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Marlins rally vs. Indians thanks to walks

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CLEVELAND (AP) – Carlos Zambrano pitched seven strong innings to help the Miami Marlins open interleague play by beating the Cleveland Indians 3-2 Friday night.

Miami broke a 2-2 tie in the eighth on a sacrifice fly by Hanley Ramirez. All three Marlins runs were scored by batters who had started rallies with walks.

Zambrano (2-2) gave up four hits and two runs as he continued a strong first season in Miami after 11 years with the Chicago Cubs. The right-hander has a 1.96 ERA in eight starts since being acquired in a January trade.

Heath Bell worked the ninth for his fourth save in eight chances.

Reliever Tony Sipp (0-2) took the loss as Cleveland had a four-game winning streak broken.

Marlins center fielder Emilio Bonifacio left with a strained left thumb in the fifth inning.

Indians starter Justin Masterson, aware that Bonifacio was 20 for 20 in steals this season, threw over to first base four times to keep the speedy runner close. On one of the pickoff attempts, Bonifacio appeared to jam his hand as he dove back to the base. He then was thrown out by catcher Carlos Santana.

Bryan Petersen opened the Miami eighth with a walk off Sipp and was bunted to second by Jose Reyes. Right-hander Joe Smith came on and got Omar Infante to hit a bouncer back to him. Smith whirled and threw to second, trying to get Petersen, but the ball hit the runner and rolled into right field for an error, putting Marlins on first and third.

Ramirez then flied out to center, scoring Petersen for the second time. Petersen also walked to open the third inning against Indians starter Justin Masterson, was singled to third by Reyes and scored when Infante’s ground ball forced out Reyes at second.

Cleveland took a 2-0 lead off Zambrano in the second.

Johnny Damon drew a two-out walk and scored all the way from first on Casey Kotchman’s double just inside the first-base line. After Jose Lopez walked, Shin-Soo Choo singled home Kotchman for a 2-0 lead.

The Marlins tied it at 2 in the sixth. Infante walked, was doubled to third by Greg Dobbs and scored on a sacrifice fly by Giancarlo Stanton.

Masterson gave up two runs and six hits over seven innings, bouncing back from a poor start Sunday in Boston when he gave up six runs over six innings of a 12-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Notes: Indians DH Travis Hafner went 0 for 4. He had been replaced Thursday after getting hit in the right hand with a pitch. … Indians 3B Jack Hannahan missed his fifth straight game with a sore back. … Former Indians star OF Joe Carter and Hall of Fame RHP Phil Niekro, who pitched two seasons in Cleveland late in his career, greeted fans as part of the team’s ambassador program. Niekro threw out the ceremonial first pitch. The first 15,000 fans received a Carter bobblehead souvenir. … Santana went 3 for 4 throwing out potential base stealers and is 8 of 25 overall. … Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen watched the Cubs-White Sox game on TV in the afternoon. Paul Konerko, whom Guillen managed for eight seasons, was hit in the helmet by Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija. “I texted him right away,” Guillen said. “He texted me 10 minutes later and said he was fine.” … Guillen’s sister, Darlenys, is married to Indians pitching coach Scott Radinsky. … Miami is 7-3 against the Indians in interleague play since beating Cleveland in a seven-game World Series in 1997.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Indians finally got the aesthetic combination of large crowd and comfortable weather at Progressive Field. Right-hander Justin Masterson pitched superbly and catcher Carlos Santana caught three runners attempting to steal.

But the Tribe’s postgame clubhouse was relatively quiet Friday night because of a fielding mistake by reliever Joe Smith in the eighth inning. The unearned run that resulted pushed the Miami Marlins to a 3-2 victory.

Paid attendance of 29,378 was Cleveland’s second-largest in 21 dates, trailing only the 43,190 for the season opener April 5. The walk-up of 6,100 ranks as seventh-largest in Progressive Field history.

