Indians beat Orioles 8-7 in 13 innings

5/22/2014

BALTIMORE — Carlos Santana doubled in two runs with two outs in the 13th inning, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Thursday night for their fourth straight victory.

Ryan Rayburn and Lonnie Chisenhall homered for the Indians, whose winning streak ties a season high. Three of Cleveland’s last four games have gone extra innings, including a 13-inning win over Detroit on Wednesday night.

PHOTO GALLERY: Click here to view more photos

The Indians became the first team since the 2010 Angels to play two straight games of at least 13 innings, and it was the first time since 2003 that Cleveland played two consecutive 13-inning games.

After two hits and a walk loaded the bases in the 13th, Santana came to plate against Troy Patton (0-1) with a .148 batting average. He pulled a sharp grounder inside the third-base line, only his third hit in 32 at-bats with two outs and runners on.

Josh Outman (4-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Scott Atchison got three outs for his first save, despite giving up a solo home run to Nick Markakis.

Ryan Flaherty also homered for Baltimore and Adam Jones had three hits.

Orioles third baseman Manny Machado left after 11 innings with right groin stiffness. He didn’t begin play this season until May 1 after undergoing offseason knee surgery.

Baltimore used a five-run sixth inning to erase a 3-0 deficit, and after the Indians pulled even in the seventh the Orioles scored the go-ahead run in the bottom half without benefit of a hit.

Shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera fumbled Machado’s sharp grounder and Jones followed with a bouncer to third. Santana threw wildly to second base trying to start a double play, leaving runners on second and third with one out. After Mark Lowe issued an intentional walk to Chris Davis, Nelson Cruz hit a sacrifice fly to make it 6-5.

Chisenhall answered in the eighth with a pinch-hit homer off Darren O’Day to make it 6-all. It was Chisenhall’s second home run of the season, both in the last two games.

Much earlier, Indians starter Justin Masterson induced three double plays over the first five innings while being pressed into action on three days’ rest.

In the Baltimore sixth, after Steve Clevenger and J.J. Hardy delivered two-out RBI singles, Flaherty hit a 2-1 pitch over the 25-foot scoreboard in right field to make it 5-3.

The advantage vanished in the seventh. With one out, Flaherty fumbled a potential double-play grounder to second base, getting an out at first that resulted in an RBI for David Murphy. Mike Aviles then chased Orioles starter Wei-Yin Chen with a game-tying single.

Baltimore regained the lead in the bottom half, but it would not last in this back-and-forth duel.

Raburn put the Indians up 1-0 with a solo shot in the second inning, his first home run in 51 at-bats this season. Cleveland made it 3-0 in the third when Michael Brantley tripled in a run and scored on Chen’s first wild pitch of the year.

NOTES: Baltimore has 12 or more hits in four straight games for the first time since April 2007. ... The Indians placed starter Zach McAllister (lower back strain) on the 15-day DL and recalled rookie T.J. House from Triple-A Columbus. House will make his first major league start Friday night against the Orioles, who will send Bud Norris to the mound. ... Cleveland also purchased Lowe’s contract from Columbus and optioned LHP Kyle Crockett to the same club. ... Baltimore placed RHP Tommy Hunter (groin strain) on the 15-day DL and recalled RHP Preston Guilmet. ... Chris Davis will likely be out Sunday and Monday on paternity leave while doctors induce labor on the first baseman’s wife, Orioles manager Buck Showalter said. ... Jones has reached safely in 16 straight games. ... Baltimore’s Zach Britton blanked Cleveland in the 9th and 10th innings, his 10th consecutive scoreless outing.