Indianszone.com | Cleveland Indians News, indians Scores, Game Recaps & Commentary - <div>Indians </div>Arlington, Texas - Cliff Lee had a bad spring in the Arizona desert and fell to the Texas Rangers on Monday. Fausto Carmona had a good spring and was beaten almost as badly Wednesday night after a day of rest Tuesday. It's too early to form any conclusions, but the Indians are having trouble pitching and the Rangers are having a lot of fun hitting. Texas beat Carmona and the Indians , 8-5, at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Right now, the Indians are the no-fun bunch. They're not having a good time pitching or hitting. Until Ben Francisco's two-run homer off Vicente Padilla in the sixth inning, they'd been held to eight hits, all singles, in two games. "Fausto showed signs of locking in for an inning or a string of hitters, but then he'd slip out of it," said manager Eric Wedge. "You do that with this team in this park and they'll make you pay for it." Carmona (0-1, 10.80 ERA) allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings. In spring training, he went 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA. Carmona entered the game with a 2-0 record in Arlington against Texas. The Indians' bullpen failed its first test as well. Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez each allowed ill-timed homers to stop the Tribe from building momentum. "With the way we were pushing to come back, it's probably a different game if we can keep the ball in the ballpark right there," said Wedge. In Monday's opener, Texas scored four runs in the second to take a 4-0 lead against Lee. They did the same Wednesday night against Carmona. Nelson Cruz, who hit two homers in the game, put the Rangers ahead, 1-0, with a leadoff drive to left-center on a 2-2 pitch. Then the Rangers sent three straight lefties against Carmona. He did not do well against them. He retired David Murphy, but Chris Davis singled and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a switch-hitter batting lefty, doubled to right to move Davis to third. Rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus then sent a slow roller to Ryan Garko, who was playing well off first base. Andrus beat Garko to the bag - Carmona was late getting off the mound - as Davis scored for a 2-0 lead. Ian Kinsler scored Saltalamacchia on a double to left as Andrus went to third. Michael Young's grounder to deep short made it 4-0. "I tried to keep the ball down, but a couple of pitches came up," said Carmona. The Indians made it 4-1 in the fourth when Garko was hit by a Padilla (1-0, 4.77) pitch in the right foot with the bases loaded. He was hit 15 times last year. Texas made it 6-1 in the fifth as Young doubled and scored on Josh Hamilton's ground-ball triple to the wall in right center. After Carmona hit Hank Blalock, Cruz sent a bouncer back to the mound. Carmona gloved it, but never glanced at Hamilton, who stopped between third and home. Carmona threw to second for the force as shortstop Jhonny Peralta threw home to try and get Hamilton. The throw was late. "I thought [Hamilton] would score easy," said Carmona. "I went to second for the double play." Wedge felt the play could have been handled better. "Ideally, the way the ball was hit to the first-base side," said Wedge, "you check the runner and get the out at second base and leave it at that. If Jhonny was in front of [Blalock], he would have had a better throw home. But he took the throw behind the runner and was blocked off." Francisco knocked Padilla out of the game with his 421-foot homer into the Tribe bullpen in left-center to make it 6-3 in the sixth. Betancourt pitched the sixth and gave up Andrus' first big-league homer to make it 7-3. The Indians made it 7-4 in the seventh when Grady Sizemore doubled and scored on Andrus' throwing error. Cruz's second homer, this one off Perez, in the seventh negated that run for an 8-4 lead. The homer traveled 432 feet and landed in the club level in left field. The Indians made it 8-5 in the eighth when Garko doubled home Shin-Soo Choo, but once again the big hit was missing. Frank Francisco pitched the ninth for the save. The Indians went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. They left 10 runners on base. To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158 BOX: Today What: Indians at Texas Rangers. When: 2:05 p.m. Where: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Texas). TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM AM/1100. Pitchers: RHP Carl Pavano (4-2, 5.77 ERA with Yankees in 2008) vs. RHP Brandon McCarthy (1-1, 4.09). cleveland.com/tribe Get in-game updates this afternoon as the Indians close out their series in Texas.

Indians

Arlington, Texas - Cliff Lee had a bad spring in the Arizona desert and fell to the Texas Rangers on Monday. Fausto Carmona had a good spring and was beaten almost as badly Wednesday night after a day of rest Tuesday.

