Indians top Jays for fourth straight win
June 30, 2010
CLEVELAND (AP)—Aaron Laffey(notes) allowed one run over six-plus innings and theCleveland Indians beat the Toronto Blue Jays 3-1 on Wednesday night for theirfourth straight win.
Laffey (1-2), who gave up five hits and struck out five, was 0-8 in ninestarts and 29 appearances at the major league level since beating Minnesota lastAug. 16. It was the left-hander’s second start since being recalled from theminors on Saturday. He was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on May 30.
Cleveland Indians' Aaron L… The Canadian Press – Jun 30, 10:00 pm EDT Toronto Blue Jays' Jesse L… AP – Jun 30, 8:06 pm EDT YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index = 1; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_lazy_images = [http://d.yimg.com/a/p/ap/20100701/capt.82a4800d79d9420a926a2023d9e5ab4b-82a4800d79d9420a926a2023d9e5ab4b-0.jpg?x=180&y=200&xc=61&yc=1&wc=289&hc=321&q=70&sig=aQt.ykfoFZTut2DOXopErA--]; YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(window,load,YAHOO.Sports.articleLazyLoadCarousel.init); 1 of 2 Tor-Cle Gallery function prev_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index > 0) { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index – 1); } else { goto_photo(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index); }}function next_photo() { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index 0) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_prev, prev_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_prev, prev); } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_last_index) { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.addClass(article_carousel_next, next_disabled); YAHOO.util.Dom.removeClass(article_carousel_next, next); }*/}function goto_photo(p) { if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { for(i = 0; i < YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos.length; i++) { if (i == p) { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, ); } else { YAHOO.util.Dom.setStyle(YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos[i], display, none); } } if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page) { YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page.innerHTML =(p + 1); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = p; } } update_buttons();}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init = function () { YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_prev, click, prev_photo); YAHOO.util.Event.addListener(article_carousel_next, click, next_photo); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_index = 0; YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_current_page = YAHOO.util.Dom.get(carousel_page); YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos = YAHOO.util.Dom.getElementsByClassName(item, div, leadphoto); if (YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_photos) { goto_photo(0); }}YAHOO.Sports.article_carousel_init(); Series at a Glance Toronto 1 Cleveland 2 Mon, Jun 28 – Final Toronto 4 Cleveland 5 Tue, Jun 29 – Final Toronto 1 Cleveland 3 Wed, Jun 30 – Final Toronto at Cleveland Thu, Jul 1 – 12:05 pm ET
Matt LaPorta(notes) and Shin-Soo Choo(notes) hit solo home runs for Cleveland, whichmatched its longest win streak of the season following a season-worst seven-gamelosing streak. The Indians will seek their first four-game home sweep since May25-28, 2009, against Tampa Bay, when they host the Blue Jays on Thursday.
Toronto has lost four straight, eight of 10 overall and is 3-11 in its last14 road games.
Chris Perez(notes) pitched a perfect ninth for his seventh save in 10 chances. Heclosed in place of Kerry Wood(notes), who had three saves in three days.
Choo put Cleveland ahead 1-0 with a 422-foot home run off Jesse Litsch(notes) (0-3)with one out in the first. It was Choo’s fifth homer in his last eight games and13th of the season.
LaPorta’s second homer in two nights, off reliever Shawn Camp(notes) in theseventh, made it 3-1.
Carlos Santana(notes) had an RBI single in the sixth inning for Cleveland.
Toronto loaded the bases in the fifth on a two-out double by Aaron Hill(notes) andtwo walks. Laffey got out of the jam by striking out Fred Lewis(notes).
John Buck(notes) singled to open the seventh. Buck was running when Lyle Overbay(notes)hit a line drive off the glove of a leaping LaPorta at first base for his1,000th career hit. The single put Blue Jays on first and third and finishedLaffey.
Reliever Frank Herrmann(notes) got Hill to pop out to second on the first pitch.Nick Green(notes) then grounded a single up the middle to score Buck, cuttingCleveland’s lead to 2-1. Shortstop Jason Donald(notes) smothered the ball with a dive,but could not get an out.
Herrmann ended the threat by striking out pinch-hitter Adam Lind(notes) and Lewis,who fouled off five consecutive pitches before finally being retired. Lind’s outdropped him into a 2-for-20 (.100) slump.
Litsch gave up two runs and four hits over six innings. The right-hander hasbeen inconsistent in four starts since returning June 13, a year and one dayafter having Tommy John surgery. After throwing seven innings in a 3-0 victoryover San Francisco on June 19, he allowed six runs and walked four in fourinnings of a 9-0 loss to Philadelphia on Saturday.
NOTES: Toronto manager Cito Gaston moved Buck up to fifth in the lineup anddropped Hill to seventh, using the 2B as the DH. Hill went 1 for 4 and has hitonly .139 (5 of 36) in his last 10 games. … Toronto leads the majors with 115homers, but has none in three games. … LaPorta is 4 for 9 in the series and 6for 15 against the Blue Jays this season. … Cleveland has homered in 18 of itslast 23 games.
