Indians squeeze out just enough to win

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Travis Hafner has added a new dimension to his game. His legs.

Hafner scored the go-ahead run on Jayson Nix’s suicide squeeze bunt in the sixth inning, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 2-1 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Monday night.

Indians manager Manny Acta’s decision to call for the bunt took everyone by surprise, including Hafner and the Blue Jays. So when the Indians’ 6-foot-3, 240-pound designated hitter saw the sign from third base coach Steve Smith, he did a double take.

“You get the sign, you’re like, ‘Did he really just give me that?’” Hafner said. “Then he tells you. You just have to time it right. When he starts going home, you take off. Nix put down a perfect bunt.”

Blue Jays pitcher Ricky Romero was also caught off guard.

“You never really expect it, especially with Hafner running at third,” Romero said. “It was smart baseball by them. It was perfectly executed.”

Hafner was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and took third on Jhonny Peralta’s double. After Matt LaPorta grounded out, Hafner broke for home on an 0-1 pitch to Nix, who bunted a fastball toward the mound. Romero got to the ball quickly and flipped it with his glove to catcher John Buck. The toss fell short of the plate as Hafner slid home to break the 1-1 tie.

Nix, who joined the Indians on Friday after being claimed on waivers from the Chicago White Sox, was ready when he saw the sign.

“Anytime you get a sign like that, especially in a tight game against a tough pitcher, with a new team, it feels good,” Nix said.

Acta admitted the squeeze was a risk, but decided the gamble was worthwhile.

“It’s not a secret we don’t have an offense like the team we’re playing against,” he said.

Scoring on a squeeze gave Hafner a chance to show off his dry sense of humor.

“It’s all about speed,” he said. “If you leave too early, the defense may yell something, but when you’re fast enough, you can wait a little bit longer.”

Jake Westbrook (5-4) pitched six solid innings for the Indians, who broke a seven-game losing streak Sunday and won consecutive games for the first time since winning four straight June 9-12.

The Blue Jays have lost six of eight.

Westbrook, who allowed a run in the first inning, was pulled after Lyle Overbay led off the seventh with a single. Westbrook gave up six hits, struck out four and walked one.

Kerry Wood pitched the ninth for his seventh save in 10 chances. Overbay singled with two outs and pinch-runner Nick Green took second on a wild pitch, but Wood struck out Buck on a 3-2 pitch.

The win was Cleveland’s first of the season in 21 games when scoring two runs or less. The Indians’ last win when scoring two runs or less was last Aug. 6, against Minnesota, a stretch of 38 games.