McCarthy Gets First Win Since May As Rangers Beat Indians 3-1

Tuesday, July 31st 2007, 9:51 pm

By: News On 6

CLEVELAND (AP) _ Brandon McCarthy won for the first time in more than two months, beating 13-game winner Fausto Carmona and leading the trade-happy Texas Rangers to a 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday night.

McCarthy (5-7) had been winless since May 27, with three losses and four no-decisions since a 14-1 victory over Houston in an interleague game.

But the right-hander, who made just one start in June and went on the disabled list because of a blister on his middle finger, baffled the Indians and took a shutout into the seventh before Ryan Garko homered.

Carmona (13-5) was unbeaten in five July starts and was bidding to become the majors' second pitcher with 14 wins. He allowed three runs _ two earned _ and five hits in seven innings.

Nelson Cruz homered for the last-place Rangers, who were baseball's most active wheelers and dealers before the 4 p.m. EST trading deadline.

They completed a seven-player swap with Atlanta, sending slugging first baseman Mark Teixeira and pitcher Ron Mahay to the Braves for catcher/first baseman Jarrod Saltalamacchia and four minor leaguers.

Texas also traded Eric Gagne to the Boston Red Sox for starter Kason Gabbard and two minor leaguers.

The shakeup left manager Ron Washington without a proven closer. He used Frank Francisco to get through the seventh and C.J. Wilson got the final five outs for his first save of the season.

The Indians, who didn't pull the trigger on any trades, have scored two runs or less in six of eight games. Cleveland dropped to 2-6 on a 10-game homestand.

Cruz snapped Carmona's 22-innning scoreless streak and gave the Rangers a 1-0 lead in the fifth with his sixth homer, a 446-foot shot that whistled through the trees beyond the center-field wall.

It was the first homer off Carmona in 38 1-3 innings in July, and first since he allowed two in a 13-7 loss to Oakland on June 27.

The Rangers tacked on two runs _ one earned _ in the sixth, when Carmona briefly lost his control and the Indians' defense didn't bail him out.

Ian Kinsler walked leading off, and hustled to third when Michael Young singled to right. Young advanced on the throw and the Rangers loaded the bases when Carmona plunked Sammy Sosa, who briefly glared at the right-hander before heading to first. Sosa was beaned by Cleveland's Cliff Lee 10 days ago.

Marlon Byrd followed with a hard grounder to third that Casey Blake should have knocked down, but it scooted past him for a two-run error. Blake, though, atoned for his misplay by turning a double play on a similar ball hit by Cruz and Carmona escaped further damage by getting Brad Wilkerson to fly to left.

Notes: Saltalamacchia didn't arrive until the game was underway. He didn't play but warmed up Francisco in the eighth. ... Teixeira and his agent, Scott Boras, turned down an eight-year, $140 million contract extension offer from the Rangers before the two-time All-Star was shipped to Atlanta. ... At 14-12, the Rangers had their first winning record in July since 2001. ... Cleveland LHP Cliff Lee, demoted to Triple A Buffalo last week after a horrid stretch of games, struck out eight in 5 2-3 innings for the Bisons in a start against Syracuse. Lee took a shutout into the sixth before giving a two-run double. ... The Rangers also designated INF Desi Relaford for assignment.