Jhonny Peralta drew a bases-loaded walk off Seth McClung with one out in the ninth inning to give the Cleveland Indians a 2-1 win over the road-challenged Tampa Bay Devil Rays, the first team to lose 99 games and have winning record at home.
Peralta took a 3-2 pitch that was way inside as the Indians got the victory without having to swing or make contact in the ninth. Tampa Bay pitchers walked four in the ninth as the Devil Rays fell to 3-29 on the road since the all-star break.
Tampa Bay, which went 41-40 at home, is 20-59 in away games.
Not only was their pitching off the mark, the Devil Rays also went 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position and are 0-for-23 in the first two games of the series with a runner at second or third.
Rocco Baldelli homered for Tampa Bay.
Jason Michaels walked to open the ninth off Dan Miceli (1-2), who compounded his problems by throwing a wild pitch. The right-hander then walked Victor Martinez before being replaced by McClung, who struck out Ryan Garko but walked Shin-Soo Choo.
Peralta, who drove in Cleveland's other run with a single in the second, fell behind 1-2 before working the count full and then getting a free pass from McClung, who has 68 walks and 59 strikeouts in 103 innings.
The Indians stormed out of the dugout and gave Peralta the customary helmet pounding after his walk-off walk.
Baldelli has clobbered Cleveland pitching during his career, and the centre fielder's 16th homer, a searing line drive over the wall in centre off rookie Brian Slocum, tied it 1-1 in the fifth.
Baldelli, who matched his career high for homers set in 2004, is batting .370 (30-for-81) against the Indians.
Devil Rays rookie Brian Stokes limited the Indians to one run and five hits in a season-high seven innings. The right-hander, who got his first major league win against the New York Yankees in his previous start, walked one and struck out six.
Slocum, making his second career start, allowed one run and eight hits in six innings.
Peralta, criticized by manager Eric Wedge during Cleveland's recent road trip, gave the Indians a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the second.
Choo led off with a double off the wall in left, and Peralta followed with a single to right.
Notes: The Devil Rays are 3-31 on the road since July 1. ... Indians OF Grady Sizemore's 91 extra-base hits are a club record, leads the majors and are the most the Elias Sports Bureau could find for a leadoff hitter since at least 1957. ... Tampa Bay also finished 2005 on the road in Cleveland. ... Tampa Bay OF Carl Crawford has an AL-high 26 steals in 27 tries since the all-star break. Only Juan Pierre of the Cubs (224) has more steals than Crawford (218) since the start of the 2003 season. ... Stokes is one of nine Devil Rays to make their big-league debut this season.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
