Now that it has been almost a week since the Cleveland Indians were eliminated from the playoffs, it’s time for a little reflection on what happened.  There are many reasons why the Tribe lost the seven game series to a team that looks as though it will win the World Series, perhaps as early as this weekend, but to me they did not choke, as many fans are saying.

 

Baseball is a different sport.  The best team loses 60 games in a season.  There are no upsets.  If the Tampa Bay Rays beat the Yankees in the middle of June, there are no headlines proclaiming a shocking win.  That’s the nature of the sport.  For the same reason, having a 3-1 series lead and then losing a seven game series cannot be called choking.  Again, I will say it.  In baseball, momentum is tomorrow’s starting pitcher.  The Red Sox had the better pitching the last three games of the series, and that’s why they won. 

 

Eric Wedge alluded to C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, his two aces, trying too hard to win in the Games 5 and 6, but I think they just ran out of gas.  That’s understandable since neither had thrown as many innings as this year in their professional careers.  There are many experts who will tell you, it’s not the velocity that decreases, as you get tired, it’s the command.  That would explain why the two 19 game winners had problems throwing strikes throughout the playoffs, especially against Fenway Park.

 

 As for the hitters, Travis Hafner and Grady Sizemore did struggle against Boston, but I’m sure you can pick out a week during the regular season where both did not hit.  In the playoffs, these weeks are magnified because the games are bigger.  It doesn’t mean they choked.  If both players were consistently hot all season long, and then hit the skids in the playoffs, you might have an argument.  What the two lefty hitters did against the Sox was in tune with what they did all year.  It just happened at the wrong time.

 

In fact, the entire offense was streaky all year.  How many times did the Tribe go through stretches were they couldn’t put anything together on offense.  Heck, they went an entire month (mid July to mid August) where scoring runs were like pulling teeth.  Part of that inconsistency was the ballclub propensity to strike out.  Next year, the Indians need to improve on that aspect of hitting.  They have to make more contact.  It makes them vulnerable to pitchers like Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling who have good command when they are throwing well.

 

There are many reasons the Indians’ season came to an end last Sunday night at Fenway Park.  They didn’t pitch well, they didn’t hit well.  They didn’t get any breaks, such as ground balls hitting the lip of the infield grass and either flattening out or hopping over the infielders.  Starting pitchers simply wore out.  You can fault Joel Skinner or the bullpen collapse.  Whatever the reason, it wasn’t a choke.  It’s just how the game of baseball is played.

 

MW

 

 

Now that the Indians fine season is over, we at Cleveland Sports Perspective realize we have forgotten about the NBA’s defending Eastern Conference Champions, our own Cleveland Cavaliers.  It’s the price that has to be paid living in a town where a couple of teams have deep runs in the playoffs in the same year.  The regular season starts a week from today with the Dallas Mavericks visiting the “Q”, so it’s time to start looking at the wine and gold.

 

The biggest news out of training camp has been the holdout of guard Sasha Pavlovic and big man Anderson Varajao, and how those holdouts will impact the team.  You have to put yourself in GM Danny Ferry’s shoes.  You have to understand that one of the reasons this team hasn’t made a big splash in the off-season is the number of untradeable, bad contracts currently on the roster.  I’m talking about Donyell Marshall, Eric Snow, Damon Jones, and Ira Newble.  The last thing Ferry wants to do is hamstring himself with more deals of this ilk.  That’s why he doesn’t just load up the truck with cash and deliver it to the front door of both players to get them into camp.

 

With the addition of free agent Devin Brown, and the development of second year men, Shannon Brown and Daniel Gibson, the Cavs are ready to allow Pavlovic to change teams.  I don’t think Mike Brown is losing sleep about Sasha not being in camp, as both Browns are better defenders than Pavlovic, and at the worst can be the streaky offensive player Sasha was last season.  I’m guessing the front office is hoping Pavlovic will receive an offer soon, so they can work out a sign and trade, hopefully for some needed draft picks.

 

The Varajao situation is more problematic.  He is a key member of the wine and gold in his role as the number one back up at center and power forward.  Donyell Marshall cannot defend at the four, and sliding Drew Gooden into the pivot weakens the defense as well.  The hope is that Dwayne Jones, who has little experience, and Cedric Simmons, also in his second year, can fill in at those spots.  That is a huge leap of faith for a team that has championship aspirations.  However, giving the Wild Thing a contract more than that of Gooden, and over $10 million per year can only hurt the Cavaliers in the future.

