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Sunday, Jul. 16 1:05pm ET
Elarton, Astros muzzle Indians | |||||
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BOX SCORE
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GAME LOG
CLEVELAND (AP) -- Scott Elarton finally feels like he is all the way back from offseason shoulder surgery. Elarton won his fifth straight start, and Craig Biggio and Daryle Ward homered Sunday to lead the Houston Astros over the Cleveland Indians 5-1. "I felt great out there," Elarton said after throwing 134 pitches over eight innings. "I feel like I could go out and throw a hundred more." Houston won for just the seventh time in 23 games, and Elarton (9-3) has five of the victories. He allowed one run -- a homer by rookie Russell Branyan -- and six hits in eight innings, struck out eight and walked four. "I feel like I have turned the corner a little bit and put my surgery behind me," Elarton said. "Earlier in the season, I was trying to trick people. Now, I am back to being a fastball pitcher." Elarton has allowed six earned runs in his last 37 1/3 innings (a 1.45 ERA). Bartolo Colon (9-6) gave up five runs -- three earned -- seven hits and five walks in 6 2/3 innings. "When Bartolo pitches, I expect to win because he is that kind of pitcher," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said. "He was pitching good until that three-run seventh inning took us out of the game." Craig Biggio's opposite-field homer to right put Houston ahead in the first, and the Astros made it 2-0 in the fifth on a bloop, run-scoring single by Jeff Bagwell, a ball that center fielder Kenny Lofton initially broke back on. "It was a fastball, middle-away, and I just tried to put it in play," Biggio said about his sixth homer, which landed in the Astros' bullpen. "I just got lucky." Branyan hit his 13th homer leading off the fifth to make it 2-1, but Ward hit his 13th homer in a three-run seventh that also included a two-run single by Moises Alou. "Alou is having as good an RBI season as I've ever seen," Astros manager Larry Dierker said. "He's missed 30 games with injuries and has 52 RBI. He's just been fabulous." Game notesElarton is 4-0 in his career and 3-0 this season in interleague play. He is 20-9 overall in his career. ... Colon fell to 7-2 against NL Central clubs. ... Indians second baseman Roberto Alomar broke an 0-for-14 streak with an infield single in the seventh. ... Long-time Cleveland sportswriter Hal Lebovitz, 83, scheduled to be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next Sunday, threw out the ceremonial first pitch. ... One year ago, the Astros were 53-37 and leading the NL Central and Cleveland was 57-32, atop the AL Central. | ALSO SEE Baseball Scoreboard Houston Clubhouse Cleveland Clubhouse RECAPS Boston 5 Montreal 2
Houston 5
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