AMERICAN LEAGUE Sabathia improves, but Tribe loses 4-3 to Oakland

The young pitcher went seven innings, but his error in the sixth was costly.
OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) -- C.C. Sabathia had a better homecoming this time, but still didn't get the results he wanted.
Sabathia was out of the game when Terrence Long's RBI double with two outs in the ninth inning gave the Oakland Athletics a 4-3 victory over Cleveland and a three-game sweep.
Sabathia allowed three runs and six hits in seven innings Sunday in his second career start in Oakland, 40 miles from his home in Vallejo. He struck out five and walked two. The last time he pitched in front of family and friends, he didn't make it out of the third inning.
"This was definitely my best start," Sabathia said. "I just made the one mistake on the fielding error and that pretty much cost us the game."
Fielding error costly
Sabathia's error allowed the A's to tie it in the sixth.
"I can't even begin to tell you how many people were here for me," Sabathia said. "This was a lot better homecoming. The last couple of times I was more excited to be home than pitching. This time I was more excited to be pitching."
Long, who went 0-for-3 against Sabathia before his game-winner, was glad to see him out of the game.
"C.C. had his stuff working," Long said. "That's the best I've ever seen him and I've seen him enough to make that judgment. I was completely fooled."
Long was looking for a fastball from Indians closer Danys Baez (0-3), and he got it.
"I took the previous pitch, and it was a cutter outside," said Long, who had been 1-for-10 in the series. "I figured he would come in with a fastball."
Erubiel Durazo had three hits and drove in a pair of runs for the A's, who won their fourth straight overall and beat the Indians for the eighth consecutive time.
Gerut gets three hits
Jody Gerut, who made his major league debut on Saturday, had three hits for the Indians (7-18), off to their worst start since going 4-21 in 1969. The Indians have lost a season-high six straight and nine of 11.
Durazo led off the ninth with a single. Two outs later, Long hit a 2-2 pitch into the right-center field gap and Durazo scored standing up.
Baez gave up the game-winning hit for the second time in a week. He gave up Mike Cameron's grand slam in Seattle on Tuesday, and this was his first appearance since.
"I thought he threw a good pitch," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "He was much more under control today and I like the way he handled himself. Obviously it's not the result we wanted."
Ricardo Rincon (1-2) pitched two scoreless innings for the victory, striking out four. He hasn't allowed a run in his last nine innings.
Oakland starter Tim Hudson gave up three runs, seven hits and four walks in seven innings, getting his third no-decision. Hudson, who struck out six, had 10 no-decisions last year.
Gerut's first major league hit also produced his first RBI when he singled home Brandon Phillips in the third. Karim Garcia also singled home a run in the inning.