 

As for the rest of the team, we should continue to see improvement from LeBron James.  Remember, he will turn just 23 on December 30^th.  That is indeed a scary thought.  It is important for the coaching staff to develop another post player who can score because Zydrunas Ilgauskas isn’t getting any younger.  Coach Brown is putting in a new offense again, and here’s hoping he sticks with it throughout the season.  He needs to get James in positions to finish, not to initiate the play.  Also, the new offense has to mask the lack of a true playmaker in the backcourt.  Both Larry Hughes and Gibson are combo guards, so in theory, either can start the attack.  That might be the biggest key to the season.

 

We know the Cavs will be a good defensive team.  The head coach has preached it from day one, and last year the wine and gold was a very good team on the defensive end.  With Varajao not in camp, they need Jones to step up and rebound and defend to pick up the slack.  I’m anxious to see how much better last year’s rookies are, and to see if the improved shot LeBron showed in the summer translates in the regular season.  The Eastern Conference will be better than last season with the young Bulls gaining more experience and the Celtics having their triad of stars, to go along with the usual suspects (Pistons, Nets, Heat).  It won’t be easy getting back to The Finals this season.

 

JK

 

It would be very easy to write about curses and jinxes on a day like today with the Indians blowing a 3-1 series lead in the ALCS and losing Game Seven to the Red Sox, 11-2.  I’m sure several other people will place blame on third base coach Joel Skinner for not sending Kenny Lofton home with the tying run in the seventh inning.  However, the real reason the Tribe did not advance to the World Series comes back to execution.  That’s why the players will be cleaning out their lockers at Jacobs Field today, and not celebrating an American League pennant.

 

On October 14^th, we wrote about the keys to the series.  Basically, it boiled down to two points:  Stop the top of the Red Sox order, and score more runs.  In the last three games of the series, the Tribe pitchers could not keep Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis off the bases.  Pedroia got on seven times in the last two games of the series, and drove in five runs in the deciding game.  Youkilis wore out the Cleveland pitching staff the entire series, and would have been the series MVP if not for Josh Beckett.

 

On offense, the Tribe simply stopped swinging the bats.  We can all talk about C.C. Sabathia not pitching well enough in Game 5, but the reality is he would have had to throw a shutout to win that game.  Cleveland could not get the big hit against Curt Schilling on Saturday, and couldn’t put any pressure on Daisuke Matzusaka until the Red Sox had a 3-0 lead.  Travis Hafner gets a great deal of criticism for his performance in the series, but Grady Sizemore did not come through either.  He was not the igniter the attack needed in the last three games against Boston. 

 

You had to figure it wasn’t going to be the Tribe’s night when Manny Ramirez’ double play bouncer in the first hit the lip of the grass and hopped over the head of Jhonny Peralta for an RBI single.  Boston got the breaks it needed to secure the series and they took advantage of them.  The Indians had some opportunities as well (for example, the Lugo error in the seventh), but couldn’t convert them into a big inning. 

 

Eric Wedge stuck with Jake Westbrook even though Boston was threatening in each of the first three innings, and his confidence was rewarded when the right-hander cruised through the middle innings.  He gave his team a chance to win, and that’s all anyone could have hoped for when he took the hill.  Unfortunately, Rafael Betancourt’s magic season came to an end when he gave up a huge two run dinger to Pedroia in the seventh.

 

Having played the Yankees and the Red Sox in the post-season, I do have this comment.  Although I absolutely hate the Yankees, they have more class than the Red Sox.  Besides Manny’s posing in the fourth game, and Josh Beckett’s outrage with Kenny Lofton in Game 5, last night we had the Sox bringing out an active player in their own division to throw out the first pitch.  To me, it’s just another example of New York and Boston thinking that all other teams are insignificant.  If I were the Orioles’ management, I’d release Kevin Millar today.  If he wants to play for Boston, let him.

 

Also, it was a no class move by David Ortiz to show up in the Sox dugout in the top of the ninth with his uniform replaced by a sleeveless windbreaker and goggles to show he was ready for a celebration.  We all knew the result was inevitable by that point in the game, but could you imagine Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez doing something like that?  Joe Torre wouldn’t have allowed it.

 

The Indians have a young core of talent, and hopefully they will be back in the post season soon, hopefully next year.  What hurts is that I think either American League team would beat the Rockies in no more than five games in the Fall Classic.  The 2007 Tribe was this close to being that team.  This ballclub learned a lot this season, and in the post-season.  Maybe they can apply what they learned in 2008.

