BALTIMORE — Jake Westbrook worked around nine hits for his 13th career complete game, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Baltimore Orioles 5-1 Sunday for their second straight series win.
Matt LaPorta and Russell Branyan homered for the Indians, who took two of three. Cleveland previously won two of three from Kansas City and now has successive series victories for the first time this season.
Westbrook (2-2) didn't pitch at all last season while recovering from reconstructive right elbow surgery. He was 0-2 in his first six starts this year before defeating the Royals on Tuesday.
Westbrook missed his fourth career shutout when Luke Scott hit a two-out homer in the ninth.
The right-hander struck out eight, one short of his career high, and walked none. He was aided by two double plays and a fine first-inning catch by center fielder Grady Sizemore.
Westbrook's last shutout was on Aug. 9, 2006 against Los Angeles Angels, and his last complete game was on April 8, 2008, against the Angels.
David Hernandez was originally scheduled to start for the Orioles, but was scratched with a sore shoulder. Manager Dave Trembley called upon Mark Hendrickson, who had been used exclusively out of the bullpen this season.
Hendrickson (1-1) gave up three runs and seven hits in five-plus innings.
The Orioles got two on with two outs in the first inning before Sizemore made a sensational diving catch of Ty Wigginton's liner to left-center. In the Baltimore second, Corey Patterson struck out with two outs and runners on second and third.
In the third, Cleveland's Lou Marson ran through the stop sign of third base coach Steve Smith and scored on a two-out single by Sizemore.
Sizemore left the game in the fifth inning with a bruised left knee. The injury was not believed to be serious.
LaPorta hit his first homer of the season after Mark Grudzielanek led off the fifth with a single.
Branyan homered off Alberto Castillo in the ninth following a leadoff double by Austin Kearns. Castillo was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk before the game to replace Hendrickson in the bullpen.
Notes
Fifteen of Cleveland's 22 homers have come on the road. … Scott had three hits and is 12-for-28 over his last seven games. … Adam Jones threw out Jhonny Peralta trying to score in the ninth, Baltimore's seventh outfield assist — all of them at the plate. … According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Cleveland's comeback win Saturday night marked only the third time in the last 30 years that a team scored at least eight runs in the ninth inning after being blanked for the first eight. The other two: Oakland vs. Cleveland in 1983 and Philadelphia vs. Florida in 2005.