Indians 8, Athletics 6

CLEVELAND – Jody Gerut singled home Matt Lawton with the go-ahead run in the eighth inning as the Cleveland Indians rallied for a 8-6 win over the sloppy and wild Oakland Athletics.

Gerut’s base hit off Arthur Rhodes (1-2) came shortly after the A’s committed their third error. Oakland’s pitchers also issued 10 walks.

Travis Hafner added an RBI single in the eighth for the Indians, who won their third straight and improved to 3-15 when trailing after the seventh.

David Riske (1-2) allowed one hit in two innings and Jose Jimenez, named Cleveland’s new closer earlier this week, pitched the ninth for his first AL save.

It was the right-hander’s first save since last Aug. 3 for Colorado at Pittsburgh. Jimenez picked up his first AL win Friday.

Trailing 6-2, the Indians scored one run in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the eighth to hand the A’s their fourth loss in five games.

Eric Chavez drove in three runs for Oakland.

The Indians were still down 6-5 in the eighth when Alex Escobar tripled off Justin Duchscherer with one out in the eighth. Rhodes came in and got Lawton to hit a grounder to charging shortstop Bobby Crosby. The rookie fielded it cleanly, but his rushed throw to the plate was wild and Escobar scored the tying run.

Lawton went to second on the throw, moved up on an infield single and scored on Gerut’s single to center.

Oakland starter Rich Harden walked six and was lifted before getting an out in the sixth. But the Indians didn’t take advantage of his wildness.

Despite five walks in the first four innings, Harden didn’t give up a hit until the fifth when Vizquel grounded a single to center with two outs.

Escobar, who reached on catcher Adam Melhuse’s throwing error, scored on Vizquel’s single when center fielder Mark Kotsay’s throw hit him in the back as he approached third and bounced into the photographer’s pit.

The Indians chased Harden an inning later, closing within 6-5 on Hafner’s RBI double and pinch-hitter Victor Martinez’s RBI single off reliever Chad Bradford.

The A’s opened a 6-2 lead in the fifth on Scott Hatteberg’s RBI single and Erubiel Durazo’s two-run double off reliever Lou Pote, making his debut with the Indians.

Low-flying seagulls inside Jacobs Field swooped above the outfield in the first inning in search of food, and it appeared the A’s were going to feast on Joe Dawley, too.

Chavez hit a two-run double, but Dawley settled down and retired five in a row before becoming unraveled in the second. He walked the bases loaded and then threw four straight balls to Chavez, forcing in Oakland’s third run.

Notes: The A’s entered with an AL-low 22 errors this season. … Dawley made his first big league appearance since May 15 of last season for Atlanta at San Diego. … Indians 1B Ben Broussard is in an 0-for-25 slump. … Indians SS Omar Vizquel, whose off-field talents include painting and playing the drums, will have some of his art work displayed in an exhibition at The Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown, Ohio, next month.

AP-ES-05-29-04 2235EDT