Fausto and Tribe Roughed Up By Rays 8-4
The Indians could not protect an early lead and fell to the Rays 8-4 last night at Tampa Bay. Jhonny Peralta’s 18th homer of the year, a two-run shot, helped stake the Tribe to a 3-1 lead in the third inning. Indians starter Fausto Carmona could not find his control and gave up four runs on three hits with five walks in just four innings of work. Carmona has now walked 47 batters versus 31 strikeouts on the season, and his record fell to 5-and-4.
Reliever Rafael Betancourt allowed a pair of home runs, including a two-run blast by Evan Longoria. The loss ended the Indians’ five-game winning streak over Tampa Bay this season. The Indians and Rays conclude their three-game series this afternoon at 12:40. Scott Kazmir (8-5, 2.89) goes for the Rays vs Jeremy Sowers (1-6, 5.82) for the Tribe. Indians now at 49-63, 13.5 back of the Sox in the Central.
Matt has covered Major League Baseball and the "other two" Pro teams in Cleveland since 1994. He has been on the beat of the Indians in full-time mode since 1996, working for various raido and print networks around the country.
