White gets 1st career win, Indians beat Angels 4-3
ANAHEIM (AP) -- Nothing intimidated Alex White in his second major league start. Not Jered Weaver, not the Los Angeles Angels' formidable lineup and their AL-best .270 team batting average, not even an early two-run homer by Vernon Wells.
White pitched six gritty innings for his first career win, Shin-Soo Choo doubled home the tying and go-ahead runs to snap an 0-for-18 drought since his arrest on DUI charges, and the Cleveland Indians beat the Angels 4-3 on Saturday night.
"It's a great feeling and something I've worked for for a long time," said White, the 15th overall pick in the 2009 draft and was the Indians' minor league pitcher of the year last season.
"We played well and I was fortunate enough to hold them off long enough to get the bullpen in there. This team is playing so well, I knew it was going to come as long as I pitched well. It's one of those things you'll remember forever. I'll never forget where I was and who I was pitching against."
White (1-0) allowed three runs and seven hits, with six strikeouts and two walks. Last Saturday in his big league debut, the 22-year-old right-hander gave up two runs over six innings in a no-decision as the Indians beat Detroit 3-2 in 13.
"I think the biggest thing was just getting my first start out of the way," White said. "It wasn't my debut anymore. It was about winning. It was just a great feeling to be able to go out there and compete today. My job was to get us deep in the game and give us a chance."
Tony Sipp and Vinnie Pestano each pitched a scoreless inning and Chris Perez worked a perfect ninth for his 10th save in 11 chances.
Maicer Izturis ran the Angels out of a potential rally in the eighth. He tried to go from first to third on a one-out grounder by Howie Kendrick that third baseman Jack Hannahan had to charge, but Hannahan got back to the bag in time to take first baseman Carlos Santana's throw and tag him for an inning-ending double play.
"How about Santana Brady making that throw over there?" manager Manny Acta said, comparing his first baseman to New England Patriots star Tom Brady. "There's only one Dominican in the NFL, but Santana looked like a pretty good quarterback there. It was a good play, but a risky play. You have to hit the guy on the move, and Hannahan needed to really concentrate on catching the ball and making the tag. But it worked out for us."
Izturis grounded into an inning-ending double play in the third after a triple by Eric Aybar and a walk to Bobby Abreu.
Weaver (6-2) threw 108 pitches over six innings, allowing four runs, seven hits and two walks without striking out anyone. The AL pitcher of the month for April was 3-0 with a 0.41 ERA in his previous three starts against Cleveland.
It was only the second time in 152 big league starts that last year's major league strikeout leader did not fan a batter. The other time was June 10, 2007, at St. Louis, when Weaver was forced out of his 30th career start after three innings because of tightness in his lower back and got a no-decision in the Angels' 9-6 loss.
"I didn't really have an out pitch today and I had to battle," Weaver said. "I got away from the fastball. I got caught up in the off speed and felt like they were sitting on it later. It happens. Nothing you can do. You just have to tip your cap. You are going to have days like that, and you just have to be able to move on."
Wells drove an 0-2 pitch into the Angels' bullpen in left field in the second inning after a single by Kendrick.
"I just made one mistake to Wells and he made me pay for it," White said. "But I had good stuff, and a good two-seamer that I was able to locate down and in on some righties. Throughout the game, it was probably the best thing I had going for me."
The Indians got a run back in the fourth on Orlando Cabrera's sacrifice fly, then took a 4-2 lead with three in the fifth after Weaver walked Grady Sizemore and Asdrubal Cabrera with two outs.
Choo followed with a drive into the right-field corner that scored both runners. Carlos Santana capped the rally with an RBI single.
Choo is 11 for 25 lifetime against Weaver.
Wells drove in another run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth and rookie Mark Trumbo followed with his second Baltimore-chop single in two innings, putting runners at first and second. But White struck out Jeff Mathis with his 100th and final pitch.
"One of the things I pride myself on is being strong late in the game," White said. "That was a big at-bat. We needed that out. Mathis battled, and I was fortunate enough to get him."
NOTES: LHP Hisanori Takahashi relieved Weaver and stuck out his first batter, Sizemore. The Indians' offense hasn't gone an entire game without at least one strikeout since April 17, 2006, at Detroit. ... Izturis' day at the ballpark started out much better than it ended. He had victorious Animal Kingdom in the team's Kentucky Derby pool. ... Indians DH Travis Hafner was 1 for 22 against Weaver before singling in the fourth and fifth. ... Angels RHP Rich Thompson picked off Lou Marson at second base for the third out in the ninth. The Angels' bullpen has not allowed an earned run in its last 29 innings against Cleveland.