STEVE GOLDMAN
Star Beacon
May 15, 2008 02:47 am
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CLEVELAND — OK, this is getting ridiculous. Not that Indians fans mind it one bit.
Behind C.C. Sabathia’s five-hit complete-game shutout, Tribe starters extended their scoreless streak to 431⁄3 innings on Wednesday, as Cleveland blanked visiting Oakland, 2-0.
The shutout was the fourth in five games for the Indians as a team, fifth in eight and a major-league leading seventh overall. They have won seven of their last nine contests, and stand at 21-19. They won their second game in two nights against the Athletics (23-18), and are 5-1 on their homestand.
The Tribe win, coupled with the Twins’ 6-4 loss to visiting Toronto, puts the Indians alone in first place atop the Central Division standings.
The scoreless string is the longest by Tribe starters since they posted 47 consecutive zeroes in August, 1948.
“It’s pretty special stuff, what they’re putting together right now,” manager Eric Wedge said.
“It feels real good,” Sabathia said. “Everybody’s working hard, just trying to keep up. Everybody’s pitching pretty well, so I think nobody wants to be that guy (who breaks the streak).”
The five starters who have constructed the streak, Sabathia (11 total scoreless innings), Aaron Laffey (7), Fausto Carmona (9), Cliff Lee (9) and Paul Byrd (71⁄3) have not been scored upon since the fifth inning of Friday’s 6-1 win over Toronto, when the Blue Jays nicked Sabathia for a run. Since then, they have combined for five full starts without a run allowed.
The only runs allowed by the team in the interim were the three Toronto tallied against reliever Rafael Betancourt in the 10th inning of the nightcap of Sunday’s doubleheader.
This time, Sabathia (3-5, 5.47 earned run average), who usually struggles against the Athletics, gave up just four singles, a double and two walks while striking out 11 men to tie his season high. Only two men reached as far as second base against him. He threw 117 pitches, 77 for strikes.
The defense, which has been so critical during the streak, once again played a big role, as it committed no errors and turned two double plays.
The left-hander is now 3-2, 1.49 in his last five starts after going 0-3, 13.50 in his first four, including two losses to Oakland.
“He was outstanding again tonight,” Wedge said. “His rhythm was dead on. He did a good job moving his fastball, and working his fastball and changeup off each other. His breaking ball -- I thought he used it effectively against both right-handers and left-handers. And defensively, the guys did a good job again, so it was a solid win.”
When asked what the key was to turning his season around, and to faring better against the Athletics, Sabathia’s answer was the same: throwing strikes.
“They’re a patient team, so they make you throw strikes,” he said. “I just wanted to go out and establish that I can throw strikes over both halves of the plate, and make them swing.”
Sabathia was backed by a pair of solo homers off starter Joe Blanton (2-6, 3.69) — one by Grady Sizemore to open the first inning, and one by Ryan Garko in the fourth. Both were hit to left-center.
It was the 14th time in his career that Sizemore hit a homer in the first at-bat for his team. Garko’s round-tripper was his second in two nights.
The Indians loaded the bases with nobody out in the fifth on a Ben Francisco double and two walks. But after Jhonny Peralta took three balls, he watched a strike go by and then hit a one-hopper back to Blanton, who threw home to begin a double play.
David Dellucci followed with a sharp grounder toward the hole on the right side, but first baseman Mike Sweeney made a diving stop and threw to Blanton for the out at first.
The Tribe, which mananged only five hits in the ballgame, also stranded Peralta after his double with no outs following Sizemore’s blast in the first.
Blanton lasted seven innings. Keith Foulke worked the eighth for Oakland.
Light rain dampened the start of the contest and reappeared just before game’s end.
Goldman is a freelance writer from South Euclid.
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