LATE THURSDAY Sabathia leads Tribe past struggling Twins

The Indians ace tossed a four-hitter to win his eighth game of the year.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- Minnesota Twins manager Ron Gardenhire looked exasperated.
"I don't know how else I can put this. We're just not playing good baseball," Gardenhire said after the Twins' 4-1 loss to Cleveland on Thursday night.
"We can't continue this -- sitting around and waiting for something to happen. We've got to make something happen."
The Twins, 5-14 in their last 19 games, couldn't solve Indians ace C.C. Sabathia (8-3), who pitched a four-hitter, striking out four and walking one.
"I feel good -- I still feel like I can pitch right now," Sabathia said.
Matthew LeCroy's home run in the ninth was the only bright spot for Minnesota.
"It wasn't at the right time," LeCroy said.
Strong showing
Shane Spencer went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and Jody Gerut homered off Grant Balfour leading off the eighth for Cleveland.
Sabathia won his fourth straight decision in the first meeting of the season between the AL Central foes. The loss put the Twins 21/2 games behind first-place Kansas City and one ahead of Chicago.
It wasn't the first time over the past few weeks that the Twins' lack of fire angered Gardenhire.
Gardenhire -- given an automatic ejection in the seventh -- was mad that his team didn't respond to what he felt were intentional beanballs by Cleveland's 6-foot-7, 290-pound pitcher.
Sabathia hit Corey Koskie on the elbow with a pitch in the first and Bobby Kielty on the back of the shoulder in the fifth. Umpire Eric Cooper warned both benches after Sabathia hit Kielty.
In the seventh, Kenny Rogers hit Milton Bradley with a pitch -- and got tossed along with his manager.
"That was a very uninspiring baseball game," Gardenhire said. "I know C.C. Sabathia pitched very well, but we did nothing, really, until Kenny Rogers finally took the bull by the horns."
Sabathia also threw one high and tight at Lew Ford in the ninth. Gardenhire said he thought Sabathia was throwing at the Twins because of the three times they tried to bunt for hits.
"I was just pitching inside and being aggressive," Sabathia said. "I've never thrown at anyone intentionally and I never will, so obviously they took it the wrong way.
"I've got more friends on that team than on any other. There's not history with me. Maybe between the two clubs."
Struggling rotation
The Twins' rotation should've been a strength this season, but their starters have victories in just three of their last 19 outings. During that stretch, their ERA is 7.64.
Rogers, the only one who's showed any consistency the past month, pitched well -- but not quite well enough to win.
Rogers (7-4) gave up three runs, six hits and four walks in 62/3 innings.
Meanwhile, Sabathia was cruising. The only real threat came in the second.
LeCroy led off with a single, Dustan Mohr walked and Ford sacrificed them over, but Tom Prince struck out and Luis Rivas grounded out.
"I just concentrate on throwing strikes," Sabathia said. "I've got to throw strikes with my fastball to get them to swing at my curve and my changeup, and I did a good job of that."