The Indians go 16 innings in a 4-3 loss to the Angels. The end their West Coast trip with a 4-3 record.
ANAHEIM, Calif. -- The Indians and Angels, two teams with nothing left to lose this season, played into the night Wednesday as if they had nowhere to go. In reality, they really didn't, except for the little matter of the Indians four-hour flight back to Cleveland.
The proceedings finally ended in the 16th inning when Jeff Mathis scored Torii Hunter on a sacrifice fly to right field to give the Angels a 4-3 victory over the Indians in the second longest game in the big leagues this season.
Hunter hit a leadoff inning double off Hector Ambriz, who was starting his fourth inning. Alberto Callaspo moved Hunter to third on a grounder to first and Mathis sent the fly ball to right.
The loss prevented the Indians first sweep in Anaheim since August of 1999. They went 4-3 on this West Coast trip.
The Indians out-hit the Angels, 14-6. They out-hit the Angels, 11-3, from the eighth through the 16th.
Ambriz (1-1), pitching in front of his hometown crowd, made his best appearance of the year. He allowed one run in 3 1/3 innings.
Hunter's double came on the 500th pitch of the game.
The win went to Matt Palmer (1-1), who pitched the final three innings.
Tribe reliever Justin Germano worked himself into trouble in the 11th by walking Bobby Abreu with one out. Hunter sent him to third with a single to right center. After an intentional walk to Callaspo to load the bases, Mathis tried to squeeze home the winning run, bunt bunted foul to catcher Lou Marson.
Germano completed his escape by striking out Erick Aybar.
The Indians put runners on second and third in the 11th, but couldn't score. They stranded 12 runners from the eighth through the 14th. In that same period, they out-hit the Angels, 11-2.
Michael Brantley kept the game going in the 10th by stealing the game-winning home run from Juan Rivera to start the inning. Brantley stretched over the fence to bring catch Rivera's drive.
The Angels put runners on second and third with two out in the ninth against Joe Smith. With Rivera batting, a Smith pitch got past Marson as Albert Callaspo tried to score from third. Marson recovered the ball and threw to Smith, who applied the tag at the plate for the third out.
In the 10th, the Indians left runners on second and third.
After missing a chance to tie or take the lead in the eighth, Jayson Nix pulled the Indians into a 3-3 tie with one out in the ninth. Nix blooped a pinch-hit single into left field to score pinch-runner Luis Valbuena from second.
Singles by Matt LaPorta and Jason Donald off closer Fernando Rodney put the inning in motion.
The Indians missed a great chance to tie or take the lead in the eighth. They loaded the bases on singles by Trevor Crowe and Michael Brantley and an intentional walk to Shin-Soo Choo after Asdrubal Cabrera advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt.
Jordan Brown pinch-hit for Shelley Duncan against Kevin Jepsen. Brown grounded a 2-1 pitch to first baseman Mike Napoli, who stepped on first for the second out and threw home. Crowe was caught in a rundown for the third out.
The Angels took a 3-1 lead off Josh Tomlin thanks to homers by Peter Bourjos and Mike Napoli hit homers.
Scott Kazmnir allowed one run on two hits in six innings. Kazmir entered the game with a 1-8 record in his last 10 starts, but the Indians barely mussed his hair.
The Angels, hitless through the first four innings, ambushed Tomlin with their power.
Bourjos started the sixth with a homer for a 3-1 lead. It was the eighth homer Tomlin has allowed in eight starts for the Tribe.
Napoli gave the Angels their first lead with a two-run homer in the fifth. Tomlin walked Torii Hunter to start the inning and Alberto Callaspo hit into a force play. It was Napoli's 23rd homer.
Andy Marte cut the Angels lead to 3-2 with a one-out homer off Jordan Walden in the seventh. Marte sent a 3-2 pitch over the wall in left center for his fifth homer and first since Aug. 4.
The hit was Marte first of any in September. Before getting Wednesday's start at third, Marte was 0-3 in September.
Tomlin allowed three runs on 89 pitches. He struck out four and walked two. The loss ended his two-game winning streak.
Donald doubled and Crowe singled him home to give the Indians a 1-0 lead off Kazmir in the fifth. Donald's double, just his second hit of the trip, was the first hit of the game.
The Indians drew three walks against left Kazmir in the first two innings, but couldnt turn them into runs. Cabrera and Duncan walked in the first, but Matt LaPorta flied out to center field to end the inning.
Chris Gimenez drew a two-out walk in the second, but Crowe struck out. Brantley started the third by reaching base on an error, but Cabrera bounced into a double play.
Tomlin retired nine straight Angels through three inning. He struck out three. Choo made a nice sliding catch to rob Kevin Frndsen in the first. Crowe went into the gap in left center to retire Hunter to start the second.