Justin Masterson Outduels King Felix in 6-0 Victory

Coming off of a complete-game shutout of the New York Yankees on Monday, Cleveland Indians ace Justin Masterson blanked the Seattle Mariners in a 6-0 victory on Sunday afternoon.

Masterson worked 7 innings, surrendering just 2 hits and striking out a season-high 11 batters. With the win, Masterson improved to 7-3 on the season, with a solid 2.83 ERA and 71 strikeouts in 70.0 innings.

Over his past three starts, Masterson has maintained a 19-inning scoreless streak and is slowly inserting his name into early AL Cy Young debate.

Cleveland left fielder Michael Brantley led the offensive barrage with a two-run home run in the second-inning off of Mariners ace Felix Hernandez, which would give the Indians a 5-0 lead at the time.

Hernandez, 2010 AL Cy Young winner, was roughed up in his 5 innings of work, surrendering 6 runs (5 earned) on 8 hits with 8 strikeouts. Hernandez, who has pitched phenomenally this season, saw his ERA rise from 1.53 to 2.07, still a very good number despite the off-start.

The Cleveland Indians have won 7 of their last 10 games, and more impressively 20 for their last 27 games. Cleveland sits first in the AL Central standings with a 25-17 record, maintaining a 1.5 game lead over the second-place Detroit Tigers.