Cliff Lee quieted the major league’s top team by inducing timely double plays. Matt Garza shut down the highest-scoring team in baseball by simply dominating.
Garza threw a two-hitter and Tampa Bay shut out the Texas Rangers 7-0 on Friday night.
Lee became the AL’s first 17-game winner by pitching his third complete game, and the Cleveland Indians turned four double plays in a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Angels.
“The guys made a lot of big plays behind me, Asdrubal (Cabrera) especially. I’ve told him about it four times since the game ended,” said Lee, who won for the sixth time in seven starts and lowered his ERA to 2.43.
At Arlington, Texas, Garza struck out nine and walked two while throwing 78 of 119 pitches for strikes. None of the Rangers’ four base runners got past first.
“You can have the best offense in the league, which we do, but when a guy is throwing like that you’re not going to hit the ball,” Rangers right fielder Marlon Byrd said. “It’s as simple as that.”
In other AL games Friday night, it was: Kansas City 4, New York 3; Minnesota 9, Seattle 3; Oakland 6, Chicago 4 and Baltimore 11, Detroit 2.
Garza had a no-hitter with two outs in the sixth, when Ian Kinsler knocked a looping flyball into short center that ricocheted off the glove of charging outfielder Justin Ruggiano. The play was almost immediately ruled a hit.
The Tampa Bay right-hander was angry at himself – not the scorekeeper – after his bid for the first no-hitter in Rays history ended on the debatable call.
“I was upset I hung that slider,” Garza said. “It’s a hit.”
Rays manager Joe Maddon felt differently.
“I just thought it was an inappropriate call. I called upstairs and I never do,” Maddon said.
But any questions about that costing Garza (10-7) a no-hitter were erased when Josh Hamilton led off the seventh with a solid single up the middle.
Still, it was a dominating performance by the 24-year-old Garza, who threw a two-hitter for his second career shutout – both in the past four games. It was also his third complete game.
“It was fun. I had a blast,” Garza said. “I kept attacking, kept going after people.”
A Tampa Bay lineup missing injured stars Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford hit four home runs in 4 2-3 innings to build a 5-0 lead against Kevin Millwood (6-7), who was reinstated from the 15-day disabled list to start.
In his two previous starts since a five-hitter to shut out Toronto on July 29, Garza had allowed nine runs in 10 2-3 innings.
But after Hamilton walked with two outs in the first, Garza retired 15 straight batters before Kinsler’s hit.
“That was pretty dominant. Facing that lineup, their numbers are particularly outstanding at home. They’re good, real good, not just OK,” Maddon said. “He was throwing his fastball down at that velocity, plus command of the breaking ball and the changeup, pounding the strike zone.”
At Cleveland, the Indians turned double plays in four straight innings, including one started by Lee. After walking Jeff Mathis in the fifth, Lee lunged off the mound to backhand a bunt by Chone Figgins and throw to first to easily double off Mathis.
“With the ball in the air, I don’t know why the guy was running but I thank him for that,” Lee said. “Maybe he thought it would drop. All I know is that Figgins is so fast, I had to get off the mound and try to make a play.”
In the sixth, Lee got Vladimir Guerrero to hit into a double play. Then second baseman Cabrera barehanded a ball on the shortstop side of the bag and threw to first to retire Torii Hunter for the final out.
“I always play hard, but with Cliff I bear down more because I know he gets groundballs,” Cabrera said through first-base coach Luis Rivera serving as interpreter. “The barehand play, I practice that I lot.”
Jose Arredondo (4-1) took his first career loss for the Angels.
The Angels have baseball’s best record (75-45) and had scored 48 runs in their past six games but could muster just eight hits and two runs against the left-hander.
“That might be the best lineup I’ve ever faced,” Lee said. “They are in first place for a reason.”
Lee (17-2) struck out six and moved closer to becoming Cleveland’s first 20-game winner since Hall of Famer Gaylord Perry did it in 1974. He also has a shot at giving Cleveland its second straight Cy Young Award winner. CC Sabathia, traded to Milwaukee on July 7, won the award a year ago.
“It’s too early to think of those things, but Cliff has had as good a year as anybody,” Indians manager Eric Wedge. “He’s never wavered.”
Athletics 6, White Sox 4
At Oakland, Calif., pinch-hitter Kurt Suzuki hit a game-winning two-run homer in the bottom of the ninth inning and Oakland rallied to beat Chicago.
Jack Cust added a pair of home runs for the A’s, who had lost four of their previous five and 17 of 20.
Royals 4, Yankees 3
At New York, Mariano Rivera’s first wild pitch of the season allowed the tiebreaking run to score in the ninth inning, and Jason Giambi flied out with the bases loaded to end Kansas City’s win over fading New York.
Twins 9, Mariners 3
At Minneapolis, Jason Kubel homered and had three RBIs in a seven-run fourth inning and Minnesota beat up on former teammate Carlos Silva (4-14).
Francisco Liriano (3-3) allowed no earned runs in seven solid innings for Minnesota, which moved into a tie with Chicago in the AL Central.
Orioles 11, Tigers 2
At Detroit, Melvin Mora finished a double shy of the cycle, driving in four runs to lift Baltimore past the Tigers.
Mora finished 3-for-4 and has 15 RBIs in his past seven games, his offensive production corresponding to a sudden charge by the Orioles offense. Baltimore has scored 66 runs in its past eight games.
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