The fans were treated to an entertaining interleague opener that had more of a National League feel. The teams combined for 10 hits. Marlins right-hander Carlos Zambrano and two relievers allowed four hits. But it was not as if Tribe batters were swinging wet newspapers.

“We hit a lot of balls right at people,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “Give Zambrano credit — he pitched well — but I still liked how we swung the bats. Nothing fell for us.”

Zambrano (2-2, 1.96 ERA) gave up the two runs in seven innings. He and the relievers were particularly tough on the Tribe’s Nos. 3-6 hitters, who went 0-for-16.

“Zambrano did a good job of expanding the zone against those guys,” Acta said.

The Marlins were opportunistic in the eighth. With the score tied at 2, Bryan Petersen led off with a walk against lefty Tony Sipp. After Petersen moved to second on Jose Reyes’ sacrifice, Smith took over.

Omar Infante grounded routinely to Smith, who spun and had Petersen hung up. But Smith double-clutched, then threw the ball into the body of Petersen at second. As the ball rolled away, Petersen raced to third.

Hanley Ramirez followed with a sacrifice fly to center.

“I thought [Petersen] was going to stop and try to get into a rundown,” Smith said. “Instead, he planted and went right toward the bag. I had to get rid of it. I tried to make the play on the run and threw it away.”

Smith did not second-guess his decision to bypass the out at first. At worst, it would have been runner on third with two outs.

“I’d go to second base again,” he said. “It was the right play. If I just plant and make the throw, we’ve got him, no doubt. I got caught off-guard when he broke back to the bag.”

Acta said: “Joe’s probably our best fielding pitcher. He’s very good on the mound. He just didn’t get that one.”

Sipp was charged with the loss, his second. Each of the Marlins’ runs scored after a walk with none or one out.

“When you only score two runs, you almost have to play perfect baseball,” Acta said. “We didn’t.”

Masterson allowed two runs on six hits in seven innings, walked three and struck out five. He rebounded from a rough outing in Boston to notch the fourth quality start in his last five. In lowering his ERA from 5.40 to 5.04, he gave up one extra-base hit — a Ramirez double — and repeatedly handled lefties.

The Indians took a 2-0 lead in the second. Zambrano was one strike from an easy inning. He got two groundouts and had a 1-2 count on Johnny Damon. But Damon battled back to draw a walk.

Just as Damon was getting settled into his lead, Casey Kotchman ripped a first-pitch double down the right-field line. As Damon motored around second, right field Giancarlo Stanton briefly struggled to control the ball. Third-base coach Steve Smith took notice and began waving in Damon. Second baseman Omar Infante needed to reach for Stanton’s throw. Damon, flashing wheels from his Kansas City days in the 1990s, slid in just ahead of the tag from catcher John Buck.

The ripple effect was Kotchman taking third on the throw. After Jose Lopez walked, Shin-Soo Choo’s single to center drove in Kotchman. It might not have been enough to score Kotchman from second.

Miami pulled within 2-1 in the third. Petersen led off with a five-pitch walk and advanced to third when Reyes singled to right. Petersen scored on Infante’s grounder to short.

Santana helped prevent further damage by erasing Infante’s steal attempt. Miami was in a stolen-base slump by the end of the fifth. Speedy Emilio Bonifacio led off with an infield single. With Petersen batting, Santana’s laser caught Bonifacio for the first time in 21 attempts this season. Bonifacio did not finish the game because of a sprained thumb.

Petersen singled, then quickly became Santana victim No. 3.

“An outstanding performance by Carlos, especially against a team like that,” Acta said. “Carlos has that ability to shut down a running game.”

The Marlins tied it in the sixth. Infante drew a one-out walk, moved to third on Ramirez’s double and scored on Dobbs’ sacrifice fly to left. Damon made the catch in foul territory near the tarp, but his throw had nowhere near enough juice or accuracy.

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May 18, 2012 – The Cleveland Indians and Miami Marlins have similar records right now, but it’s the Indians that are on a high going into their interleague series against each other at Progressive Field.

The Indians (22-16) are in first place in the AL Central, while the Marlins (20-18) are stuck in fourth in the NL East. Cleveland has a better record going in as well with four straight wins including a sweep of the Seattle Mariners. Miami isn’t doing particularly bad but doesn’t have a winning streak of that level going, with their last game a loss.

Cleveland will send out Jeanmar Gomez, he of a 2-2 record and 3.73 ERA, to the mound as they seek their fifth straight win. He will face off against Anibal Sanchez, who has a 2.28 ERA and has struck out loads of people this season so far; his 51/12 SO/BB rate is quite impressive.

The game will be at Progressive Field at 4:05 p.m. ET.

For more on the Cleveland Indians, head over to Let’s Go Tribe. More on the Miami Marlins can be found over at FFish Stripes. More news and analysis on Major League Baseball can be found over at Baseball Nation, SB Nation’s home for MLB.

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CLEVELAND — Carlos Santana didn’t mind the postgame pounding he took from his teammates Thursday. In fact, he enjoyed it.

Santana was greeted by his enthusiastic teammates after the Cleveland Indians beat the Seattle Mariners 6-5 on his RBI single with one out in the bottom of the 11th inning.

“I didn’t care if I got hurt or not,” he said. “They were hitting me everywhere, but I feel great. I’m so happy.”

Santana’s clutch hit capped a two-run 11th. He was mobbed by his teammates in a celebration that spilled onto the outfield grass after Cleveland won its fourth straight.

The comeback was the Indians’ second of the day. The Mariners led 4-0, but Cleveland scored a run in the seventh and Jose Lopez hit a three-run homer against Steve Delabar that tied it in the eighth. Although Seattle scored a run against Joe Smith (4-1) in the top of the 11th, the Indians still felt confident.

“Everyone in the dugout said, ‘Let’s get two, we can do it,’” Indians manager Manny Acta said.

Michael Saunders’ run-scoring double in the top of the 11th gave Seattle a 5-4 lead, but closer Brandon League (0-3) extended his startling lack of success against the Indians. League has blown seven saves in nine chances in his career against Cleveland, including two this season.

“You don’t get to closers very often,” Acta said. “The guys were pretty confident since we had done it before against him and we could do it again.”

League, who is 2-5 and has allowed 17 earned runs in 16 2/3 innings lifetime against Cleveland, took the blame for the loss.

“My control was just absolutely unacceptable today,” he said after walking three and allowing two hits while retiring only one batter. “I was issuing free passes, and when I did get the ball over the plate, it was right down the middle.”

Lopez drew a leadoff walk and went to second on a wild pitch. After Shin-Soo Choo struck out, Jason Kipnis walked. Asdrubal Cabrera’s single to right tied it.

Aaron Cunnigham, batting for Travis Hafner, walked to load the bases. Santana lined a 3-2 pitch to center for the winning hit.

Hafner was hit on the side of the right hand by a pitch from Charlie Furbush in the ninth. He walked slowly to first, but remained in the game after talking with Acta and a team trainer. Hafner went to the on-deck circle in the 11th, but knew he wouldn’t be able to hit because he couldn’t grip the bat.

“It got swollen up,” he said. “I iced it up. I think there’s definitely a chance I can play (today). I saw the doctor and everything checked out good.”

Hafner, who said he didn’t have X-rays, has been hit by a pitch 80 times in his career, a team record.

The Mariners, who have lost four consecutive games, are 1-6 on their 10-game road trip and are 1-12 away from home since April 28.

The Mariners wasted a strong outing by right-hander Hector Noesi, who allowed one run and five hits in 6 1/3 innings.

Delabar came on to start the eighth with Seattle leading 4-1. He walked Santana leading off, but retired the next two hitters. Casey Kotchman’s double to right moved Santana to third. Lopez then hit a 2-0 pitch off the railing above the 19-foot wall in left field to tie it at 4. The big moment almost was spoiled when he forgot to touch first as he rounded the bases.

“I was watching the ball,” Lopez said. “I knew I missed it so I ran back right away and touched it.”