 

MW

 

The Cleveland Indians had three chances to advance to the World Series after taking a 3-1 lead in the AL Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.  Now, they are down to one after the Carmine pasted the Tribe tonight, 12-2, at Fenway Park.  Fausto Carmona couldn’t throw strikes again, and couldn’t get out of the third inning.  Now, it’s all on the right arm of Jake Westbrook if the Indians are going to win the American League pennant.

 

Carmona got in trouble in the first thanks to a pair of infield hits by Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youkilis.  After a walk to David Ortiz, the young righthander almost escaped like Houdini.  He fanned Manny Ramirez, and got Mike Lowell on a short fly to right.  But, he fell behind to J.D. Drew 3-1, and the Boston rightfielder got his first meaningful hit of the series when he belted one into the centerfield bleachers to give the BoSox a 4-0 lead. 

 

After a solo shot by Victor Martinez in the second, the Tribe had a chance to get back in the game in the top of the third following leadoff singles from Trot Nixon and Casey Blake.  But, Curt Schilling got Grady Sizemore, Asdrubal Cabrera, and Travis Hafner in order to preserve the three run lead, and the Sox put it away with a six run bottom of the inning where the Tribe used both Rafael Perez and Aaron Laffey in relief. 

 

If there a hero for Cleveland in the game, it was the rookie southpaw who saved the rest of the bullpen by throwing 4-2/3 frames of scoreless relief.  His performance meant Eric Wedge did not have to use a Jensen Lewis or Rafael Betancourt in a game that was out of reach. 

 

So, tomorrow night it is up to Westbrook, the game three winner, against Daisuke Matsuzaka with everything on the line.  Game Seven means both managers will be ready to go to the bullpen at the first sign of trouble.  There is already speculation that Boston will use Josh Beckett in relief if the need comes up.  I doubt Wedge will use C.C. Sabathia, who hasn’t been effective in the ALCS, but he could use Paul Byrd if need be.

 

There is no truth to the rumor that Tim McCarver will help manage the Sox in the ultimate game.  I have always respected McCarver as an analyst, but he has seemed a little pro-Boston in the telecasts.  Even when Joe Buck gave Laffey some praise in the bottom of the seventh, McCarver quickly chimed in with how good Schilling was. The Boston pitcher had completed seven frames allowing two runs, and I’m sure everyone watching was aware he pitched well. 

 

Also, a word about Beckett, who was miffed about Kenny Lofton’s bat drop in Game 5.  Yes, Lofton’s move is a tad annoying, but he has been doing it since he entered the majors in 1992.  It wasn’t like it was the first time he has done it.  And, if Beckett wants to be the judge of baseball ettiquette, he should start in his own clubhouse where there sits a guy who showed up a pitcher after he hit a home run to cut a lead to four runs.

 

The last time the Indians played a deciding game in the post-season was 2001, when they lost a fifth game to Seattle in the Division Series.  The last time they won a deciding game was ten years ago, when they beat the Yankees in the Division Series.  The 2007 Indians haven’t done anything easy all year, what else did you expect.

 

KM

 

 

 

It was not to be last night in Cleveland for the Indians.  Too much Josh Beckett.  Beckett dominated the Tribe hitters for eight innings, allowing just one run in a 7-1 Red Sox victory.  So, the series goes back to Fenway Park for Game 6 Saturday night, with the Indians still needing one victory to advance to the World Series.

 

The Tribe did not play well, and Eric Wedge did not manage well, so it was one of those games you just file and forget.  The best chance Cleveland had was in the first inning, and they didn’t take advantage of it.  Despite having runners on first and third with nobody out, they got only one run.  When you face a great pitcher, which Beckett is, you have to get him early, and you have to get him when you have the opportunity.  The Indians did neither and therefore couldn’t clinch the pennant at Jacobs Field.

 

Many have been critical of C.C. Sabathia’s performance last night, but he gave his team a chance to win.  He would have had to throw a shutout to get the victory, which is a little tough to do.  He allowed just two runs through six innings, and should have been pulled after that frame since he threw over 100 pitches.  In one of his few poor post-season decisions, Eric Wedge did allow the lefty to go out for the seventh, and the game got away from the Tribe.  After the game, Wedge said he didn’t want to use Rafael Betancourt for two innings, but he could have used Betancourt in the 7^th, and Rafael Perez in the eighth, and if they were still trailing, use a mixture of Tom Mastny and Aaron Fultz in the ninth. 

