The Rays scored three in the fifth inning and two in the sixth. They led the Indians, 5-3, through six.
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- This is a daily briefing of the Indians' 2010 regular season. The Tribe plays host to the Tampa Bay Rays tonight at Progressive Field.
Pitching matchup: Indians RHP Mitch Talbot (8-8, 3.89 ERA) vs. Rays LHP David Price (12-5, 2.84).
In-game updates:
The Rays led the Indians, 5-3, through six innings.
Talbot struck out six consecutive batters from the first through the third to tie a franchise record.
Talbot joined Bob Feller (1938), Bartolo Colon (2000) and Chuck Finley (2002) as the only Indians to notch six straight strikeouts.
Talbot should have had the record all to himself. A 2-2 pitch to former Indian Kelly Shoppach appeared to be a strike, but umpire Mike Everitt called it a ball. Replays showed the ball crossed the plate comfortably within the strike zone.
Shoppach grounded to short.
The Rays managed one hit -- a single to left by Jason Bartlett -- through three.
The Tribe jumped in front, 3-0, through three. Shin-Soo Choo had an RBI double in the first. Shelley Duncan hit a two-run homer in the second.
Tampa Bay tied it on Ben Zobrist's three-run homer in the fifth. The shot to left initially was ruled a triple. The umpires watched the tape and reversed the call.
The Rays took the lead in the sixth, knocking out Talbot in the process. Carlos Pena homered and B.J. Upton hit an RBI double.
Pregame notes:
The Indians have won 18 in a row over Tampa Bay in Cleveland. The Rays have not beaten the Tribe on its turf since Sept. 28, 2005, when Seth McClung prevailed over Cliff Lee, 1-0. At that time, their club was known as the Devil Rays.
"I don't believe in curses, and I don't believe in luck,'' Indians manager Manny Acta said. "But this streak is kind of strange.''
The Rays, a contender in the rugged A.L. East, is 57-38. The Tribe, 7-1 since the All-Star break, is 41-55.
The first six games of this season's series were played in St. Petersburg, Fla. The Rays won five. Their first chance to bust the road streak came Friday night, but the offense had almost no answers for righty Fausto Carmona and reliever Tony Sipp. Carmona and Sipp combined on a one-hitter as the Tribe won, 3-1, in 6 1/2 innings. Two rain delays totaled 2 hours, 44 minutes.
Tampa Bay's losing streak against the Tribe in Cleveland is its longest ever in one ballpark.
Talbot was acquired from Tampa Bay last December as the player to be named in the Kelly Shoppach trade. Credit General Manager Mark Shapiro with a steal. Talbot has been one of the better rookie pitchers in the majors; Shoppach is hitting .200 in 27 games.
Lineups:
Rays -- 1. Ben Zobrist rf; 2. Carl Crawford lf; 3. Evan Longoria 3b; 4. Carlos Pena 1b; 5. Matt Joyce dh; 6. Sean Rodriguez 2b'; 7. B.J. Upton cf; 8. Kelly Shoppach c; 9. Jason Bartlett ss; and Price.
Indians -- 1. Trevor Crowe cf; 2. Asdrubal Cabrera ss; 3. Shin-Soo Choo rf; 4. Carlos Santana c; 5. Jhonny Peralta 3b; 6. Austin Kearns lf; 7. Matt LaPorta 1b; 8. Shelley Duncan dh; 9. Jason Donald 2b; and Talbot.
Umpires: P -- Mike Everitt; 1b -- Adrian Johnson; 2b -- Mike Muchlinski; 3b -- Andy Fletcher.