05/15/2008 - Cleveland, OH (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Aaron Laffey threw seven solid innings and the Indians continued their mastery on the mound until holding on in the ninth during a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics to complete a three-game sweep.
Jhonny Peralta homered and scored three times for Cleveland, which has allowed just six runs in its last seven games. Ben Francisco had three hits and an RBI for the Indians, who outscored the A's, 10-2, during the series.
Cleveland starting pitchers had gone 44 1/3 consecutive innings without giving up a run until Laffey's throwing error scored Bobby Crosby in the second. It was the first run allowed by the Indians since the sixth inning of last Friday's game against Toronto. That marked the longest streak by an Indians staff since the 1948 squad went 47 frames without giving up a run.
Laffey (2-2) allowed five hits and an unearned run, while walking one and logging six strikeouts. Jensen Lewis worked around a single to Rajai Davis in the eighth before Rafael Betancourt had trouble in the ninth. Masahide Kobayashi escaped a jam in the ninth to get his second save.
During Cleveland's 6-1 homestand, Indians starting pitchers gave up just two runs, including one earned. The starters went 6-0 with a 0.16 ERA during that span.
Because of Laffey's error, Cleveland starters haven't given up an earned run in the last 50 1/3 innings.
Greg Smith (2-3) was charged with the loss after surrendering seven hits and three runs over 4 2/3 innings. The 24-year-old lefty walked three and had seven strikeouts.
The Indians barely held on in the ninth. Jack Cust and Crosby singled with one out, and Jack Hannahan walked to load the bases. Kobayashi's wild pitch then made it 4-2, but he struck out pinch-hitters Mike Sweeney and Ryan Sweeney to end the game.
Peralta legged out an infield hit with one out in the first and scored later in the inning on Ryan Garko's double down the right field line.
Crosby and Hannahan singled to begin the second, and after Donnie Murphy struck out, Rob Bowen hit a weak grounder toward the mound. Laffey charged the ball, but threw wide of first baseman Garko with the ball sailing into right field. With runners at the corners later in the frame, Davis was caught stealing to end the inning.
The Indians regained the lead at 3-1 in the third. Grady Sizemore was hit by a pitch and Peralta walked before Francisco singled to left for an RBI. One out later, Travis Hafner singled to center to drive in Peralta.
Peralta led off the seventh with a homer to left off Santiago Casilla. Immediately after giving up the homer, Casilla was seen shaking his right arm in discomfort, and was removed from the game in favor of Chad Gaudin.
Game Notes
The A's play at Atlanta for three games this weekend, while the Indians are in Cincinnati...The 44 1/3 inning streak was the longest since the 1974 Baltimore Orioles starters went 54 frames of scoreless ball...Laffey hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 21 innings (3 starts).
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Mayweather picked to beat De La Hoya
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA -- Golden Boy Oscar De La Hoya and his rival Floyd Mayweather Jr. arrived at the MGM Grand here Wednesday amid the pomp and pandemonium befitting two of the biggest stars in the sport who are about to duke it out for the WBC super welterweight crown this Saturday (Sunday in Manila).
As of Wednesday, MySportsbook.com closed its book with Mayweather a favorite to defeat De La Hoya at -170 (a $100 bet wins $70), while De La Hoya is a +140 underdog (a $100 bet wins $140).
Mayweather arrived at about 11:30 a.m. on a big truck with his face and a big "World's Best Pound-for-Pound" sign scribbled across the vehicle. He was accompanied by his entourage made up of rappers and his training team.
A crowd of close to 3,000 eager fans packed the MGM Grand lobby, with their cameras in tow, all trying to vie for position to get a good angle at Mayweather, who is acknowledged as the world's best fighter pound-for-pound.
Eric Gomez, Golden Boy Promotions vice-president, described the fan turnout as "amazing" and swore he had never seen anything quite like this event.
"The crowd was fantastic. Everybody was just too eager to see the two fighters," said ALA manager Michael Aldeguer, who was among those who waited at the lobby together with his ward Rey "Boom Boom" Bautista and AJ Banal.
De La Hoya made his own grand entrance at the hotel lobby at around 12:30 p.m. accompanied by GBP chief executive officer Richard Schaefer and trainer Freddie Roach.
The same group of fans who trooped to see Mayweather also lingered around to get a close look at De La Hoya, who has been secretly working out at a Las Vegas gym for days after arriving from his main training camp in Puerto Rico.
The golden boy then took part in a closed-door afternoon workout with Bautista and Banal. The two, along with Aldeguer and wife Christine, as well as an HBO crew were the only ones allowed inside the gym.
De La Hoya and Mayweather take part in today's final press conference before the official weigh-in this Friday.
Ring Magazine, the acknowledged bible of boxing, reported in its June 2007 issue that 12 out of 20 boxing experts it interviewed have favored Mayweather to defeat De la Hoya, with only 8 favoring the latter.
But Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao said in a recent interview with The Freeman's Emmanuel Villaruel that De La Hoya will win by unanimous decision over Mayweather.
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