CLEVELAND — A fugitive task force has arrested a man in North Carolina being sought in the fatal shooting of an Ohio real estate agent whose body was found in a vacant home he was trying to sell.
The body of prominent real estate agent Andrew VonStein was found last week with a single gunshot wound.
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CLEVELAND — Detroit’s Armando Galarraga was in pursuit of another his­torical pitching achievement against the Indians, only this time Cleveland didn’t need the benefit of an umpire’s blown call to ruin the bid.

Galarraga, who was denied a perfect game in June when Jim Joyce mistakenly called Jason Donald safe at first base, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning Monday night.

It took one swing from Matt LaPorta to nix the notion, LaPorta hitting a solo home run to lead off a five-run inning that lifted the Indians past the Tigers, 6-3, in the opener of the final series at Pro­gressive Field. It was Cleveland’s fourth straight win.

LaPorta’s was the first of three homers in the inning, with Luke Carlin hitting another solo shot and Travis Hafner cap­ping the rally with a three-run homer that put the Indians in front for good.

“We were finally able to break through against Galarraga,” said Indians man­ager Manny Acta of the right-hander, who entered the night without allowing a run against Cleveland this year in two starts that covered 16 innings. “LaPorta’s home run was huge. It kind of broke the ice for us. Hafner gave us the big cushion with that big blast.”

View photos at SmugMug

More photos below.

It was Hafner’s 12 th homer but just his second since Aug. 15. The designated hitter, earning $11.5 million this season, has hit for average (.275) but his power numbers have been down significantly as he continues to attempt to overcome a shoulder ailment that has plagued him since the end of 2007.

“I think he’s coming back, because last year he was unable to play three games in a row,” Acta said. “He’s been able to play four to five games a week. The production, he was expecting more, probably everybody was expecting more.

.

“What we hope is that next year he’ll have one more offseason under his belt for that shoulder. Hopefully he’ll show up next year without any restrictions.”

Carrasco faced the team that beat him up for six runs over three innings of his major league debut last year, ironically enough, hitting three homers off him.

Though Carrasco wasn’t at his best, the results were much more positive this time around, the right-hander allowing three runs on 11 hits over six innings.

“Carlos gave us another quality start,” Acta said. “They got some hits off him but he was able to keep his composure and work out of some jams.”

Carrasco (2-1, 3.26 ERA) was able to emerge relatively unscathed from the sticky situations, something that most likely wouldn’t have happened in 2010. He had multiple runners aboard in four of the six innings he worked, but never caved.

“Last year, I had a lot of runners in position to score that came in,” said Carrasco, who walked one and struck out five. “This year, I’ve been able to control that and relax more.”

With Carrasco gone, the Indians got another positive performance from the bullpen, a trio of pitchers — Joe Smith, Tony Sipp and closer Chris Perez — combining to shut out Detroit on two hits over the final three innings.

“Our bullpen came in after Carrasco and cleaned up everything,” Acta said.

Perez, who had not pitched in eight days — three of them spent in Tampa, Fla., for the birth of his son — retired the side in order to earn his 22nd save of the season. The righthander has converted his last nine save opportunities.

He was all smiles in the clubhouse after the game when the subject of his son came up.

“I know since he’s been born (Friday night) we’re undefeated,” Perez said. “Maybe it’s a little lucky charm.” Carlin hit his first American League homer and just the second of his career, his last coming in 2008 at Coors Field in Denver as a member of the Padres.

“They’re always a big deal for me,” Carlin said. “I don’t hit too many of them. They’re always a blessing when they come.”

Cleveland left fielder Trevor Crowe extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in his last at-bat in the eighth. It is the longest current streak in the majors.

The season series between the two Central Division rivals has seen a decided home-field advantage, the Indians going 6-1 at Progressive Field and 1-8 at Comerica Park.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

View photos at SmugMug

CLEVELAND — The Indians entered Monday with six more games left on the schedule, but the season is over for two of their players — start­ing pitcher Jeanmar Gomez and sec­ond baseman Jason Donald.

Gomez

Donald

Gomez has officially been shut down after reaching his innings limit, while Donald is expected to follow suit, still feeling the effects of a bruised tendon in his right index fin­ger.

Gomez, 22, joined the rotation in August, making 11 starts for the Indi­ans and going 4-5 with a 4.68 ERA. He has pitched a combined 173 2 / 3 innings between Cleveland and Triple-A Columbus, with the Indians not wanting him to pass the 175-inning mark.

“We’re very happy with the progress he’s made,” Indians man­ager Manny Acta said. “We weren’t even thinking about this kid coming up to the big leagues. He was pressed into duties. He was impressive. We feel he’s still projectable. We think he will gain velocity once his body fills out. He needs to continue to work on his secondary pitches.”

