GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Scott Lewis can't wait to leave Arizona.
Russell Branyan homered twice and the Seattle Mariners scored 10 runs off Lewis in a 12-4 victory over the Cleveland Indians on Tuesday.
Lewis has struggled since being named Cleveland's No. 4 starter. In two starts since manager Eric Wedge announced that the rookie left-hander had earned a spot in the rotation, Lewis has allowed 15 runs, 21 hits and six homers in only 6 2-3 innings.
"It's no excuse, but it is so dry out here that it is tough to get a good grip on the ball," said Lewis, who went 4-0 with a 2.63 ERA in his first four starts in the majors last September.
"My delivery was off, I fell behind hitters and didn't have a breaking ball because I didn't have a grip," Lewis continued. "When major leaguers know all you've got is a fastball they are going to look for it and hit it."
Wedge said he wasn't too concerned.
"Scott's scuffled the last two times," Wedge said. "His breaking ball was just spinning, but he's not the only one. We're still getting a feel for it."
The Indians are training in Arizona for the first time since leaving Tucson in 1992 for Winter Haven, Fla.
Seattle starter Chris Jakubauskas gave up one run and four hits over five innings. The right-hander, who spent 4½ years in the independent leagues, continued to push for a rotation spot.
"I think I've done all I could to make the decision tough for them," Jakubauskas said. "My goal was to show them I can pitch. It would be tremendous if I broke with the team."
Mariners manager Dan Wakamatsu said the rookie has been impressive, but he isn't quite ready to make a rotation decision.
"We'll talk about it the next two days," Wakamatsu said. "He has tremendous late movement. I've been real impressed with the confidence level and makeup on the mound. He gave up the home run and it didn't seem to faze him."
Ben Francisco homered off Jakubauskas in the fifth. Tony Graffanino hit a solo shot off Seattle's Brandon Morrow in the ninth.
Branyan hit a two-run drive in the third and a solo shot in the fourth. Ronny Cedeno also had a grand slam in the fourth inning.
Seattle is batting .343 with 68 runs and 12 homers in its last eight games. The first-base trio of Branyan, Mike Sweeney and Chris Shelton has been a key reason.
Branyan is hitting .314 with 17 RBIs; Sweeney .429 with one homer and nine RBIs and Shelton .460 with three homers and nine RBIs.
Wakamatsu said Branyan, drafted by Cleveland in 1994 and now with his ninth organization, is the starter.
"Russell is our first baseman and we'll go as the season goes on," Wakamatsu said. "I believe in him."
Branyan said he was pleased to make the most of some at-bats against a lefty.
"I don't see too many of them and they are tough, especially those guys coming out of the bullpen on matchups," Branyan said. "This felt good because I stayed back on the ball and trusted my swing. I had been chasing pitches early in the count."
Web Search powered by YAHOO!
|
SportsSports
Branyan's 2 Homers Help Mariners Beat Indians
Scott Lewis can't wait to leave Arizona.
By:
|
NBC4i.com
Published: April 01, 2009
Published: April 01, 2009
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
MoreAdvertisement
View More:
Arizona,
Ben Francisco,
Brandon Morrow,
Chris Jakubauskas,
Chris Shelton,
Cleveland,
Cleveland Indians,
Dan Wakamatsu,
Eric Wedge,
First Baseman,
Florida,
Goodyear,
Manager,
Mike Sweeney,
Ronny Cedeno,
Russell Branyan,
Scott Lewis,
Seattle,
Seattle Mariners,
Sports,
Tony Graffanino,
Tucson
Not what you're looking for? Try our quick search:
Reader Comments
*Facebook Account Required to Comment. If you are not already logged into Facebook, please click the comment button to do so.Deal of the Day
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement