With Cabrera's grounder to Kevin Youkilis at first base, it appeared the game would move to the 10th. But Lopez, at first base covering, couldn't hold on to Youkilis's throw, the ball popping up and off his glove. It landed behind him, DeRosa continued home, and the Sox' 11-game winning streak was over, with a 9-8 loss in front of 19,613 at Progressive Field.
"Every pitcher makes it thousands of times in their career," Lopez said. "I don't know, maybe I just took my eye off of it. It was a heck of a play by Youk. It was a good feed.
"I know Cabrera can run a little bit. I wanted to make sure I was there, so maybe I rushed things a little bit. It's a tough way to break a winning streak."
The clubhouse was somber, the players silently shoveling in food, the RBI baseball game that had amused the team earlier shut off. They have not been used to losing in recent days, their last defeat two weeks ago in Oakland.
The error on Lopez was the third of the game for the Sox, surprising for a team that has been surehanded this season. The pitcher's error came on the heels of one by normally exemplary third baseman Mike Lowell and one by returning shortstop Julio Lugo.
"We didn't lose the game on that play," Youkilis said. "There were other opportunities. It's all right. We'll go back out tomorrow and play another game."
But it was everything that led up to that play that made the difference. The Sox left 11 men on base, but they started out as if they were going to give Brad Penny no chance of losing. Despite being given a one-run lead after the first, a four-run lead after the second, and another four-run lead after the third, Penny gave it all back.
Most of it came back on a three-run homer by No. 9 hitter Ben Francisco in the third, which came on the heels of Lugo's miss of a relay from Youkilis. That brought Shin-Soo Choo home with the fourth run for the Indians.
Then Francisco took a 3-and-2 pitch out to left field. Three batters later, including a single and a walk, and the call went out to Hunter Jones.
Those first three innings, which left the teams tied at 7-7, featured exits by both starters, and 193 pitches by four hurlers.
