Matt LaPorta and Shelley Duncan hit back-to-back homers in a six-run fourth inning and Justin Masterson was terrific as the Indians defeated the Blue Jays, 6-1, Thursday afternoon at Progressive Field.
Cleveland Indians' Matt LaPorta gets congrats at the Indians dugout from Jason Donald and manager Manny Acta after LaPorta hit a 3-run home run against the Toronto Blue Jays' Shaun Marcum in the 4th inning on July 1, 2010 at Progressive Field.CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Late in the evening of June 26, the Indians were tumbling through the drainage ditch, uniforms caked in muck, on pace for 100 losses.
Now they are unbeatable.
The Tribe won its season-high fifth in a row Thursday afternoon, dismissing the Blue Jays, 6-1, at sun-soaked Progressive Field.
The Indians swept a four-game series from Toronto in Cleveland for the first time since August 1995. They had not won five in a row overall since July 23-27, 2009.
Matt LaPorta and Shelley Duncan belted back-to-back homers in a six-run fourth inning, and Justin Masterson pitched superbly. LaPorta has homered three straight days.
The Indians (31-47) still have a long way to go to make any noise in the A.L. Central, but at least they can see the Royals. They pulled within 2 1/2 games of fourth-place Kansas City.
Masterson (3-7) carried a five-hit shutout into the ninth. Three hits and one questionable decision by shortstop Jason Donald later, Masterson was hooked for Frank Herrmann.
Herrmann got Jose Molina to ground into a 6-4-3 double play with the bases loaded to end the game. Credit Herrmann with his first major-league save.
Shin-Soo Choo led off the fourth with a walk against Shaun Marcum, who held the Indians hitless through three.
Choo advanced to second on a wild pitch. Carlos Santana walked. Both runners moved up on another wild pitch.
After Travis Hafner struck out, LaPorta pulled the hands in on a 1-2 pitch and ripped it over the wall in left. Marcum's bids for a no-hitter and shutout were gone in a blink.
LaPorta has homered in three straight games for the first time in his major-league career.
Shelley Duncan followed with a blast to another spot on the home-run porch. It gave the Tribe back-to-back long balls for the first time this year.
Later in the inning, Andy Marte singled and scored when left fielder Fred Lewis misplayed Jason Donald's single. Donald took second on the play and came home on Trevor Crowe's single.
Marcum did not come out for the fifth. He was replaced by former Indian Brian Tallet.
The Blue Jays put runners on first and third and two outs in the third. Jose Bautista popped into foul territory beyond first base. Tribe second baseman Jayson Nix ran it down.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, Lewis made a full-extension dive near the left-field line to rob Trevor Crowe.
Crowe still managed to get three of Cleveland's eight hits.
The Blue Jays (40-40) have lost five in a row and nine of 11.