 

Speaking of Perez, we were concerned about the lefty set up man before the playoffs started since he did not pitch well the last couple of weeks in the regular season.  He did pitch exceptionally against the Yankees, throwing two innings in each of the three victories.  However, he has struggled against Boston.  Perhaps it is that the Red Sox are a predominantly right handed hitting team, and New York is the opposite, or maybe he is starting to show some of the wear and tear of a long season.  The Tribe needs him to pitch better to keep playing this season.

 

It would also be nice if Travis Hafner started to hit.  Hafner looks as if he’s trying to pull everything, instead of taking the fastball on the outside corner to left field.  Pronk has good power the opposite way, and he’s a much better hitter when he goes that way.  He needs to get back to that approach.  The middle of the Red Sox order has produced the entire season, whereas for the most part, the bottom of the Tribe order has carried them.  The Indians need some production from Hafner, Martinez, and Garko in the games at Fenway Park.

 

So, it’s on to Game 6, where a little bit of history is on the Indians’ side.  In 1948 and 1997, the Tribe lost game one, won the next three, lost the fifth game, and won the series in six.  So, we have that going for us, which is nice.  However, Cleveland has to beat one of the great clutch post-season pitchers in recent memory, Curt Schilling, to wrap it up tomorrow night.  Maybe we just have to go back to Pedro mode, when he was with the Sox.  You just have to win the games Beckett doesn’t pitch, and you will win the series. 

 

MW

 

 

The Cleveland Indians are just one game away from playing in the 6^th World Series in franchise history.  The Tribe took a page out of Earl Weaver’s managing book by using his pitching and three run homers approach.  Paul Byrd, Jensen Lewis, and Rafael Betancourt provided the pitching and Jhonny Peralta tossed in the three run dinger in a seven run fifth inning to give the Indians a 7-3 victory at Jacobs Field.  Byrd kept the Boston bats at bay for five frames until the 35 minute bottom half of the fifth caused him to lose his edge a little and he gave up back to back homers to Kevin Youkilis and David Ortiz to start the top of the sixth.

 

However, Lewis served up another homer to Manny Ramirez (more on that later) before settling down to get through the sixth and seventh, and Betancourt did his usual act in the eighth and ninth to close out Game 4.  Casey Blake got the bats going in the fifth with a leadoff blast off Tim Wakefield, who had one hit the Tribe through four innings.  Blake completed the post season home run for the Tribe.  Every Tribe regular has now hit at least one homer in the playoffs.  Peralta belted his second three run shot of the series, and if the Indians win the series, he likely will be named the ALCS MVP.

 

Even in the seventh run fifth, there were some key plays.  First, Wakefield couldn’t handle Asdrubal Cabrera’s shot up the middle, which would have probably been an inning ending double play.  It went as an infield hit and an RBI for the rookie second baseman as Franklin Gutierrez scored.  Earlier in the at bat, Youkilis dropped a tough foul pop up off Cabrera’s bat.  It was ruled no play, but it could have been an error.  Gutierrez would have scored on the pop because the Red Sox first baseman had his back to home plate. 

 

Now, let’s get back to Manny.  His act following his home run, the third consecutive shot off Tribe pitching in the sixth, will likely earn him one in the ear at some point in the future.  Hopefully, no retribution will occur in Game 5, because it is the playoffs, and you don’t want to give the Sox something to rally around.  However, his standing for an extended period and watching the ball leave the playing field did not thrill the Indians.  Red Sox fans will say it is just “Manny being Manny”, but it was a bush league stunt by a guy who is the greatest right handed hitter I’ve ever seen. 

 

That brings me to the business like approach taken by the Tribe.  There are no wild celebrations within the game.  In the Yankee series, Johnny Damon did some sort of gorilla like dance after his three run homer in Game 3.  Ramirez jumped into the arms of Ortiz after his homer closed the Boston deficit to four runs last night.  I might be old school, but there is no need for that stuff.  At least Damon’s dinger put the Yankees ahead, but in Manny’s case, he should have ran around the bases and got his butt back in the dugout.

 

Closing out Boston will not be easy!  Remember, many of the players were on the 2004 team that came back from a 3-0 deficit to come back and beat the Yankees.  Also, the Tribe now goes against the majors’ only 20 game winner in Josh Beckett on Thursday night.  Beckett has proven to be one of the best post season pitchers in recent years.  Another guy with a great playoff resume, Curt Schilling, will follow him.  The Indians will need good outings from C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona to get the Tribe to the fall classic for the first time since 1997.  It’s not over yet.

