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Walk-off slam sinks Tribe

Angels rally past Indians 6-4

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter

The Indians' hitting slump was overshadowed by Joe Borowski's inability to hold a two run lead Monday night, as the Angels rallied in the ninth for a 6-4 win at Angels Stadium.

 

Borowski got the first batter he faced, but walked Gary Matthews Jr. and gave up a single to Vladimir Guerrero. Garret Anderson walked on four pitches, and Torii Hunter took ball one before lifting a long fly over the left field fence for a walk-off grand slam.

The Tribe put on a dramatic rally of its own in the ninth, erasing LA's 2-1 lead against closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Victor Martinez, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence because of injury, had two of Cleveland's eight hits, the biggest in the ninth. Travis Hafner began the inning with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Asdrubal Cabrera. Martinez followed with a double to tie the score, and Jhonny Peralta drove him to the plate with a double. Peralta was thrown out trying for third.

When Ryan Garko walked, Rodriguez gave way to Scot Shields, who yielded a bloop singled to put runners on first and second. Casey Blake followed with an RBI single, and Jamey Carroll walked to fill the bases before Shields retired the side without further damage.

All of this came after Hunter’s leadoff homer in the eighth off Rafael Betancourt gave the Angels a 2-1 lead.

So is the slump over? Before the ninth-inning barrage, the Tribe hitting slump had reached 4 8/9 games and include these disheartening numbers: a .169 batting average and eight total runs.

The Indians have not had success against LA starter Joe Saunders, who came into the game with a 1-0 record and 1.35 earned-run average in two career starts against Cleveland.

Saunders didn’t do anything to spoil that glistening ERA in his third start against the Tribe, giving up just four hits and one run in eight innings.

He was in mild trouble twice but scrambled out of harm’s way both times. The only score he yielded came on a leadoff home run by Peralta in the fourth inning.

Fausto Carmona handled the Angels in much the same manner, with two exceptions: He was removed after six innings because his pitch count had reached 94, mostly because he walked five, and he gave up four stolen bases, the final one leading to a run.

In addition, Carmona was forced to overcome errors by Peralta and Casey Blake, plus another botched play that luckily cost him nothing. One defender who did more than make the routine plays was Carroll, who started at second to give Cabrera a night off.

The Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the third on Maicer Izturis’ single and steal, a walk to Chone Figgins and an infield hit by Matthews that would have scored a run if Peralta hadn’t made a diving stop to keep it from reaching the outfield. The inning ended when Vladimir Guerrero bounced to Blake, whose off-target throw was saved by Garko’s long stretch.

Guerrero thought he was safe and he might have been. It was difficult to tell from replays.

Mike Napoli reached on Peralta’s error in the fifth but was immediately erased on a double play. Carmona loaded the bases on three walks but Anderson’s grounder ended the inning.

In the sixth Carmona ran out of luck. Casey Kotchman singled with one out, stole second and took third on a ground out. Napoli followed with a bouncer to Blake, who threw high and wide to first for an error that scored the tying run.

In the seventh, Garko allowed Guerrero’s at bat to continue when he failed to catch a foul pop near the dugout. It wasn’t ruled an error, but it could have been. Guerrero didn’t waste the opportunity, lining a single to left, but he got no farther than first.

 

Cleveland Indians pitcher Joe Borowski reacts after loading up the bases against the Los Angeles Angels in the ninth inning of a baseball game in Anaheim, Calif., Monday, April 7, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark Avery)

The Indians' hitting slump was overshadowed by Joe Borowski's inability to hold a two run lead Monday night, as the Angels rallied in the ninth for a 6-4 win at Angels Stadium.

 

Borowski got the first batter he faced, but walked Gary Matthews Jr. and gave up a single to Vladimir Guerrero. Garret Anderson walked on four pitches, and Torii Hunter took ball one before lifting a long fly over the left field fence for a walk-off grand slam.

The Tribe put on a dramatic rally of its own in the ninth, erasing LA's 2-1 lead against closer Francisco Rodriguez.

Victor Martinez, returning to the lineup after a five-game absence because of injury, had two of Cleveland's eight hits, the biggest in the ninth. Travis Hafner began the inning with a walk and was replaced by pinch runner Asdrubal Cabrera. Martinez followed with a double to tie the score, and Jhonny Peralta drove him to the plate with a double. Peralta was thrown out trying for third.

When Ryan Garko walked, Rodriguez gave way to Scot Shields, who yielded a bloop singled to put runners on first and second. Casey Blake followed with an RBI single, and Jamey Carroll walked to fill the bases before Shields retired the side without further damage.

All of this came after Hunter’s leadoff homer in the eighth off Rafael Betancourt gave the Angels a 2-1 lead.

So is the slump over? Before the ninth-inning barrage, the Tribe hitting slump had reached 4 8/9 games and include these disheartening numbers: a .169 batting average and eight total runs.

The Indians have not had success against LA starter Joe Saunders, who came into the game with a 1-0 record and 1.35 earned-run average in two career starts against Cleveland.

Saunders didn’t do anything to spoil that glistening ERA in his third start against the Tribe, giving up just four hits and one run in eight innings.

He was in mild trouble twice but scrambled out of harm’s way both times. The only score he yielded came on a leadoff home run by Peralta in the fourth inning.

Fausto Carmona handled the Angels in much the same manner, with two exceptions: He was removed after six innings because his pitch count had reached 94, mostly because he walked five, and he gave up four stolen bases, the final one leading to a run.

In addition, Carmona was forced to overcome errors by Peralta and Casey Blake, plus another botched play that luckily cost him nothing. One defender who did more than make the routine plays was Carroll, who started at second to give Cabrera a night off.

The Angels loaded the bases with two outs in the third on Maicer Izturis’ single and steal, a walk to Chone Figgins and an infield hit by Matthews that would have scored a run if Peralta hadn’t made a diving stop to keep it from reaching the outfield. The inning ended when Vladimir Guerrero bounced to Blake, whose off-target throw was saved by Garko’s long stretch.

Guerrero thought he was safe and he might have been. It was difficult to tell from replays.

Mike Napoli reached on Peralta’s error in the fifth but was immediately erased on a double play. Carmona loaded the bases on three walks but Anderson’s grounder ended the inning.

In the sixth Carmona ran out of luck. Casey Kotchman singled with one out, stole second and took third on a ground out. Napoli followed with a bouncer to Blake, who threw high and wide to first for an error that scored the tying run.

In the seventh, Garko allowed Guerrero’s at bat to continue when he failed to catch a foul pop near the dugout. It wasn’t ruled an error, but it could have been. Guerrero didn’t waste the opportunity, lining a single to left, but he got no farther than first.



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