Jake Westbrook allowed one run in seven innings and Casey Blake hit two solo homers to help the Cleveland Indians beat Tampa Bay 6-1 Saturday night, handing the Devil Rays their 100th loss.
Tampa Bay became the first team in major league history to lose 100 games in a season despite having a winning record at home. The Devil Rays, who went 41-40 at Tropicana Field, are 20-60 on the road _ including 3-32 away from home since July 1.
Westbrook (15-10) took a shutout into the seventh before Ty Wigginton hit an RBI double for Tampa Bay. Westbrook gave up five hits, struck out six and walked one. The right-hander retired the side in order four times in the first six innings and threw double play balls in the third and fourth.
Delmon Young and Greg Norton singled to open the seventh before Wigginton's double snapped the Devil Rays' 0-for-25 slump with runners in scoring position this series. Westbrook, who threw 111 pitches, retired the next three hitters to get out of the inning.
Shin-Soo Choo led off the second with his third homer on a 1-2 pitch from Jae Seo (1-8). Blake homered off Seo in the fourth and off Brian Meadows in the eighth.
Ryan Garko added RBI singles in the third and fifth for Cleveland. He has 35 RBIs in 36 games since August 20. Victor Martinez also singled in a run for the Indians in the fifth.
Seo, acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 27, allowed five runs and nine hits in five innings.
Notes: The start of the game was delayed for 1 hour, 30 minutes by rain. ... LHP C.C. Sabathia, who underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Friday, was moving around on crutches in the clubhouse before Saturday night's game. Torn cartilage was removed in the 35-minute procedure. ... Martinez has hit safely in 15 of his last 17 games, batting .384 (23-for-60) with a homer and 11 RBIs. ... OF Carl Crawford, who leads the league with 16 triples and has been hitting over .300 since June 11, wasn't in the lineup Saturday. ... Manager Joe Maddon said OF Rocco Baldelli will probably be out of the lineup for Sunday's season finale.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
