Cleveland closer to clinching

Fausto Carmona won his 18th game as the Tribe lowered their magic number to 2.

CLEVELAND (AP) — Fausto Carmona won his 18th game, Ryan Garko and Jhonny Peralta hit back-to-back homers and Cleveland beat the Oakland Athletics 4-3 Friday night to lower their magic number to two for clinching their first AL Central title since 2001.

Coupled with Detroit’s 5-4 win over Kansas City, the Indians remain 71⁄2 games ahead in the division. The Indians have nine games left, the Tigers only eight.

Cleveland has won four straight, is 6-1 on its final homestand and 21-5 since Aug. 25. The Indians improved to 91-62, tied with the Los Angeles Angels, who played late Friday.

Carmona (18-8) has won his last four starts, allowing a total of four earned runs during the streak.

Garko hit his 20th home run to the bleachers in left field to lead off the sixth inning. Before the sellout crowd could sit back down, Jhonny Peralta hit the next pitch over the right-field wall, his 21st.

Asdrubal Cabrera’s sacrifice fly later that inning drove in Kenny Lofton and made it 4-1.

Joe Borowski pitched the ninth for his league-leading 43rd save in 49 chances.

Strong pitching

Carmona gave up a run and five hits with four walks in six innings, striking out seven.

The Indians are the only team in the majors with two 18-game winners, with Carmona tying teammate C.C. Sabathia.

Joe Blanton (14-10) had won his last three starts and six of his last seven decisions, his last loss coming Aug. 25. He matched Carmona until the sixth when he gave up four straight hits to start the inning.

He went 52⁄3 innings, allowing four runs and 10 hits with three walks.

Jack Cust hit his 25th home run, a two-run shot off Rafael Perez to pull Oakland within one in the seventh. It gave Cust six homers and 17 RBIs in eight games against Cleveland.

But Jensen Lewis and Rafael Betancourt retired four straight and Borowski did the rest to preserve the lead.

Oakland took a 1-0 lead in the second on Kurt Suzuki’s RBI single. Victor Martinez responded with an RBI double in the third.

The A’s have lost five straight and 17 of 26.

Carmona, 23, is the youngest Indians right-hander to win 18 or more games since Bob Feller did it each year from 1939-1941.

With Garko’s home run, the Indians have five players with 20 or more home runs: Martinez (24), Travis Hafner (23), Grady Sizemore (23) and Peralta (21).