Indians 3, Angels 1

CLEVELAND (AP) C.C. Sabathia didn't have his best stuff but the Anaheim Angels didn't have their best lineup.

Sabathia worked out of trouble early and rookie Jody Gerut drove in two runs as the Cleveland Indians defeated the reeling Angels 3-1 Sunday.

``I didn't have command of my fastball and had to resort to other pitches to get through,'' Sabathia said. ``I felt good, strong, but all my pitches just weren't there.''

Some of the defending champion Angels were missing, too, as Anaheim lost for the eighth time in nine games and fell to 5-20 since the All-Star break.

Angels outfielder Tim Salmon fouled a ball off his left shin during batting practice and did not play.

``I smoked myself and it's sore,'' said Salmon, who was taken for X-rays but was back in uniform in the late innings. ``I've done it enough to know I'll be OK.''

The Angels already have center fielder Darin Erstad, third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Brad Fullmer on the disabled list.

Cleveland won its third in a row as Sabathia (10-7) allowed one run and four hits over 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander walked four, struck out seven and improved to 2-4 over his last six starts.

``It was big for C.C. to get a result with his secondary pitches,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``He used his other weapons, kept searching for the fastball and got us a win.''

Jack Cressend pitched two scoreless innings before leaving with two on and two outs in the eighth. Rafael Betancourt got the final out of the eighth and worked a perfect ninth for his first career save.

``It's exciting,'' said Betancourt, who has a 1.58 ERA in 12 games since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo on July 12. ``Every day in the big leagues is exciting, though.''

Cleveland scored three unearned runs on one hit in the third against John Lackey (7-11).

Tim Laker walked, Jhonny Peralta was hit by a pitch and John McDonald was safe when Lackey mishandled his sacrifice bunt for an error.

Coco Crisp hit a one-hopper to Lackey, who forced Laker at the plate, though his off-line throw prevented catcher Bengie Molina from turning a double play and kept the bases loaded.

``A good throw and I think we get two,'' Lackey said. ``On the previous play, the bunt, I should have gone to first right away. I tried to do too much.''

Peralta scored on a slow groundout to second by Angel Santos to tie the score, and Gerut made it 3-1 with a bloop single to left-center.

Sabathia escaped trouble right away. After walking David Eckstein and Figgins to open the game, he got Garret Anderson to pop to third and struck out Scott Spiezio and Robb Quinlan.

``That was big, but I went out and did it again,'' Sabathia said.

Anaheim loaded the bases with none out in the third on a walk to Eric Owens and consecutive bunt singles by Eckstein and Figgins but managed only one run.

Sabathia got Anderson to hit into a double play, scoring Owens. Spiezio then grounded out.

``We're just not able to generate any offense,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``Even without Tim in the lineup, we set the table.''

Lackey dropped to 0-3 in five starts since the All-Star break. The right-hander gave up 16 earned runs in his previous two outings, but allowed only four hits and the three unearned runs over seven innings this time. He walked two and struck out six.

Gerut had two hits, but twice blundered on the bases. He was called out on an appeal play for tagging up too soon on a fly ball in the sixth and picked off first in the eighth.

``Not a good day for me on the bases,'' the rookie said. ``Good thing we won the game.''< ^Notes:@ OF Milton Bradley, whose .321 average leads Cleveland, missed his second straight game with a stiff back. ... Sabathia became the first Cleveland pitcher to win at least 10 games in each of his first three seasons since Dennis Eckersley in 1975-77. ... Angels DH Shawn Wooten snapped an 0-for-17 streak with a seventh-inning single. ... Lackey is 1-7 in road games. ... Mike Rupp, who scored the winning goal for the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals, threw out the first pitch. Rupp grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Brunswick.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)