Associated Press
Associated Press
CLEVELAND — Hobbling on a sore hamstring, Adrian Beltre hit the ball so far all he had to do was jog.
Beltre belted a three-run pinch-hit homer in the 11th inning to help lift the Texas Rangers to a 5-2 win over the Cleveland Indians on Saturday night.
Beltre didn’t start for the fourth straight game, then drove a 1-0 pitch from Joe Smith (1-1) 456 feet over the center-field wall for his fifth homer, snapping Texas’ three-game losing streak.
“We needed that,” Texas manager Ron Washington said. “This is the biggest win we’ve had all year. We’ve been spinning our wheels.”
Alexi Ogando (1-0) pitched two scoreless innings and Joe Nathan worked the 11th for his seventh save in eight tries.
Asdrubal Cabrera had four hits for Cleveland, which had a three-game winning streak stopped.
It was Beltre’s third career pinch homer — first in nearly 12 years. He also did it in 1998 and 2000 with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
On Friday night, Beltre’s bid for a two-run pinch homer was thwarted by a leaping catch at the right-field wall by Shin-Soo Choo for the final out of Cleveland’s 6-3 win.
With Beltre on deck, Indians manager Manny Acta visited the mound and told the right-handed Smith to intentionally walk lefty hitter Mitch Moreland with a runner on second and two outs. Lefty Tony Sipp was ready in the Cleveland bullpen.
“It was my decision,” Acta said. “I don’t second-guess myself. Some will work. Some will not. I’ll sleep fine.”
Acta was miffed that the Indians failed to turn a double play earlier in the inning.
“You can’t give a team like that extra outs,” Acta said after shortstop Cabrera dropped a ball instead of throwing to first as he leaped to avoid a hard-sliding Craig Gentry, who had been forced.
Washington had been seeking a spot to bat Beltre in the late innings.
“It would do no good for him to get on with a single, because then I’d have to use a pinch runner,” Washington said. “I needed a runner in scoring position to use him.
“I sent him up (to on-deck circle) when Manny went to the mound. It wasn’t a decoy. Beltre was going to hit, no matter if they walked Mitch or if they made a change.”
Smith knew Beltre was hitless in five previous at-bats against him.
“The boy can hit,” Smith said. “That’s for sure. You gotta bring your game when you face him. You leave a fastball up in the zone, apparently he doesn’t miss those.”
Beltre wasn’t particularly eager to face the sidearmer.
“I knew I didn’t hit him well,” Beltre said. “I didn’t feel comfortable against him. He threw a slider for a ball and then I was looking for something middle-away and got it.
“It was a nice feeling going around the bases. We’ve had a tough stretch lately. To get a win feels pretty good.”
Shut out for seven innings by Derek Holland, the Indians chased the left-hander and rallied to tie it at 2 in the eighth.
With one out, Michael Brantley singled and went to third on Jason Kipnis’ single. Washington called on Mike Adams for the 13th time this season, but first with runners on base. Adams promptly yielded an RBI double to Cabrera.
Kipnis then scored from third when catcher Mike Napoli failed to handle a tailing fastball that went off his glove and to the backstop for a passed ball.
“Adams did a good job, but a little mix-up there hurt,” Washington said.
Holland, who had a five-hit shutout at Progressive Field on June 4, gave up five hits, one earned run and struck out six over 7 1-3 innings.
Texas took a 1-0 lead in the second as Ian Kinsler topped a slow roller for a two-out RBI single, scoring Napoli from third. Moreland’s RBI double in the fourth made it 2-0.
Indians starter Derek Lowe went six innings, giving up nine hits, two runs and two walks. Several of the hits were on grounders just out of the reach of infielders.
Holland got two highlight-reel plays from his infielders.
Third baseman Alberto Gonzalez, filling in for Beltre, robbed Kipnis in the sixth with a diving backhanded catch of a line drive.
In the seventh, shortstop Elvis Andrus ranged far to his backhand to get a grounder by Jack Hannahan. Andrus leaped into the air and threw a one-hopper that was scooped out by Michael Young at first to finish the inning.
Hannahan turned the tables in the eighth, diving to his left to stop a hard smash by Nelson Cruz. His throw just beat Cruz, who tumbled over the first-base bag.
ORIOLES 8, RED SOX 2
BOSTON — Mark Reynolds hit a three-run homer, Jason Hammel continued his strong start this season and Baltimore extended Boston’s recent home struggles.
WHITE SOX 3, TIGERS 2
DETROIT — Adam Dunn hit a two-run homer deep into the right-field seats off Jose Valverde in the ninth inning to lift Chicago.
ROYALS 5, YANKEES 1
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Felipe Paulino came off the disabled list to toss six shutout innings, Billy Butler drove in three runs and Kansas City beat New York.
ATHLETICS 4, RAYS 3, 12 INNINGS
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Jonny Gomes came through against his former team, hitting a go-ahead homer in the 12th inning to stop the Rays’ six-game winning streak.
ANGELS 6, BLUE JAYS 2
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout and Mark Trumbo homered, C.J. Wilson pitched effectively through eight innings and Los Angeles bounced back from consecutive shutout losses.
MARINERS 7, TWINS 0
SEATTLE — Felix Hernandez and Steve Delabar combined on a one-hitter and Kyle Seager went 2 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs to pace the Mariners offense.
Mets’ Santana wins NEW YORK — Johan Santana won for the first time in 20 months, finally getting some run support from his teammates, and the New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 4-3 to snap a four-game losing streak.
Mike Nickeas and Andres Torres each hit a two-run single to back Santana, who toughed out seven innings for his first victory since the two-time Cy Young Award winner had shoulder surgery in September 2010. Daniel Murphy went 4 for 4 for the second four-hit game of his career.
BRAVES 13, ROCKIES 9
DENVER — Chipper Jones had three hits and matched a career high with five RBIs and the Braves overcame a grand slam by Michael Cuddyer.
MARLINS 4, PADRES 1
SAN DIEGO — Mark Buehrle threw a five-hitter and pinch hitter Greg Dobbs drove in the go-ahead run to lift Miami to its season-high fifth straight victory.
Meanwhile, one day after Heath Bell blew a save for the fourth time this year, the Marlins demoted him from the closer role.
NATIONALS 7, PHILLIES 1
WASHINGTON — Gio Gonzalez allowed one run over seven innings and Washington hit a season-high three home runs to beat the Nationals for the seventh straight time.
DODGERS 5, CUBS 1
CHICAGO — Chris Capuano threw seven shutout innings and drove in two runs the first-place Dodgers avoided their first three-game losing streak of the season.
GIANTS 5, BREWERS 2
SAN FRANCISCO — Madison Bumgarner shut down Milwaukee for seven innings and added an RBI double to win his eighth straight home start as San Francisco snapped a four-game skid.
ASTROS 8, CARDINALS 2
HOUSTON — Chris Johnson hit his first career grand slam, Bud Norris continued his dominance of St. Louis and Houston won its fifth straight for the first time since late 2010.
PIRATES 3, REDS 2
PITTSBURGH — Neil Walker hit his first homer since September and James McDonald put together another strong start to lead Pittsburgh.