The Indians needed a strong effort from Justin Masterson on Wednesday. The big right-hander is not one to turn down a challenge, embracing both responsibility and leadership as he tries to earn the title of ace to go along with workhorse.
At Angel Stadium, Masterson battled command, but found a way to deliver for his team.
“He expects it out of himself,” Indians manager Terry Francona said. “I think he knows we expect it, and I think he enjoys answering.”
Masterson pitched into the seventh inning, keeping Los Angeles’ lineup at bay and guiding the way for the Indians to collect a 3-1 victory and a sweep of this three-game series. The win gave Cleveland six on its road trip, surpassing the five wins that the club had in all of August last year.
These new-look Indians have also achieved 69 wins with more than a month left on the schedule. Last season, Cleveland ended the year with 68 victories and headed into the offseason uncertain of its direction.
“I imagined that was going to come,” Masterson said of achieving more wins than in 2012. “We’re just working. We’ve got a really good team. We’ve got something special going on here. That’s the way it’s been since Spring Training.”
It has been a whirlwind of a turnaround for the Tribe, who remain within striking distance in both the American League Central and AL Wild Card race. The Indians are 5 1/2 games behind the division-leading Tigers and sit 2 1/2 games behind the A’s for the second Wild Card spot.
Masterson has played a key role in Cleveland’s comeback.
His win over the Angels marked the 12th time this season that the starter has allowed one or zero runs. Masterson is the first Indians pitcher to have at least that many games of that nature since Cliff Lee turned in 13 in 2008. The last Cleveland right-hander to accomplish the feat was Gaylord Perry (14) in 1974.
Masterson is now 14-9 with a 3.50 ERA in 182 1/3 innings, during which he has piled up 182 strikeouts.
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