CLEVELAND (AP) — Brett Anderson gave up two hits, one on a questionable call, over seven innings as the Oakland Athletics beat the Cleveland Indians 3-0 on Monday night.
Oakland came in one-half game behind Tampa Bay in the AL wild-card race and earned its ninth win in 11 games.
The Indians lost starter Roberto Hernandez (0-3) after 2 1-3 innings with a sprained right ankle and fell to 5-24 since July 27.
Anderson (2-0), in his second start since returning from Tommy John surgery in July 2011, retired the first 13 batters until Michael Brantley was ruled safe with an infield hit in the fifth inning. TV replays showed that umpire Jerry Meals missed the call.
Grant Balfour worked the ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.
Ryan Cook worked a perfect eighth, striking out two, as Oakland recorded its 13th shutout of the season. Cleveland was blanked for the seventh time.
Brent Lillibridge opened the sixth with a double for Cleveland's first legitimate hit.
Anderson's bid for perfection ended with one out in the fifth. Brantley tapped a slow roller to the right of the mound that was fielded by first baseman Chris Carter. He flipped to second baseman Cliff Pennington, whose foot hit first base an instant before Brantley got there, but Meals ruled safe.
Manager Bob Melvin briefly argued with Meals. Anderson then got Shelley Duncan to hit into a double play.
Until then, the only thing close to a hit for Cleveland was a line drive into the gap in right-center by Jason Donald with one out in the fourth. Right fielder Josh Reddick made a diving, backhanded catch to keep the perfect game hope alive.
Hernandez, who pitched for six years in Cleveland as Fausto Carmona, was making his third start since being reinstated from a three-week suspension for using the assumed name. It was his first start at Progressive Field since Sept. 25, but he dropped to 0-5 in his last five home matchups with Oakland.
The right-hander made 28 pitches in the first inning as Yoenis Cespedes ran up the right-hander's pitch count. Cespedes fouled off eight consecutive pitches and eventually doubled on the 13th offering. That sent Stephen Drew, who had singled with one out, to third. Drew scored on a sacrifice fly by Seth Smith.
It took Oakland only three pitches to make it 2-0 in the second. Reddick drove an 0-2 pitch over the wall in right for his 26th homer. Reddick came in mired in a 17-for-98 (.173) slump.
Carter's RBI single made it 3-0 in the third. The hit came one out after Chris Seddon replaced Hernandez.
Seddon gave up two hits over 4 2-3 scoreless innings.
NOTES: Oakland LHP Dallas Braden has had surgery to repair a torn left rotator cuff. Braden, who pitched a perfect game in 2010, originally had surgery on the shoulder May 17, 2011. ... A's INF Eric Sogard, out since Aug. 7 with a strained back, sprained his left ankle during a rehab assignment at Triple-A Sacramento and is shut down. ... The A's announced that LHP Jordan Norberto, on the DL with left shoulder tendinitis, had an injection in the shoulder last Thursday. ... Indians 2B Jason Kipnis has joined Angels rookie OF Mike Trout as the only players with at least 10 homers, 60 RBIs and 25 steals. ... Indians SS Asdrubal Cabrera, in a 3-for-31 (.097) slump, got a day off. "He's banged up," manager Manny Acta said. "He looks a little tired." ... Melvin said INF Brandon Inge, out since Aug. 12, won't be activated just yet, though the veteran appears recovered from a sprained right shoulder. "He'll say he can play, we're going to wait a while and make sure," Melvin said.
