CLEVELAND – The streak survives.

With a rain-shortened 3-1 victory over Tampa Bay in the series opener Friday night at Progressive Field, the Indians beat the Rays for the 18^th consecutive time at home.

The last time Tampa won on Cleveland’s turf was Sept. 28, 2005. Since then, the Indians have swept four straight series from the American League East contenders.

“It’s kind of strange,” said Indians manager Manny Acta of his club’s dominance of the Rays at home. “I don’t believe in luck and I don’t believe in curses, but it’s still kind of significant.

“We both have different ballclubs now. We are the one in a rebuilding mode and they’ve got a pretty good ballclub over there. It’s still remarkable that it’s been 18 games.”

Much of the credit for Cleveland’s latest conquest of the Rays goes to starting pitcher Fausto Carmona, who was en route to another quality outing when the game was delayed for the first time (90 minutes) prior to the start of the sixth inning. It was delayed again after 36 minutes of play got the teams one batter into the bottom of the seventh, and halted at 11:57 p.m. after a one hour and 14 minute delay.

The first delay prevented both Carmona and Tampa Bay starter Jeff Niemann from continuing, but Carmona still got the win, allowing just one unearned run on one hit, while striking out seven over five innings.

It was the third straight win for Carmona and his sixth victory in his last eight starts. He retired 15 of the 17 batters he faced, with Reid Brignac producing the Rays’ lone hit – a single in the third – and Carlos Pena drawing a walk in the fourth.

“Fausto was fantastic,” Acta said. “He had very good movement and pitched ahead.”

The Indians scored first in the opening inning, with Michael Brantley coming home on a fielder’s choice ground out from Carlos Santana, who hit cleanup for the first time in his career after batting third in his first 35 games for Cleveland.

Tampa Bay answered with a run in the second, thanks to some shoddy fielding from the Indians.

Pena reached on an error by second baseman Jason Donald, whose throw to first baseman Matt LaPorta was off the mark. Pena stole second base and advanced to third on the Indians’ second error of the inning – a wide throw from Santana that got by shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera and into the outfield.

Pena scored on a grounder to second from John Jaso.

The Indians forged ahead for good in the third inning, Brantley leading off with a single and Cabrera following with a double. A grounder to second from Shin-Soo Choo scored Brantley.

Choo was activated from the disabled list prior to the game and it took him just four pitches to test his body when the first batter, Ben Zobrist, sent a deep drive to right field. Choo raced to the warning track and made the catch before crashing into the wall and winding up on his back.

Trevor Crowe’s second home run of the season, a solo shot into the Rays’ bullpen in right field, capped the scoring.

Tony Sipp pitched two innings in relief of Carmona, allowing just one baserunner on a walk to Evan Longoria to earn his first career big league save. The left-hander struck out three.

With the win, Cleveland’s seventh in eight games and 10^th in 12 games at Progressive Field, the Indians moved into a tie with Kansas City at the bottom of the Central Division.

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

CLEVELAND – Shin-Soo Choo was activated from the disabled list on Friday. That’s the good news.

The bad news is that Choo took the roster spot of starting pitcher Aaron Laffey, who was placed on the injured list with left shoulder fatigue.

Laffey, who has pitched well since joining the rotation – 2-2, 3.60 ERA in five starts — underwent an MRI that revealed no structural damage. The Indians are optimistic that the left-hander will be ready to leave the DL when he is eligible early next month.

“It’s shoulder fatigue. That’s it,” said manager Manny Acta. “The MRI was good.”

Laffey’s turn in the rotation comes Tuesday, with the Indians planning on promoting a replacement from the minors, the strongest candidates being Triple-A Columbus starters, left-hander David Huff and right-hander Jeanmar Gomez.

Huff, who is 4-0 with a 3.14 ERA in five starts since being demoted, angered the Indians when he posted on his Twitter account that he would be called up to make a spot start last Sunday that wound up going to Gomez.

In his big league debut against Detroit, Gomez was brilliant, getting the win after allowing two unearned runs over seven innings of a 7-2 victory. He was optioned back to Columbus the following day.

Clippers right-hander Carlos Carrasco might have been the favorite to take Laffey’s spot but he is dealing with a right forearm injury.

According to Acta, whoever is promoted will be making more than a spot start, remaining in the rotation until Laffey has mended.

Choo, Cleveland’s best overall player, returns to the fold after missing close to three weeks with a right thumb sprain. He played in three minor league rehab games for Double-A Akron, going 1-for-11.

“It’s nice to have him back,” Acta said. “He’s another threat to our lineup. When he’s healthy, he can play pretty much every day. He can do more than just hit. He’s a multi-talented player that lengthens our lineup.”

Acta said there would be no restrictions on Choo, who entered Friday batting .286 with a team-leading 13 home runs, 43 RBIs and 12 stolen bases in 78 games.

Choo’s arrival means that the Indians have three regular outfielders – Trevor Crowe, Michael Brantley and Austin Kearns – for two spots in center and left field. Kearns has missed the last three games with right knee soreness, but Acta said he was available to pinch hit Friday.

All three players can play both center and left.

“There will be enough at-bats for them all,” Acta said.

Order up

With Asdrubal Cabrera batting second since returning from the disabled list, Choo moved back to the third spot in the order.

Carlos Santana, who hit third in each of his first 35 games in Cleveland, batted cleanup for the first time in his big league career, while Travis Hafner hit fifth. 

