CLEVELAND - Jake Westbrook made his best pitch at precisely the right time.
Westbrook got a key double play with the bases loaded to protect a one-run lead, winning for fifth time in six starts as the Indians beat the Texas Rangers 9-4 Thursday to move closer in the wild-card race.
Jhonny Peralta had three hits, including a two-run homer, as the Indians pulled within 21/2 games of idle Oakland. Coco Crisp and Travis Hafner each drove in two.
"The double play was key, that and our offense coming up huge," Westbrook said.
The first four Indians hitters went a combined 11-for-19 with seven runs and seven RBIs as Cleveland won for the second time in six games at Jacobs Field after completing a 6-0 trip to Detroit and Kansas City.
Texas lost for the eighth time in nine games, all on the road.
Indians second baseman Ronnie Belliard left with a strained neck after running headlong into umpire Eric Cooper's left hip while chasing a ground ball in the sixth. Precautionary X-rays were negative.
"Ronnie's a tough guy, but we didn't want to take any chances there," manager Eric Wedge said. "Hopefully, he'll be fine."
Justin Thompson pitched the eighth for Texas in his first major-league appearance since Aug.15, 1999. An All-Star in 1997 with Detroit and now 32, he has spent the past six years in the minors trying to recover from four operations on his left arm.
ANGELS 13, RED SOX 4: Juan Rivera hit two three-run homers and former Seminole High standout Casey Kotchman hit his fifth of the season to back seven strong innings from Bartolo Colon for host Los Angeles. Boston starter Tim Wakefield left in the fifth after Kotchman's comebacker hit him in the right ankle.
TWINS 7, MARINERS 3: Matthew LeCroy hit his third home run in two games, leading host Minnesota to its fifth straight victory and seventh in eight games.
