Westbrook has strong outing in Tribe win

Associated Press

GOODYEAR, Ariz.

As Jake Westbrook ran sprints in the outfield grass, a Cleveland fan leaned over the railing in right field and offered his critique.

“Hey, Jake,” the man hollered. “Great outing.”

Westbrook smiled. “Thanks,” he said.

One more step in the comeback is complete.

Westbrook, whose career was nearly ended by an elbow injury, outpitched two-time Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum, Shin Soo-Choo homered off San Francisco’s ace and Travis Hafner drove in three runs on Tuesday, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 7-1 exhibition win over the Giants.

Penciled in by new manager Manny Acta to be the Indians’ opening-day starter, Westbrook allowed one run and two hits in four innings. It was his best outing this spring and a huge confidence builder for the right-hander, who underwent Tommy John surgery in 2008.

“I was just throwing strikes with all my pitches, getting ahead and pounding the zone,” the 32-year-old said. “I was able to do that. I was being very aggressive and when I’m aggressive and throwing strikes it makes all of my pitches that much better. For me right now, it’s just fine tuning my command.”

Westbrook hasn’t pitched in a major league game since May 28, 2008, but that didn’t stop Acta from picking him to open the season on April 5 in Chicago.

“I can’t take it back anyways,” Acta said with a laugh. “I made my decision based on his track record and how good he was in the past when he was healthy. If he was healthy, there was no hesitation in doing that. He’s gotten better each outing. The ball is coming out of his hand really good. He’s feeling great. He’s going to have his ups and downs, but right now he’s throwing well.”

Lincecum, who followed up his Cy Young season in 2008 by winning another award last season, allowed four runs and four hits in four innings. He walked four and struck out four.