Tribe loses fifth straight, lack of offense to blame

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Trevor Cahill pitched seven strong innings and the Oakland Athletics beat Cleveland 6-1 on Wednesday night, handing the Indians their fifth straight loss.

Cahill (14-5) was helped by three double plays as he improved to 5-1 with a 0.77 ERA in six starts since July 28.

Kevin Kouzmanoff lined a three-run double to cap Oakland’s five-run first inning off Mitch Talbot (8-11). The former Indians third baseman broke a 4 for 42 slump (.095) with the shot off the center-field wall.

Jack Cust gave the Athletics a 1-0 lead with an RBI single grounded between first and second. After Mark Ellis walked to load the bases, Rajai Davis grounded a single between third and short to make it 2-0.

Cleveland’s first batter reached safely in each of the first six innings, but the Indians lost for the 13th time in 16 games. They have totaled four runs and hit only .168 (27 for 161) during their five-game skid.

The Indians struck out eight times — each of their last eight outs. Cahill fanned the last two men he faced, Craig Breslow got three strikeouts and allowed one hit in the eighth and Henry Rodriguez struck out the side in the ninth on 10 pitches.

Cahill gave up seven hits as he extended Oakland’s streak of starting pitchers working at least six innings to 23 games, two short of the club record set in 1980. The Athletics’ staff has given up five or fewer runs in all those games, longest in the AL since Kansas City’s 25-game streak in 1980.

Oakland starters have not allowed more than three runs in 17 consecutive games, longest by the franchise since the 1927 Philadelphia Athletics did it 18 times in a row.

The Indians’ unearned run in the fifth ruined the Athletics’ bid for their fifth shutout in eight games this year against Cleveland, which has been outscored 43-13 in going 2-6 against Oakland. It was Cleveland’s first run in 22 innings, since the first inning Sunday in Detroit.

Jason Donald reached when his grounder went through Kouzmanoff’s legs at third. Two outs later, Asdrubal Cabrera singled home Donald from second base, but was retired in a rundown.