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| Indians pound Twins without Martinez CLEVELAND 12, MINNESOTA 2 |
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By Todd Krepop PA SportsTicker Contributing Writer CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Cleveland Indians responded to losing one of their best players in a big way. Shin Soo-Choo and Ben Francisco each drove in three runs as the Indians banged out a season-high 18 hits on Thursday en route to a 12-2 thumping of the Minnesota Twins. Prior to the game, Cleveland learned it would be without catcher and leader Victor Martinez for six to eight weeks. Martinez, who led the Indians with 114 RBI in 2007, will undergo arthroscopic surgery on Friday to remove loose bodies in his right elbow. But the Indians' offense did not skip a beat. "It says a lot about our guys," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "Our guys come to play. It is a strong character club. They work hard and they are feisty." Jamey Carroll went 4-for-4 and Kelly Shoppach drove in two runs for Cleveland. which received a multi-hit performance from five different players. "We know it is going to be tough without Vic," Francisco said. "But we can't hold our heads down. Everybody swung the bat well, but obviously, we are going to miss Vic." The Indians opened the scoring in the second on Shoppach's RBI single and broke open the game with a five-run third. Carroll and Francisco started the inning with consecutive singles, and a base hit by David Dellucci loaded the bases for Jhonny Peralta, who lined a two-run single to left. Choo followed by blasting Livan Hernandez's 1-0 offering over the left field wall for his second home run of the season. Sizemore belted a solo shot in the fourth off Hernandez (6-4) and Cleveland tacked on three more runs in the fifth on an RBI single by Shoppach and a two-run base hit by Francisco. "They swung the bats well tonight and they kept going," Wedge said. "There were a lot of good at-bats and a lot of clutch hitting. It was good to see." That was more than enough support for rookie Aaron Laffey (4-3), who allowed just one run in six frames. His only blemish came in the fifth, when Matt Macri connected for his first career home run. Laffey held the Twins to five hits and a walk while striking out four. "It was nice to get those runs," Laffey said. "It helped me relax, even though I had to pitch my game." Cleveland added two more runs in the seventh on RBI singles by Carroll and Francisco. "I have been doing this for a while," said second baseman Carroll, who will get a chance to play every day with Josh Barfield going on the disabled list. "If a situation like this happens, I am just going to go out and play and take advantage of (the playing time) and help the team win." Hernandez was rocked for seven runs and 12 hits in three-plus innings. In his past two starts, the portly righthander has given up 14 runs in seven frames. "I'm trying," Hernandez said. "If someone is mad that I am not doing my job, I'm sorry. I know it will get better." |
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