CLEVELAND — Aaron Laffey was the streak buster Thursday at Progressive Field but hold the criticism for the young left-hander.
Yes, Laffey allowed the run that snapped the rotation’s major-league-high string of consecutive scoreless innings at 441/3, but it was also his effort — the latest in a sparkling stretch for Cleveland’s slew of starters — that paved the way for a sweep-clinching 4-2 victory over the Oakland A’s.
It was the first-place Indians’ eighth win over the last 10 games, accounting for the first three-game sweep since 2005 of the A’s, who entered the series atop the American League West standings.
As the streak stands, it’s the longest in the majors since the Baltimore Orioles starting staff tossed 54 straight scoreless innings in 1974. It was just shy of the Indians’ franchise record of 47 innings, set in 1948 by the club’s last World Series championship team.
And it would have been extended at least a little while longer had Laffey, who allowed just a run on five hits through seven innings, made a play manager Eric Wedge said the pitcher makes 99 times out of 100.
With runners on first and second and one out in the second inning, Laffey fielded a swinging bunt from Rob Bowen in front of the mound and, with time to spare, rifled his throw past first and into right field, allowing Bobby Crosby to score from second.
The streak was over on an unearned run.
“I can deal with giving up a run, but not on an error like that,” said Laffey, who contributed to the streak with a seven-inning scoreless outing in his previous start against Toronto on Saturday, and has not allowed an earned run in his last three outings. “I thought I had less time than I did and just rushed it.
“You guys can write about something else now. When you talk about five guys going like that for a while, it’s incredible.”
Unlike a number of his predecessors this season, Laffey was backed by some semblance of offense as the Indians uses nine hits to score more than three runs for just the eighth time in the last 20 games, but the second time in the last five.
Cleveland got a run in the first on an RBI double from Ryan Garko before retaking the lead with two in the third on run-scoring singles from Ben Francisco and Travis Hafner. Jhonny Peralta’s solo home run to lead off the seventh put the Indians up 4-1.
Of the Indians’ nine hits, five came from the second and third hitters, Francisco and Peralta, with Peralta scoring three times and adding his second stolen base of the season.
It wasn’t all rosy for the Indians, who may have a closer controversy brewing after enduring another shaky outing from Rafael Betancourt, who is filling in for an injured Joe Borowski.
Betancourt, who gave up three runs in the 10th inning of a loss to the Blue Jays on Monday, failed to make it out of the ninth and had to be rescued by a surging Masa Kobayashi.
Betancourt retired the first batter he faced before allowing consecutive singles and a walk with a wild pitch mixed in. Rather than let the right-hander work through it, Wedge turned to Kobayashi, who responded by striking out pinch hitters Mike Sweeney and Ryan Sweeney in succession to earn his second career save.   
“I just felt like that was the move to make at that point of time,” Wedge said. “It just looked like Betancourt was having trouble throwing the ball where he wanted to.”
It’s been somewhat of an ongoing theme since Betancourt has taken over the ninth-inning role. He has converted four of five save opportunities, but has allowed nine earned runs over his last 11 appearances (nine innings).
Meanwhile, Kobayashi has flourished since Wedge has employed him as a late-inning reliever. The right-hander, who is one of just three pitchers with 200-plus saves in Japan, has allowed just two runs over his last 13 games (14 innings), with 15 of his 19 appearances on the season scoreless ones.
It’s enough for Wedge to consider making a change.  
“I’m just going to reflect on everything and go from there,” said Wedge when asked if he was considering Kobayashi as the closer.
Betancourt declined comment after the game, but it was clear that Kobayashi did not want to be part of a closer controversy when pressed on the issue.
“It doesn’t matter to me (when I pitch),” he said through an interpreter. “I’m just happy to be here and happy to help the team.”
The Indians finished the homestand with six wins in seven games, a performance that was obviously spearheaded by the rotation, which went 6-0, while allowing just one earned run over 55 1/3 innings — none earned over its last 50 1/3 innings of work.
“The pitching really led the way,” Wedge said. “I feel like the bats are starting to come around. They’ve got to dig in and keep going. But rarely, if ever, do you see stretches like you’ve seen from our starters.”
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland at Cincinnati
TIME: 7:10
WHERE: Great American Ball Park
PITCHERS: Sowers (0-0, 5.06 ERA) vs. Cueto (2-4, 5.91)
TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WMMS 100.7-FM

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