Lopez, who played for the Mariners from 2004-10, started at third base in place of the injured Jack Hannahan. He committed a fielding error that led to an unearned run in the fifth and grounded out weakly to the mound with the bases loaded to end the fourth.

The Indians’ first run came on Cabrera’s seventh-inning single.

Ryan broke an 0-for-17 slump with an RBI single in the sixth, and drew walks in the third and fifth when the Mariners scored their first two runs. His two hits increased his average from .137 to .153.

Seattle has been outscored 40-19 on the road trip.

Zach McAllister, starting again in place of the injured Josh Tomlin, allowed four runs in 5 2-3 innings.

McAllister was called up from Triple-A Columbus on Saturday when Tomlin went on the disabled list with a sore right wrist. McAllister got the loss that night in Boston, allowing four runs in seven innings.

Tomlin, who hasn’t pitched since May 7, will undergo a second MRI on the wrist today.

Hannahan missed his fourth consecutive game with lower back soreness. The Indians said an MRI revealed mild back inflammation and Hannahan is day to day.

Indians left fielder Johnny Damon singled in the fourth and moved into a tie with Tony Perez for 55th place on the all-time career hits list with 2,732.

Ackley extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a first-inning single.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cleveland Indians are 22-16 and leading the American League Central Division by four games over the Detroit Tigers (18-20).

It’s a 162-game season, though.

Put it this way: The Indians’ magic number over the Tigers is 121. That means any combination of Cleveland wins and Detroit losses that adds up to 121, and bingo, the Tribe is assured of finishing ahead of their state-up-north rival.

The Indians’ magic number over the other AL Central teams: 120 over the Chicago White Sox; 119 over the Kansas City Royals; 115 over the Minnesota Twins.

Let’s see where the Indians stood after the first 38 games of the 10 seasons in their history during which they made the postseason; in the eight seasons in which they lost at least 95 games; and, in the last 10 seasons.

The Indians (known as the Blues in 1901, the Bronchos in 1902 and the Naps from 1903-14) played in the eight-team American League from 1901-60; the 10-team AL from 1961-68; the six-team AL East from 1969-76; the seven-team AL East from 1977-93; the five-team AL Central from 1994-present.

Indians, after 38 games, in their playoff seasons:

1920

26-12, first place, 2 1/2-game lead.

Finish: 98-56, first place, two games ahead. Won the World Series, five games to two, over the Brooklyn Robins.

1948

26-12, first place, 2 1/2-game lead.

Finish: 97-58 (including one-game American League playoff win over the Boston Red Sox), first place, one game ahead. Won the World Series, 4-2, over the Boston Braves.

1954

26-12, first place-tie.

Finish: 111-43, first place, eight games ahead. Lost the World Series, 4-0, to the New York Giants.

1995

28-10, first place, eight-game lead.

Finish: 100-44, first place, 30 games ahead. Won an AL Division Series, 3-0, over the Boston Red Sox; won the AL Championship Series, 4-2, over the Seattle Mariners; lost the World Series, 4-2, to the Atlanta Braves.

1996

26-12, first place, 5 1/2-game lead.

Finish: 99-62, first place, 14 1/2 games ahead. Lost an ALDS to the Baltimore Orioles, 3-1.

1997

18-20, third place, 2 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 86-75, first place, six games ahead. Won an ALDS, 3-2, over the New York Yankees; won the ALCS, 4-2, over the Baltimore Orioles; lost the World Series, 4-3, to the Florida Marlins.

1998

20-18, first place, four-game lead.

Finish: 89-73, first place, nine games ahead. Won an ALDS, 3-1, over the Boston Red Sox; lost the ALCS, 4-2, to the New York Yankees.

1999

28-10, first place, 8 1/2-game lead.

Finish: 97-65, first place, 21 1/2 games ahead. Lost an ALDS, 3-2, to the Boston Red Sox.

2001

26-12, second place, 1 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 91-71, first place, six games ahead. Lost an ALDS, 3-2, to the Seattle Mariners.

