The Indians strike early and hold on at the end thanks to Matt LaPorta's power and another good showing by the bullpen.
Matt LaPorta watches his sixth-inning home run leave the playing field Tuesday night against the Toronto Blue Jays. LaPorta's homer gave the Indians what proved to be the deciding run in a 5-4 victory.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Matt LaPorta hit a big home run and the Indians bullpen held together for the third straight game Tuesday night in a 5-4 victory over Toronto at Progressive Field.
The Indians have won three straight, one shy of their longest winning streak of the season.
LaPorta hit a 422-foot homer to center field in the sixth inning to extend the Tribe's lead to 5-2. LaPorta's first homer since rejoining the Indians on Sunday from Class AAA Columbus -- following the trade of Russell Branyan -- turned out to be margin of victory.
Fausto Carmona (7-6) went 6 1/3 innings and got the win. He's 3-0 lifetime against the Jays.
After Carmona left with one out and two on in the seventh, Tony Sipp, Joe Smith and Rafael Perez worked their way through the eighth with a 5-4 lead. Then Kerry Wood shut the door in the ninth for his third save in as many games.
It's the first time Wood has converted saves in three consecutive games since he joined the Indians in 2009.
Toronto, trailing 4-0, cut the Tribe's lead in half on Adam Lind's two-run, bases-loaded single in the sixth with two out against Carmona.
The Blue Jays kept coming in the seventh. Some shaky defense helped their rally.
Carmona started the inning, but left with two on and one out. Sipp relieved and retired leadoff hitter Fred Lewis on a grounder to third as the runners advanced to second and third. He wild-pitched Lyle Overbay home to make it 5-3. After Sipp walked Alex Gonzalez, Smith relieved.
Jose Bautista sent a fly ball to shallow right field for what should have been the third out. Shin-Soo Choo got a bad jump on the ball and had it clang off the heel of his glove. Jose Molina scored on the error to make it 5-4.
Smith ended the inning by getting Vernon Wells to hit into a force play.
Carmona allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out two. Brandon Morrow (5-6) allowed five runs, three earned, on seven hits in six innings. He struck out eight and walked two.
The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the first when Carlos Santana singled and Travis Hafner doubled to put runners on third and second with two out. Jhonny Peralta sent a routine grounder to John McDonald at third. With the setting sun shining into first baseman Overbay's eyes, McDonald tried to skip the ball to him on the bounce, but it got past Overbay as Santana and Hafner scored.
Hafner wasn't running with two outs, but when the ball hopped into the stands, the umpires awarded him home plate.
The Indians made it 3-0 against Morrow on Choo's two-out single in the second. Trevor Crowe set the run up with a two-out double to left center.
The Tribe made it 4-0 in the fifth on Hafner's two-out double off the wall in left center.