Salazar backed by 3 HRs, Indians beat Rays 6-2

By foxsports
Published

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- Danny Salazar pitched two-hit ball for 7 2-3 innings and the Cleveland Indians backed him with three home runs to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2 Tuesday night.

Jason Kipnis, Giovanny Urshela and David Murphy homered for the Indians, driving in all six runs and sending the Rays to their third straight loss.

Salazar (7-3) retired the first 15 batters, the third time in the last six games that's happened to the Rays. Indians rookie Cody Anderson took a perfect game into the seventh Monday night and Toronto's Marco Estrada was perfect through the seventh last Wednesday.

Salazar walked Asdrubal Cabrera to open the sixth. After a double play, Curt Casali broke up the no-hit bid with a double.

Facing the Rays for the first time since losing in the 2013 AL wild-card game, Salazar allowed one earned run and struck out two. He won for the first time in four starts.

Erasmo Ramirez (6-3) lost for the first time in six starts.

Kipnis homered with two outs in the third for Cleveland's first hit and run. It was Kipnis' sixth home run of the season.

Urshela's three-run homer, his second of the season, came off reliever Steve Geltz in the seventh after a hit by Carlos Santana and a walk to Brandon Moss.

Murphy added a two-run drive off Kirby Yates in the eighth.

The Rays scored twice in the eighth with the help of Cabrera's double and a throwing error on shortstop Francisco Lindor.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Indians: OF Nick Swisher (knee) ran football patterns in the outfield and the arc from first to third behind the infield dirt.

Rays: 1B James Loney (broken left middle finger) started a rehab assignment with Class A Charlotte and could return this weekend. ... Reliever Andrew Bellatti (right shoulder) and DH John Jaso also are on rehab assignments with the Florida State League club.

UP NEXT

Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco (9-6) and Rays RHP Alex Colome (3-3) are Wednesday night's scheduled starters. Carrasco is 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in seven road starts this season.