CLEVELAND — The bugs nor the hitters that inhabit Progressive Field bothered Joba Chamberlain much at all Monday night.
The Yankees’ power-pitching right-hander, who came unraveled when midges swarmed the field during Game 2 of the 2007 Division Series, was much more comfortable in Cleveland this time around, helping New York to a 5-2 victory.
Chamberlain’s effort — two runs on four hits over eight innings — and a four-run seventh was all the Yankees required to take the series three games to one in their only trip of the season to Cleveland.
“As a starter, that’s the best we’ve seen Chamberlain,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “He held onto his stuff. He was still throwing 97 (mph) on his 106th pitch. He really threw a good ballgame against us.”
Chamberlain (3-1, 3.71) was in control from the start, taking a perfect game two outs into the fourth inning before Victor Martinez swatted a solo home run to right-center to get Cleveland on the board.
The eight-inning effort was a career high for Chamberlain, who lasted seven innings just once over his previous nine starts.
Indians starter Jeremy Sowers was also on the mark early, allowing just a run on three hits through five innings. But as has been the case for much of his career, the left-hander flamed out at the end of his outing.
With the game tied at 1 to start the sixth inning, Sowers (1-2, 6.16) walked the first three batters he faced and was removed by Wedge, putting a negative spin on an otherwise positive performance.
“Jeremy was throwing the ball very well,” Wedge said of Sowers, who allowed a run on three hits over five innings. “Then he goes out there in the sixth inning and he throws one strike. You’ve got to hold onto your stuff better than that.”
“Literally, I just didn’t throw strikes,” said Sowers, who has walked 12 batters in 19 innings this season, leaving the bullpen to start for the third time Monday. “I just don’t think I was finishing pitches. I just need to be more aggressive.
“Perhaps it’s a minor lapse of focus. That can catch up to you pretty quick on this level.”
Reliever Greg Aquino rescued Sowers to retire Alex Rodriguez, Jorge Posada and Robinson Cano in succession to end the sixth, but the right-hander caught Sowers’ control problems in the seventh.
After recording the first out, Aquino walked the bases loaded, before permitting New York to break things open on a two-run double high off the wall in left field from Nick Swisher.
Aquino walked Mark Teixeira intentionally before being relieved by Luis Vizcaino, who allowed a two-run single to Rodriguez that provided the final count.
“I don’t know what happened,” Aquino said. “I tried to throw strikes. That was the game.”
Sowers and Aquino combined to walk eight hitters over two innings, one intentionally. On the night, Cleveland’s pitchers walked 11.
“We just gave it to them,” Wedge said. “I’m shocked they didn’t score more runs.
“The walks are going to kill you. They’ve been hurting us all year long. It’s unacceptable.”
After Martinez’s homer in the fourth, the Indians had a chance to make Chamberlain sweat when they put the first two batters aboard in the following inning.
Catcher Kelly Shoppach took the steam out of the potential rally by popping up an attempted sacrifice bunt that Chamberlain made a diving stab on, then threw to second for the double play. New York’s starter was demonstrative after the play, pumping his arms and screaming in the direction of Cleveland’s dugout.
Prior to bunting into the double play, Shoppach had struck out five straight times, dating back to Sunday’s four-strikeout performance in four at-bats.
In the end, the only thing Indians fans had to cheer was a meaningless strikeout of Rodriguez in the ninth inning, while they chanted, “Here we go steroids, here we go.”
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

TONIGHT

WHO: Cleveland at Minnesota
TIME: 8:10
WHERE: Metrodome
PITCHERS: Huff (0-1, 10.97 ERA) vs. Slowey (7-1, 4.11)
TV/RADIO: SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM

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