ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Danny Salazar had his best fastball Tuesday night and didn’t see much reason to use anything else.
Salazar pitched two-hit ball for 7 2-3 innings and the Cleveland Indians backed him with three home runs to beat the Tampa Bay Rays 6-2.
"That was the key tonight," he said. "I was getting outs with it. I didn’t need to throw too many changeups or sliders."
Jason Kipnis, Giovanny Urshela and David Murphy homered for the Indians, driving in all six runs and sending the Rays to their third straight loss.
Salazar (7-3) retired the first 15 batters, the third time in the last six games that’s happened to the Rays. Indians rookie Cody Anderson took a perfect game into the seventh Monday night and Toronto’s Marco Estrada was perfect through the seventh last Wednesday.
Salazar walked Asdrubal Cabrera to open the sixth. After a double play, Curt Casali broke up the no-hit bid with a double.
It didn’t ruffle Salazar.
"I was winning the game," he said. "I just tried to stay calm and finish my job."
Facing the Rays for the first time since losing in the 2013 AL wild-card game, Salazar allowed one earned run, struck out two and walked two.
"That guy Salazar, his stuff is as good as anybody in baseball," Rays manager Kevin Cash said. "He throws 97 miles an hour, looks like it’s coming in just effortlessly."
Only 64 of his 109 pitches were strikes, and he struck out nobody after the second inning.
"He actually worked behind most of the night, but he had such a good fastball and he used it a lot," said manager Terry Francona. "When he got behind in the count, he still challenged the hitters and got it by them for the most part."
Erasmo Ramirez (6-3) lost for the first time in six starts.
Kipnis homered with two outs in the third for Cleveland’s first hit. It was Kipnis’ sixth homer of the season.
Urshela’s three-run homer, his second of the season, came off reliever Steve Geltz in the seventh after a hit by Carlos Santana and a walk to Brandon Moss.
Murphy added a two-run drive off Kirby Yates in the eighth.
The Rays scored twice in the eighth with the help of Cabrera’s double and a throwing error on shortstop Francisco Lindor, who had made three spectacular plays earlier in the game.
"When he makes a good pitch, I’ve got to do what I’m supposed to do and make the play," Lindor said. "I stayed back and missed it. It’s part of the game but it makes me mad. I saved some runs, but it wasn’t a good day."
TRAINER’S ROOM
Indians: OF Nick Swisher (knee) ran football patterns in the outfield and the arc from first to third behind the infield dirt.
Rays: 1B James Loney (broken left middle finger) started a rehab assignment with Class A Charlotte and could return this weekend. … Reliever Andrew Bellatti (right shoulder) and DH John Jaso also are on rehab assignments with the Florida State League club.
UP NEXT
Indians RHP Carlos Carrasco (9-6) and Rays RHP Alex Colome (3-3) are Wednesday night’s scheduled starters. Carrasco is 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in seven road starts this season.
PROSPECTS DAY
Indians: RHP Triston McKenzie, taken 42nd in the recent draft, signed his contract and was at the ballpark.
Rays: Tampa Bay signed OF Garrett Whitley, who was selected No. 13 overall in the June draft. He took batting practice with the team and will start his pro career with the Gulf Coast League Rays.
