Sabathia has swift response for callers

C.C. Sabathia’s pager was inundated all day with text messages from trash-talking friends in California. They were telling him that he was going to lose again to the Oakland Athletics.

He sent them a nasty reply.

Sabathia joined Boston’s Josh Beckett as the only 11-game winners in the major leagues and finally beat his hometown team again, leading the Cleveland Indians to a 5-2 victory over the A’s on Monday night.

Sabathia (11-2) gave up nine hits in his second complete game this month to improve to 2-5 in 12 career starts against the A’s, the team he pulled for as a kid growing up in Vallejo.

The left-hander had been 0-4 against Oakland since last beating the A’s on July 30, 2003, a losing streak that a few buddies wouldn’t let him forget.

“Oh, God, I got so many text messages,” Sabathia said with a smile. “And they were all from A’s fans saying, ‘You’re a good pitcher, but the A’s are going to beat you.’ That’s the kind of texts I get from my friends. They’ll be getting some tonight.”

Sabathia struck out eight and didn’t walk a batter. In his last 14 starts, Sabathia has walked only 11 batters and not more than one in any outing. He has 89 strikeouts over the same span.

Sabathia is the first Indians left-hander to win 11 games before June 30 since Sam McDowell in 1970.

“He’s become a true No. 1 pitcher,” Manager Eric Wedge said, “and one of the best in the game.”

Ryan Garko drove in two runs with a fourth-inning double against Chad Gaudin (6-3), and Travis Hafner homered for the first time in nearly a month for Cleveland.

Oakland has lost a season-high four games in a row and seven of nine overall.