Josh Tomlin pitches Indians past Rays, 3-1

CLEVELAND — The Indians didn’t generate much offense Thursday night, but they didn’t need to with Josh Tomlin on the mound.
Shin-Soo Choo, Michael Brantley and Travis Hafner hit solo home runs, allowing the Tribe to extend its winning streak to three with a
3-1 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field.
The victory moved Cleveland within 1½ games of the final American League wild-card spot, held by the Baltimore Orioles, and kept it two games behind the AL Central Division-leading Chicago White Sox.
“This was just a good, good baseball game for us tonight,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “We’re not a team that’s going to be outscoring anybody at this point, but when we get timely hitting, play good defense and get solid pitching, we’ve got a chance to win a lot of games.”
Tribe starter Tomlin (5-5, 5.45 ERA) tossed seven terrific innings, allowing one run on two hits, to post his first home victory since May 28. The right-hander struck out three and did not walk a batter in his 88-pitch gem.
Only one Tampa Bay runner got past first base — Will Rhymes tripled and scored in the fifth inning — as Tomlin, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez combined on a four-hitter.
“If I can go that deep and give the ball to those guys in the bullpen, we’ve got a great chance to win,” Tomlin said.
“I felt my command was right there, and the defense was outstanding all night. When you see those guys flying around, making plays like they do, you want to go out there and pick them up.”
Cleveland never trailed in winning for the fifth time in its last six games, making it 6-2 since June 28.
Rays righty Jeremy Hellickson (4-5, 3.41 ERA) took the loss, surrendering a 381-foot leadoff homer to Choo in the first and a 386-foot shot to Brantley in the second. He gave up five hits and four walks in six innings, striking out three, but could not match Tomlin on the 83-degree evening.
“Tomlin did a fantastic job,” Acta said. “That’s the only way you beat those guys is to outpitch them, and Josh did. When he has the command like he did tonight, he’ll go seven innings easy without sniffing 100 pitches, then those two guys came in and did their thing.”
Pestano logged his AL-best 21st hold with a scoreless eighth, and Perez earned his 24th save of the season with his 24th straight conversion. Pestano received help from left fielder Aaron Cunningham, who threw out Elliot Johnson when he tried to stretch a single into a double with one out.
The Indians tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Hafner launched a 372-foot bomb to right field off reliever Jake McGee. It was Hafner’s first homer since returning from right knee surgery earlier this week.
“You’ve seen Travis run, he’s not 100 percent by any means,” Acta said. “But he can swing the bat and that’s why we need him out there.”
Choo and Brantley had two hits apiece for the Indians, who went 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position. Choo’s leadoff homer was his fourth of the year and got the game off to a great start for the crowd of 26,577, who purchased 37,184 $1 hot dogs.
“We’re playing good defense and getting timely hits, and our bullpen has been phenomenal all year,” Brantley said. “Things really seem to be coming together for us.”
Johnson provided two of the Rays’ four hits, while Jose Molina knocked in Rhymes with an RBI groundout.
Tampa Bay first baseman Luke Scott went 0-for-3, making him hitless in his last 39 at-bats and breaking the franchise record of 37 by Jose Cruz Jr. in 2004.
The MLB record by a position player is an 0-for-46 skid by Brooklyn Dodgers catcher Bill Bergen in 1909, while Milwaukee Brewers infielder Craig Counsell went 0-for-45 last year.
Contact Brian Dulik at brisports@hotmail.com.