Bad Bullpen, Fielding Doom Tribe Again

Zach Jackson didn't remind anybody of Randy Johnson in his Indians debut. Rafael Perez and Edward Mujica reminded all of how bad Cleveland's bullpen has been all season, though. Perez and Mujica combined to allow eight runs in the eighth inning in an 11-6 loss to the Baltimore Orioles. Errors by Asdrubal Cabrera and Andy Gonzalez didn't help -- nor did two outfielders losing a fly ball in the sky.

"We didn't play well at all in multiple areas," Indians manager Eric Wedge said. "It got away from us. Perez didn't have it and Mujica struggled as well."

The Indians may have lost shortstop Jhonny Peralta for a few days. He was hit on the left hand by a pitch by Daniel Cabrera in the third inning. Peralta made it to the seventh inning before going to a hospital for X-rays, which were negative.

Jackson showed his mettle, limiting the damage caused by some shoddy play during his five innings. The left-hander, one of four players the Indians received from the Milwaukee Brewers last month in the trade for CC Sabathia, gave up three runs and eight hits.

Jackson was hit for four hits and two runs in the first inning, but Asdrubal Cabrera's error at second base in the middle of the rally didn't help matters.

After Shin-Soo Choo's two-run double with two outs in the bottom of the first tied it, Jackson settled down.

His defense didn't. Baltimore went ahead 3-2 on consecutive ground-rule doubles with two outs in the fifth.

Aubrey Huff's liner one-hopped over the wall in right-center.

Fair enough.

But Ramon Hernandez hit a fly ball that should have been the third out -- except that both Sizemore in center and Choo in right lost it in the twilight. The ball boinged off the warning track and over the wall in nearly the same spot.

Not good.

Asdrubal Cabrera's two-out double to right-center tied it in the sixth.

Then came the eighth, when the Orioles sent 13 men to the plate, got six hits, three walks (two intentional) and eight runs to lead, 11-3.

Franklin Gutierrez hit a solo homer, Kelly Shoppach an RBI single and Ryan Garko an RBI double.

It wasn't nearly enough.

ON THE MEND: Travis Hafner hit one ball into the second deck in right during his first bit of practice hitting on the field since he went on the disabled list May 30 with a weak right shoulder.

"We're not going to push him, but it went well today," hitting coach Derek Shelton said. "That one was a bomb, but what we were looking for was making solid contact and he hit a lot of line drives. He's not nearly ready, but this was good to see today."

Second baseman Josh Barfield, out since having finger surgery in mid-June started a rehab assignment at Double-A Akron, going 0-for-2.

Catcher Victor Martinez, out since having right elbow surgery in mid-June, is scheduled to be the Aeros' DH as he starts a rehab assignment Friday night.