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Rookie Cabrera helps Indians survive shaky outing from Westbrook

Aug 29, 2007 - 3:59 AM CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Jake Westbrook was not sharp, but rookie Asdrubal Cabrera had his back.

Westbrook labored through six-plus innings, but Cabrera hit a go-ahead single in the seventh inning as the Cleveland Indians posted a 6-5 victory over the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.

"Asdrubal got a big hit for us," Indians manager Eric Wedge said

Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore each homered for Cleveland (74-57), which has won four straight and leads Detroit (71-60) by 3 1/2 games in the American League Central. Detroit lost at Kansas City.

With the game tied at 3-3, Cleveland's Kenny Lofton led off the seventh with a single and advanced to second on a one-out wild throw on a pickoff attempt. After Twins starter Boof Bonser (6-11) issued a two-out intentional walk to Sizemore, Cabrera laced a single to right, plating Lofton, who barely beat the throw home from right fielder Michael Cuddyer.

Cabrera, who started the season at Class AA, has been a sparkplug for the Indians since being called up on August 8. He has scored 10 runs in his 15 games and is 4-for-8 with runners in scoring position and two outs.

"(Cabrera) has been a big boost for us," Wedge said. "Not only does he get big hits for us, but he also creates for us too."

Cleveland loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, and Ryan Garko provided an insurance run with an RBI single and Jhonny Peralta added a sacrifice fly for a 6-3 lead.

Westbrook, who entered the game 3-1 with a 1.67 ERA in his last six starts and leading the AL in with a 1.50 ERA in August, is a big reason the Indians have won nine of 12.

"I've been more consistent with my delivery," Westbrook said. "Previous four or five outings I have been locating all my pitches and keeping the hitters off-balance. Hopefully I can ride that to the end of the season."

However, he struggled in this one and let a 3-0 lead slip away in the fifth, allowing a leadoff single to rookie Brian Buscher. Jason Tyner hit a one-out single and Jason Bartlett cut the lead to 3-1 with a single to center. Torii Hunter drove in a run with a single to right and Justin Morneau tied the game at 3-3 with a single to left.

"I got too much of the plate that inning," Westbrook said. "I need to do a better job of making pitches that inning. I didn't and they strung some hits together to tie it up. I didn't have my good stuff tonight."

Given a 4-3 lead, Westbrook (5-7) retired the side in order in the sixth but left after putting runners on the corners with two outs in the seventh. Tyner singled to start the inning, stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. Westbrook then walked Hunter, but rookie Rafael Perez got Morneau to pop out and end the threat.

Westbrook allowed three runs and 10 hits in 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

"I got some help tonight," Westbrook said. "The offense was big tonight. I had a three-run lead and I gave it up, but they gave it right back to me. That's a sign of good team."

Rafael Betancourt worked a scoreless eighth and closer Joe Borowski allowed two runs in the ninth but struck out Morneau looking with the tying run on second for his 38th save in 43 chances.

"As long as we save it, that's all I care about," Borowski said. "The bottom line is we won."

Hafner put Cleveland up 2-0 in the first inning by blasting his first home run since August 6. Sizemore extended the lead to 3-0 with a solo shot in the third.

Tyner had four hits for Minnesota (67-65), which had won four of five, but fell 7 1/2 games behind the Indians (74-57) in the AL Central.

"It's tough," Hunter said. "This is a very important series and we've lost two of them. Those games are in the past. We can't think about it tonight. All we can do is go have a Bud Light and get ready to go against C.C. (Sabathia). But I don't drink."