Indians Cruz Past Brewers

One game and it's Jacob's field.

Jacob Cruz, recalled earlier in the day from Triple-A Buffalo, singled home Jim Thome with two outs in the 10th inning Wednesday night to give the Cleveland Indians a 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cruz's first hit in the AL helped the Indians win on a night when Cleveland's bullpen and the lights above Jacobs Field contributed to the Indians blowing a 5-1 lead in the eighth to cost Jaret Wright his first win in a month.

"Not bad, huh?" said Cruz. "After the first five or six innings I realized I was back in the big leagues. It's just one game, but I'm off to a good start."

Richie Sexson snapped an 0-for-June slide by homering twice for the Indians, who because of injuries and suspensions started two players just called up from Buffalo.

Thome reached on a two-out fielder's choice in the 10th before Sexson singled to right off Rafael Roque (1-5). Cruz, acquired last year from San Francisco, then blooped a single into left in his sixth AL at-bat.

Mike Jackson (2-2), the Indians' sixth pitcher, went 1 2-3 innings for the win. Three of Cleveland's last four games have gone to extra innings.

Milwaukee's Jeromy Burnitz and Brewers manager Phil Garner were both ejected in the 10th inning by plate umpire Greg Kosc after Burnitz was called out on strikes for the second out.

"I had to go out there," said Garner, who rushed out of the dugout when Burnitz got tossed. "You protect your players. Let's just say that I effected my exit."

The Brewers scored three unearned runs to tie it at 5 in the eighth, with the final two runs coming in when right fielder David Justice lost Alex Ochoa's liner in the lights for a triple.

"Ninety-nine times out of 100 he catches it," said Hargrove. "This was the one that didn't come out of the lights."

Wright had lost his last three starts and some of his confidence ater AL president Gene Budig publicly announced he wanted to see the right-hander in his New York office last week. Budig wanted to speak with Wright about his behavior on the mound following two bench-clearing incidents he triggered by hitting batters.

But Wright, who has been working with pitching coach Phil Regan on some minor adjustments in his delivery, looked relaxed and confident in holding the Brewers to two hits in six innings.

"It felt real good to go out there and keep our team in the ballgame," said Wright. "I was real pleased with the way I pitched tonight."

Wright said after watching videotape of some previous starts and bullpen workouts, he decided to go back to the windup he used in the minors. Instead of raising his hands above his head, he kept them in front.

"It was a little too much movement," he said. "It felt a lot better. It's just the little things. And if you do the little things right you're going to throw strikes."

Indians manager Mike Hargrove noticed an improved Wright, mentally and physically.

"I thought Jaret was outstanding," Hargrove said. "He threw strikes and two kinds of breaking balls. I'll take that outing anytime especially with what he's been through lately. The trick now is to sustain it."

Geoff Jenkins homered for the Brewers.

Sexson, who has been taking extra early batting practice, led off the third inning with his his ninth homer, a shot to left field off Jim Abbott that snapped an 0-for-24 slide and tied it 1-1.

In the fifth, Sexson, who went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and grounded into two double plays in Tuesday night's 2-1 loss, again led off with a homer, this time to right-center.

"The only time you really think about a slump is when everyone asks you about it," said Sexson, who had his second career two-homer game. "I was more proud than anything that I didn't lose my confidence."

Jeff Manto and Cruz were called up when Wil Cordero went on the 60-day disabled list with a broken wrist. Cordero, who broke his wrist making a sliding catch in Tuesday's game, had a screw inserted in the radius bone of his wrist, and is expected to be out for 10 weeks.

Notes: Garner said he knew Cleveland's signs when he pitched out Tuesday night in the ninth inning to foil the Indians' try at a suicide squeeze. He seemed to know something Wednesday as twice Abbott picked off Cleveland runners who had broken for second. ... Abbott pitched a no-hitter against the Indians on Sept. 4, 1993, for New York at Yankee Stadium. ... Milwaukee has homered in seven straight games and 14 of 15. ... Indians broadcaster Mike Hegan is one of only four Brewers to hit for the cycle. Hegan did it on Sept. 3, 1976. The others: Charlie Moore, Robin Yount and Paul Molitor.

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