(Sports Network) - The Cleveland Indians will try to complete the three-game sweep over the Oakland Athletics this afternoon when the two teams close their series at Progressive Field.
Gio Gonzalez will head to the mound for the A's in search of his first victory of the season. The young southpaw is 0-2 with a 7.27 earned run average in four starts.
The last time he was on the bump Gonzalez surrendered three runs on seven hits in five innings of work against Detroit. Gonzalez has not fared well on the road this year, allowing seven runs on 11 hits and seven walks in just 8 2/3 innings of work.
This will be his first-ever start against Cleveland.
As for the Indians, they will turn to their ace in Cliff Lee. The reigning Cy Young Award winner has struggled of late however, going winless in his last three outings, including an 11-4 setback to Chicago back on June 30th. In the loss to the White Sox, the crafty lefty was torched for seven runs on 11 hits in just three innings of duty.
However, expect Lee to bounce back against Oakland, a team that he has dominated over the years. In eight starts against the A's Lee is 4-1 with an impressive 2.39 ERA.
On Saturday, Luis Valbuena and Ben Francisco each went 3- for-3, with Valbuena knocking in a run and scoring twice and Francisco adding a two-run homer in Cleveland's 5-2 win.
Carl Pavano (7-7) evened his record with 6 2/3 quality innings on the mound, giving up two runs on eight hits and two walks for the Indians, who won back- to-back games for the first time since June 11-12.
Grady Sizemore went 2-for-4 with a homer and two RBI in the win.
Vin Mazzaro (2-4), now winless in his last five starts, yielded five runs on 10 hits and a walk in six-plus innings for the Athletics, who have dropped eight of 10. Orlando Cabrera recorded an RBI and three of the A's eight hits.
"I left a few pitches up in the zone and they took advantage of it," Mazzaro said.
The Tribe, which last swept the A's from May 13-15 of last season, took five of nine meetings with Oakland last season, including a 4-2 mark as the host. Cleveland has won 11 of the last 15 matchups versus the Athletics at home.
