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| Sizemore homers twice as Indians thump Blue Jays CLEVELAND 12, TORONTO 0 |
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By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Grady Sizemore is having a tough time trying to convince people he is not trying to hit home runs. Sizemore hit two home runs and equaled a career-high five RBI and the Cleveland Indians routed the Toronto Blue Jays 12-0, on Saturday night. Victor Martinez drove in three runs and Aaron Laffey pitched seven strong innings as Cleveland defeated the Blue Jays for the eighth consecutive time at Progressive Field. Sizemore started the game with a bang, blasting Toronto starter Dustin McGowan's 3-2 offering over the right field wall for his second leadoff home run of the season. "It's exciting to start the game off that way and get the offense going," Sizemore said. Sizemore's second home run of the game - a three-run shot - came off reliever Justin Frasor in the fifth. It was Sizemore's second career two-homer game and made it 12-0. "I felt good," said Sizemore, who leads the Indians with six home runs. "I'm not trying to (hit home runs), but sometimes it happens." That was more than enough run support for Laffey (1-2). The Tribe lefthander scattered six hits and struck out two batters. "It helped me be a little more relax and not as tense," said Laffey about the runs. "I figured this might be the game when we broke out." Laffey hasn't allowed an earned run in his last two starts and has given up five runs in three starts since being called up from Class AAA Buffalo. "I am coming in doing my work everyday," Laffey said. "I am doing what I got to do to try and stick here." Sizemore's first homer jump-started a six-run Cleveland first inning. After a walk and single, Martinez hit an RBI single to left and Ben Francisco followed with a sacrifice fly to give the Indians a 3-0 edge. McGowan (2-3) then hit Travis Hafner and, two batters later, Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a two-run single. Casey Blake capped the scoring with a single to left. "It was terrible," McGowan said. "I kept trying to pound it and they kept pounding it." Cleveland's previous high for runs in the first inning was two on April 30. Coming into the game, the Indians had scored only eight runs in the first. "It is always good to get off to a good start," Indians manager Eric Wedge. "There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes. It was just a matter of time before it translated into the ballgame and that's what you are starting to see happen." Cleveland tacked on three more runs off of McGowan in the fourth on an RBI double by Sizemore and a two-run single by Martinez to chase the Toronto starter. "We've been pitching good," Blue Jays manager John Gibbons said. "This was a rarity." McGowan, who had allowed only one earned run in his previous two starts, was rocked for a season-high nine runs in a season-low 3 2/3 innings. He yielded nine hits to go along with a walk and a hit batsman. "I was erratic," he said. I couldn't hit a spot. If I was in the zone, it was up. If I tried to go in, I was missing away." |
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