Tomlin, Damon lead Indians over Cardinals 6-2

Cleveland Indians' Asdrubal Cabrera (13) celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a hit by Carlos Santana in the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, June 8, 2012, in St. Louis.
Cleveland Indians' Asdrubal Cabrera (13) celebrates in the dugout after scoring on a hit by Carlos Santana in the first inning of a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, June 8, 2012, in St. Louis.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Josh Tomlin scattered eight hits over seven innings, Johnny Damon hit a two-run homer and the Cleveland Indians beat St. Louis 6-2 Friday night to send the Cardinals to their seventh loss in 10 games.

Tomlin (3-3) pitched shutout ball into the seventh, when he allowed a two-run single to pinch-hitter Matt Adams. He threw just 76 pitches, improving to 4-0 in interleague play, and singled to improve to 3 for 5 at the plate in his big league career.

Tomlin was coming off his poorest outing this season, when he allowed five earned runs over six innings in a 7-4 loss to Minnesota on June 2.

Former Indians pitcher Jake Westbrook (4-6) gave up four runs - three earned - and eight hits in six innings. He struck out seven and walked one.

Michael Brantley singled twice to extend his hitting streak to 16 games. The Indians have won three of four.

Cleveland went ahead for good in the first when Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis hit one-out singles, Carlos Santana followed with an RBI double off the left-field wall and Brantley hit an RBI groundout.

Casey Kotchman hit a run-scoring groundout in the fourth, and Kipnis singled in a run in the fifth to make it 4-0. Damon homered in the seventh off Maikel Cleto, Damon's second this season.

NOTES: Yadier Molina had three hits for St. Louis. ... RHP Joe Kelly will start for St. Louis on Sunday in place of LHP Jaime Garcia, who was placed on the 15-day DL Wednesday with a left shoulder strain. Kelly is 2-5 with a 2.86 ERA for the Cardinals' Triple-A farm club in Memphis. ... Cleveland's Lonnie Chisenhall broke out of an 0-for-12 slump with an infield single in the fourth. ... Kyle Lohse (5-1, 3.21) will face Cleveland Justin Masterson (2-5, 5.09) in the second game of the three-game set Saturday. .... Westbrook has allowed 24 earned runs in his last 31 innings. ... Cleveland has won 15 of 25 games on the road this season. ... Brantley has the longest active hittings treak in the AL and the longest for the Indians since his 19-game streak from Aug. 30-Sept. 19, 2010.

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