Indians hand O's manager Showalter first road loss

8/12/2010
ASSOCIATED PRESS

CLEVELAND — Rookie Jeanmar Gomez remained unbeaten and the Cleveland Indians defeated Baltimore 4-1 on Thursday night, handing Buck Showalter his first road loss as manager.

Gomez (3-0) gave up one run and six hits over six innings, leaving after Adam Jones led off the seventh with a bunt single. The 22-year-old native of Venezuela struck out three without a walk in his fourth career start to beat veteran Kevin Millwood (2-12).

Baltimore, seeking a season-high fifth win in a row, dropped to 8-2 with Showalter. The Orioles failed to get their first three-game sweep in Cleveland since April 10-12, 1987, and Showalter fell a game short of matching the team record for best start by a manager. Davey Johnson began 9-1 in 1996.

Michael Brantley tied a career high with four hits and Trevor Crowe drove in two runs as Cleveland broke a four-game losing streak and won for only the third time in its last 12 home games.

Rafael Perez pitched two perfect innings of relief and Chris Perez worked the ninth for his 14th save in 18 chances.

Crowe doubled home Shin-Soo Choo in the fifth inning for a 3-0 lead. Choo was hit on the back of his right hand by a Millwood pitch. After being checked by trainer Lonnie Soloff, he jogged to first, then raced all the way home on Crowe's drive over the head of centerfielder Jones.

Rookie Josh Bell opened the Orioles' sixth with a double on scored on Ty Wigginton's two-out single to center to make it 3-1.

Cleveland scratched out a 1-0 lead on three first-inning singles. Crowe beat out a two-out infield single, scoring Brantley.

Lou Marson's RBI groundout in the second made it 2-0.

Asdrubal Cabrera had an RBI single off Orioles reliever Jason Berken in the eighth to make it 4-1.

Millwood gave up three runs and nine hits over seven innings. The right-hander dropped to 0-4 in seven starts since beating Florida in an interleague game on June 24. He opened the year by going 0-8 in 14 starts, the longest losing streak of his career since coming to the major leagues in 1997 with Atlanta.

NOTES: Indians DH Travis Hafner, sidelined since July 29 with an inflamed right shoulder, is expected to take full batting practice Friday and may start a rehab assignment in the minors soon. ... Baltimore signed its third, fifth and ninth draft picks, RHP Daniel Klein, 3B Connor Narron and RHPs Parker Bridwell, respectively. ... Orioles RHP Jim Johnson, out since May 28 with an inflamed right elbow, worked a scoreless inning on a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie. ... Gomez, at age 22, is the youngest man on Cleveland's roster, which features nine rookies. Only Hafner (1977) and OF Shelley Duncan (1979) were born before 1982. ... Brantley's 4 for 5 night raised his batting average 24 points to .198.