The Indians were three outs away from the kind of defeat that feels like a punch to the gut. Left-hander Scott Kazmir flirted with history in a brilliant outing, only to leave with an injury, and he watched from the dugout as the bullpen let a slim lead slip away.
Thanks to a series of stellar at-bats, and the legs of Drew Stubbs, Cleveland found some of the Camden Yards magic that has typically been reserved for the home team over the past two years. The Tribe’s two-run rally against Orioles closer Jim Johnson in the ninth inning helped the club steal a 4-3 win on Wednesday in the third tilt of this four-game set.
It was a satisfying end to a draining night in the Queen City.
“This was one of those games where it would’ve been a killer loss,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “It ends up being a great win.”
For the rolling Tribe, it represented the 10th win in the past 14 games — a run that has helped pull the Indians back into the thick of the American League Central race. In this victory, Kazmir spun a dominating performance, carrying a no-hitter into the seventh inning before departing with back spasms prior to the start of the eighth.
From the first row of the visitors’ dugout, Kazmir watched Baltimore piece together a push that led to a pair of runs against sidearmer Joe Smith, who was unexpectedly forced into duty due to the lefty’s minor injury. Manny Machado’s two-out laser shot to the wall in left field pushed the Orioles to a 3-2 advantage, but Cleveland would not be denied this win.
“It’s just been a dogfight,” said Indians interim closer Vinnie Pestano, who picked up his fifth save with a clean ninth inning. “That one game could sum up our entire season: up, and then down, and then up. You can’t say enough about the guys in the dugout, going up there fighting and making every out count.”
In the ninth and decisive inning, Johnson issued a leadoff walk to Michael Brantley and — one pitch later — surrendered the 400th double of veteran Jason Giambi’s storied career. Baltimore’s closer then intentionally walk pinch-hitter Carlos Santana, setting the stage for a run-scoring fielder’s choice from Lonnie Chisenhall.
Chisenhall’s hustle up the first-base line pulled the contest into a 3-3 deadlock.
“The leadoff walk,” Johnson said. “Obviously, that’s pretty much what led to the whole inning.”
Stubbs put the final touch on Cleveland’s rally by chopping a pitch to Machado. The third baseman scooped up the ball and fired it to second baseman Alexi Casilla with the hope of turning an inning-ending double play. Stubbs, who has the most at-bats (236) in the American League with no double plays, beat Casilla’s throw to first by a step, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
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