AMERICAN LEAGUE Martinez drives home five runs as Tribe wins, 9-7

Cliff Bartosh's major league debut helped in beating Tampa Bay.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CLEVELAND -- Victor Martinez and Cliff Bartosh gave reason to wait out the Cleveland Indians' 1-hour, 14-minute rain delay Saturday at Jacobs Field.
Martinez drove in a career-high five runs and Bartosh brought needed help to a beat-up bullpen in his major league debut, as the Indians defeated the Tampa Bay Devil Rays 9-7.
"Thank you, thank you very much," said Martinez, when told he had five RBIs.
The starting catcher, Martinez drove home four runs with two doubles and another run on a sacrifice fly as the Indians (16-19) moved within one win of sweeping the lowly Devil Rays (10-25).
"He thrives on RBI situations. He's a true talent at the plate," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "He doesn't get complacent. He stays in his at-bats and works hard to do what he wants to do."
Debut
Bartosh was part of the drama that unfolded in the seventh inning when he relieved starter Jake Westbrook with the Indians leading 8-5 and a runner in scoring position.
"I was just trying to clear my mind and not think about where I was, but what I had to do," said Bartosh, who was followed by a shaky Jose Jimenez.
The rookie Bartosh, whom the Indians acquired from Detroit in the off-season, retired all five batters he faced in 12/3 innings. Three came on strikeouts of dangerous Devil Rays' Rocco Baldelli, Tino Martinez and Jose Cruz Jr.
"Bartosh was outstanding," Wedge said. "You can't ask for anything more, particularly in his first time out there. He made big pitches in bit situations."
Plate production
Three batters after Matt Lawton led off the first inning with a solo home run, Martinez hit a fly ball to right field that scored Ronnie Belliard.
"That's the thing about him," Lawton said of Martinez. "He can definitely handle the bat. He's not just up there hacking away."
The Indians broke the game open off loser Victor Zambrano in a four-run second inning with the help of Martinez, who ripped a three-run double to the left center field gap.
Martinez, who's had recent success batting in the clean-up position, completed his offensive outburst by hitting an RBI double to the right center field gap in the third.
"I'm just going to the plate with the same approach," he said. "I'm trying to get a good pitch and make good contact, and anything can happen."
Devil of a time
Zambrano made it easy on the Indians early, pitching as if he didn't want to play in the 50-degree temperatures and steady drizzle.
Manager Lou Piniella gave him shelter in a hurry.
In just 11/3 innings, the shortest outing of his eight-year major league pitching career, Zambrano walked seven batters and surrendered six earned runs.
"We made him work hard early," Wedge said of Zambrano. "We had some long at-bats, and that helped us. We did that up and down the lineup."
Whatever plagued Zambrano must have been contagious because Westbrook wasn't sharp, either.
After a 1-2-3 first inning, Westbrook allowed runs in the next three innings, including back-to-back RBI doubles to Aubrey Huff and Baldelli in the third and a solo home run to Cruz Jr. in the fourth.
Westbrook (3-1) got the win despite surrendering five runs on eight hits, four of which were doubles, in 61/3 innings.
"They're a very aggressive lineup, and I'm an aggressive pitcher," Westbrook said. "Because of that, we kind of clashed today."
richesson@vindy.com
TAMPA BAYCLEVELAND
abrhbiabrhbi
Crwfrd lf5110Lawton lf4321
Lugo ss5121Blliard 2b3310
Huff 3b4122Gerut rf3221
Baldelli cf5121VMrtnz c3125
TMrtnz 1b4010Hafner dh3000
JoCruz rf4111Merloni dh0001
Fick dh2001Blake 3b3000
Blum 2b4000Brssrd 1b2011
Frdyce c3110Crisp cf4000
Cmngs ph0100JMcDld ss5000
Totals367106Totals30989
Tampa Bay012100102--7
Cleveland24200010x--9
E--Baldelli (2). LOB--Tampa Bay 6, Cleveland 13. 2B--Lugo (11), Huff (4), Baldelli (2), Fordyce (2), Belliard (14), Gerut (9), VMartinez 2 (8), Broussard (7). HR--JoCruz (5), Lawton (7). SB--Crawford (18). S--Crisp. SF--Fick, VMartinez.
IPHRERBBSO
Tampa Bay
Zambrano L,3-41 1-346671
Harper2 2-332221
LCarter2 2-311121
TreMiller1 1-300010
Cleveland
Westbrook W,3-16 1-385524
Bartosh1 2-300003
JJimenez122210
HBP--by TreMiller (Merloni), by Harper (Broussard). WP--LCarter, Westbrook. Balk--Westbrook. Umpires--Home, Gerry Davis; First, Larry Poncino; Second, Greg Gibson; Third, Bruce Dreckman. T--2:55. A--18,040.