PITTSBURGH (Ticker) -- The Cleveland Indians finally beat the Pittsburgh Pirates , and they didn't need 15 innings to do it.

C.C. Sabathia pitched six effective innings and Casey Blake had three hits and drove in a pair of runs to help the Indians to an 8-5 win in the finale of the three-game series.

The Pirates posted 15-inning wins over the Indians on Friday and Saturday, but fell behind for good in the third inning Sunday and lost in the conventional nine innings.

The Indians needed some relief for their overworked bullpen, and Sabathia (7-3) was able to take them deep into the game. The lefthander allowed three runs and seven hits while walking four and striking out four.

"I struggled with my command, but I just tried to go a little deeper into the game," Sabathia said. "It was definitely on my mind what happened the last couple of days. I know there weren't that many people available in the bullpen."

"On a day we needed him to step up, he did," Indians manager Eric Wedge said.

Jason Boyd worked two innings, allowing a two-run homer to Matt Stairs , before Danys Baez pitched the ninth for his 16th save.

The Indians went ahead for good with the help of four straight singles in the second off Ryan Vogelsong (0-1).

Ben Broussard , Tim Laker and Brandon Phillips singled to load the bases before an RBI hit by Jhonny Peralta drove in the first run. Matt Lawton walked with the bases loaded to tie the game and Blake followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-2.

Vogelsong, recently called up from the minors due to a series of injuries, was tagged for seven runs and 10 hits in five-plus innings. After the game, he was optioned to Nashville of the Class AAA Pacific Coast League.

It was a bunt single by Sabathia that ended Vogelsong's day in the sixth.

Phillips doubled and Peralta walked before Sabathia pushed a bunt between the pitcher's mound and third base to load the bases.

"Sabathia did a good job of getting it down," Wedge said. "Fortunately for us, the bunt got through the infield."

Joe Biemel relieved and yielded a bases-loaded walk to Lawton, a sacrifice fly to Blake and singles to Jody Gerut and Milton Bradley that made it 8-2.

Blake had three hits to atone for a ninth-inning error at third base on Saturday night that allowed Pittsburgh to tie the game.

"The error last night stayed on my mind for a while," Blake said. "It was good to come out and contribute today."

The Bucs failed to sweep their third series of the season and finished a six-game homestand with four wins. They lost the finale of a three-game series with Montreal on Thursday.

"We missed out on two chances this homestand to get two sweeps," Pittsburgh shortstop Jack Wilson said. "But if the fans stayed up late, they got to see some pretty good baseball. I'd rather play 15 innings and get a win than play nine innings and get a loss."

The Pirates made the score respectable on an RBI double by Carlos Rivera in the sixth and the home run by Stairs in the eighth.