Rays shut out Tribe in 2nd straight game

Cleveland catcher injured in collision

4/6/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer fires a pitch during his debut with Cleveland against Tampa Bay. Bauer struggled with his control Saturday and walked seven batters in five innings.
Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer fires a pitch during his debut with Cleveland against Tampa Bay. Bauer struggled with his control Saturday and walked seven batters in five innings.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Alex Cobb scattered four hits in 7 1/3 innings, Kelly Johnson homered, and the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Cleveland Indians 6-0 on Saturday night.

Cobb (1-0) struck out six and walked three as the Rays blanked Cleveland for the second consecutive game. Joel Peralta and Cesar Ramos completed a five-hitter.

Tampa Bay got its first hit when Jose Molina had a one-out single in the fourth. Johnson followed with a two-run homer that put the Rays up 3-0.

Indians catcher Lou Marson left the game in the fourth with a cervical-neck strain, when he had a jarring collision with Desmond Jennings.

Jennings walked leading off the third, stole second and third before being thrown out at home on Matt Joyce's grounder. Jennings slammed hard with Marson, who held onto third baseman Lonnie Chisenhall's throw.

Marson was replaced by designated hitter Carlos Santana. The moves forced Indians starter Trevor Bauer into the lineup. He struck out in the fifth.

Bauer (0-1) had control problems in his Cleveland debut, walking his first four batters and seven overall in five innings. The right-hander, obtained in an offseason trade with Arizona as part of a three-team deal and recalled before the game from Triple-A Columbus, gave up three runs, two hits, and had two strikeouts during an 105-pitch outing.

The Rays won the series opener when Matt Moore and three relievers combined on a two-hitter in a 4-0 win on Friday night.

Both benches were warned by the umpires in the seventh when Cody Allen hit Rays cleanup hitter Evan Longoria in the buttocks with a pitch.

Longoria drew the Rays’ fourth straight walk in the first to make it 1-0. Bauer avoided further damage when James Loney hit a foul pop to third, and Indians right fielder Ryan Raburn caught Yunel Escobar's liner and threw out Joyce as he tried to score from third base.

Shelley Duncan had a sixth-inning RBI single, and Loney drove in a pair with a double in the eighth.

Cleveland had two runners on in the both second and third innings, but failed to score after going 0 for 4 with runners in scoring position.

Bauer made the spot start in place of left-hander Scott Kazmir, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right rib cage muscle.