2007

24-14, first place, one-game lead.

Finish: 96-66, first place, eight games ahead. Won an ALDS, 3-1, over the New York Yankees; lost the ALCS, 4-3, to the Boston Red Sox.

Indians, after 38 games, in their 95-plus loss seasons:

1914 (Cleveland Naps)

13-25, eighth place, 10 games behind.

Finish: 51-102, eighth (last) place, 48 1/2 games behind.

1915

17-21, sixth place, eight games behind.

Finish: 57-95, seventh place, 44 1/2 games behind.

1969

10-28, sixth place, 18 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 62-99, sixth (last) place, 46 1/2 games behind.

1971

16-22, fifth place, 9 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 60-102, sixth (last) place, 43 games behind.

1985

15-23, seventh place, nine games behind.

Finish: 60-102, seventh (last) place, 39 1/2 games behind.

1987

12-26, seventh place, 12 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 61-101, seventh (last) place, 37 games behind.

1991

14-24, sixth place, 9 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 57-105, seventh (last) place, 34 games behind.

2009

14-24, fifth place, 6 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 65-97, fourth place, 21 1/2 games behind.

Indians, after 38 games, in the last 10 seasons:

2002

18-20, third place, four games behind.

Finish: 74-88, third place, 20 1/2 games behind.

2003

12-26, fourth place, 11 games behind.

Finish: 68-94, fourth place, 22 games behind.

2004

18-20, fourth place, five games behind.

Finish: 80-82, third place, 12 games behind.

2005

17-21, fourth place, 10 games behind.

Finish: 93-69, second place, six games behind.

2006

17-21, fourth place, eight games behind.

Finish: 78-84, fourth place, 18 games behind.

2007

24-14, first place, one-game lead.

Finish: 96-66, first place, eight games ahead. Won an ALDS, 3-1, over the New York Yankees; lost the ALCS, 4-3, to the Boston Red Sox.

2008

19-19, second place, 1 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 81-81, third place, 7 1/2 games behind.

2009

14-24, fifth place, 6 1/2 games behind.

Finish: 65-97, fourth place, 21 1/2 games behind.

2010

15-23, fourth place, eight games behind.

Finish: 69-93, fourth place, 25 games behind.

2011

25-13, first place, 4 1/2-game lead.

Finish: 80-82, second place, 15 games behind.

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Seattle Mariners closer Brandon League has been a very reliable reliever throughout his nine-year career.

When he faces the Cleveland Indians, however, things typically do not end on a positive note.

League allowed the game-tying single to Asdrubal Cabrera and the winning hit to Carlos Santana in the 11th inning on Thursday, allowing the Indians to rally for a 6-5 victory over the Mariners.

Seattle had taken a one-run lead in the top of the 11th on Michael Saunders’ RBI double, but League (0-3) squandered it by walking three batters, throwing a wild pitch and allowing two hits in just one-third of an inning.

“We gave them that game,” Mariners manager Eric Wedge fumed. “Walks killed us early and walks killed us late. I liked the way we battled back after they tied the score the first time, but then we blew it again.”

It marked League’s third blown save _ and third walk-off loss _ at Progressive Field in the last two seasons. In his career against Cleveland, the right-hander is 2-5 with a 9.18 ERA and seven blown saves in nine chances.

“The guys were pretty confident since we had done it before against him,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “Everyone in the dugout said, `Let’s get two, we can do it.’ “

“I’m not sure what happened, but Brandon didn’t look like himself the whole inning,” Wedge said.

Cabrera’s one-out single scored Jose Lopez, while Santana’s liner up the middle came two batters later and brought Jason Kipnis home from third base.

“My control was just absolutely unacceptable today,” said League, who has converted 45 of 53 total save opportunities since the start of 2011. “I was issuing free passes, and when I did get the ball over the plate, it was right down the middle.”

Seattle is 1-6 on its current 10-game, 10-day road trip and has played a major-league high 25 away games. The Mariners travel to Colorado for a three-game set beginning Friday.

