Indians 9, Mets 4
CLEVELAND -- Nick Swisher and Asdrubal Cabrera belted home runs, and right-hander Corey Kluber won his first start after a one-month stay on the disabled list as the Cleveland Indians beat the New York Mets 9-4 Saturday night. It was Cleveland's fourth win in a row.
Swisher's solo homer, his second home run in as many days, gave Cleveland a 6-1 second-inning lead. After the Mets cut the lead to 6-4, Cabrera blasted a three-run homer in the seventh inning.
In five innings, Kluber (8-5) gave up two runs on five hits, with five strikeouts and one walk. He was activated off the disabled list prior to the game. He had been on the DL since Aug. 6 with a sprained right middle finger.
Trailing 6-1, the Mets rallied for three runs in the sixth inning, most of the damage coming after Kluber was removed from the game after he walked Eric Young leading off the inning.
Rich Hill relieved Kluber and struck out the next two batters, but when Hill walked Lucas Duda he was relieved by Vinnie Pestano. Pestano gave up a two-run double to Jacob Turner and an RBI single to Juan Lagares to cut the Indians' lead to 6-4.
Cabrera's three-run home run the next inning, which snapped his 0-for-19 slide, came off reliever Scott Atchison.
The loss went to Mets starter Jonathon Niese (6-7), who came into the game with a record of 3-0 and a 2.68 ERA in his last six starts. Niese pitched six innings, giving up six runs (five earned) on nine hits. He struck out five and walked two.
Cleveland jumped on Niese for five runs on six hits while sending nine batters to the plate in the first inning. Leadoff hitter Michael Bourn singled, stole second and scored on a double by No. 2 hitter Nick Swisher.
Jason Kipnis laid down a sacrifice bunt and was safe at first on a throwing error by Niese. Carlos Santana singled home Swisher to make it 2-0. Yan Gomes singled, loading the bases with one out. Asdrubal Cabrera popped out, but Ryan Raburn cleared the bases with a three-run double into the gap in right-center, stretching the lead to 5-0.
The Mets cut the lead to 5-1 on Matt den Dekker's two-out RBI single in the second, but Swisher got the run back in the bottom of the inning by belting his 17th home run over the left-field wall.
NOTES: Mets OF Juan Lagares has 12 outfield assists. That ties the Mets' rookie record set by Tsuyoshi Shinjo in 2001. ... Mets reliever David Aardsma has stranded all 14 of his inherited runners, the most in the majors. ... Cleveland's 3.29 team ERA since the All-Star break is the second lowest in the American League and the fourth lowest in the majors. ... RHP Danny Salazar, who will start for the Indians on Sunday, has 37 strikeouts in his first six major-league starts -- the most by an Indians pitcher in the last 57 years.
