Lee’s 2nd straight complete game leads Cleveland past Blue Jays, 2-1

TORONTO (AP) — With a ninth-inning rally, the Cleveland Indians saved ace Cliff Lee from another hard-luck loss.

Victor Martinez hit a two-run double in the ninth and Lee pitched his second straight complete game, leading the Indians to a 2-1 win over the Toronto Blue Jays on Tuesday night, snapping a four-game skid.

“It’s always great when you win a game, especially like this and especially for the guy who was on the mound,” Martinez said. “Cliff has been throwing the ball great for us and it’s kind of sad to watch Cliff pitch and not get any run support.”

Cleveland trailed heading into the ninth against Blue Jays closer Scott Downs but took the lead thanks to a rare Toronto error.

Pinch-hitter Ryan Garko reached on an infield single and was replaced by pinch-runner Luis Valbuena. Grady Sizemore bunted to first but Lyle Overbay’s throw to second sailed into the outfield, putting runners at second and third. The error was Toronto’s major league-low 33rd.

“It’s the right play,” Overbay said. “Maybe if I don’t get a good grip on the ball I’ll think twice but I got a good grip on the ball, he bunted it hard. It was an easy play that wasn’t executed.”

Downs (1-1) walked Asdrubal Cabrera intentionally and Valbuena was forced out at home on Shin-Soo Choo’s grounder but Martinez followed with a two-run double that landed just inside the left-field foul line.

“I had two strikes, I wasn’t trying to get too big,” Martinez said. “I saw the ball middle-in and just reacted.”

The Indians won for just the fourth time in 12 games. It was Cleveland’s third victory when trailing after the eight inning.

“It was a big win,” Lee said. “We’re staring a loss in the face right there.”

The late rally made a winner of Lee (6-9), who had his third complete game of the season. The only run he allowed came on Scott Rolen’s seventh-inning homer.

Lee, last season’s AL Cy Young Award winner, had won just once in six starts coming in. He allowed seven hits, walked none and struck out four.

“For whatever reason we’ve had bad luck when I’ve pitched but I feel like I’ve been doing the job,” Lee said.

The Indians came in averaging just 3.48 runs per game in Lee’s 20 starts.

“He’s had so many tough luck losses this year,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “A lot of good things happened there at the end.”