Donald, 25, has been sidelined since Sept. 11 after being hit by a pitch during a bunt attempt.

“I can’t see him playing,” Acta said. “He still has some swelling on his fin­ger.”

Donald was promoted from Columbus in May when shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera went on the dis­abled list with a fractured forearm. He batted .253 with four home runs and 24 RBIs in 88 games for the Indi­ans.

Acquired in a trade with the Phillies last year for Cliff Lee, Donald committed 12 errors.

“I thought he was thrown into the fire and he kept his head above water,” Acta said. “Our plan in spring training was to keep him at Triple-A the whole season. I really like the way he goes about his business.”

Back in the fold

Closer Chris Perez returned to the Indians bullpen after leaving the team Friday for Tampa, Fla., and the birth of his son.

Meeting of minds

Acta will hold individual meetings with each player over the final week of the regular season.

“It’s to assess the year and how guys feel about how things went and what are the plans for the offseason and next year,” Acta said.

Roundin’ third

The Indians entered Monday having equaled the 65 wins they had last season.

◾ Michael Brantley’s pinch-hit double, which drove in the game-winning runs in the eighth inning Sunday, was the first game-winning RBI from a Cleveland pinch hitter since Jamey Carroll in 2008.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.

CLEVELAND – Detroit’s Armando Galarraga was in pursuit of another historical pitching achievement against the Indians, only this time Cleveland didn’t need the benefit of an umpire’s blown call to ruin the bid.

Galarraga, who was denied of a perfect game in June when Jim Joyce mistakenly called Jason Donald safe at first base, took a no-hitter into the fifth inning Monday night.

It took one swing from Matt LaPorta to nix the notion, LaPorta hitting a solo home run to lead off a five-run inning that lifted the Indians past the Tigers, 6-3, in the opener of the final series at Progressive Field. It was Cleveland’s fourth straight win.

LaPorta’s was the first of three homers in the inning, with Luke Carlin hitting another solo shot and Travis Hafner capping the rally with a three-run homer that put the Indians in front for good.

“We were finally able to break through against Galarraga,” said Indians manager Manny Acta of the right-hander, who entered the night without allowing a run against Cleveland this year in two starts that covered 16 innings. “LaPorta’s home run was huge. It kind of broke the ice for us. Hafner gave us the big cushion with that big blast.”

It was Hafner’s 12^th homer but just his second since Aug. 15. The designated hitter earning $11.5 million this season has hit for average (.275) but his power numbers have been down significantly as he continues to attempt to overcome a shoulder ailment that has plagued him since the end of 2007.   

“I think he’s coming back, because last year he was unable to play three games in a row,” Acta said. “He’s been able to play four to five games a week. The production, he was expecting more, probably everybody was expecting more.

“What we hope it that next year he’ll have one more offseason under his belt for that shoulder. Hopefully he’ll show up next year without any restrictions.”

Carrasco faced the team that beat him up for six runs over three innings of his major league debut last year, ironically enough, hitting three homers off him.

Though Carrasco wasn’t at his best, the results were much more positive this time around, the right-hander allowing three runs on 11 hits over six innings.

“Carlos gave us another quality start,” Acta said. “They got some hits off him but he was able to keep his composure and work out of some jams.”

Carrasco (2-1, 3.26 ERA) was able to emerge relatively unscathed from the sticky situations, something that most likely wouldn’t have happened in 2010. He had multiple runners aboard in four of the six innings he worked, but never caved.

“Last year, I had a lot of runners in position to score that came in,” said Carrasco, who walked one and struck out five. “This year, I’ve been able to control that and relax more.”

With Carrasco gone, the Indians got another positive performance from the bullpen, a trio of pitchers – Joe Smith, Tony Sipp and closer Chris Perez – combining to shut out Detroit on two hits over the final three innings.

“Our bullpen came in after Carrasco and cleaned up everything,” Acta said.

Perez, who had not pitched in eight days – three of them spent in Tampa, Fla., for the birth of his son – retired the side in order to earn his 22^nd save of the season. The right-hander has converted his last nine save opportunities.

He was all smiles in the clubhouse after the game when the subject of his son came up.

“I know since he’s been born (Friday night) we’re undefeated,” Perez said. “Maybe it’s a little luck charm.”

A little luck may have been in play on Carlin’s homer, his first in the American League and just the second of his career, his last coming in 2008 at home-friendly Coors Field as a member of the Padres.

“They’re always a big deal for me,” Carlin said. “I don’t hit too many of them. They’re always a blessing when they come.”

Cleveland left fielder Trevor Crowe extended his hitting streak to 13 games with a single in his last at-bat in the eighth. It is the longest current streak in the majors.

The season series between the two Central Division rivals has seen a decided home-field advantage, the Indians going 6-1 at Progressive Field and 1-8 at Comerica Park.

Contact Chris Assenheimer at 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.