Martin Perez falters again, Rangers beaten by Indians 12-1
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) - Martin Perez didn't feel the comforts of home this time.
The Texas left-hander matched a career high by allowing 10 hits, including two run-scoring doubles from Abraham Almonte, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Rangers 12-1 on Friday night in a matchup of division leaders.
The Indians (73-54) snapped a three-game losing streak, which had tied a season high, and pulled within a game of the Rangers (75-54) for the best record in the American League a night after losing 9-0 to Texas ace Cole Hamels.
Jason Kipnis opened the scoring with an RBI double in the third against Perez (8-10), who lost at home for the first time since May 13 and dropped to 1-6 with a 6.30 ERA over his past 10 starts.
Perez, who is 1-8 with a 6.23 ERA on the road, dropped to 7-2 at home after winning six straight decisions in Arlington. He gave up six runs in 5 2-3 innings for the AL West-leading Rangers.
"You don't have to get frustrated over four or five games," Perez said. "That's how you learn. Just come back tomorrow and work tomorrow. Forget this game."
Corey Kluber (14-8) pitched six strong innings to match a career best with his sixth straight victory for the AL Central leaders. The right-hander allowed Adrian Beltre's solo homer in the sixth but struck out the other three hitters in his final inning to finish with seven strikeouts.
The 2014 AL Cy Young winner has a 1.75 ERA during a winning streak that covers nine starts - eight since the All-Star break.
"I don't think there's one magic thing that I can put my finger on," said Kluber, who also won six straight in his Cy Young season. "Just a matter of going out there and trying to be consistent. Hope that allows me to be in a good spot when it's my turn."
Almonte drove in four runs in his first multi-RBI game of the season, including a two-run double past diving center fielder Ian Desmond in left-center to give the AL Central leaders a 6-0 lead in the sixth.
Texas designated hitter Carlos Beltran went 0 for 4 with two strikeouts, extending his career-worst slump to 0 for 32.
DWI ARREST
Texas reliever Jeremy Jeffress wasn't with the team Friday after his overnight arrest on a drunken driving charge in Dallas. The 28-year-old right-hander was placed on the restricted list, but general manager Jon Daniels expected him to be back with the Rangers on Saturday. Lefty reliever Dario Alvarez was recalled from Triple-A Round Rock and allowed three runs in 1 2-3 innings.
SHORT HOPS
Elvis Andrus' seven-game hitting streak ended on his 28th birthday. ... Beltre's 23rd home run put him at 436 for his career and a tie for 44th with Miguel Cabrera, who didn't homer in Detroit's win over the Los Angeles Angels. He has 1,551 RBIs, one ahead of Fred McGriff. He has a team-high 84 RBIs, most since 2013. ... The Rangers matched a season high by hitting three batters. That included Brandon Guyer twice, pushing his majors-leading total to 27.
UP NEXT
Indians: RHP Carlos Carrasco (9-6, 3.12 ERA) pitched eight innings in a 1-0 victory at Oakland in his last start. He is 6-3 on the road with a 1.74 ERA, the lowest in baseball away from home.
Rangers: RHP A.J. Griffin (5-3, 4.68) has a 6.69 ERA in his past eight starts. He has allowed at least one homer in 11 straight starts, matching the longest streak in franchise history (Casey Cox with Washington in 1970).