Losses continue to pile up on Tribe

Cleveland loses for 10th time in 11 games

8/27/2012

CLEVELAND -- Manager Manny Acta is trying to find positives for the reeling Cleveland Indians.

That's what the season has come to for Acta. Cleveland's extended tailspin continued with Sunday's 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees.

"We pitched OK, which made for a decent ballgame," Acta said. "That makes it easier to take then when you're trailing by a ton of runs and it sucks the energy out of everybody."

Ubaldo Jimenez, who leads the AL in losses, allowed three runs -- all coming in the second -- in five innings. The right-hander (9-13) fell to 1-6 in nine starts since the All-Star break.

The Indians broke a nine-game losing streak with a 3-1 win on Saturday, but an early deficit and a lack of clutch hitting were too much to overcome for Cleveland, which has lost nine of 10.

"We just need to show up [today] and worry about that game," Acta said. "We can't be talking about stringing wins together. Take it one at a time and win one before you can string two, three or four."

Carlos Santana's two-run single with the bases loaded in the fifth cut the lead to 3-2, but that was the only big hit the Indians could muster. Cleveland's hitters were 1 for 11 with runners in scoring position and nine were stranded.

Jason Kipnis had three hits and a career-high three stolen bases.

The Indians acquired Jimenez to be a difference maker. More than a year later, they're still waiting. Picked up from Colorado for top pitching prospects Alex White and Drew Pomeranz at last season's trade deadline, Jimenez is 13-17 since the trade.

"I haven't been consistent," Jimenez said. "That's the first thing I'm unhappy about."

Curtis Granderson hit his 200th career homer off Tony Sipp in the sixth. The Yankees took two of three in the series following a three-game losing streak, opening a four-game lead in the AL East over idle Tampa Bay.

Jimenez's second-inning problems began when Eric Chavez singled and Raul Ibanez walked. Ichiro Suzuki's single gave New York the lead. After a sacrifice, Derek Jeter's groundout scored Ibanez. With a chance to limit the damage to two runs, Jimenez allowed a single to Nick Swisher that put the Indians in a 3-0 hole.

Jimenez allowed at least one base runner in every inning, giving up eight hits and one walk.

Yankees starter Freddy Garcia worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the third, getting Santana to pop a 3-2 pitch to right. The right-hander wasn't as fortunate in the fifth after getting two quick outs. Kipnis singled, Garcia hit Asdrubal Cabrera with a pitch, and walked Shin-Soo Choo. This time, Santana grounded the first pitch up the middle for a two-run single to make it 3-2.

NOTES: The Indians are three games into a 10-game homestand, their longest of the season.