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Cardiac Indians get it done again
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Photo
Cleveland Indians' Asdrubal Cabrera watches his RBI-double in the eighth inning of a baseball game against the Boston Red Sox on Monday, May 23, 2011, in Cleveland.
Associated Press
CLEVELAND
Asdrubal Cabrera’s two-out RBI double in the eighth inning — the latest big hit delivered by Cleveland’s shortstop — rallied the Indians to a 3-2 win on Monday night over the Boston Red Sox, who also lost second baseman Dustin Pedroia with a leg injury.
Cabrera, who went 5 for 5 with two homers and five RBIs on Sunday, drove his double off reliever Daniel Bard (1-4) to the wall in left field, scoring Michael Brantley and helping the Indians win their fourth straight and improve to 19-4 at home.
Cabrera also homered in the fourth, his third homer in two days.
Joe Smith (2-1) got one out in the eighth, and closer Chris Perez got Carl Crawford to bounce into a game-ending double play for his 13th save.
Trailing 2-1 and being held in check by Boston starter Clay Buchholz, the Indians came up with some more late-inning magic.
They tied it when Jack Hannahan singled, pinch-runner Adam Everett moved up on a groundout and scored on Brantley’s two-out RBI single. The Indians then took the lead on Cabrera’s double, yet another dramatic moment for the Indians at home. The game started after a 61-minute rain delay.
Cleveland became the majors’ first team to reach 30 wins, and the Indians gave a national TV audience a firsthand glimpse of what they’ve been doing all season. Manager Manny Acta wasn’t around to see it after getting tossed in the eighth.
The loss could be doubly costly for the Red Sox.
Pedroia, the scrappy All-Star second baseman, injured his left leg when he fell over second base while trying to go to third in the eighth inning.
Pedroia was rounding second on Adrian Gonzalez’s single to right, when he got his feet tangled up after hitting the bag. He fell awkwardly but was able to scramble on his belly back to the base safely. Pedroia laid with his face in the dirt as a team trainer and manager Terry Francona jogged out to check on the former AL MVP.
Pedroia got to his feet, but was in obvious pain. He then limped back slowly to Boston’s dugout, accompanied by a concerned Francona.
The team had no immediate word on his condition.
Crawford homered for the Red Sox, who lost for just the second time in 10 games.
Buchholz allowed just two runs and four hits in 7 1/3 innings, but Bard couldn’t hold back the Indians.
Crawford snapped a 1-1 tie in the fifth with just his second homer. He turned on a 1-1 pitch from Justin Masterson, driving it over the wall in right for his first homer since April 27.
As hot as any hitter in the game, Cabrera tied it 1-1 with his 10th homer. It was Cabrera’s seventh straight hit, four shy of the team record held by Hall of Famer Tris Speaker in 1920.