Indians get F vs. A’s

Tribe loses finale of home stand to Oakland, Gio Gonzalez

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

Somehow, some way, they’ve scrapped, clawed and limped their way into contention. And now that September’s here, the Cleveland Indians plan to hang around.

For as long as they can.

“We all know what we’re facing,” manager Manny Acta said following a 7-0 loss Thursday to the Oakland Athletics. “There’s no time to complain, no time to rest, no time to shut it down. We just have to get after it.”

The Indians opened the season’s final month with an ugly loss, a rarity for a team that has played 46 one-run games and made dramatic wins routine. They remain 51/2 games behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central, a deficit the Indians hope doesn’t grow by the time the Tigers come to town next week.

“We’re still very much in it,” reliever Tony Sipp said.

Gio Gonzalez (12-11) pitched seven shutout innings and baffled Cleveland again as the A’s avoided a four-game sweep.

Gonzalez improved to 5-0 with a 0.72 ERA in six career starts against the Indians, extending his scoreless streak to 272/3 innings against them. The left-hander allowed four singles and was never in trouble against a lineup missing several injured regulars.

“Gio was tough on us again,” Acta said. “Even when we have a full deck of cards he is always tough on us. He’s got an overpowering fastball and one of the best breaking balls in the league. He always cruises against us, and he did it again.”

Cliff Pennington had four hits and three RBIs as the A’s did just enough against Fausto Carmona (6-13) and snapped a five-game losing streak.

Afterward, the Indians packed and left for Kansas City, where they’ll open a three-game series tonight. On Monday, they’ll open a critical three-game set at home against the Tigers. At this point, the Indians may need a sweep to keep their unexpected comeback season alive.

With their next win, the Indians will match their total for all of 2010, when they finished 25 games out of first.

“We’ve actually opened some eyes because nobody thought this was for real and were waiting on us to hit that skid and head down that downward spiral,” Sipp said. “That hasn’t happened yet.”

After winning a 16-inning marathon that ended at 12:07 a.m., the Indians took the field at 12:06 p.m.

Their bats never awakened against Gonzalez, who won his third start in a row after five consecutive losses. He worked out of three two-on jams, twice getting Asdrubal Cabrera to pop to right for the final out. In four starts in Cleveland, Gonzalez is 4-0 with a 0.67 ERA.