CLEVELAND — Home has never been this sweet for the Indians.
Beating Tampa Bay 5-4 in the series opener Tuesday night at Progressive Field, the Indians won their 14th straight home game to improve their record in Cleveland to 14-2.
The 14 wins in 16 games is the best start at home in franchise history. The 14 straight victories is the best home streak since 1995.
Michael Brantley, middle, is congratulated by Orlando Cabrera, left, and Carlos Santana on Tuesday after Brantley walked to bring in the winning run. (AP photo.)
As has been the fashion of late, Cleveland won in dramatic style, with Michael Brantley drawing a walk with the bases loaded and one out in the ninth inning to force in the winning run.
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The Indians, who at 23-11 own the best record in baseball, went 1-for-14 with runners in scoring position, yet still found a way to win.
“It was good to end up on the winning side after so many opportunities to blow the game open,” said manager Manny Acta, whose team has won its last four games at Progressive Field in its last at-bat. “These guys just continue to battle. They just continue to go hard.”
The Indians put the leadoff man aboard in the seventh and eighth innings but squandered the opportunities before cashing in in the ninth against relievers Joel Peralta and Kyle Farnsworth.
Shin-Soo Choo walked to lead off the inning against Peralta. A base hit from Carlos Santana sent Choo to third, and an intentional walk to Travis Hafner loaded the bases.
Farnsworth came on to get Orlando Cabrera on a fielder’s choice that cut down Choo at the plate.
With the bases still full and Brantley batting, Farnsworth got ahead in the count 0-2 before throwing four straight balls, the last bouncing in the dirt before getting to the plate.
“It definitely was my first career walk-off walk,” Brantley said. “It’s not as exciting as a hit, but it’s a win, and we’ll take it. He got ahead 0-2 and I just wanted to put the ball in play. I just knew I couldn’t strike out.”
“He just had an outstanding at-bat,” Acta said of Brantley.
“It was just a fastball that I threw in the dirt,” Farnsworth said. “It was one of those things.”
Neither starting pitcher, Cleveland’s Josh Tomlin nor Tampa Bay’s Andy Sonnanstine, figured in the decision, but Tomlin was far more effective.
The Indians right-hander allowed three runs on six hits over six innings. Sonnanstine, a Wadsworth High School product, surrendered two runs on four hits (two homers) and five walks over just 3 1⁄3 innings.
Tomlin (4-1, 2.70) has allowed three runs or fewer in all seven of his starts this season.
“Tomlin did his thing,” Acta said. “He gave us an opportunity to win. He didn’t have his best stuff, but he still pitched pretty well.”
Sonnanstine, who was making his first start of the season, has not fared well against his hometown team, going 0-3 with a 9.68 ERA in four games (all starts) against Cleveland.
Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com. Like him on Facebook and follow him on Twitter.
