CLEVELAND – Brad Bergesen pitched a two-hitter for his first win in nearly three months and the surging Baltimore Orioles beat the Cleveland Indians 3-1 Wednesday night.
The Orioles won their fourth in a row and moved to 8-1 under new manager Buck Showalter. They became the last team in the majors to reach 40 wins this season.
Bergesen (4-9) held the Indians hitless until Luis Valbuena singled with two outs in the fifth inning. Asdrubal Cabrera singled with two outs in the ninth for Cleveland's other hit.
Baltimore backed Bergesen with 13 hits and he won for the first time in 13 starts. He had gone 0-7 with a 6.65 ERA and was sent to the minors for two weeks in June since his last win for the Orioles, on May 12 against Seattle.
Bergesen walked two and struck out four. The right-hander retired 12 straight batters in the late innings, and got through the seventh and eighth on only 15 pitches.
Rookie Josh Tomlin (1-2) took the loss. Cleveland has dropped four in a row and nine of its last 11 home games.
The Orioles scored on unearned run in the first. A passed ball by catcher Chris Gimenez set up Luke Scott's RBI groundout.
Cesar Izturis' two-out single scored Felix Pie from second base in the fourth to make it 2-0. Pie had reached on a two-out single and moved up on a walk to Matt Wieters.
Brian Roberts led off the fifth with his second homer after hitting several foul balls in a 12-pitch at-bat. With two outs, Scott singled and Adam Jones followed with a line-drive double down the left-field line. Cabrera took the throw from left fielder Jordan Brown and his relay was in time to catch Scott, with Gimenez blocking the plate to keep Cleveland's deficit at 3-0.
Tomlin gave up 10 hits and two earned runs over five innings in his shortest outing in four starts since being called up from Triple-A Columbus on July 27.
Rookie Josh Bell had three hits for the Orioles.
Bergesen had shown improvement in his previous two starts before getting locked in against the Indians. He had a 1.93 ERA in a pair of seven-inning no-decisions against Kansas City and the Chicago White Sox.
NOTES: The only pitchers with more consecutive losses than Bergesen this year are Atlanta's Kenshin Kawakami and Orioles rookie Brian Matusz with nine apiece and Baltimore veteran Kevin Millwood (eight). ... Cleveland recalled RHP Jess Todd and optioned LHP David Huff to Columbus. Huff is 2-11 for the Indians and 6-0 in the minors. "There's a big difference between Triple-A and the big leagues," manager Manny Acta, "and it's not just the meal money." Acta said he hopes Huff starts to understand that he must make adjustments and command his fastball. ... Orioles OF Lou Montanez, out since June 21 with a strained left oblique, started a rehab assignment at Double-A Bowie and RHP Jim Johnson (inflamed right elbow) is expected to join the Baysox on Thursday. ... Indians RHP Anthony Reyes gave up seven runs on one hit, six walks and three wild pitches in a rehab start at Double-A Akron. He pitched a perfect first inning, then got no outs in the second.
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