Joe Smith (4-1), the seventh Cleveland pitcher of the day, earned the victory despite allowing Saunders’ go-ahead shot off the wall in left-center that scored Dustin Ackley. The right-hander went one inning and was the lone Indians reliever to give up a run in 5 1-3 combined innings.

Seattle’s bullpen, meanwhile, was torched for five runs, five hits and five walks to waste a fine performance by starter Hector Noesi. The 25-year-old righty went 6 1-3 innings, allowing one run on five hits while walking three and striking out five.

Noesi exited the game with a 4-0 lead and one out in the seventh, but was powerless to stop the Mariners from losing their fourth straight game and falling to 1-12 in their last 13 road contests.

“Noesi was fantastic today,” Wedge said. “I was really pleased with the way he pitched, and I think he’s gaining a whole lot of confidence each time out.”

The Indians cut their deficit to 4-1 in the seventh when Cabrera singled off Seattle reliever Lucas Luetge with two outs, plating Casey Kotchman, who had singled off Noesi.

Former Mariners third baseman Lopez then tied the score in the eighth with a three-run homer off Steve Delabar. The 348-foot shot, which barely cleared the left-field wall, was Lopez’s second of the season and came with two outs.

“The ball got up and he put some wood on it,” said Delabar, who walked Santana to open the inning and gave up a double to Kotchman. “You never want to put anybody on for free, but that’s what I did to start things for them.”

Seattle had taken a 2-0 lead with single runs in the third and fifth, both without the benefit of a hit.

Saunders’ RBI groundout scored Brendan Ryan in the third, while John Jaso came around on a passed ball committed by Santana in the fifth.

Ryan, who entered the contest hitting .137 and in a 5-for-56 slump, went 2-for-3 with two walks. Justin Smoak also had two hits for the Mariners, whose 16-24 record is the second worst in the American League.

Seattle went 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position, making it 8-for-96 in its last 13 road games.

“It gets old being a young team having growing pains,” Ryan said. “At some point, we have to figure out how to close out games. Good teams step on your throat when they get ahead. We need to learn how to do that.”

Seattle extended its advantage to 4-0 with two runs in the sixth, knocking Indians starter Zach McAllister out of the game after 5 2-3 innings. Jaso doubled home Kyle Seager, then scored on Ryan’s RBI single off reliever Jairo Asencio.

McAllister, a right-hander, gave up four runs (three earned) and five walks while striking out six.

NOTES: OF Mike Carp, who was a late scratch Wednesday with a stiff right shoulder, started at DH and was hitless in two at-bats. He sprained the shoulder in the season opener in Japan and spent four weeks on the DL. … C Jesus Montero, who committed a costly throwing error Wednesday, didn’t start, but pinch-hit for Carp in the eighth. … The Mariners complete their road trip with three games in Colorado. RHP Kevin Millwood faces RHP Alex White on Friday. … Alex Liddi made his first major league start in left field. Normally a third baseman, he made his initial big league appearance in the outfield Wednesday in the ninth inning. … Indians OF Johnny Damon singled in the fourth for his 2,732nd career hit, tying him with Tony Perez for 55th place on the all-time list.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio — For a second straight home start Wednesday night, Ubaldo Jimenez was the heavy on-paper underdog against his counterpart. For a second straight home start, Jimenez crumpled the paper and fired a four-seamer into the trash can.

Jimenez gave up three runs in six innings and the Tribe’s offense pounded Felix Hernandez en route to a 9-3 victory at Progressive Field. Paid attendance: 12,092. New leadoff batter Shin-Soo Choo went 3-for-5 and Travis Hafner homered as the Indians won their third in a row. They are 21-16, first place in the AL Central.

Eric Wedge’s Mariners (16-23, last in AL West) have lost three in a row and five of six.

On May 6, Jimenez lugged a 2-2 record and 5.02 ERA into a start against Rangers rookie sensation Yu Darvish, who was 4-0 with a 2.18 ERA. Jimenez threw seven shutout innings and defeated Darvish, 4-2.

