Braves finish sweep of punch-less Indians
Associated Press
ATLANTA
Ubaldo Jimenez pitched well — except for one big mistake.
That was enough to send the Cleveland Indians to another loss, which pretty much sums up their trip to Atlanta.
Kris Medlen pitched seven scoreless innings, Brian McCann hit a three-run homer off Jimenez, and the Braves completed a sweep of the Indians with a 3-1 victory Thursday night.
“Really, the whole series was their ability to get a big hit and we didn’t,” Cleveland manager Terry Francona said. “Low-scoring games and they were able to find a way to get a big hit and we didn’t.”
The Braves only scored eight runs in the three-game series, but it was enough to win them all. The Indians touched home only three times.
“When you’re not knocking the ball all over the ball park, then getting key hits is huge,” Francona said. “We haven’t been able to.”
The only good news for the Indians: They didn’t lose any ground in the AL wild-card race, remaining four games back of Oakland. The A’s lost 7-6 at Detroit.
Jimenez (9-9) worked seven strong innings, but couldn’t overcome hanging a slider to McCann in the third. The Braves catcher launched his 19th homer of the season about 10 rows back in the right-field seats, giving the Braves all the runs they would need for their fourth straight victory.
“Right now we’re in the situation where if you make a mistake you’re probably going to pay for it with the game,” Jimenez said. “We’re not scoring a lot of runs. That’s part of baseball. Sometimes you’re going to get in a stretch like that.”
Medlen surrendered six hits, taking advantage of a team that needs to turn things around quickly in what could be a crucial stretch of its season. The Indians have scored more than three runs only once in the last seven games as they prepare for upcoming series against AL Central-leading Detroit and playoff contender Baltimore.
Medlen (11-12) capped a series of dominant pitching by the Braves, who maintained a commanding 13-game lead in the NL East. David Carpenter gave up a pinch-hit homer to Lonnie Chisenhall in the eighth, but Craig Kimbrel worked a perfect ninth for his 43rd save in 46 chances.
“I’m being aggressive,” said Medlen, who relied heavily on his fastball in the early innings. “Hopefully, I can keep it going through September and October.”