04-17-2006, 06:19 AM
|
#1 (permalink)
|
| Platinum Member
Status: Offline
Join Date: May 2005 My Local Time: 10:35 PM
Posts: 2,069
vBookie Cash: 500
Casino Cash: $251
Rep Power: 6  Points: 25,811, Level: 70 | | Shelton's solo shot enough for Maroth, Tigers
Quote: 
Chris Shelton needed 12 games to hit eight home runs, an American League record
DETROIT (AP) -- Chris Shelton keeps saying he's not a home-run hitter, even though he leads the major leagues.
Shelton's eighth home run backed Mike Maroth and led the Detroit Tigers over the Cleveland Indians 1-0 Sunday.
"I just put a good swing on it. I can't really tell you why it went out of the ballpark, but it did," said Shelton. "I wasn't trying to go up there and hit a home run, I was just trying to hit it hard."
Shelton is the first AL player to hit eight homers in his team's first 12 games, according to historian David Vincent and the Elias Sports Bureau.
Shelton homered over the left-center field fence and into the Cleveland bullpen against Cliff Lee (1-1) with one out in the fourth inning. Five of Shelton's homers have been solo shots.
"It wasn't that bad of a pitch," Lee said of the cutter. "It wasn't exactly where I wanted it. He's seeing the ball good and making solid contact."
Maroth (2-0) allowed three hits in seven innings, struck out five and walked two. Maroth's start had been pushed back three days because of elbow soreness. He said the elbow felt fine but was a little tender late in the game.
"He just kept the ball down, did a good job, made his pitches," said Cleveland's Grady Sizemore, who went 0-2 with a walk against Maroth. "We didn't do a good job making adjustments, so we helped him out a little bit."
Joel Zumaya got out of a two-on jam in the eighth by striking out Sizemore and Jason Michaels. Fernando Rodney completed the four-hitter with a perfect ninth for his third save in as many chances.
Detroit has taken two of three in the four-game series against the Indians after winning its first four games under new manager Jim Leyland and then losing four in a row.
"These are the kind of games you're going to have to win if you're going to be a good team," Leyland said.
Lee gave up five hits and three walks in 7 1/3 innings, and struck out six.
"Cliff was outstanding. Cliff was right there with him," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "He gave us every opportunity to win the ballgame."
Cleveland threatened when Michaels doubled with one out in the first and Jhonny Peralta walked. But Travis Hafner grounded into a double play.
"I got the ground ball I was looking for," Maroth said.
Lee escaped early trouble, striking out Magglio Ordonez and Marcus Thames with two on in the first, then retired Curtis Granderson on an inning-ending popout with two on in the second.
Notes: Wedge was ejected in the fifth inning by plate umpire Paul Emmel while Ronnie Belliard was batting. Wedge then went on the field to argue with Emmel and was restrained by first-base umpire Bruce Froemming. "I just had an issue with some of the balls-and-strikes calls," Wedge said. "I didn't think I did much to get tossed, but he did and that was the end of it. I just felt like there were a couple of questionable calls." ... The Indians' Aaron Boone broke an 0-for-16 slide with a double in the fifth, then singled in the eighth. ... Maroth has seven wins over the Indians since the start of the 2002 season.
| Associated Press |
Without Order Nothing Can Exist,Without Chaos Nothing Can Evolve |
|
|  |
Linear Mode
