play.