Blake, Francisco Are Double Trouble

Casey Blake hit a two-run double and pinch-hitter Ben Francisco added another Friday night to help the Indians defeat the visiting Toronto Blue Jays, 6-1. Both hit bases-loaded drives into a brisk wind that on most nights would have been home runs. Instead, each bounced off the left-field wall for two-base hits that helped C.C. Sabathia defeat Roy Halladay in a matchup of Cy Young Award winners.

Halladay, who won the award in 2003, carried a three-hit shutout into the seventh. The right-hander had struck out a season-high nine, then didn't retire any of the four batters he faced in the inning.

"It was nice to put together a big inning against a very good pitcher," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "C.C. put us in position to win. He did a good job of limiting them after they took the lead."

Travis Hafner (.220) went 2-for-3 and opened the seventh with a single. Ryan Garko (.236) singled Hafner to second and Asdrubal Cabrera (.181) walked on four pitches to load the bases.

"All good at-bats there," Wedge said. "Haf and Gark dropped in a couple hits and Cabrera worked a walk."

Blake (.221), who went 2-for-4, then lined his double high off the wall for a 2-1 lead. The hit made him 15-for-35 (.429) with runners in scoring position this season.

Cleveland reloaded the bases with one out and Francisco (.389) pounded his double to nearly the same spot as Blake had hit his for a 4-1 lead. Gutierrez then scored on a wild pitch by Jeremy Accardo and Victor Martinez brought home Francisco with a sacrifice fly.

Sabathia (2-5) struck out nine over seven innings. He gave up one run and six hits, walking two.

Sabathia, last year's Cy Young winner in the AL, has a 1.98 ERA over his last four starts.

Toronto center fielder Vernon Wells jammed his left wrist making a diving catch to rob Gutierrez of a hit in the sixth inning. The Blue Jays announced that Wells also complained of a tight right hamstring as he walked off the field. Manager John Gibbons said Wells would not play Saturday night and will have an MRI examination.