UPDATED: Fausto Carmona and Tony Sipp combine to allow one hit as the Indians defeat the Rays, 3-1, in 6 1/2 innings. The game is called after a second rain delay.
View full sizeRight fielder Shin-Soo Choo wastes no time making a play during his first game back with the Indians after a stint on the DL, catching a fly ball hit by Tampa's Ben Zobrist before hitting the wall. Updated at 2:43 a.m.
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Devil Rays or Rays, bottom feeders or contenders.
Rain-shortened or nine innings.
It makes no difference. Tampa Bay's Major League Baseball team can't beat the Indians in Cleveland.
The Tribe made it 18 straight over Tampa Bay in Progressive Field on Friday night, riding Fausto Carmona and wet weather to a rain-shortened 3-1 victory.
Tampa Bay had batted in its half of the seventh before the game was delayed a second time because of rain. The game was called at 11:57 p.m. with the two delays totaling 2 hours, 44 minutes.
The Indians (41-55) are 7-1 since the All-Star break. They have won 10 of 12 at home.
Tampa Bay (57-38) slipped to 31-18 on the road.
Evidently, the Indians franchise took it hard when, on Sept. 28, 2005, the Rays prevailed, 1-0, in Cleveland. The Rays had won the first two of a three-game series, part of the Tribe's final-week fold that helped cost the Indians a wild-card berth.
The next day, the Indians and CC Sabathia defeated the Rays, 6-0 -- the first of the 18 in a row in Cleveland. The lineup: Grady Sizemore, Coco Crisp, Jhonny Peralta, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Ronnie Belliard, Jose Hernandez, Aaron Boone, Casey Blake.
"It's a different ballclub now than in 2005," Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But it's still kind of remarkable that it's been 18 games."
Said Peralta, "I know we've been playing them well here, but I didn't realize we won 18 in a row."
Friday night, Carmona (five innings) and Tony Sipp (two) combined to allow one hit and one unearned run. Rays second baseman Reid Brignac had an infield single leading off the third. Tribe second baseman Jason Donald gloved the ball with a dive to his left and managed to make it a reasonably close play.
"Fausto was fantastic and Sipp was lights out," Acta said.
Moments later, Tribe catcher Carlos Santana caught Brignac attempting to steal with a terrific throw.
The Indians took a 1-0 lead in the first.
Michael Brantley led off with a walk and moved to second on Asdrubal Cabrera's single. When Shin-Soo Choo flied to right, Brantley tagged.
Santana ripped one low toward first baseman Carlos Pena, who narrowly missed converting it into a lineout double play. The Rays settled for a 3-6 force of Cabrera, with Brantley scoring.
Tampa Bay tied it in the second.
View full sizeIndians ground crew rushes to cover the field just before a downpour arrives at the end of the fifth inning on Friday.Pena hit a lead-off grounder into shallow right, where Donald was positioned as part of a shift. Donald fielded cleanly but threw wide to first baseman Matt LaPorta. Whether at second or shortstop in his rookie season, Donald periodically has gotten underneath the ball on seemingly routine throws, causing inaccuracy.
Pena stole second and scampered to third when Santana's throw skipped way. Donald almost cut down Pena at third; Peralta applied the tag and thought he had an out, but umpire Mike Muchlinski disagreed. Pena came home on a grounder to second.
The Indians regained the advantage in the third.
Brantley opened with a single. Cabrera doubled him to third. As Choo was robbed by Brignac's diving stop, Brantley scored.
With Santana at the plate, Rays manager Joe Maddon went unconventional, bringing in the infield while employing a shift. Three infielders set up to the right of second and on the dirt. Third baseman Evan Longoria stayed close to his bag.
Santana did not need to worry about foiling the strategy because right-hander Jeff Niemann walked him on five pitches.
Hafner struck out swinging for the second straight at-bat and heard boos as he walked back to the dugout. Peralta grounded out.
With two outs and Choo on third in the fifth, Maddon ordered Santana intentionally walked to get to Hafner. Depending on perspective, it was a ringing endorsement of Santana or slap in the face to Pronk, one of baseball's most feared hitters in the mid-2000s.
Niemann continued to work over Hafner with breaking stuff until missing with a 2-2 fastball. Niemann resumed using off-speed and Hafner popped to center.
Choo had reached on a two-out bunt single, sprinted to second on a wild pitch and to third on catcher John Jaso's error.
Neither Carmona nor Niemann pitched after the first rain delay. Sipp relieved for the Tribe; Dan Wheeler for the Rays.
Carmona walked one and struck out seven. He threw 72 pitches and lowered his ERA to 3.51. The weather prevented him from working at least six innings for the 18th time in 20 starts.
Trevor Crowe homered with two outs in the sixth for a 3-1 advantage. Donald followed with a triple, but Brantley grounded out.
Crowe had doubled in the second to give the Indians at least one extra-base hit in 45 consecutive games -- longest active streak in the majors. The St. Louis Cardinals' streak ended at 49 on Thursday. The Tribe's extra-base run is its longest since a 69-gamer in 2008.
A second delay occurred with the Indians batting in the seventh.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: dmanoloff@plaind.com, 216-999-4664
