Sabathia pitches a 5-hitter, and Sizemore and Garko homer in Cleveland's 2-0 win over Oakland.
Associated Press | May 14, 08 8:49 PM CDT in
Sports
C.C. Sabathia pitched a five-hitter and struck out 11 in the Cleveland Indians' major league-leading seventh shutout, a 2-0 victory over the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday night.
Sabathia (3-5) extended the scoreless streak of Indians starters to 43 1-3 innings since Friday. He tied his season high for strikeouts, walked two and won consecutive starts for the first time this season. He has a 1.49 ERA over his past five starts.
Sabathia pitched his sixth shutout, his first since a five-hitter last June 5. Cleveland became the first team to pitch five shutouts in an eight-game span since Oakland from July 12-19, 2002, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Grady Sizemore and Ryan Garko homered off Joe Blanton (2-6), who lost for the fourth time in five starts.
Sizemore homered on Blanton's second pitch of the night, and Garko connected in the fourth. Blanton allowed four hits in seven innings, struck out four and walked two.
Cleveland has won seven of nine and at 21-19 moved to two games over .500 for the first time since starting the season 2-0. Jhonny Peralta went 2-for-4 with two doubles, snapping an 0-for-15 slump.
Oakland has been held scoreless in its past 23 innings at Cleveland. The A's put two on in the fifth, but Rajai Davis hit into an inning-ending forceout.
Notes:@ Sizemore has three leadoff home runs this season and 14 in his career, the second-most in franchise history behind Kenny Lofton's 18. ... Oakland's Bobby Crosby hit his 100th double. ... Cleveland closer Joe Borowski, out since April 15 with a strained right triceps muscle, is scheduled to pitch in a simulated game Friday, when the Indians start an interleague series in Cincinnati.
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