Rookie Julio Borbon homered twice in the first
game and Marlon Byrd had seven hits in the doubleheader to help
Texas complete a two-game sweep over the Cleveland Indians on
Tuesday night.
Texas won the first game 11-9 and the nightcap 10-5 to pull
within two games of Boston for the AL wild card. Byrd raised his
average 10 points in the two games to .286. He went 4 for 4 in the
first game, including the home run, and 3 for 5 in the nightcap.
Brandon McCarthy (7-2) started the second game and didn't allow
a hit until the fourth, but tired quickly. He was making his second
start after spending three months on the disabled list with a
stress fracture in his right shoulder blade. McCarthy was charged
with five runs in 6 1-3 innings, allowing a solo homer to Kelly
Shoppach in the fifth and a two-run blast to Asdrubal Cabrera in
the sixth.
Indians starter Aaron Laffey (7-5) lasted just 3 1-3 innings,
equaling the shortest start of his career. He was charged with
seven runs and 12 hits.
Texas' Chris Davis went 3 for 4 in the nightcap, including a
three-run homer.
In addition to Borbon and Byrd, David Murphy homered in the
first game for Texas, while Matt LaPorta and Travis Hafner homered
for Cleveland.
Borbon now has three homers in 70 major league at-bats after
hitting just nine in 1,091 career minor league at-bats.
"He's capable of doing that," Rangers manager Ron Washington
said. "I don't know if you'll see him hit 15 or 20 this year, but
he certainly has a line drive stroke and sometimes he can catch it
and hit it out."
Indians pitcher Chris Perez and Texas' Neftali Feliz entered the
day 1-2 among relievers with consecutive scoreless innings streaks.
Both of them ended in the first game, although Feliz (1-0) picked
up his first major league victory in the process.
Perez had gone 20 2-3 innings, the best in baseball, before Byrd
pounded a 2-1 pitch into the bleachers in left in the seventh,
breaking a 5-all tie. Texas led the rest of the way.
It was the first run Perez allowed since July 7, a span of 20
appearances.
"He's done a tremendous job for us, but not today," Indians
manager Eric Wedge said. "You're not going to be perfect, that's
for sure."
Feliz's streak was next to go thanks to Hafner's solo homer in
the seventh, ending his at 20 1-3 innings.
"He's only human," Washington said of Feliz, who had retired
18 consecutive batters. "I don't think I can remember any pitcher
that came to the big leagues and had a 0.00 ERA. He's going to give
up something."
Jensen Lewis (2-4) pitched 1 1-3 innings to take the loss.
An estimated crowd of less than 1,000 witnessed the start of the
first game. Monday's rainout pushed the start time up two hours,
impacting the late-arriving crowd. The official attendance for the
day was 12,976.
NOTES: Rangers SS Elvis Andrus extended his hitting streak to 11
games. ... DH Andruw Jones, activated off the DL earlier in the
day, went 1 for 4 in the nightcap. ... Indians RHP Joe Smith, who
hasn't pitched since Aug. 29, is battling a sore left knee. He is
hoping to return sometime next week. ... CF Michael Brantley is the
second Indian in the last 50 years to hit safely in each of his
first eight games. Josh Bard hit in his first nine in 2002. ... C
Lou Marson made his major league debut in the first game, going 1
for 4. ... The Indians purchased the contract of infielder Niuman
Romero from Triple-A Columbus. ... The Indians and Class A Lake
County Captains have agreed on a four-year extension to their
Player Development Contract (PDC) through the 2014 season.
