Cleveland Suffers Another Loss, Falling 4-1 to Minnesota

Jeremy Sowers is definitely making a case for remaining in the big leagues, you’d just never know it by his record.  Sowers pitched five innings of perfection on Friday against the Minnesota Twins and still ended up with a 4-1 loss.

Five innings of no hits and no walks was broken up in the bottom of the sixth.  The first batter Sowers faced was Brendan Harris, and he leveled a double into left.  Adam Everett laid down a nice bunt, moving Harris to third. 

The second hit of the night by the Twins came at the hands of Carlos Gomez, a single scored Harris and made it a 1-0 Twins lead.

Nick Blackburn, the starting pitcher for Minnesota was almost as good in the hit department, and came out better in the offensive run support category.  After five, he’d only giving up three hits coupled with no walks, and nary a run.

In the top of the seventh, the Indians had an opportunity to rough him up for a few.  Unfortunately, they could not deliver in the same fashion as the Twins had earlier, but did tie up the game at 1-1. 

Kelly Shoppach opened the seventh with a double on a very close play at second.  Good hustle and keeping his foot on the bag, Shoppach just barely beat out the tag, hanging on to second with about one toe while falling over.  He was safe. 

Ryan Garko singled to right, moving Shoppach over to third.  Jhonny Peralta came on as a pinch hitter for Andy Marte, and delivered an RBI single just out of the reach of shortstop Everett. 

With runners on first and second, and nobody out, Franklin Gutierrez laid down the bunt, but it was not far enough toward the third baseline.  Because of the placement, Minnesota third baseman Harris didn’t have to charge the plate, since the ball was fielded easily by Blackburn, and the Twins picked off lead runner Garko for the first out. 

Really a turning point in the game, Minnesota executed when they needed a sac-bunt, and the Indians did not.

Asdrubal Cabrera grounded out to first, advancing both runners in the process, but Jamey Carroll struck out for the last out of the inning, and the game was tied at 1-1.

Nick Punto opened up the bottom of the seventh with a single off Sowers.  Joe Mauer pounded his seventh home run of the year, spoiling Sowers outing.

Sowers got the next couple of batters, but the Twins weren’t done.  In his third plate appearance ever in the big leagues, designated hitter Randy Ruiz singled to right, ringing up his first hit in the majors.  He’d also register his first run scored. 

Harris knocked a double into the left field corner that took a weird bounce off some sort of gate in the home-run wall that gave a lumbering Ruiz just enough time to rumble home from first.

That sent Sowers to the showers a loser after a strong outing.  On a positive note for Sowers; he continues to look better and more comfortable with each game.  His night ended giving up six hits and four runs, all of them in his last two innings of work.

Jensen Lewis relieved, going 1.1 innings, hitting a batter, and retiring four.

Blackburn’s night was over as well.   The Twins sent out Guerrier in the eighth.  He shut down the Indians for closer Joe Nathan’s entrance in the ninth.

After Garko roughed up Nathan for a double, Peralta fouled out.  David Dellucci pinch hit and grounded out, and Cabrera grounded out as well, finishing out the game.

The Indians out-hit the Twins 7-6 in the losing effort.  Shoppach and Garko each had two hits apiece in the loss.

The Twins remained a half-game out of the Central lead as the White Sox also won. 

The Indians hold tight in the cellar.

Play resumes Saturday in Minnesota at 7:10.  Cleveland’s Paul Byrd (5-10, 4.93 ERA) versus Minnesota’s Keven Slowey (7-7, 4.00).