Indians Confidential

Paul Byrd played with fire for much of the night, but in the end was good enough as the Indians continued their hot streak with a 5-2 win over the Angels in Anaheim Monday night. The Tribe is as hot as at any point in this letdown of a 2008 season, as they have now won 7 of their last 8 after they had dropped 10 in a row. Byrd allowed 9 hits, but only one run in the 5.1 innings pitched. The former Angles pitcher improved to 4-10 on the season.

The offense was paced by the long ball, as three Indians homers paced the win. Casey Blake hit his 11th of the year, a two-run shot, and Jhonny Peralta hit his 17th in the 8th inning, a solo shot, while Andy Marte went 2-for-4 with his 2nd homer, a solo shot in the 4th. Blake’s two-run blast in the 5th off losing pitcher Ervin Santana (11-4) made it 4-1 and it was all the Tribe would need.

The bullpen did a nice job for Byrd, as Rafael Perez, who’s had a tough 2008, threw 2.2 innings, allowing one run on one hit, a solo homer to Howie Kendrick in the 8th that made it 5-2. Masa Kobayashi threw a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his 6th save, striking out the side to shut the door and put any doubt out of the Angels mind about extending their 5-game winning streak.

The win puts the Indians one little percentage point behind the Royals for 4th place in the AL Central at 44-54. They are still 11 games back of the White Sox in the Central, who lead the division by only .5 over the Twins. The Indians will continue their series with the Angels tonight. Matt Ginter, who’s 1-and-0 with a 0.00 ERA, will start for the Indians. Jered Weaver, who’s 8-and-8 with a 4.03 ERA, will start for the Angels. First pitch at Angel Stadium is at 10:05 p.m.