Masterson strong in Indians' win over Orioles

CLEVELAND (AP) -- Justin Masterson has simply been doing what he's been told.

So far, the results have made him unbeatable.

"I told him, 'Throw that little white thing over that larger white thing as much as you can,'" Cleveland pitching coach Tim Belcher said. "If he does that, his stuff is so sick. If he throws strikes over the plate, he's going to give us a chance to win."

Masterson pitched seven strong innings for his third straight win, Asdrubal Cabrera had four RBIs and the surprising Cleveland Indians kept the AL Central standings flipped upside down with an 8-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night.

Masterson (3-0), who allowed just one run and four singles, went 6-13 last season. He didn't get his third win until July 1 -- in his 16th start.

"I saw that on the bottom of the TV," Masterson said, glancing at nearby screen. "I was like, 'Wow, that's a long time."

Travis Hafner homered for Cleveland, which entered the series tied for first with Kansas City. Last season, the Indians finished fourth in the division, two games ahead of the last-place Royals.

Cabrera's two-run single highlighted Cleveland's four-run third inning off rookie Zach Britton (2-1), who gave up five runs and eight hits in six innings. Six of those hits came in a row during the third when the Indians got a triple and five consecutive singles.

"One inning was the difference," Orioles manager Buck Showalter said, "but I was proud of the way he responded. He came back, battled, pitched well."

The Orioles have lost five straight since a stunning 6-1 start.

At 9-4, Cleveland is off to its best start since 2002.

"This is fun," Masterson said.

After struggling for most of 2010, Masterson began to show signs of becoming a dependable starter in the final two months. The 6-foot-6 right-hander has carried that over into this season with three solid starts and wins over Chicago, Seattle and now Baltimore.

Masterson, who got 12 of his 21 outs on grounders, credits slight changes with his mechanics too making him a different pitcher this season. Also an emphasis on throwing his first pitch over the plate. He threw first-pitch strikes to 20 of 26 hitters.

"Throwing that first pitch in there allows you to expand the zone a little, which is great with the stuff that I have," he said. "It's been very simple, subtle stuff but I've done it enough to just go out and pitch and gain confidence with what I have."

The Indians were hoping to build on a 4-2 trip to Seattle and Los Angeles, and they're off to a good start by winning their fifth straight at home.

Cabrera added another two-run single in the seventh, when Cleveland blew it open against Baltimore's bullpen.

Britton won his first two starts, allowing just one run in his first 13 2-3 innings to beat Tampa Bay and Texas. Showalter said the 23-year-old displayed something special in spring training before even throwing a pitch.

"You could see it in his eyes," Showalter said before the game. "He's not too cool for school, but his first thoughts are always 'What have I got to do to stay here?' He's grounded and puts the team first."

Britton's sinker ran away from Cleveland's hitters in the first two innings, but the bottom of the order figured out how to hit him in the third, when the Indians opened a 4-0 lead with six consecutive hits and a sacrifice fly.

"It was a little disappointing there," Britton said. "The pitches were down, but getting too much of the plate. We're going through a tough stretch and I wanted to give us a good outing. I had a good opportunity to get us back on track, so that makes this more disappointing."

Matt LaPorta, not exactly known for his speed on the basepaths, stretched what looked like a double off the left-field wall into a leadoff triple. Lou Marson, starting in place of slumping catcher Carlos Santana, followed with an RBI single and two more singles loaded the bases before Cabrera grounded a two-run single to center.

Hafner's sacrifice fly made it 4-0, and Britton only avoided more damage when the Orioles successfully appealed that Cabrera left second too early.

Masterson roared through Baltimore's lineup the first time. He retired nine in a row before Brian Roberts singled to open the fourth, when the Orioles got a two-out RBI single from Luke Scott.

NOTES: Indians OF Grady Sizemore worked out with the club Friday and is expected to remain in Cleveland for at least one more day as he gets closer to rejoining the club after missing most of last season following knee surgery. ... Indians RHP Joe Smith (abdominal strain) was activated before the game and made his season debut in the ninth, giving up one run. ... According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Britton is first Orioles pitcher to allow just one earned run in his first two starts since Tom Phoebus, who did it in 1954 when the franchise was still in St. Louis. ... Showalter said LHP Brian Matusz is "progressing, but not ready to throw off the mound yet." Matusz opened the season on the disabled list with a strained left intercostal muscle.