Salazar solid as Indians top Rays
St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Danny Salazar had a perfect game into the sixth inning and the Cleveland Indians gave him support with three home runs in a 6-2 win over the Tampa Bay Rays.
Salazar (7-3) had his perfect game broken up on a leadoff walk by Asdrubal Cabrera in the sixth, then Curt Casali doubled off the wall in left with two outs in the inning to end the no-hit bid. The right-hander allowed two hits and one earned run over 7 2/3 innings.
"He worked behind for a majority of the night but he had a good fastball," Indians manager Terry Francona said of Salazar. "Again, he worked behind in the count but there was a lot of contact. He pitched really well."
Jason Kipnis, Giovanny Urshela and David Murphy backed Salazar with homers as the Indians won their second straight game in this four-game series.
Tampa Bay has lost three straight and five of its last six.
"Credit good pitching on their end. Our bats are a little quiet right now," Rays manager Kevin Cash said.
Kipnis hit his sixth homer of the season with his two-out, solo shot in the third to give Cleveland the lead.
Rays starter Erasmo Ramirez (6-3) retired the next seven batters from there until Michael Bourn's leadoff single in the sixth.
Carlos Santana reached on a one-out single in the seventh and Brandon Moss walked two batters later to set up Urshela's blast off Steve Geltz.
Murphy clubbed a two-run homer that plated Michael Brantley in the eighth.
Tampa Bay got on the board with two in the eighth on Cabrera's RBI double and an error by shortstop Francisco Lindor that allowed the latter to come home.
Game Notes
The last perfect game in Cleveland history occurred on May 15, 1981 when Len Barker performed the feat against Toronto ... The Indians have had 14 no- hitters in franchise history ... Dusty Rhoads threw the first no-hitter in team history on Sept. 18, 1908 as a member of the Cleveland Naps, less than a month before Addie Joss threw the franchise's first perfect game ... Ramirez was charged with one run on two hits with seven strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings.