Indians hold off Cubs
The Associated Press The Associated Press
June 21, 2006
CLEVELAND – Cliff Lee outpitched and outlasted Greg Maddux – seems everyone is lately – and the Cleveland Indians snapped a four-game losing streak by beating the future Hall of Famer and the Chicago Cubs 4-2 on Tuesday night.
Lee (6-5) allowed one earned run and six hits in 7 2-3 innings in his first career start against the Cubs. The left-hander has bounced back nicely from a 1-4 record in May, going 3-0 with a 3.10 ERA in four starts this month.
Grady Sizemore homered and the Indians made three first-inning runs off Maddux (7-7) stand up to win for just the third time in 12 games. Cleveland began the day a season-high 15 games out of first place in the AL Central.
Maddux, pitching at Jacobs Field in the regular season for the first time, gave up four runs and seven hits in 7 1-3 innings and lost for the seventh time in 10 starts. After starting the season 5-0, Maddux is 2-7 with a 6.83 ERA since May 3.
In his only other appearance at the Jake, he lost Game 5 of the 1995 World Series.
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The Cubs are 1-7 since a three-game winning streak.
After allowing a two-out walk in the eighth, Rafael Carmona replaced Lee, who struck out Matt Murton. Bob Wickman, who blew two saves on Cleveland’s recent road 2-7 road trip, worked the ninth for his 10th save.
The Indians wasted no time getting to Maddux, scoring three runs on four hits in a first inning that could have been bigger except for some hard-hit balls that were caught.
Sizemore opened with a single, stole second and scored on Todd Hollandsworth’s base hit. Jhonny Peralta walked, and following a lineout, Victor Martinez’s RBI single gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead.
Maddux got Ben Broussard on a line drive to center, but Ronnie Belliard followed with a run-scoring single.
It’s a good thing the Indians started quickly because Maddux settled in and retired 11 straight before Sizemore opened the fifth with his 13th homer, a lined shot into the Cubs’ bullpen.
Chicago was handed its first run in the second when Indians second baseman Belliard made two errors on one play. With Murton on at second, Belliard first stopped but dropped a grounder up the middle by Jacques Jones.
