Indians fail in clutch, lose to Rays, 4-2.
View full sizeTampa Bay Rays' Reid Brignac, center, is congratulated by teammates Willy Aybar, left, and John Jaso Sunday afternoon after hitting a three-run home run off Cleveland Indians pitcher Justin Masterson in the second inning. CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Suddenly, the Tampa Bay Rays are invincible at Progressive Field.
The Rays made it two in a row over the host Indians on Sunday afternoon, riding a three-run homer by Reid Brignac to a 4-2 victory.
Paid attendance on a weekend date in the summer with a quality opponent in town: 13,410.
Before a victory Saturday, the Rays had lost 18 straight in Cleveland.
Tampa Bay is 59-38, including 33-18 on the road. It went 7-2 in the season series against the Tribe.
The Indians (41-57) have lost three of four after winning their first six coming out of the All-Star break.
Failure to deliver in the clutch proved costly for the Tribe, which had 11 hits, one walk and a hit-by-pitch. It was 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
Tampa Bay overcame four hits by Tribe designated hitter Travis Hafner -- three singles and a double. Hafner's output tied a career-high.
Rays righty Wade Davis (8-9, 4.32 ERA) gave up the two runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Tribe righty Justin Masterson (3-9, 5.19) allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits in 6 2/3 innings.
The Tribe pulled ahead, 1-0, on Carlos Santana's sacrifice fly that drove in Michael Brantley. Brantley had led off with a four-pitch walk.
Davis's first six pitches were balls.
Tampa Bay scored three in the second. With two outs, Willy Aybar walked and raced to third on John Jaso's single. Brignac lifted a spinning slider over the right-field wall.
Later in the game, Brignac made a diving stop of Santana's grounder to end a threat. Brignac hopped to his feet in shallow right field near the line. He had moved because of a shift.
The Indians made it 3-2 in their half of the second. Hafner led off with a single and eventually scored on Andy Marte's fielder's choice. Marte grounded into the hole at short, where Jason Bartlett made a diving stop and threw to third to erase Jayson Nix for the second out. If Nix doesn't leave second, Marte gets an infield single and the Indians are in business.
Santana snapped an 0-for-9 with a two-out single in the third.
Second baseman Nix twice threw out Carlos Pena from shallow right as part of a shift.
Masterson, thanks to first baseman Matt LaPorta, escaped a jam in the fourth. With runners on first and third and none out, John Jaso chopped to LaPorta, who looked back the runner at third and fired to second. Asdrubal Cabrera's relay was in plenty of time for the double play. Brignac lined to short.
The Indians squandered an opportunity in their half of the inning. With runners on second and third and one out, Marte struck out and Brantley flied to left.
Tampa Bay pushed the advantage to 4-2 in the fifth on Carlos Crawford's sacrifice fly, which drove in Bartlett. Bartlett had reached on Marte's fielding error to open the inning.