Minor details

Right-hander Josh Tomlin allowed two runs on five hits Thursday, striking out a season-high 10 batters over six innings of Tripe-A Columbus’ 4-2 loss to Durham. Tomlin (8-4, 2.68 ERA, 20 games/17 starts) would be an option to take Laffey’s spot but he is not a member of the 40-man roster and likely won’t be promoted until September if at all. … Akron’s Nick Hagadone took the loss in his first start back from the disabled list Thursday, allowing a run on two hits over three innings of Reading’s 4-1 victory. Hagadone, who was acquired in the Victor Martinez trade with Boston last year, is 1-1 with a 5.19 ERA in seven starts since his promotion from advanced Class A Kinston.

Roundin’ third

Reliever Joe Smith entered Friday without allowing a run in 12 straight appearances, a season high total for Indians pitchers. The right-hander has allowed just two hits over the span, with his ERA dropping from 8.10 to 4.50. … Santa Claus threw out one of the ceremonial first pitches in conjuncture with “Christmas in July” weekend at Progressive Field. … Tonight, 7:05, STO/WTAM 1100-AM/WEOL 930-AM. Talbot (8-8, 3.89) vs. Price (12-5, 2.84).

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

A bank robbery suspect was taken into custody yesterday afternoon in Sheffield Lake, according to the FBI.

FBI spokesman Scott Wilson said a 38-year-old white male was arrested yesterday at the Erie Shores Landing apartment complex on Lake Road on an unrelated parole violation through the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. Sheriff’s Capt. John Reiber ID’d the man as Robert Starnes of Sheffield Lake.

Wilson wouldn’t say specifically if the man is a suspect in Wednesday’s robbery of the Chase bank branch in Sheffield Lake.

“We’re trying to piece this together,” Wilson said. “We believe we have the individual for at least one of three bank robberies we’re investigating.”

Those three robberies include the June 28 holdup of a Lorain National Bank branch in Sheffield Township, the July 14 holdup of an Amherst FirstMerit bank and Wednesday’s holdup in Sheffield Lake.

Wilson said he expects Starnes will be charged early next week.

Wilson said Starnes was arrested based on tips from people who saw the surveillance photos in media coverage, adding the FBI had received “quite a few tips.”

Photos from Wednesday’s robbery:

MINNEAPOLIS — Francisco Liriano is staying positive while most of the Minnesota Twins’ rotation continues to struggle.

He just wants to keep going.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit, but we have to keep playing,” he said. “We can pitch a little bit better, but I think we’re going to be all right.”

Liriano was more than all right on Wednesday, pitching seven innings as the Twins snapped the Cleveland Indians’ six-game winning streak with a 6-0 victory.

Liriano (8-7) allowed 10 baserunners but stayed poised and benefited from three double plays, like in the fifth when Jayson Nix’s bouncer back to the mound with the bases loaded led to a rare 1-2-3 inning-ender. The left-hander struck out eight, including rookie Carlos Santana with runners at the corners to finish the third inning.

“He took care of business with runners on, and that’s what good pitchers do,” said Shelley Duncan, who grounded into a 4-6-3 double play with two on and none out in the second.

With three switch-hitters and six righties in the lineup, the young Indians were ready for Liriano, who has not allowed a home run to a left-handed hitter since April 6, 2009. He also has walked only one lefty all season.

After a couple of long high foul balls to left that hooked away from the pole, Cleveland’s Matt LaPorta whiffed at a high fastball to strike out in the fourth.

“Back in 2006 he looked like a freak to everybody. He was just flat-out overpowering,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “But he looks good. He looks like a top of the rotation type of guy right now to me.”

Delmon Young had three hits and three RBIs, making up for a baserunning blunder during Minnesota’s four-run third. He was thrown out at the plate by a few yards trying to score from second on Michael Cuddyer’s RBI single.

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J.J. Hardy picked him up with a two-run double later in the inning against Jake Westbrook (6-6), who struggled with his control in what could be one of his final starts with Cleveland.

Westbrook is one of several starting pitchers around the majors who could be fetched in a trade, a market the Twins might need to tap into to defend their division title. But the right-hander allowed four runs and six hits with five walks in six innings in this one, not exactly enhancing his value.

“Have to do a little better job there minimizing the damage,” Westbrook said, adding: “I felt great today. That was the frustrating part.”

Though the Twins still have plenty of pitching problems to solve, Liriano’s first two turns of the second half have at least served to solidify the front of the rotation.

“To me it’s another game. I’m not trying to put pressure on myself,” Liriano said. “I’m just trying to go out there and do my job. It’s a great feeling.”

Perhaps most importantly, both performances followed Twins losses. Of their six shutouts this season, Liriano has started four.

“This team can do a lot of things if we get pitching like that,” said third base coach Scott Ullger, who ran the team while manager Ron Gardenhire tended to a personal matter.

This series against the Indians started a stretch of 13 straight games against losing teams, but that doesn’t matter as much as the Twins rediscovering their swagger and refocusing on fundamentals — like baserunning — that have previously made them so successful.

Starting Thursday, they’ll play 17 of their next 20 games on the road, where they’re 20-25.

“It was a good win, especially with how hot they’re playing right now,” Young said.

Notes

• Indians LHP Aaron Laffey will have an MRI on Thursday. He has been fighting arm fatigue.
• Indians OF Austin Kearns sat out for the second straight game after being pulled Monday because of right knee soreness.
• Minnesota’s Joe Mauer was on the bench to rest, the day after his botched, widely panned bunt attempt. “I really can’t recall a No. 3 hitter doing that, but stranger things have happened,” Ullger said. “Whether that was the right thing or the wrong thing, he’s just trying to help us win.”
• The Twins have yet to be swept in 16 series at Target Field.
• Jim Thome walked four times for the Twins.
• Anthony Slama made his major league debut for the Twins in the ninth, striking out two. He has a mustache he’s been growing since April, before Carl Pavano made the look popular in Minnesota. “It’s good to see some real men in here,” Slama said.