INDIANS Millwood wins in return to Jacobs Field

The former Tribe pitcher went seven innings in Texas' 7-5 victory.
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Kevin Mench's home run streak ended at seven straight games -- one shy of tying the major league record -- but Kevin Millwood won in his return to Cleveland, leading the Texas Rangers to a 7-5 win over the Indians on Saturday night.
Mench didn't come close to clearing any of the outfield walls in Jacobs Field, going 1-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and two strikeouts.
He was attempting to match the mark shared by Ken Griffey Jr. (Seattle, 1993), Don Mattingly (New York Yankees, 1987) and Dale Long (Pittsburgh, 1956). Instead, Mench will have to settle for being the only right-handed hitter to homer in seven consecutive games.
Mench hit a sacrifice fly in the first off Fausto Carmona (1-2), struck out looking in fourth, singled to right in the sixth before striking out again in the seventh.
And although he didn't set any records, the 28-year-old Mench did bring himself some attention for his home run-hitting prowess. He is best known for having a big head -- his size-8 cap is the majors' largest -- and until recently wearing shoes that were too tight.
20 RBIs
During his streak, Mench hit two grand slams and drove in 20 runs.
It wasn't the first time the outfielder went on a home run binge, either. On June 30, he became only the seventh major leaguer to homer in three consecutive innings, connecting in the fifth, sixth and seventh against the Los Angeles Angels.
Millwood (2-2) was back at the Jake for the first time since leaving the Indians as a free agent. The right-hander, who had never before faced Cleveland in his nine-year career, allowed two runs and eight hits in seven innings -- the type of outing he routinely gave the Indians a year ago.
Brad Wilkerson hit a two-run homer for the Rangers, who led 7-2 in the eighth. But Ben Broussard's two-run homer, his fifth and third in two games, off Antonio Alfonseca with two outs brought the Indians to 7-5. Alfonseca got out of the inning and Akinori Otsuka, Japan's closer in the World Baseball Classic, pitched the ninth for his first AL save.
Otsuka walked pinch-hitter Ronnie Belliard on four pitches, and had runners at first and third with one out. Second baseman D'Angelo Jimenez snagged pinch-hitter Todd Hollandsworth's liner and doubled Grady Sizemore off first to end it.
TEXASCLEVELAND
abrhbiabrhbi
Mathws cf4111Szmore cf5010
MYong ss5110Mchels lf4000
Txeira 1b4121Hlndsw ph1000
Nevin dh5010JhPlta ss4120
Blalock 3b4001Hafner dh4110
Mench rf3111VMrtnz c4021
Wlkrsn lf4122Brssrd 1b4222
Brajas c3120Boone 3b4000
DJmnz 2b4111RVazqz 2b3120
Blliard ph0000
Blake rf4022
Totals367117Totals375125
Texas300004000--7
Cleveland000020030--5
E--DJimenez (3). DP--Texas 2, Cleveland 1. LOB--Texas 6, Cleveland 6. 2B--Matthews (7), DJimenez (3), Blake (8). HR--Wilkerson (3), Broussard (5). SF--Mench.
IPHRERBBSO
Texas
Millwood W,2-2782207
Alfonseca133300
Otsuka S,1110011
Cleveland
Carmona L,1-25 2-386615
Guthrie1 1-321111
Slocum100011
Graves110000
WP--Guthrie. PB--Barajas. Umpires--Home, Phil Cuzzi; First, Jerry Crawford; Second, Chuck Meriwether; Third, Brian O'Nora. T--2:52. A--37,496.
Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.