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Thursday, Jul. 6 7:05pm ET
Delgado knocks in four runs | |||||
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GAME LOG
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Just three more games and the road-weary Toronto Blue Jays will finally be able to go home and get some rest. They need it. Carlos Delgado had four RBIs and Shannon Stewart went 4-for-5 with two RBIs Thursday night as the Blue Jays, nearing the end of a grueling, 13-day road trip, avoided a sweep and stayed atop the AL East with a 9-6 victory over the Cleveland Indians. Delgado, who will make his first All-Star appearance next week, singled in two runs in the third and added a two-run double in the sixth for Toronto. The Blue Jays, who have been in first place since June 23, maintained their half-game lead over the New York Yankees. "This has been a difficult trip for us," said Toronto manager Jim Fregosi, whose team is 4-6 with three interleague games with Montreal left before the break. "This was an important win for us tonight and an important win for (Chris) Carpenter." There weren't many Blue Jays around to talk about their latest win. As a few headed into the trainer's room for treatment, Delgado walked into the bathroom with ice bags on his right ankle, left knee and right shoulder. "Delgado has done eveything for us all year," Fregosi said. "He's got nearly 80 RBIs. I know there are a lot of guys who would settle for that in a whole year." Stewart hit four singles, scored twice and delivered a key sacrifice fly in the seventh that put the Blue Jays up 7-5. Jose Cruz Jr. homered in the ninth to make it 9-6. Cruz, who has 19 homers, needs one more before Monday to make the Blue Jays the first team in history to have four players with at least 20 homers at the All-Star break. Alex Ramirez hit a two-run homer and Richie Sexson had a pinch-homer for the Indians, who were 0-5-1 in six series before taking the first two games against Toronto. "We just couldn't stop them," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "Of course they are a real good hitting team." Chris Carpenter (7-7), who pitched just 10 innings combined in his previous three starts, managed to stay around for 5 2-3 this time. He allowed five runs and 11 hits. "I've been struggling lately," Carpenter said. "Right now, it seems like every time I make a mistake, they hammer it. But the bottom line is, we won." Billy Koch put two runners on in the eighth and pitched a perfect ninth for his 19th save in 22 tries. It was the fifth time this season Koch has pitched two innings for a save. "I don't like to do that," said Fregosi, who swore during spring training that he would only use Koch for an inning. "But I thought it was important for us to win this game and I thought he gave us the best shot to do that." Dave Burba (8-4) gave up six runs and 10 hits in a shaky 5 2-3 innings. "I struggled to get ahead in the count," Burba said. "Things just didn't go my way." Sexson's pinch-hit homer in the seventh off John Frascatore brought the Indians within 7-6. But the Blue Jays added a run in the eighth when Brad Fullmer singled home Raul Mondesi, who scored three runs. The Blue Jays, who didn't put the Indians away early and ended up losing Wednesday after leading 5-0, went up 3-0 in the third on Mondesi's RBI double and Delgado's two-run single. Consecutive RBI doubles by Ricky Ledee and Thome in the bottom of the inning made it 3-2. But Toronto continued to knock around Burba in the fourth, loading the bases and taking a 4-2 lead on Stewart's run-scoring single. Burba avoided more damage with a pair of strikeouts and got out of the inning by getting Mondesi to hit into a force. The Indians closed to 4-3 in the fifth when Jim Thome doubled and scored on Travis Fryman's single. Game notesIndians RF Manny Ramirez began a rehab stint at Triple-A Buffalo and went 2-for-5 with a double, homer and three RBIs as the designated hitter during a doubleheader for the Bisons. Ramirez, out since May 28 with a strained left hamstring, could be back right after the All-Star break. ...... Toronto SS Alex Gonzalez left in the fourth with tightness in his right groin. It was just his second game since June 24 after missing nine games. Fregosi said Gonzalez may not be back until after the All-Star break. ... Sexson's 15th homer this season was also the first pinch-shot of his career, and the first by an Indians pinch-hitter this season. ... Stewart has 12 career four-hit games. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Toronto Clubhouse Cleveland Clubhouse RECAPS NY Yankees 13 Baltimore 9
Toronto 9
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