Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Photo
Ezequiel Carrera, left, of the Indians scores ahead of the tag from Athletics catcher Kurt Suzuki in the sixth inning of Monday’s game. Carrera scored on a double by Kosuke Fukudome.
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
Kosuke Fukudome knows the Cleveland Indians are in must-win mode in the AL Central race.
The outfielder, acquired a month ago to help the injury-plagued Indians, drove in the first run in a 2-1 win over the Oakland Athletics on Monday night that got the Indians within 51/2 games of first-place Detroit. The Tigers lost 9-5 at home to Kansas City.
“We have to win every single game and not worry about other teams,” Fukudome said through an interpreter after Cleveland’s third win in four games.
Carlos Santana added his 20th homer for a 2-0 lead as David Huff and four relievers combined to limit the Athletics to five hits to help the Indians improve to 17-8 at home in one-run games this season.
Huff (2-2) gave up three hits over six scoreless innings to win for the first time in six starts, since beating Minnesota in his season debut on July 18. The lefty hadn’t worked in nine days — since giving up five runs in 21/3 innings in a 10-1 loss in Detroit during the Tigers’ three-game sweep that sent the Indians tumbling to six losses in seven games.
“I was a little jittery at first,” said Huff, who threw 40 pitches over the first two innings. “It kind of felt like the first game of the season or something because I had not worked. Then I got into a groove with my fastball and was able to throw strikes.”
Chris Perez struck out two in a perfect ninth for his 30th save in 34 chances as Oakland lost for the fourth time in five games.
“I try to do that every time, but sometimes I’m not as lucky,” Perez said. “I’d like to have 75 of these a year.
“Winning the first game of this series is big. We have four games against a team we should beat and we need to beat. We have to take advantage of every game.”
Santana hit his 20th homer to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the seventh against Brandon McCarthy (7-7), who lost for the second time in nine starts since July 15. It was only the eighth homer allowed by the right-hander and seventh without a runner on base. It was his third complete game this season, all losses.
“It’s either some sort of statistical fluke or I’m giving up runs when I shouldn’t be,” McCarthy said.
Cleveland took a 1-0 lead in the sixth. Ezequiel Carrera lined a two-out single to center and scored from first on Fukudome’s line double into the right-field corner.
“A big hit there and a good slide,” Indians manager Manny Acta said.
Oakland’s Kurt Suzuki took the relay throw from second baseman Jemile Weeks on the first-base side of the plate, but Carrera swiped the plate, eluding the catcher’s lunging tag.