Indians Vs. Orioles: Cleveland Avoids Sweep, Climbs Back To .500

The Cleveland Indians snapped a four-game losing streak on Monday night, beating the Baltimore Orioles 3-1 at Progressive Field.

The win put Cleveland back at .500, after dropping below that mark for the first time since April on Sunday.

Justin Masterson (7-8) picked up the win, giving up only one earned run in 7 1/3 innings. He allowed seven hits and struck out six.

The Indians opened the scoring in the third inning when Shin-Soo Choo hit a two-run shot off Tommy Hunter (4-5).

Baltimore's Omar Quintanilla made it 2-1 with an RBI-double in the fifth.

Michael Brantley's RBI-single in the eighth made it 3-1 and that's how it stayed. Chris Perez pitched the ninth and recorded his 27th save of the season.

The Indians will begin a three-game home set against Detroit on Tuesday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

For more on the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles, head over to their respective SB Nation blogs at Let's Go Tribe and Camden Chat. More news and analysis on the world of MLB can be found over at Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles: Cleveland Looks To Salvage Game Four Of Series

The Cleveland Indians came into the weekend set against the Baltimore Orioles hoping to boost themselves up in the AL Central. With Monday now here, they're now really just hoping that they'll be able to win a game. After being swept in the first three games of their four game set against the Orioles, Cleveland is getting extra desperate for wins as the Tigers and White Sox continue to move up in the standings.

Baltimore's three wins over the Indians so far in the series have moved their winning streak up to five and Cleveland's losing streak up to four. It has also pushed the Indians below .500 for the first time since April.

Monday's pitching match up in the final game of the series will see Justin Masterson (6-8, 4.29 ERA) of the Indians taking on Tommy Hunter (4-4, 5.71 ERA) of the Orioles as Cleveland try to regain the winning ways that had them atop the AL Central before the All-Star Break.

The game will be at Progressive Field at 7:05 p.m. ET.

For more on the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles, head over to their respective SB Nation blogs at Let's Go Tribe and Camden Chat. More news and analysis on the world of MLB can be found over at Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles Final Score: Cleveland's 9th Inning Comeback Falls Short In 4-3 Defeat

The second half of the baseball season is beginning to slip away from the Cleveland Indians, as Sunday's 4-3 defeat at the hands of the Baltimore Orioles signaled the fourth consecutive loss for Manny Acta's slumping club.

Now behind three games to none in the four-game series that will wrap up from Progressive Field on Monday, Acta will need to find a way to kickstart an offense that continues to wait until the final innings each game to start producing something from the plate. And with just four hits produced on Sunday against Baltimore starter Zach Britton in yet another slow start offensively, things are looking especially bleak at the worst possible time for the former early-season kings of the American League Central.

First baseman Carlos Santana finally put the Indians on the scoreboard in the bottom of the ninth inning with a two-run blast, and designated hitter Travis Hafner followed suit with a RBI single that pulled the deficit to a mere run. But after walking the game-tying run into scoring position, Orioles closer Jim Johnson closed the door to abruptly halt Cleveland's late rally.

All eyes will be on Justin Masterson on Monday as he looks to both right the ship and help avoid the sweep in the fourth and final game of the series.

For more on the Indians, head over to Let's Go Tribe. For more on the Orioles, visit Camden Chat. And for more MLB news and analysis be sure to check out Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles: Cleveland Looks To Climb Back Over .500 In Sunday's Series Finale

Josh Tomlin will take the ball for Cleveland in Sunday's rubber game against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field as the Indians look to keep pace in the AL Central.

With Saturday's loss, Cleveland fell back to .500 on the season and to 3 1/2 games back of the Detroit Tigers in the division. Tomlin (5-6, 5.51 ERA) took the loss in his last start Tuesday in Tampa Bay after allowing four runs in 5 2/3 innings, though he's posted a 3.61 ERA in his past five home starts.

Zach Britton walked six in his 2012 debut against Minnesota and did not get an out in the fifth inning. The young lefty threw 100 pitches and just 54 strikes in that outing, allowing four runs and earning a no-decision.

Roberto Hernandez, formerly Fausto Carmona, will rejoin the Indians Sunday in Cleveland before beginning a Minor League rehab assignment. He has not pitched in the Major Leagues this year due to his arrest in January in the Dominican Republic on suspicion of age and identity fraud.

First pitch is slated for 3:05 p.m. ET from Progressive Field and the game will be televised on STO.

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Indians Vs. Orioles Final Score: Cleveland Falls Back To .500 After 3-1 Loss

The Cleveland Indians fell back to .500 for the first time in July on Saturday, as the visiting Baltimore Orioles edged out a 3-1 victory in the second game of the series.

