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--> --> Zito shuts down Cleveland OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) - Barry Zito thinks he's pitched better, but don't try telling that to the Cleveland Indians. Zito pitched a four-hitter for his second shutout in three starts to lead the Oakland Athletics to a 9-0 victory over the Indians on Monday night. "That's the best game by a left-hander against us this year," Indians' manager Charlie Manuel said. "He was striking out guys who don't normally strike out." Olmedo Saenz hit a bases-loaded triple and Jermaine Dye added a two-run homer as Oakland won 16 of 18 to remain four games ahead of Boston in the AL wild card race. Zito (9-8), who beat the Red Sox 6-0 on Aug. 9, struck out a career-high 11 and walked two. He retired 17 straight batters at one point and allowed only two runners to reach second base. "I don't think it was my best, but it's definitely up there," said Zito, who lowered his ERA to an AL best 1.11 in four games in August. "When you make your pitches, you have a chance to be successful." Zito recorded 13 outs in the infield, leaving each outfielder to record one putout each. "It was fun to watch," Dye said. "He keeps you in the game when he pitches like that. You try to pitch along with him." Dye added that he preferred to play behind him instead of against him. "I've faced him before and he has good movement," he said. "If he has that big curve going like he did tonight, you can pretty much forget about it and take you're 0-for-4." Zito allowed the Indians a leadoff runner only in the ninth. "Everything was working," he said. "They have one of the top lineups in the league, so to be able to play with them gives us a lot of confidence." Chuck Finley (5-6) allowed five runs and seven hits over five-plus innings. Finley fell to 8-20 in his career against the A's, including a 3-11 mark in Oakland. That's his most losses against any team. Jason Giambi and Miguel Tejada singled around a walk to Terrence Long to load the bases with two outs in the fourth for Oakland. Saenz blooped a ball to right field that skipped a charging Juan Gonzalez as all three runners scored easily. It was Saenz's first triple of the year and his fourth career in 732 at-bats. "It was a clean hit," said Manuel. "Juan tried to make a shoestring catch, but the ball got away from him." Long added an RBI single and Ramon Hernandez was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the sixth. After Giambi drew his 98th walk of the season in the seventh, Dye hit his 19th homer of the season and sixth with Oakland. F.P. Santangelo and Hernandez added RBI singles in the inning. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing