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Masterson is masterful as Indians rout Orioles
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Cleveland Indians' Justin Masterson pitches against the Baltimore Orioles in the first inning of a baseball game Friday, April 15, 2011, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
Justin Masterson has simply been doing what he’s been told.
So far, the results have made him unbeatable.
“I told him, ‘Throw that little white thing over that larger white thing as much as you can,”’ Cleveland pitching coach Tim Belcher said. “If he does that, his stuff is so sick. If he throws strikes over the plate, he’s going to give us a chance to win.”
Masterson pitched seven strong innings for his third straight win, Asdrubal Cabrera had four RBIs and the surprising Cleveland Indians kept the AL Central standings flipped upside down with an 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.
Masterson (3-0), who allowed just one run and four singles, went 6-13 last season. He didn’t get his third win until July 1 — in his 16th start.
“I saw that on the bottom of the TV,” Masterson said, glancing at nearby screen. “I was like, ‘Wow, that’s a long time.”
Travis Hafner homered for Cleveland, which entered the series tied for first with Kansas City. Last season, the Indians finished fourth in the division, two games ahead of the last-place Royals.
Cabrera’s two-run single highlighted Cleveland’s four-run third inning off rookie Zach Britton (2-1), who gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings. Six of those hits came in a row during the third when the Indians got a triple and five consecutive singles.
“One inning was the difference,” Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, “but I was proud of the way he responded. He came back, battled, pitched well.”
At 9-4, Cleveland is off to its best start since 2002.
“This is fun,” Masterson said.
Masterson has started this season with three solid starts and wins over Chicago, Seattle and now Baltimore.
“Throwing that first pitch in there allows you to expand the zone a little, which is great with the stuff that I have,” he said. “It’s been very simple, subtle stuff but I’ve done it enough to just go out and pitch and gain confidence with what I have.”Britton’s sinker ran away from Cleveland’s hitters in the first two innings, but the bottom of the order figured out how to hit him in the third, when the Indians opened a 4-0 lead with six consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly.
“It was a little disappointing there,” Britton said. “The pitches were down, but getting too much of the plate. I had a good opportunity to get us back on track, so that makes this more disappointing.”