CLEVELAND – Hitting wasn’t much of a problem for the Indians on Sunday. Scoring was another story.

The Indians’ futility with runners in scoring position caught up to them in the rubber match of a three-game series against Tampa Bay, Cleveland dropping a 4-2 decision at Progressive Field.

The Indians, who outhit the Rays 11-7, went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving 11 on base. Over its last four games, Cleveland has collected just one hit in 27 at-bats with runners in scoring position.     

“Offensively, we were horrible,” said Indians manager Manny Acta, whose last-place team fell to 7-3 since the All-Star break. “We had terrible approaches in hitter’s counts.

“We got (11) hits. We just couldn’t take advantage of our opportunities.”

Indians starter Justin Masterson pitched well enough to win, but the lack of run support derailed that bid. The right-hander allowed three earned runs, all of them in the second inning, on five hits, while striking out five over 6 2/3 innings.

Masterson (3-9, 5.19 ERA) retired the first five hitters he faced before walking Willy Aybar and allowing a base hit to John Jaso. Reid Brignac followed with a three-run home run, providing all the runs Tampa Bay would need.

“When you get two outs, you don’t want to walk people because it’s going to come back and hurt you,” Masterson said. “You get two outs and you want to get a nice popup or something, but that’s not the way the luck’s been running for me.”

Masterson’s second inning was a carbon copy of Mitch Talbot’s fifth inning in a loss to Tampa Bay on Saturday. Talbot retired the first two hitters before allowing two to reach base, both of the runners scoring on a three-run homer from Ben Zobrist.

“It’s a lesson to be learned,” said Acta, who told Masterson as much during a lengthy conversation with the pitcher on the mound before removing him. “When we have two outs and nobody on, we need to smell blood and go after guys.”

Masterson found a groove after the second inning, allowing just an unearned run in the fifth, thanks to an error from third baseman Andy Marte.

“I was pretty happy with the way I came back,” Masterson said. “We were right there. We had a lot of opportunities as the game went on. We just weren’t able to come through.”

Tampa Bay starter Wade Davis got the win after allowing two runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings. Both of Cleveland’s runs came within the first two innings.

The Indians scored once in the opening inning on a sacrifice fly from Carlos Santana, and another in the second on a fielder’s choice grounder from Marte.

Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner accounted for six of their team’s hits, Hafner going 4-for-4 with a double. It equaled a career-high hit total for Hafner, who last accomplished as much in 2007.

The Indians put the first two hitters aboard in the second and fourth innings and scored just once. They had two on with one out in the seventh before Choo grounded back to the pitcher and Brignac stole a hit from Santana on a diving stop in the outfield grass.

Cleveland produced five hits over the final three innings but did not score, Santana flying to center after Choo doubled with two outs to end the game.

According to Acta, lack of discipline at the plate, which was on full display in the series finale, is one of the growing pains surrounding a young club such as the Indians.

“These guys are learning up here,” he said. “Sometimes it’s going to cost them. Bring the kids, bring the kids. Then you have to live with it.”

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

CLEVELAND – Right-hander Josh Tomlin will be promoted from Triple-A Columbus to replace an injured Aaron Laffey in the rotation.

It’s a somewhat surprising move with the Indians needing to clear a spot on their 40-man roster for Tomlin, who will be making his major league debut Tuesday against CC Sabathia and the Yankees.

“Josh Tomlin deserves to be up here and get the shot,” said manager Manny Acta of the right-hander, who is 8-4 with a 2.68 ERA in 20 games (17 starts) for Columbus. “He’s done nothing but pitch effectively in the minors and he’s pitching better than anyone at Triple-A.”

The 25-year-old Tomlin, a 19^th-round draft pick in 2006, is expected to be promoted Tuesday, with the Indians making the subsequent 40-man roster move that day.  

