A’s Handle Sabathia, Indians

Dan Haren walked over to the stereo, skipped to a CD track of his liking, pushed play and smiled. Soon, there were heads bobbing in Oakland’s clubhouse.

Haren didn’t mind playing DJ. Whatever the Athletics needed, he was more than willing to give them.

Haren limited baseball’s hottest team to four singles in 6 2/3 innings and pushed Oakland closer in the AL wild-card standings as the A’s beat Cleveland, 2-0, Monday night, stopping the Indians’ seven-game winning streak.

Haren (13-10) made sure the A’s took the opener of a three-game series. Oakland, a major league-best 36-20 since the All-Star break, beat C.C. Sabathia (13-10) to pull to within one game of the AL West-leading Angels and 1 1/2 games of the wild card-leading Indians.

“By far, it’s the happiest I’ve been after a win all year,” Haren said. “With Sabathia on the mound, I knew I had to step it up tonight. I’m happy for my team. That’s the way I’m supposed to pitch because these games are so, so important.”

The A’s made three errors but did just enough on offense to hand Sabathia his first loss since July 30. Jason Kendall hit a run-scoring single in the third against the left-hander, and Mark Kotsay delivered a sacrifice fly in the seventh against reliever Scott Sauerbeck.

“We had a little ragged play,” Oakland Manager Ken Macha said. “But the pitching raised it up a little bit.”

Cleveland, 19-7 since Aug. 16, has a one-game edge for the wild card over the New York Yankees.

Sabathia had won his previous seven starts, but he wasn’t as sharp this time and constantly had to work out of trouble because of five walks. He gave up one earned run and four hits in six innings.

“I didn’t have the command I had in the last month or month and a half,” he said. “I had to battle the whole time I was out there. It seemed like I was in trouble every inning. I didn’t pitch my game.”