Center fielder Michael Brantley continues to learn on the job Saturday night by helping the Indians beat Seattle, 4-2, at Safeco Field.
View full sizeIndians right fielder Shin-Soo Choo slides in but misses a fly ball from the Mariners' Russell Branyan in the first inning Saturday at Seattle. UPDATED: 2:05 a.m.
SEATTLE, Wash. -- Michael Brantley opened the season with the Indians only to be demoted to Class AAA Columbus in late April. He returned in July, but was sent down again later the same month.
On each trip on the big-league yo-yo, manager Manny Acta said Brantley was going to be a good player. He said the Indians believed in him and that he knew he could learn on the run in the big leagues.
Since Brantley rejoined the Indians for the third time on Aug. 6, he's been making Acta's words ring true. Brantley did it again Saturday night in the Indians' 4-2 victory over Seattle at Safeco Field.
He had two hits, scored a run and drove in another from the leadoff spot. He's hitting .292 (28-for-96) with 16 runs and 12 RBI in 23 games.
"I feel more confident," Brantley said before the game. "I'm here. I'm not going to go up and down anymore for the rest of the year. I'm just doing the best I can every day at the plate and in the field."
Brantley's two-out RBI single off David Pauley (2-7, 4.42) gave the Indians a 4-0 lead in the fourth. In the third, he reached on a bunt single and scored on Shin-Soo Choo's single for a 3-0 lead.
"It's too bad Michael can't erase those numbers he put up when he first started the season with us," said Acta. "But he's played very well since he's come back the last time. We all feel this guy is going to be a very good player for us.
"Right now, he's done a very good job setting the table for us. If he continues to do that through the end of this month, the numbers will be there."
Brantley is hitting .222 (44-for-198) for the season.
Mitch Talbot (9-11, 4.40) appreciated Brantley's work, as he did the rest of his teammates' in helping him win his first game since June 27.
The Indians, held scoreless on three hits in Friday's 1-0 loss, squeezed four runs out of eight hits Saturday.
View full sizeMariners catcher Josh Bard waits for the ball as the Indians' Jason Donald slides safely into home in the fourth inning."It's a big relief to get a win," said Tablot. "The different was locating pitches, plain and simple. I think I kept them off balance."
Talbot retired the first two batters in the seventh before the inning turned on him. Matt Tuiasosopo reached on Asdrubal Cabrera's throwing error from short. When Talbot walked Josh Wilson, lefty Rafael Perez relieved to face Ichiro Suzuki.
Suzuki sent an RBI single into short left field before Perez ended the inning when Chone Figgins hit into a force play at second. Things did not go so well for him in the eighth.
Former teammate Russell Branyan greeted him with a leadoff homer to start the inning. It was Branyan's second of the series and 22nd of the year. He hit 10 of those with the Indians.
Jose Lopez reached on an infield single to third and Casey Kotchman singled him to third. Tony Sipp relieved and retired Josh Bard on a sacrifice bunt and struck out Michael Saunders to bring Chris Perez into the game. Chris Perez ended the eighth by striking out Tuiasosopo with runners on second and third.
Perez worked the ninth for his 18th save. He's converted 13 of his last 14 save chances. It was the fourth time he's worked more than an inning to save a game this season.
"It was nice to see Talbot come back and have a good outing," said Acta. "Tonight he was very good. He threw a lot of first-pitch strikes. He had that good change up and cutter and gave us almost seven solid innings.
"After that the bullpen picked each other up. Raffie got a big out on Figgins in the seventh to pick up Talbot. Tony picked Raffie up and CP sealed the deal for us."
Acta had a chance to go with Perez for a four-out save on Wednesday against Chicago, but said he wasn't going to put him in harm's way in September of a lost season. Perez earned an eight-pitch save Thursday against Seattle and needed only 15 pitches Saturday night.
"It's whenever Manny wants me," said Perez. "I'm fine with that. I was rested and I'm sure I probably won't go out there in the eighth inning tomorrow (Sunday). It was nice to get out of that jam in the eighth. Mitch pitched a great game."
Talbot, 0-5 with a 6.23 ERA in his last nine games, broke his losing streak with 6 2/3 solid innings. He allowed one unearned run on five hits. He struck out six and walked one.
Pauley, who earned his first big-league victory again the Tribe on Aug. 13, allowed four runs on seven hits in six innings.
Indians starters are 4-2 with a 3.23 ERA (23 earned runs in 64 innings) over the last 10 starts.
"It's nice to continue that because in our last homestand the bullpen was beat up pretty good," said Acta. "The last two nights with what Fausto Carmona did Friday and Mitch did tonight helps those guys get back in order."
The Indians stretched their lead to 3-0 with two runs on four straight hits in the third. Lou Marson hit a leadoff double. Brantley turned an attempted sacrifice bunt into a base hit when starter David Pauley was slow reacting. Marson stopped at third, but not for long.
Cabrera brought him home with a hard single to right. Shin-Soo Choo hit a carbon-copy single to score Brantley for a 3-0 lead.
"We put together that one good inning," said Acta. "Some of those guys had a good plan and shot the ball through the hole (into right field) and we got some big RBI there."
After being held hitless for 6 1/3 innings Friday night, the Indians took a 1-0 lead against Pauley in the first. Choo drew a two-out walk, stole second and scored on Travis Hafner's line-drive single to right. Choo beat Suzuki's throw to the plate by plenty.
Talbot held Seattle scoreless on five hits through six innings. After allowing two singles with no one out in the sixth, he struck out Branyan on a 3-2 pitch. He then retired Lopez on a liner to center and Kotchman on a flare to short.
The victory gave Talbot a 1-1 record against Seattle this year.
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