Indians blast seven homers, rout Phils

CLEVELAND -- For most of the first month of the season, the Cleveland Indians had trouble scoring runs. Not anymore.

The Indians pounded out 17 hits Tuesday night, including seven home runs, as they routed the Philadelphia Phillies 14-2 for their third win in a row.

Cleveland scored three runs or fewer in 14 of its first 21 games. During past three games, though, the Indians have outscored their opponents 33-5 and out-hit them 45-16.

The Indians had four-run rallies in the first, fourth and fifth innings Tuesday, with most of the offense coming against former Cy Young Award winner Roy Halladay.

"We did a really good job of extending innings and doing damage once we extended them," Cleveland manager Terry Francona said.

Halladay lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up eight runs on nine hits, three of them home runs.

"I actually thought he had pretty good stuff," Francona said. "His ball really moves, but we stayed on him and got the barrel on a lot of balls."

The seven home runs by the Indians were one shy of the club record and the most they have hit in a home game going back to 1916. It's only the fourth time in franchise history the Indians have hit seven home runs in a game, the other three times coming on the road.

"We had a lot of good at-bats, and the ball was carrying," Francona said.

Utility man Ryan Raburn led the Cleveland assault with his second two-homer game in as many days. Raburn, playing right field, belted two home runs in Kansas City on Monday night. On Tuesday, he hit a two-run homer off reliever Chad Durbin in the fifth inning and added a solo homer off Raul Valdes in the seventh.

Raburn ended the night 3-for-4.

"Sometimes you just get locked in," Raburn said. "I'm trying to have great at-bats, and everything seems to be clicking. I'm going to try to ride it as long as I can."

Every starter in the Cleveland lineup hit at least one hit, and they all scored at least one run, with the exception of Asdrubal Cabrera, who knocked in two.

Cleveland used the long ball to knock Halladay from the game in the fourth inning. Halladay gave up two two-run home runs in the first inning and another two-run shot in the fourth.

Carlos Santana and Mark Reynolds went deep in the first to give the Indians a 4-0 lead. A home run by Delmon Young, in his first at-bat of the season, off Cleveland starter Zach McAllister in the second inning cut Cleveland's lead to 4-1, but the Indians erupted for four more runs in the fourth to knock out Halladay.

Halladay gave up hits to the first four batters he faced in the inning, one of those a two-run homer by Lonnie Chisenhall. A two-run single by Cabrera, the last batter Halladay faced, gave Cleveland an 8-1 lead.

"You can't make a lot of mistakes when a team is that hot swinging the bat," Halladay said. "They didn't chase a lot of balls out of the zone, and they hit my bad pitches. Even some of my good pitches got hit."

Durbin gave up two more two-run homers in the fifth inning, one by Raburn and one by Michael Brantley, as Cleveland stretched the lead to 12-1.

"Every ball they hit was hard. What can you say?" Phillies manager Charlie Manuel said. "I don't know how you stop them on nights like tonight."

A 440-foot home run by Chase Utley in the sixth inning accounted for the Phillies' other run, but the night belonged to the Cleveland offense. Raburn and Drew Stubbs hit back-to-back home runs off Valdes in the seventh inning.

McAllister (2-3) pitched seven innings of two-run ball.

"It's a lot of fun to get that much offense in a game. Any pitcher will tell you that," McAllister said.

NOTES: Young had been on the disabled list since the start of the season as he recovered from right ankle surgery. ... OF Ezequiel Carrera was designated for assignment by the Phillies to make room on the roster for Young. ... Indians 1B/OF Nick Swisher sat out the game, and manager Terry Francona said Swisher probably won't play Wednesday due to a sore left shoulder. ... Cleveland OF Michael Bourn (lacerated right index finger) was eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday, but before he returns, he will play a couple of games on a minor league rehab assignment, Francona said.