Game-winning hit is Crisp one
C.C. Sabathia held the Orioles to one run and four hits in seven innings.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Coco Crisp was mired in a 2-for-18 slump and hadn't done much to garner much playing time -- or attention -- lately. He might have changed all that on Saturday.
Crisp, who entered the game in the 11th inning as a pinch-runner, hit a one-out single in the bottom of the 13th and gave the Cleveland Indians a 3-2 victory over the Baltimore Orioles.
"It's been a long time since I've seen all of you," Crisp said to reporters after the game.
Crisp's day didn't get off to a very good start. He stayed on the bench for 10 innings before being sent in to pinch run for Travis Hafner with two outs in the 11th. The inning ended when Crisp was thrown out trying to steal second.
Redemption
"That didn't work out, but I thought if we kept playing, I'd get another chance," he said.
That chance came two innings later. Matt Lawton singled off Mike De Jean to lead off the 13th and moved to second on Alex Escobar's sacrifice, the first of his career. Lou Merloni was intentionally walked before Crisp, lined an 0-1 pitch to right field to score Lawton.
Orioles manager Lee Mazzilli didn't second-guess the decision to walk Merloni.
"They had two switch-hitters coming up [Crisp and Victor Martinez]," Mazzilli said. "It set up the double play."
De Jean (0-2) allowed one run and three hits in 21/3 innings.
Chad Durbin (2-2) pitched two scoreless innings for the win.
It was a frustrating day for the Orioles, who have lost five of their last seven. Baltimore loaded the bases with one out in the 11th, but couldn't score and stranded the leadoff hitter in the 12th.
Saving play
The Orioles had runners on first and third with one out in the 13th, but a big defensive play by Escobar saved the Indians. Miguel Tejada singled with one out and moved to third on Rafael Palmeiro's base hit. Luis Matos lifted a fly to center field, and Escobar fielded it and made a one-hop throw home as Tejada tried to tag up, bowling over catcher Martinez, who hung on to the ball.
Despite the win, the game marked yet another late-inning problem for the Indians' battered bullpen. C.C. Sabathia held the Orioles to one run and four hits in seven innings, and left with a 2-1 lead, but Melvin Mora's RBI single off Rick White tied it in the eighth.
The bullpen righted itself after that as Rafael Betancourt, Jack Cressend, Scott Stewart and Durbin combined to hold the Orioles scoreless over the final five innings.
Sabathia, who has the lowest ERA among major league starters at 1.61, was making his first start since April 16. He was scratched from his start April 22 after feeling tightness in his left biceps while warming up.
Mora's homer off Sabathia in the sixth gave the Orioles their first run.
BALTIMORECLEVELAND
abrhbiabrhbi
BRbrts 2b5010Blliard 2b6010
Mora 3b6122Vizquel ss6000
Tejada ss6020Gerut rf4010
RPlmo 1b5010Blake 3b4110
Matos cf6000Lawton lf6120
Gbbons dh5000AEscbr cf5000
Surhoff lf4020Merloni 1b4121
Bigbie lf1010Hafner dh4010
Mcdnld rf4100Crisp dh1011
Osik c5010Laker c4001
VMrtnz c1010
Totals472102Totals453103
Baltimore0000010100000--2
Cleveland0101000000001--3
One out when winning run scored.
DP--Cleveland 2. LOB--Baltimore 9, Cleveland 13. 2B--Surhoff (2). HR--Mora (3). SB--Mcdonald (1). CS--Crisp (3). S--AEscobar.
IPHRERBBSO
Baltimore
Bedard552231
RLopez3 1-310002
BRyan1 2-310012
DeJean L,0-22 1-331131
Cleveland
Sabathia741101
RiWhite111110
Betancourt100001
Cressend1 1-320010
ScStewart2-310011
Durbin W,2-2220003
ScStewart pitched to 1 batter in the 12th. WP--Bedard. Umpires--Home, Rob Drake; First, Terry Craft; Second, Paul Emmel; Third, Joe West. T--4:07. A--17,275.
Copyright 2004 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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