CLEVELAND – Josh Johnson twice worked out of jams to earn his second straight win and help the Miami Marlins win an interleague series with Cleveland by beating the Indians 5-3 Sunday.
Johnson (2-3) allowed one run and five hits over seven innings as Miami took two of three from the Indians and improved to 14-5 in May, the best record in the majors this month.
Heath Bell gave up an RBI double to Jose Lopez and a run-scoring groundout to Casey Kotchman in the ninth before nailing down his fifth save in nine chances.
Cleveland starter Derek Lowe (6-2) allowed two runs over six innings and had his four-game winning streak broken.
Clinging to a 2-1 lead, Johnson twice got the Indians to hit key ground balls with two runners on. After the Indians scored in the fifth on an RBI single by Lopez, the right-hander got Shin-Soo Choo to ground to the right side, forcing out Lou Marson at second. Shortstop Jose Reyes could not throw to first for a double-play attempt as Marson stood in his way. The umpires ruled interference and called Choo out, too.
With runners on first and third in the seventh, Johnson got pinch-hitter Kotchman on a grounder to end the threat.
After scoring only three runs in the first two games at Progressive Field, Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen made sure Miami put some pressure on Lowe. Reyes opened the game with a double and Guillen had Bryan Petersen bunt him over to third. Reyes then scored on a groundout by Hanley Ramirez.
Miami made it 2-0 in the third when Ramirez got a two-out single and hustled around the bases to score on a double by Greg Dobbs.
Michael Brantley broke a 0-for-13 slump with a bloop single and stole second to fuel Cleveland's fifth-inning rally.
Johnson has given up two runs over seven innings in three straight starts, going 2-0.
The 38-year-old Lowe was coming off a 127-pitch shutout of Minnesota on Tuesday, when he gave up six hits and four walks without a strikeout.
Logan Morrison had an RBI double in the eighth against reliever Jeremy Accardo. Brett Hayes followed with a run-scoring single and Morrison scored on a groundout by Chris Coghlan to make it 5-1.
Notes: Cleveland scored seven runs in the series after totaling 25 in a four-game winning streak. ... Miami put OF Emilio Bonifacio on the 15-day disabled list with a sprained left thumb. The Marlins also recalled Coghlan and selected the contract of INF Donovan Solano from Triple-A New Orleans. ... INF Omar Infante was in the lineup, but scratched when he went to Venezuela because of a death in the family. Donnie Murphy replaced him at second base. ... Miami 1B Gaby Sanchez, an NL All-Star last year, was optioned to New Orleans after Saturday's game. ... Cleveland RHP Chris Perez reiterated disappointment in Cleveland fans for not packing the ballpark and booing him when they do attend. He had blasted them Saturday after notching his 13th straight save and said before Sunday's game: "It's just a slap in the face when you're in first place and last in attendance. Last. Not 25th or 26th. Last." ... The Marlins are 8-4 against Cleveland in interleague play since beating the Indians in 11 innings in Game 7 of the 1997 World Series.
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