Indians-Athletics: Cleveland Gives Up Four in the Fifth, Loses to Oakland

The Indians opened up a six game West Coast road trip on Friday evening in not so grand fashion, losing to the Oakland A’s 6-3 in a game that was never really in doubt for Oakland.  Ryan Garko and Travis Hafner each homered for the Tribe in the losing effort. 

The Story of the game was pitching.  Oaklandsent Justin Duchscherer to the mound, a guy who hadn’t started a game since September of 2003 because of Oakland’s strong rotation and had only six career starts total.  He pitched five innings, allowing only one run before leaving with a biceps problem in his pitching arm.

Paul Byrd, the Indians starter, could not get control of his pitches straight out of the gate, hitting two batters in the second, and surrendering a run in the same inning because of the hit batsman.  He finally got the hook in the fifth, allowing the A’s to bat around and score four, giving them an insurmountable 5-0 lead. 

Grady Sizemore and Ryan Garko led the seven hit outing for the Tribe, each registering two hits.  Garko had a two-bagger and a homer, going two for four.  The first Tribe tally came in the sixth,, on a Shoppach single, a Sizemore single, and a Cabrera walk.  The Indians looked to be in rally cap mode with bases loaded and no one out, but the rally was squelched on a double play off the bat of Johnny Peralta.  While Shoppach scored on the play, it really put the damper on a potential huge inning.  Travis Hafner homered in the ninth to round out the Indians scoring.

While the A’s scored one in the second and an insurance run in the seventh, the four run fifth were all they needed.  Barton singled to lead off the inning.  Peralta was charged with a throwing error and Matt Sweeney was safe, putting runners at first and second.  Cust singled to load the bases.  Crosby was safe on a fielder’s choice that did not even field an out, and Barton scored.  The Tribe, at this point, could have been out of the inning, but so far hadn’t registered an out.  Hannahan hit a sac fly to Grady Sizemore, scoring Sweeney.  Next came Suzuki, who singled and scored Cust.  Ryan Sweeney, the second Sweeeney sent to the plate by Oakland, but not a member of the law firm Sweeney and Sweeney, singled to left and Crosby scored, and that was it for Byrd.  Julio came on in relief, and did a nice job of striking out Buck and getting Ellis to pop out, ending the inning. 

The A’s garnered a total of ten hits, eight of them off Byrd.  Julio pitched two and a third, then Breslow came on for the last inning and a third.

The A’s used Dushcherer the first five, and then went an inning each with Casilla, Foulke, former Indian Alan Embree, and Herb Street.  Dushcherer got the win, Byrd the loss.  The A’s take a 1-0 lead in the three game series.  Game two is a 4:05 Saturday start time in Oakland.