It's too early to form any conclusions, but the Indians are having trouble pitching and the Rangers are having a lot of fun hitting. Texas beat Carmona and the Indians , 8-5, at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

Right now, the Indians are the no-fun bunch. They're not having a good time pitching or hitting. Until Ben Francisco's two-run homer off Vicente Padilla in the sixth inning, they'd been held to eight hits, all singles, in two games.

"Fausto showed signs of locking in for an inning or a string of hitters, but then he'd slip out of it," said manager Eric Wedge. "You do that with this team in this park and they'll make you pay for it."

Carmona (0-1, 10.80 ERA) allowed six runs on seven hits in five innings. In spring training, he went 4-1 with a 2.67 ERA. Carmona entered the game with a 2-0 record in Arlington against Texas.

The Indians' bullpen failed its first test as well. Rafael Betancourt and Rafael Perez each allowed ill-timed homers to stop the Tribe from building momentum.

"With the way we were pushing to come back, it's probably a different game if we can keep the ball in the ballpark right there," said Wedge.

In Monday's opener, Texas scored four runs in the second to take a 4-0 lead against Lee.

They did the same Wednesday night against Carmona. Nelson Cruz, who hit two homers in the game, put the Rangers ahead, 1-0, with a leadoff drive to left-center on a 2-2 pitch.

Then the Rangers sent three straight lefties against Carmona. He did not do well against them.

He retired David Murphy, but Chris Davis singled and Jarrod Saltalamacchia, a switch-hitter batting lefty, doubled to right to move Davis to third. Rookie shortstop Elvis Andrus then sent a slow roller to Ryan Garko, who was playing well off first base. Andrus beat Garko to the bag - Carmona was late getting off the mound - as Davis scored for a 2-0 lead. Ian Kinsler scored Saltalamacchia on a double to left as Andrus went to third. Michael Young's grounder to deep short made it 4-0.

"I tried to keep the ball down, but a couple of pitches came up," said Carmona.

The Indians made it 4-1 in the fourth when Garko was hit by a Padilla (1-0, 4.77) pitch in the right foot with the bases loaded. He was hit 15 times last year.

Texas made it 6-1 in the fifth as Young doubled and scored on Josh Hamilton's ground-ball triple to the wall in right center. After Carmona hit Hank Blalock, Cruz sent a bouncer back to the mound. Carmona gloved it, but never glanced at Hamilton, who stopped between third and home.

Carmona threw to second for the force as shortstop Jhonny Peralta threw home to try and get Hamilton. The throw was late.

"I thought [Hamilton] would score easy," said Carmona. "I went to second for the double play."

Wedge felt the play could have been handled better.

"Ideally, the way the ball was hit to the first-base side," said Wedge, "you check the runner and get the out at second base and leave it at that. If Jhonny was in front of [Blalock], he would have had a better throw home. But he took the throw behind the runner and was blocked off."

Francisco knocked Padilla out of the game with his 421-foot homer into the Tribe bullpen in left-center to make it 6-3 in the sixth. Betancourt pitched the sixth and gave up Andrus' first big-league homer to make it 7-3. The Indians made it 7-4 in the seventh when Grady Sizemore doubled and scored on Andrus' throwing error.

Cruz's second homer, this one off Perez, in the seventh negated that run for an 8-4 lead. The homer traveled 432 feet and landed in the club level in left field.

The Indians made it 8-5 in the eighth when Garko doubled home Shin-Soo Choo, but once again the big hit was missing.

Frank Francisco pitched the ninth for the save.

The Indians went 1-for-16 with runners in scoring position. They left 10 runners on base.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: phoynes@plaind.com, 216-999-5158

BOX:

Today

What: Indians at Texas

Rangers.

When: 2:05 p.m.

Where: Rangers Ballpark in Arlington (Texas).

TV/radio: SportsTime Ohio, WTAM AM/1100.

Pitchers: RHP Carl Pavano (4-2, 5.77 ERA with Yankees in 2008) vs. RHP Brandon McCarthy (1-1, 4.09).

cleveland.com/tribe

Get in-game updates this afternoon as the Indians close out their series in Texas.