Lee fans 11, Tribe avoids sweep, 4-1, over Giants

Jamey Carroll and Jhonny Peralta led the offense to support Cliff Lee’s 11th win

CLEVELAND (AP) — Cliff Lee struck out a career-high 11 over eight innings, and the Cleveland Indians avoided a three-game sweep by San Francisco Giants with a 4-1 win Thursday night.

Jamey Carroll and Jhonny Peralta drove in two runs apiece to support Lee (11-1), who tied Arizona’s Brandon Webb and Joe Saunders of the Los Angeles Angels for the major league lead in wins.

The left-hander allowed one run and four hits as the Indians finally beat the Giants in Cleveland. Cleveland came in 0-4 at home in the series, including two losses in a four-game sweep in the 1954 World Series when the Giants still called New York home.

Lee has allowed two or fewer runs in 11 of his 15 starts this season. He improved to 11-2 in his career in interleague play.

Giants shortstop Omar Vizquel went 0-for-3 and got a loud ovation each time he came to bat. He got a standing ovation after a flyball out in the eighth as Indians fans, who enjoyed his spectacular play in Cleveland for 11 years from 1994 until he signed with San Francisco in 2005, recognized that may have been the 41-year-old’s final time at bat at Progressive Field.

Joe Borowski worked the ninth for his sixth save in nine tries. Cleveland moved into a fourth-place tie with idle Kansas City in the AL Central.

Kelly Shoppach singled to start a three-run third inning against Matt Cain (4-6). Shoppach scored on Carroll’s one-out triple off the left-field wall. After Ben Francisco walked, Peralta drove a two-run double off the out-of-town scoreboard in left-center for a 3-0 lead.

Aaron Rowand doubled with one out and scored on Rich Aurilia’s bloop single with two outs in the fourth to get the Giants within 3-1.

Rowand nearly made a spectacular catch to end the Indians’ fourth, getting a glove on Shoppach’s drive to left-center with a lunging effort. But the glove popped out of Rowand’s glove as he tumbled to the ground and Shoppach ended up on second with a double.

After Grady Sizemore was intentionally walked, Carroll singled to center to make it 4-1.

Cain gave up four runs and eight hits over five innings. The right-hander has alternated two wins and three losses in five June starts.

Notes

The start of the game was delayed 1 hour, 42 minutes by rain. ... Giants broadcaster Duane Kuiper had a busy three days in Cleveland, where he had been the Indians’ second baseman in 1974-81. Kuiper, in his 24th year behind the microphone, was in constant demand for interviews. ... Aurilia has 1,142 hits for San Francisco uniform, tying Jim Davenport for seventh on the Giants’ list since they moved from New York in 1958. ... Indians OF David Dellucci is in a 1-for-20 slump and has struck out 14 times in his last 25 at-bats. ... RHP Sergio Romo became the ninth Giants player to make his MLB debut this season, tying St. Louis for the most in the majors in 2008.