Error by Angels’ Callaspo gives Indians 3-2 win in 11 innings

Indians beat Angels on error in 11th inning

CLEVELAND — Trevor Crowe scored from third base on a two-out error by third baseman Alberto Callaspo to give the Cleveland Indians a 3-2 win in 11 innings over the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday night.

Crowe doubled with one out in the 11th off Bobby Cassevah (0-1) and went to third on a groundout by Drew Sutton.

Pinch-hitter Shelley Duncan then nubbed a ball that dropped onto the infield grass. Callaspo cut in front of shortstop Brandon Wood to field the ball, which slipped away from him as he went to make the throw.

Rafael Perez (5-1), the sixth pitcher used by Cleveland, worked the 11th for the win.

Cleveland loaded the bases in the 10th and didn’t score.

Michael Brantley extended his hitting streak to 16 games with a leadoff single off Kevin Jepsen (2-4) to start the 10th. Brantley stole second on the first pitch to Asdrubal Cabrera, who sent him to third by bunting the next pitch.

Jepsen then intentionally walked left-hand hitters Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner to load the bases, but a third lefty, Jordan Brown, bounced into an inning-ending double play.

Indians pitchers tied a season high with 13 strikeouts as the Indians won for the fifth time in nine meetings with Los Angeles, winning the season series for the first time since 2004. The Angels’ loss was their second in the last seven games.

Indians starter Fausto Carmona stretched his scoreless streak to 22 innings until yielding solo homers to Hideki Matsui and Mike Napoli that tied the score at 2 in the seventh.

The right-hander struck out eight and allowed only four hits and one walk over seven innings. He matched his career-high scoreless streak set when he was a 19-game winner in 2007. He went a combined 13-19 the next two years and spent much of 2009 in the minors before rebounding this season to be named to the AL All-Star team.

Ervin Santana failed to get his career-high 17th win, though the right-hander allowed only two runs and four hits over eight innings. Santana, who also won 16 games in 2006 and 2008, struck out five and walked three in his first no-decision in 11 starts since July 24, going 8-2.

Drew Sutton singled for Cleveland’s first hit to start the third inning and scored on Lou Marson’s line double to right center. Shin-Soo Choo made it 2-0 by blooping a one-out double to left.

Matsui ruined Carmona’s bid for a second straight shutout by hitting his 20th homer with one out in the seventh, a shot that barely cleared the wall in right-center. Matsui is 7 for 11 (.636) in his career against Carmona.

Matsui continued his late-season tear. He went 2 for 5 and has hit .438 (14 for 32) over his last 10 games and .402 since Aug. 14, to raise his average 29 points to .272.

NOTES: The start was delayed nine minutes as the field was prepared following a rainstorm. … Angels SS Erick Aybar was in the original lineup, but scratched just before gametime with a strained left leg. … RHP Jered Weaver’s 218 strikeouts are the most for the Angels since Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan fanned 223 in 1979. … Carmona is 0-2 with a 2.05 ERA in seven career games against the Angels. He tied Boston RHP Clay Buchholz for the second-longest scoreless streak in the AL, one short of the 23 straight by Minnesota LHP Francisco Liriano. … Cleveland hasn’t had consecutive complete-game shutouts since LHP Jeremy Sowers did it as a rookie in July 2006. … Santana is 0-6 with a 5.14 ERA in nine career starts against Cleveland.