After a recent positive side session, Carlos Carrasco, who was suffering from tightness in his forearm, was thought to be the front runner to take Laffey’s spot. Acta said the right-hander was healthy enough to pitch and would make his next start, but it will come in Columbus.

Left-hander David Huff, who has spent the majority of the season in Cleveland’s rotation, and Jeanmar Gomez, a right-hander that made an impressive spot start for the Indians, were also candidates.    

Most of the reports on Tomlin have been positive, but he was involved in some negative news off the field.

Tomlin and two other minor leaguers, Beau Mills and Jerad Head, were charged with felonious assault, stemming from an incident at an Akron nightclub on June 3. The charges were recently reduced to disorderly conduct.

Acta said Tomlin would remain in the rotation until Laffey (shoulder fatigue) is ready to leave the injured list. He is eligible to be activated early next month.  

Wood’s world

Closer Kerry Wood (blister right index finger) threw a bullpen session at Progressive Field on Sunday.

“He felt good,” Acta said.

Wood is scheduled to throw another bullpen session Tuesday and most likely won’t need a minor league rehab assignment before returning to the Indians bullpen. He is eligible to leave the disabled list on Wednesday.

Big league Choo

Shin-Soo Choo hasn’t shown much rust since leaving the disabled list, going 5-for-11 with two doubles and two RBIs in three games after missing close to three weeks with a right thumb sprain.

“He hasn’t missed a beat,” Acta said. “This guy has come out swinging the bat well. It’s nice to have him on your side.”

Things have come slower for shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera, who missed over two months with a fractured left forearm. He has gone 5-for-21 with a double in five games since his activation.

Next up

The Indians host the Yankees in a four-game series that begins tonight at 7:05.

Jake Westbrook (6-6, 4.74 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, opposing RHP Javier Vazquez (8-7, 4.68), while Tomlin (0-0, 0.00) squares off against Sabathia (13-3, 3.18) on Tuesday (7:05 p.m.).

Fausto Carmona (10-7, 3.51) goes for the Indians on Wednesday (7:05 p.m.) against RHP A.J. Burnett (8-8, 4.77), while Mitch Talbot (8-9, 4.08) pitches the series finale Thursday (7:05 p.m.), the Yanks countering with RHP Sergio Mitre (0-2, 3.99).

It is the final meeting of the season between the teams, New York taking three of four from Cleveland at Yankee Stadium (May 28-31), while outscoring the Indians 37-20.

Minor details

Luis Valbuena led the charge for Columbus in a 12-7 victory over Pawtucket on Saturday, going 5-for-6 with two doubles, a homer and three RBIs. Valbuena, Cleveland’s opening day starter at second base, entered Sunday hitting .326 with eight doubles, four homers and 15 RBIs in 22 games for the Clippers since his demotion. … RHP Alex White won his third straight start for Double-A Akron on Saturday, allowing a run on eight hits, while striking out seven over eight innings of a 12-1 victory over Reading. White, Cleveland’s top draft pick (15^th overall) last year, ranks second among Indians minor leaguers with a cumulative 2.00 ERA in 20 starts at Akron and advanced Class A Kinston, and third with 90 strikeouts in 117 innings. … RHP Jason Knapp made his season debut Saturday, pitching a scoreless inning without allowing a hit and striking out one for the Indians’ Arizona League team. Knapp, acquired in the Cliff Lee trade with Philadelphia last year, is recovering from offseason surgery on his right shoulder.

Roundin’ third

Carlos Santana’s 21 RBIs in his first 38 games are the most by an Indians rookie over the span since Ryan Garko drove in 30 in 2006. … A crowd of just 13,410 showed up to celebrate Slider’s 20^th birthday. A number of mascots were in attendance for the event, but Cavaliers mascot Moon Dog was a no-show. … Tonight, 7:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM.  

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

Futility with runners in scoring position plagued the Indians in a 4-2 loss to the Rays at Progressive Field on Sunday.