Wednesday, Jimenez was 3-3, 5.18 entering a matchup with Hernandez, who was 3-2, 2.29. Jimenez rose to the occasion again with a performance even better than the numbers indicated.

“This was the best Ubaldo has thrown the ball so far [this year],” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He was in command the whole time. He looked very confident out there.”

Jimenez gave up five hits, walked two and struck out four in rebounding from a bad start in Boston.

“Ubaldo kept up his velocity and was able to use all his pitches,” Acta said. “He looked relaxed and fluid with his delivery.”

Jimenez got ahead of hitters and had good speed variance from his fastball to his breaking pitches. He threw 69 of 107 pitches for strikes.

“It’s all about the mechanics,” Jimenez said. “We’ve been working on them every single day. [Wednesday] I was able to use the adjustments more than I was the last outing. We’re moving in a good way.”

Indians hitters were comfortable, too. They tagged Hernandez for eight runs (six earned) on 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings. In his previous start against the Indians, April 19 in Seattle, Hernandez gave up five hits, walked one and fanned 12 in eight innings of a no-decision.

Hernandez’s streak of quality starts — at least six runs, three or fewer earned runs — against Cleveland ended at 10. It dated to July 2006.

“Our offense had a very good approach against Felix,” Acta said. “We wanted to be aggressive early in the count, and we were aggressive early.”

The Indians led, 4-1, after one inning. The teams combined for four hits, two walks, two errors, a hit batsman, wild pitch, passed ball and stolen base.

Dustin Ackley led off the game with single to center. He eventually scored on a groundout.

Choo singled to right on Hernandez’s first pitch. Jason Kipnis singled to right two pitches later, Choo stopping at second. Asdrubal Cabrera, in a 2-2 count, was hit in the right calf by a breaking pitch. During Hafner’s at-bat, everybody moved up on a passed ball by Jesus Montero.

Hafner, in a protracted slump with runners in scoring position, ripped a grounder into the hole at second that Ackley snared. Even though the play went in the books as a 4-3, Hafner not only drove in a run but pushed Cabrera to third.

Carlos Santana walked. After Michael Brantley struck out, Johnny Damon came to the plate. With Damon in a 2-2 count, Progressive Field turned into a playground.

As Hernandez’s pitch missed the zone, Santana took off on a delayed steal. Montero looked toward second, then third, where Cabrera was well off the bag. Montero double-clutched before firing the ball into left field.

Chone Figgins scooped cleanly, but his attempt to erase Cabrera at home eluded Montero. Santana, who had been hanging near second, channeled Kenny Lofton in the Kingdome in 1995 and never stopped running as Montero tracked the ball. Santana barely beat Hernandez’s tag with a head-first slide for the 4-1 advantage.

Official scorer Bob Maver sorted it out thusly: SB, E-2, Cabrera scores; E-7, Santana scores. The Mariners entered with a 10-game errorless streak.

Seattle pulled within 4-3 in the third on Ackley’s two-run homer to right.

The Tribe scored four more in the fourth, knocking out Hernandez in the process. Choo singled with one out, cruised to second on a wild pitch and scored on Kipnis’s double to left-center. Kipnis went to third on a grounder and trotted home on Hafner’s double. The Tribe’s designated hitter snapped an 0-for-25 with RISP by belting a full-count off-speed pitch into right-center.

Santana doubled in Hafner and Brantley singled in Santana. Shawn Kelley relieved Hernandez and got the final out of the inning.

“When you get opportunities against a guy like [Hernandez], you’ve got to take advantage of them,” Hafner said.

Hafner made it 9-3 with a homer on the first pitch from Hisashi Iwakuma to open the sixth. He moved past Al Rosen into eighth place on the club’s all-time list with 193.

Jimenez gave way to Jeremy Accardo to begin the seventh. Accardo pitched a perfect seventh in his Tribe debut.

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