Recap: Texas vs. Cleveland
Sports Network | August 24, 2008
Arlington, TX (Sports Network) - Franklin Gutierrez drove in the game-winning run in the ninth as the Cleveland Indians completed a three-game sweep of the Texas Rangers with a 4-3 win.
After blowing a two-run edge in the eighth, Cleveland took the lead back in the ninth.
With Eddie Guardado (3-3) starting the inning on the mound, Ryan Garko led off with a single and a Kelly Shoppach sacrifice bunt moved Andy Gonzalez, running for Garko, to second. Gutierrez then roped a single to center to score Gonzalez for a 4-3 lead.
Rafael Betancourt (3-4), who got the final out of the eighth, worked a 1-2-3 ninth to finish the game.
Gutierrez finished 2-for-4 with a run scored while Shin-Soo Choo had an RBI triple and scored for the Indians, who are on a season-high seven-game winning streak. Anthony Reyes started on the mound and gave up just one run on four hits with four walks and four strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Milton Bradley, Gerald Laird and Ramon Vazquez each drove in a run for the Rangers, who have dropped three straight and six of seven. Vicente Padilla gave up three runs on five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts in five innings of work.
The Rangers jumped on top in the third as Joaquin Arias led off with a single, stole second and later came home on Bradley's single to left for a 1-0 lead.
However, Cleveland answered in the fourth and took the lead. With one out, Jhonny Peralta singled and Choo followed with a triple. Garko then lofted a sacrifice fly to right for a 2-1 lead.
The Indians got another run in the fifth. Gutierrez led off with a double and Grady Sizemore later walked. Padilla then plunked Jamey Carroll with a pitch and followed that by hitting David Dellucci with a pitch to bring home Gutierrez and make it a 3-1 game.
After giving up the run in the third, Reyes allowed baserunners in each of the next three innings, but was able to get himself out of trouble.
Reyes then worked a perfect seventh inning and handed the ball to Juan Rincon to start the eighth.
Back-to-back one-out singles to Bradley and Hank Blalock was followed by a strikeout of Marlon Byrd. A wild pitch moved Jason Ellison, who came on to run for Bradley, to third and Laird then doubled to bring home Ellison. After a walk to Chris Davis loaded the bases, Betancourt took the mound and issued a walk to Vazquez to tie the game. Betancourt then got Frank Catalanotto to ground out and end the frame.
Cleveland starts a three-game set in Detroit on Monday...Texas hits the road and starts a three-game set in Kansas City on Monday...Cleveland took six of 10 games against Texas this season...Texas left 10 men on base.
