Indians 3, Angels 1

CLEVELAND (AP) C.C. Sabathia and the Cleveland Indians got the relief help they needed and left the beleaguered Anaheim Angels reeling.

Jack Cressend and Rafael Betancourt pitched 3 1-3 scoreless innings to help Cleveland win 3-1 Sunday and hand Anaheim its eighth loss in nine games.

``It's a reliever's job to be ready and Jack and I were,'' said Betancourt, who got the final four outs for his first career save. ``It's good to do the job.''

Rookie Jody Gerut hit a two-run single for the Indians, who won their third straight despite struggles from their 23-year-old ace.

``I didn't have command of my fastball and had to resort to other pitches to get through,'' Sabathia said. ``I felt good, strong, but all my pitches just weren't there.''

Anaheim fell to 5-20 since the All-Star break.

Angels outfielder Tim Salmon fouled a ball off his left shin during batting practice and did not play.

``I smoked myself and it's sore,'' said Salmon, who was taken for X-rays but was back in uniform in the late innings. ``I've done it enough to know I'll be OK.''

The Angels already have center fielder Darin Erstad, third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Brad Fullmer on the disabled list.

Sabathia (10-7) allowed one run and four hits over 5 2-3 innings. The left-hander walked four, struck out seven and improved to 2-4 over his last six starts.

Cressend pitched two scoreless innings before leaving with two on and two outs in the eighth. Betancourt got one quick out to end that threat and worked a perfect ninth.

Betancourt had nerve damage repaired in his right elbow and missed all of 2002. Cressend, who had a torn labrum fixed in his right shoulder last September, is 1-0 with an 0.84 ERA in 15 outings since his recall July 1.

``It's exciting,'' said Betancourt, who has a 1.58 ERA in 12 games since being called up from Triple-A Buffalo on July 12. ``Every day in the big leagues is exciting, though.''

Especially for the two right-handed relievers, who were called upon when overworked setup man David Riske and closer Danys Baez were unavailable.

Cleveland scored three unearned runs on one hit in the third against John Lackey (7-11).

Tim Laker walked, Jhonny Peralta was hit by a pitch and John McDonald was safe when Lackey mishandled his bunt for an error.

Coco Crisp hit a one-hopper to Lackey, who forced Laker at the plate, though his off-line throw prevented catcher Bengie Molina from turning a double play and kept the bases loaded.

``A good throw and I think we get two,'' Lackey said. ``I tried to do too much.''

Peralta scored on a slow groundout to second by Angel Santos to tie the score, and Gerut made it 3-1 with a bloop single to left-center.

Sabathia escaped trouble in the first. After walking David Eckstein and Chone Figgins to open the game, he got Garret Anderson to pop to third and struck out Scott Spiezio and Robb Quinlan.

Anaheim loaded the bases with none out in the third on a walk to Eric Owens and consecutive bunt singles by Eckstein and Figgins but managed only one run.

Sabathia got Anderson to hit into a double play, scoring Owens. Spiezio then grounded out.

``We're just not able to generate any offense,'' Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. ``Even without Tim in the lineup, we set the table.''

Lackey dropped to 0-3 in five starts since the All-Star break. The right-hander gave up 16 earned runs in his previous two outings, but allowed only four hits and the three unearned runs over seven innings this time. He walked two and struck out six.< ^Notes:@ OF Milton Bradley, whose .321 average leads Cleveland, missed his second straight game with a stiff back. ... Sabathia became the first Indians pitcher with at least 10 wins in each of his first three seasons since Dennis Eckersley in 1975-77. ... Angels DH Shawn Wooten broke an 0-for-17 streak with a seventh-inning single. ... Lackey is 1-7 in road games. ... Mike Rupp, who scored the winning goal for the New Jersey Devils in the Stanley Cup finals, threw out the first pitch. Rupp grew up in the Cleveland suburb of Brunswick.

(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)