Tribe blows it in ninth

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Manny Acta endured plenty of losses with the Washington Nationals. His time with the Cleveland Indians hasn’t been much better.

The Indians were one out away Wednesday from ending a losing streak and salvaging a game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Then his backup shortstop made an error and his closer left a fastball out over the plate.

When Adam Lind’s ninth inning two-run homer landed in the bleachers in left, the Blue Jays had a 5-4 victory and the Indians were dealt another stinging loss. But it wasn’t the worst of Acta’s career.

“I guess you don’t know my track record,” Acta said. “I’ve had some tough ones.”

Wednesday’s loss will make the list.

Tribe closer Chris Perez (0-2), trying to get five outs for his first save since April 18, retired the first two hitters in the ninth. Following a Fred Lewis double, his third hit of the game, Aaron Hill hit a slow roller to short that trickled between the legs of Luis Valbuena.

Lind’s blast on a 1-2 pitch followed and Toronto had a four-game winning streak and its first three-game sweep in Cleveland since Sept. 9-11, 2002.

“It’s a routine groundball, I don’t have an excuse for that,” Valbuena said. “If I make a play, the game is over. Now we lose.”

Valbuena, the team’s regular second baseman, has played short the last two days while Asdrubal Cabrera rests a strained left quadriceps muscle. He regularly takes grounders at short, though, and Acta wouldn’t use the new position as an excuse.

“A groundball is a groundball,” he said.

“He played enough shortstop here last year, he just made an error at the wrong time.”