Blue Jays-Indians: Teams Split Doubleheader by 3-0 Scores

On a day dominated by pitching, Asdrubal Cabrera completed one of the rarest plays in baseball, the unassisted triple play.  It was only the 14th time in baseball history the unassisted triple play has been pulled off.

Even so, the Indians could not win Game Two. Despite nine innings of shutout ball by Cliff Lee, they ended up with a double-header split against the Toronto Blue Jays.

Cleveland won the first game 3-0.  Toronto won the second by the reverse, 3-0.  The Indians finished the four-game home series against the Jays 3-1.

The unassisted triple play happened in the top of the fifth of the second game.  With the score registering all zeros, Cliff Lee gave up back-to-back singles to Kevin Mench and Marco Scutaro. With Lyle Overbay at the plate, Toronto tried a little trickery, starting the runners.

Overbay lined the ball toward second base and Asdrubal Cabrera made a diving catch, recording the first out. Because the runners were going, Scutaro was already around second base from first and three steps toward third.  Cabrera stepped on second base.  Kevin Mench, the original guy on second, was out.

Then Cabrera tagged a statuesque, dumbfounded Scutaro for the third out, bailing Cliff Lee out of a pretty bad jam.

Lee, while not allowing a run through nine innings, was out-pitched by the Jays Shaun Marcum.  Marcum went eight innings, allowing two hits, and struck out five.  Lee allowed seven hits and two walks in nine innings, striking out five as well, and pitching out of trouble when necessary. 

Lee finished the ninth with a chance to win the game, as it was still tied 0-0 and the Indians had yet to bat.  Cleveland’s offense did nothing against B.J. Ryan, negating Lee from being the pitcher of record in a scoreless tie. 

In the 10th, Rafael Betancourt proved being a closer is not that easy.  One of the best, if not the best setup man last year, Betancourt gave up three runs and took the loss in the top of the 10th.

Scott Downs earned a save, allowing only one hit in the 10th to squelch any attempt at a rally.

In the first game, Fausto Carmona outdueled A.J. Burnett.  Carmona pitched a complete game shutout, earning the win with a five-hit, three-strikeout, four-walk pitching gem.  Burnett gave up three runs on five hits, going seven and two-thirds innings for the loss. 

If the Jays' offense and the Indians' offense were both on Mars, scientists would say there were no signs of life. Neither side's batters looked like major leaguers in either contest. 

The Indians scored one in the sixth and two in the seventh in the first game.

A Grady Sizemore double and a David Dellucci single accounted for the run in the sixth.

A Travis Hafner walk and a Cabrera home run gave the Tribe its two runs in the seventh.

Both Indians starters went nine innings.  Neither Indians starter gave up a run.  That is some OUTSTANDING starting pitching.  Cleveland remains all even at .500 with a 19-19 mark, while the Jays dropped to 18-22 and the cellar of the AL East.

The Tribe takes on the Oakland A’s at Progressive Field in Cleveland on Tuesday, the beginning of a three-game series.  Paul Byrd takes the hill for Cleveland; Duchsherer goes for the Blue Jays.