The Cleveland Indians didn?t go easy on Brian Burres.
Trot Nixon had a career-high five hits and drove in four runs and C.C. Sabathia picked up his fifth win, as Cleveland handed the Baltimore Orioles a 9-6 loss Sunday.
Starting for the first time in his career, Burres didn?t make it out of the fourth inning. He gave up five runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings, while striking out three ? all in the first.
“I felt good,” Burres said. “I really didn?t get ahead of enough today. I really just fell behind a lot, and you can?t really do that.”
Burres (0-1) ran into trouble in the second when Victor Martinez walked and Jhonny Peralta singled with one out. Nixon drove an RBI single to center to put Cleveland ahead.
After Baltimore (14-17) took a 3-1 lead, Cleveland put its finishing touches on Burres in the fourth.
With Ryan Garko on second base and Peralta on first, Nixon sent a run-scoring single to center field. Casey Blake walked to loadthe bases, and Grady Sizemore singled home Peralta to tie the score and chase Burres.
Jason Michaels drove Baltimore reliever Kurt Birkins? first offering to the top of the left-field wall for a two-run double. Birkins got Travis Hafner to ground out to third to end the threat.
Nixon and Blake hit back-to-back doubles in the fifth to give the Indians (18-10) an 8-3 lead. Blake followed Nixon?s RBI double off the right-field wall with a two-run smash down the third-base line. Kelly Shoppach singled in the eighth and scored on Nixon?s fourth single for the Indians? ninth run.
The Orioles were able to get to Sabathia (5-0) in the third. There, catcher Ramon Hernandez drove a 2-1 pitch off the right-field wall for a bases-clearing double that scored Kevin Millar, Corey Patterson and Miguel Tejada and gave the Orioles a 3-1 lead.
Sabathia allowed three runs and nine hits in seven innings. He struck out nine and dodged two bullets for the win.
With two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth, Sizemore took an extra-base hit away from Patterson with a diving catch in deep center to preserve Cleveland?s five-run lead.
Millar followed Nick Markakis? eighth-inning, RBI sacrifice fly with a run-scoring single to left to cut the Indians? lead to 9-5. But Sizemore took another hit away from Patterson with a diving catch to end the inning.
“If Corey?s ball is not caught, we?ve got ourselves a different ballgame,” Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo said. “It was pretty much a game of inches.”
Hernandez drove in Brian Roberts with a single with two outs in the ninth, but Mora flew out to the left-field warning track with two men on to end the game.
