Athletics Rough Up Cy Young Winner C.C. Sabathia in 9-7 Win Over Indians
Associated Press | Apr 11, 08 10:30 PM CDT in
Sports
Reigning AL Cy Young winner C.C. Sabathia gave up nine runs and 12 hits in his shortest outing in nearly two years, and the Oakland Athletics held on to beat the Cleveland Indians 9-7 on Friday night.
Sabathia (0-2) was pulled after 3 1-3 innings, but by then Mark Ellis, Mike Sweeney and Donnie Murphy had all driven in two runs apiece. It was Sabathia's shortest start since yielding nine runs in 2 1-3 innings to the Chicago Cubs on June 21, 2006.
Joe Blanton (1-2) allowed eight hits and five runs over 7 2-3 innings to win for the first time in six starts since last Sept. 15. The right-hander walked one, struck out one and was helped by two double plays. Huston Street worked 1 1-3 innings for his third save.
Street got the final out in the eighth after Cleveland scored six runs off four pitchers in an inning that was interupted by rain for 59 minutes.
Sabathia was 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA last season, becoming Cleveland's first Cy Young winner since Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry in 1972. But the start of this season has been dreadful: He has an 11.57 ERA in 14 innings over three starts.
The left-hander's third straight poor start _ fifth in a row if two terrible outings against Boston in last fall's AL Championship Series are included _ had Cleveland fans booing during Oakland's five-run second inning.
It came one night after the Indians signed right-hander Fausto Carmona through 2014, a move made in case they can't keep Sabathia, who is eligible for free agency this fall. Sabathia rejected a preliminary offer from the club over the winter, then during spring training asked that negotiations be suspended until after the season.
The A's came in hitting .192 against lefties, but went 12-for-19 (.632) against Sabathia, whose career record against them fell to 2-7 with a 6.84 ERA.
Sweeney had an RBI single in the first and sacrifice fly in the second, when Oakland accumulated two walks, three singles, three doubles and five runs.
Jhonny Peralta hit his third homer in the bottom half to make it 6-1.
Indians centerfielder Grady Sizemore robbed Ellis of extra bases with a leaping catch at the wall in the third, but the sacrifice fly made it 7-1.
Sabathia left in the fourth with two on and one out. Reliever Jorge Julio struck out Jack Cust, but yielded a two-run single to Murphy.
Jason Michaels and Travis Hafner had RBI singles, Peralta a bases-loaded walk, Ryan Garko a two-run double and another run scored on a wild pitch by Street in the Indians' eighth.
Notes:@ There is speculation the Indians might move their Triple-A team from Buffalo after this season for a new ballpark being in built in Columbus. GM Mark Shapiro said only that a decision would be made in the fall. ... Indians RHP Paul Byrd expressed relief at the amnesty granted players implicated in the Mitchell Report. He admitted last fall to using HGH for a medical condition. ... Oakland C John Buck sat out with shin splints.
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