The Indians' offense is still missing. They've scored three runs in their last four games. Tuesday night they were shut out for the 11th time this season.
UPDATED: 11:18 p.m.
Coco Crisp's solo home run in the fifth inning pushed Oakland's lead to 3-0 Tuesday night over the Indians at Progressive Field. Crisp had three hits in the Athletics' 5-0 victory.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Indians scored three runs over the weekend in a three-game sweep by the Tigers at Comerica Park. That's never good sign.
The last pitcher they needed to face at a time like this was Gio Gonzalez. The Oakland left-hander might not own the Indians, but he keeps the key to their souls in his back pocket.
Gonzalez put that key to use for the third time this season Tuesday night, pitching seven innings in Oakland's 5-0 victory at Progressive Field. Gonzalez is 3-0 against the Tribe this year and has not allowed a run in 20.2 innings.
"This guy has the stuff to be good against anybody," said manager Manny Acta before the game. "He's a left-hander who throws consistently in the low 90s and he has one of the best breaking balls in the American League.
"I mean it's a hammer. The guy's been traded three or four times and that's because you have a lot of people wanting you."
In the last four games the Indians' offense has fallen silent. They're hitting .148 (19-for-128) with three runs. Of their 19 hits, 16 have been singles. With 37 games left in the season, the Indians are all but defenseless offensively and defensively. They are the lamb in the lion's den, the minnow in the shark tank.
They have been shut out an AL-high 11 times, including twice in the last four games. The A's are 5-2 against the Tribe this season. Four victories have been shutouts, three with Gonzalez doing most of the work.
"He's throwing that fastball 94 mph to 95 mph with that good breaking," said Tribe hitting coach Jon Nunnally. "That makes it tough. We had opportunities, but he always found a way to get out of the game."
Nunnally says team at-bats will lead the Indians hitters out of the desert.
"These guys are working hard. Believe me, they're not giving up. They're working hard every day."
Gonzalez, Michael Wuertz and Jerry Blevins combined on a five-hitter. The Indians drew two walks and struck out 11 times. They left 10 men on base and went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position.
"We had some traffic on the bases," said Acta, "but the way we are right now, we can't afford to be leaving 10 guys on the bases. That's going to hurt us."
The offense, such that it is, has been powered all year by the two-out hit. Even that has left them. Trevor Crowe stranded five runners in his first two at-bats in two-out situations.
Even a swarm of Lake Erie's midges tried to distract Gonzalez, but unlike Joba Chamberlain in the 2007 Division Series, he simply pitched around them. After retiring Crowe in the fourth with the bases loaded, Jason Donald and Shin-Soo singled in the fifth. It was a still a game then, with Oakland leading, 3-0, but Gonzalez (11-8, 3.24) struck out Shelley Duncan to end the threat.
Fausto Carmona (11-12, 4.19) allowed four runs on nine hits in 6.2 innings. He's lost four straight and five in his last six starts.
Carmona gave up a two-run homer to Jeff Larish in the second and a leadoff homer to Coco Crisp in the fifth. Crisp, the former Indian, fell a triple short of the cycle. He scored twice and stole a base.
In his last start, Carmona was throwing all of his pitches at the same speed and Kansas City knocked him out in five innings. Tuesday, he kept his change-up between 85 to 87 mph and his fastball between 92-94 with much better results.
Carmona left with two out and Crisp on second in the seventh. Tony Sipp relieved and gave up a two-run homer to Jack Cust to seal the loss. Sipp has allowed 10 homers in 48 innings.
The Indians have lost 13 of their last 16 games.