Cleveland hitters could only muster one run offensively after producing just a pair in Friday's 10-2 blowout loss, and will now need to look to Sunday's game three to hopefully salvage the four-game series. Although starter Zach McAllister pitched well enough to win through 7.2 innings with six strikeouts and three earned runs, the 24-year-old youngster fell to 4-2 on the season after his team was unable to provide any tangible run support.

The lone bright spot of the evening came right before many fans were even settled into their seats, as leadoff hitter Shin-Soo Choo belted a solo home run to open the game in the bottom of the first inning. The blast signified Choo's 11th of the season, but represented just one of seven hits for the Indians total in the game.

Manny Acta will give the ball to right-hander Josh Tomlin for Sunday's pivotal afternoon game three, while the Orioles will send coveted lefty prospect Zach Britton to the mound.

For more on the Indians, visit Let's Go Tribe. For more Orioles news, check out Camden Chat. And for more MLB coverage, head over to Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles: Young Pitchers Set To Duke It Out

The Cleveland Indians haven't come out of the All-Star break the way they'd hoped, going 3-5 since returning to regular play. Friday night's 10-2 loss against the Orioles wasn't a great way to turn things around, either. At three games back from the division lead, they'll need more consistent play if they want to make up some ground.

They'll get another crack at the Orioles on Saturday, sending recent call-up Zach McAllister to the mound. McAllister has been a bright spot recently, going 3-0 with a 2.31 ERA in his last four starts.

He'll face off against the Orioles' Chris Tillman, who also began the season in Triple-A ball. Tillman had a strong season debut against Seattle on July 4, pitching 8.1 innings and only giving up two unearned runs. His last start was a disaster, though, as he gave up seven runs in just 2/3rds of an inning on Monday against the Twins.

Saturday's game will be at 7:05 at Progressive Field.

For more on the Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles, head over to their respective SB Nation blogs at Let's Go Tribe and Camden Chat. More news and analysis on the world of MLB can be found over at Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles Final Score: Derek Lowe Meltdown Gives Cleveland 10-2 Loss

It was a rough night for Derek Lowe on Friday against the Baltimore Orioles. Still lacking a handle on his control Lowe fell apart in the third inning, giving up six runs to the visitors on their way to a 10-2 win.

Lowe's eight runs allowed matched his total for the entire month of April, when the 39-year-old got off to a hot start. He was out of the game after three innings, having walked five and striking out none. The loss moves him to 8-8 on the season, bumping his ERA up to 5.04.

Asdrubal Cabrera and Jack Hannahan each hit a solo shot to put the Indians on the board.

Former Indian Jim Thome was one of two Orioles to go deep in the game.

It was the second consecutive loss for Cleveland, and the team is now 3-5 since the All-Star break. They get another chance against the Orioles on Saturday at 7:05 p.m.

For more on the Indians, visit Let's Go Tribe. For more on the Orioles, head over to Camden Chat. And for more MLB news and analysis, be sure to visit Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles: Starting Lineups For Friday's Game

After opening the second half of the year with a brutal seven-game road trip, the Cleveland Indians will return home to Progressive Field on Friday for the first of a four-game set with the Baltimore Orioles.

Both the Orioles and Indians have been scuttling as of late despite each opening the 2012 campaign on a torrid start, and will be hoping to thrust themselves back into the playoff picture with a series victory. Taking the ball for the Indians in Friday's game, a 39-year-old veteran Derek Lowe will face the Orioles for the second time this season. Lowe previously served up seven runs (four earned) to Baltimore hitters back on June 29 in a frustrating outing, and will be hoping for better results his second time around.

Owner of a woeful .209 batting average back on May 3rd, Indians outfielder Shin-Soo Choo remains arguably the hottest hitter in the American League over the last few months. Choo finished 0-for-4 in Thursday's game for only his third hitless performance in the month of July, but is a handful of strong performances away from pushing his season average over the .300 mark.

Here are Friday's starting lineups for a pivotal game one:

Indians
1. Shin-Soo Choo - RF
2. Asdrubal Cabrera - SS
3. Jason Kipnis - 2B
4. Michael Brantley - CF
5. Carlos Santana - C
6. Travis Hafner - DH
7. Johnny Damon - LF
8. Casey Kotchman - 1B
9. Jack Hannahan - 3B
Derek Lowe - SP

Orioles
1. Nick Markakis - RF
2. J.J. Hardy - SS
3. Jim Thome - DH
4. Adam Jones - CF
5. Matt Wieters - C
6. Wilson Betemit - 3B
7. Chris Davis - LF
8. Mark Reynolds - 1B
9. Ryan Flaherty - 2B
Miguel Gonzalez - SP

For more on the Indians, visit Let's Go Tribe. For more on the Orioles, head over to Camden Chat. And for more MLB news and analysis, be sure to visit Baseball Nation.

Indians Vs. Orioles: Cleveland Hosts Baltimore For Three Game Set

The Cleveland Indians and Baltimore Orioles will both be looking to gain ground in their divisions during their three game set starting on Friday.