CLEVELAND —
After putting up 32 runs in a four-game series, the Indians went back to having difficulty in scoring Monday. This time, though, there was a reason for much of their struggles, though this team is not one that tends to look for excuses.
Jered Weaver, one of the best pitchers in baseball, worked seven scoreless innings, outdueling Ubaldo Jimenez to post a 3-0 victory for the visiting Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
“(Weaver) can locate,” manager Manny Acta said. “And he offsets the hitters’ timing very (well). He could go from a 69 mile-per-hour breaking ball to a 91 mile-per-hour fastball. He never gives in, and he has the confidence that he can get out of it.”
Weaver (9-1, 2.13 ERA) made it look easy for six innings and then snuffed out a bases-loaded, no-out threat in the seventh by getting Johnny Damon to ground into a force at home and Casey Kotchman to hit a foul popup, then fanning Shelley Duncan.
Weaver (5 hits, 3 walks) left after surrendering singles to the first two batters he faced in the eighth. Scott Downs got out of it with the help of a double-play grounder by Asdrubal Cabrera, and set down the side in order in the ninth to earn his seventh save.
“We just didn’t have good at-bats (after loading the bases in the seventh or getting the first two batters on in the eighth),” Acta said.
Weaver has allowed no runs in 13 innings over two games against Cleveland this season.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t do much offensively,” Acta said. “We didn’t have a very good approach, I don’t think, in the first five or six linings.
“Not to take anything away from Weaver, because he does this every five days against somebody in the big leagues. But I felt we could have had a better approach earlier in the game.”
The Tribe (40-39) fell two games behind the idle Chicago White Sox in the AL Central Division race. Los Angeles is 45-35.
Jimenez (7-7, 4.59) went a season-high 72⁄3 innings, giving up three runs on eight hits, four walks (2 intentional) and a hit batter. He benefited by having a pair of runners caught stealing by Carlos Santana, and a third runner thrown out by Santana on a baserunning error.
The Angels broke a scoreless deadlock in the fifth inning, when Howie Kendrick was hit by a pitch, stole second as Peter Bourjos struck out, went to third on a Bobby Wilson single and came home on Erick Aybar’s sacrifice fly.
Kendrick provided the second run when he deposited a hanging breaking ball into the left-field seats in the seventh.
Los Angeles extended it to 3-0 in the eighth. Manny Aybar singled and went to second on a groundout. Albert Pujols was intentionally walked, and both runners moved up on another groundout. Mark Trumbo was also walked intentionally, loading the bases, and then Jimenez walked Alberto Callaspo on four pitches, forcing in a run.
“Ubaldo pitched well — again,” Acta said. “He continues to throw the ball well. He and (Justin) Masterson back-to-back. And it’s something that makes us feel good — that these guys are back on track, and that we can count on them every five days.”
Jimenez had escaped the first inning despite allowing a pair of singles and a double. The key was that Santana gunned down Aybar attempting to steal after he had opened the game with an infield hit.
In the sixth, Pujols led off with a walk and took second on a wild pitch, but strayed too far after reaching second, and was thrown out by Santana.
“It was a tough loss,” Jimenez said. “But we were facing a pretty tough pitcher.”
Jimenez spoke about the fact the margin for error is smaller when both pitchers re going well.
“If you make a mistake, you’re going to have to pay for it,” he said. “But at the same time, this kind of game is really exciting.”
Joe Smith set down the only four batters he faced in relief of Jimenez.
Goldman is a freelance writer from South Euclid.
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