Cleveland outhit Tampa Bay but went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position, leaving 10 on base. The Indians are 1-for-27 with runners in scoring position over their past four games. 

Justin Masterson took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits over 6 2/3 innings.

CLEVELAND – For four innings Saturday night it appeared as though Mitch Talbot and the Indians would prolong Tampa Bay’s misery at Progressive Field.

Then, along came the fifth.

From that inning on, the Indians and Rays looked like different teams, Tampa Bay being the better one in a 6-3 victory that ended a lengthy losing streak for the visitors in Cleveland.

It was the Rays’ first win at Progressive Field in 19 games, with the 18 straight victories by the Indians accounting for the longest home winning streak by an American League team against a single opponent since Baltimore won 19 straight over Toronto from 1978-81.

“The way you stop a streak is you score six runs and have David Price on the mound,” said Indians manager Manny Acta of the Rays, who own the best road record in the majors at 32-18. “I’ll take that against the ‘27 Yankees.”

Talbot and Price, the American League’s All-Star Game starter, traveled different paths to the end result, Talbot starting fast and finishing slow, while Price went the other direction.

Facing his old team for the first time, Talbot, who was acquired in a straight-up trade for catcher Kelly Shoppach, began the game looking like a Hall of Fame pitcher.

The right-hander shut out the Rays on one hit over the first four innings, stringing together six consecutive strikeouts over the span to equal a club record shared by Bob Feller, Bartolo Colon and Chuck Finley.

But when the fifth inning arrived, it spelled doom for Talbot, who lost his luster and the game. He allowed three runs in the fifth, then two more in the sixth before departing with two outs and Tampa Bay in front 5-3.

“I still think I was making pretty good pitches,” said Talbot, who allowed five runs on seven hits, while striking out a career-high eight batters in 52/3 innings. “A couple of groundballs found their way through the infield and then Ben (Zobrist) came up with that big hit.

“I’d say I had a little bit more (adrenaline). I came up with that team and I kind of wanted to get them a little bit.”

Talbot retired the first two batters he faced in the fifth before allowing consecutive singles to the last two hitters in the lineup, Shoppach and Jason Bartlett. Zobrist followed with a drive to left-center that was originally ruled a triple before being reviewed and reversed to a three-run home run.

“He was really, really good early, but then we started hitting the ball,” said Rays manager Joe Maddon of Talbot. “We made some hard outs – that was a good sign – and eventually we got some runs. He looked pretty good, though. He’s been pitching well for them and he kept us in check, but I like the fact we came back.

“He stuck out what? Six in a row? It was shades of Carl Hubbel in the 1933 All-Star Game, I think.”

“He put his name with the great pitchers in Indians history,” Acta said. “That fifth inning just kind of cost him. That three-run homer kind of took the air out of us. After that, David Price was fantastic.”

Price allowed three runs over the first two innings before finding his groove and finishing off the Indians. He allowed three runs on three hits over seven innings, earning his 13th win to tie CC Sabathia for the most in the American League.

Price (13-5, 2.90 ERA) faced one over the minimum after the second inning, retiring 13 of the last 15 hitters he faced – 10 straight until a leadoff walk to Jason Donald in the eighth.

“He’s one of the elite guys in the league,” Acta said. “It’s not surprising that he did that.”

The Indians scored their first run on an RBI double from Shin-Soo Choo in the first, then added two more in the second on a two-run homer from Shelley Duncan.

Cleveland’s consecutive scoreless innings streak at home from its bullpen came to an end at 20 2/3 innings when Frank Herrmann allowed the Rays’ final run in the seventh.

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

TODAY

• WHO: Cleveland vs. Tampa Bay
• TIME: 1:05 p.m.
• WHERE: Progressive Field
• PITCHERS: Masterson (3-8, 5.25 ERA) vs. Davis (7-9, 4.41)
• TV/RADIO: Channel 3, SportsTime Ohio; WEOL 930-AM, WTAM 1100-AM