Ex-Cascade star Sizemore powers Indians

CLEVELAND — Grady Sizemore gave Indians fans a couple of extra mementoes in addition to those they received at the turnstiles.

With all fans taking home a Sizemore souvenir blanket, Cleveland’s center fielder sent two baseballs into the seats, too. He homered twice and drove in five runs to support Aaron Laffey’s sharp pitching in a 12-0 win over Toronto on Saturday night that sent the Blue Jays to their fourth straight loss.

Sizemore, who played at Cascae High School, had three hits, including a leadoff homer in a six-run first inning against Dustin McGowan (2-3). Sizemore added a three-run shot in the fifth off Jason Frasor to make it 12-0. Both came on 3-2 pitches and gave Sizemore his second career multihomer game.

“It’s exciting to start a game that way, but all homers feel good, I guess,” said Sizemore, who has hit six this year.

Sizemore homered to open a game for the second time this year and 13th time in his career.

“When Grady goes, we go,” Casey Blake said. “Not to put pressure on him, but he gives us a jolt at the top of the order.”

Cleveland won for the fourth time in five games and defeated the Blue Jays for the ninth straight time at home. Before the game, Toronto learned star center fielder Vernon Wells is expected to be sidelined six to eight weeks with a broken left wrist.

Laffey (1-2) made his third strong start since being recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on April 28. The left-hander allowed six hits, struck out two and walked one in seven innings, lowering his ERA to 1.83.

“It was great to get those runs, enabled me to relax a little,” Laffey said. “But with the long innings, I went down in the runway and threw against the wall to stay loose.”

He didn’t crack any concrete, though.

“I don’t throw hard enough to do that,” said Laffey, adding that his goal is to pitch to contact and let his teammates field the ball.

That plan worked in the seventh when the Blue Jays got four hits but no runs.

“That’s kind of the way things have been going,” Toronto manager John Gibbons said. The Blue Jays have scored more than five runs only once in their past 24 games.

Laffey gave up a single, got a double play, then yielded three more singles in the seventh. Quick fielding and strong throws by Ben Francisco in right field on two of the hits kept the Jays from taking extra bases.

Then shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera preserved the shutout with a lunging backhand catch of a line drive off the bat of Jorge Velandia to end the inning.

“Asdrubal was outstanding,” Indians manager Eric Wedge said. “He was all over the place at short.”

Sizemore homered to open a game for the second time this year and 13th time in his career.

Cleveland had scored only eight first-inning runs in 35 games before sending 10 men to bat and getting six runs, five hits, a walk and sacrifice fly. McGowan also hit Travis Hafner with a pitch, and Brad Wilkerson’s error in right field enabled two runners to advance during the rally.

Wilkerson played right field as Alex Rios moved to center in place of Wells. The two-time All-Star was placed on the 15-day disabled list after he was injured making a diving catch Friday night.

“I was erratic,” said McGowan. “I couldn’t hit a spot. If I was in the zone, it was up. If I tried to go in, I was missing away.

“It was terrible. I kept trying to pound (the zone) and they kept pounding it.”

Victor Martinez had an RBI single and Francisco’s sacrifice fly made it 3-0. With two outs, Cabrera broke a 1-for-25 slump by slapping a two-run single to left. Blake’s RBI single gave Cleveland a 6-0 lead.

Sizemore had an RBI double and Martinez lined a two-run double in the fourth for a 9-0 lead.

McGowan gave up nine hits and nine runs over 3 2-3 innings and fell to 5-13 on the road in his career. He became the first Blue Jays starter to fail to work six innings in 15 games — since he lasted only four innings April 24 against Tampa Bay.

The right-hander had allowed only one run and eight hits over 14 2-3 innings in his previous two starts.