The Indians finally snapped their road losing steak on Monday night and were looking to back that up with a win on Tuesday as Ubaldo Jimenez took the hill. Unfortunately for Manny Acta, things did not go well. Jimenez, in yet another display of his maddening inconsistency and underwhelming production, was rocked by the Angels, giving up eight runs in just four innings of work. Jimenez was coming off one of his better starts of the year, when he looked strong against the Red Sox.
It was apparent early that he was not ready to go, as the Angels pounded four runs across in the first inning. Anaheim batted around in the inning, stringing together five hits in a parade of singles. Jimenez added to the destruction with his own wildness, walking Albert Pujols and hitting Howie Kendrick with a pitch.
The Angels would completely blow things open in the fourth, with two homers making it 8-0. Erick Aybar led things off with a solo shot that went 400 feet, well over the wall in right. After a Mike Trout single and a walk to Chris Iannetta, Albert Pujols stepped into the box and took a Ubaldo offering to left for his 26th homer of the season. Pujols simply flicked his bat at the pitch and deposited it into the first row of seats in left.
The Indians would make some noise on offense in the late innings, but the eight-run deficit was way too much to overcome. Michael Brantley and Casey Kotchman each slammed two-run homers, but that wasn't nearly enough. As a result, Zack Greinke notched his first win in an Angels uniform.
The Indians can still take the series on Wednesday evening. It will mark the return of the Roberto Hernandez, or Fausto Carmona, as many used to know him.
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