 

KM

 

 

After watching his two aces, C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona struggle with Boston Red Sox hitters, Indian skipper Eric Wedge needed a good outing from his game three starter Jake Westbrook.  The sinker baller who has been up and down for most of the 2007 season came up big at Jacobs Field last night, throwing 6-2/3 innings and allowing just two runs in the 4-2 triumph, and gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead in the best of seven American League Championship Series.  It was just what the doctor ordered.

 

 The key inning for Westbrook was the second.  Facing a bases loaded, no one out situation, partially because of an error by 1B Ryan Garko, the right-hander escaped without allowing the Sox to get on the board.  He got Jason Varitek on a short fly ball to left, and then Coco Crisp hit into a 6-3 double play to keep the game scoreless.  In the bottom of the inning, the ageless Kenny Lofton belted a two run home run off of Daisuke Matsuzaka to give the Tribe a lead they never relinquished.  It was the veteran’s first home run since returning to the Tribe in late July, and what a time for it.  Westbrook had two other double play grounders in the contest, as his sinker was biting throughout the game.

 

The bullpen was outstanding again as well.  After extended outings in Game 2, Jensen Lewis came on and struck out the only hitter he faced, and then Rafael Betancourt once again threw a one-two-three eighth inning.  Even Joe Borowski retired Boston in order in the bottom of the ninth to preserve the win.  There was no full pack of cigarettes needed to watch JoBo pitch last night. 

 

Besides Lofton’s two run blast, the Tribe got timely hits from Asdrubal Cabrera to make it 3-0 in the fifth, and then Travis Hafner legged out an infield chopper to avoid a double play and plate the fourth run.  The one through nine approach that Wedge has preached for years is in full bloom in the playoffs, as everyone is contributing.  The Indians have hit 11 home runs in the post season, and only Grady Sizemore and Hafner have hit two.  Seven players have hit one each, with Casey Blake being the only regular who hasn’t gone deep.

 

Once again the bias of the Fox crew showed when Manny Ramirez hit into a double play in the sixth.  Joe Buck pointed out that a 2-0 pitch that appeared to be inside was called a strike, so he should have walked to load the bases.  However, the outrage wasn’t the same when Hafner hit with runners on first and third with one out in the fifth, and the first pitch was a foot outside and was called a strike.  Pronk followed with his RBI chopper to second, but his at bat would have been different as well had the first pitch been called a ball.

 

Tonight is an even number game, meaning it is huge for both teams.  If Boston wins, they square the series with Josh Beckett pitching Game 5, and a chance to return home needed to win one game.  If the Indians can gain the win, they take a commanding 3-1 lead with a chance to win the pennant Thursday night at home with Sabathia on the bump.  Cleveland will need to be patient against Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball, and they will need to score more than four runs to win tonight. 

 

MW

 

 

The Cleveland Browns are a .500 football team through the first six games of the schedule.  Since these games included contests against the Steelers, Ravens, Bengals, and Patriots, that mark might come as a bit of surprise.  It certainly is to me.  However, when you think about it, the Browns are the epitome of a team that wins as many as it loses, because one of its units, the offense, is productive, while the other, the defense is not. 

 

Any playoff aspiration this team has is tied to whatever improvements can be made to stop the opposition for the final ten games of the season.  A look at the NFL standings shows Todd Grantham’s guys are allowing a league leading 183 points through six games, an average of just over 30 points per game.  So, the offense better keep piling up touchdowns and yardage if Cleveland wants to stay in the playoff hunt.

 

Derek Anderson’s play continues to keep the name of Brady Quinn silent.  I’m sure the front office wanted the rookie to observe the action for as long as possible, and Anderson is allowing that to happen.  He fired three touchdown passes yesterday, all to Braylon Edwards, and led the offense to a 41 point day.  Even with Jamal Lewis out with a foot injury, the Browns rushed for 140 yards using Jason Wright and getting second year man Jerome Harrison out of mothballs.  Harrison had some key runs in the fourth quarter and caught the ball out of the backfield in his most impressive day in the professional ranks.

 

It’s incredible the transformation that the Browns’ offense has made under Rob Chudzinski.  Phil Savage overhauled the offensive line, brought in Jamal Lewis at running back, and all of a sudden this is one of the best attacks in the NFL.  The play calling is much improved, and Chudzinski calls the plays trying to score rather than “managing the game”.  When you have the ball, the goal is to score, not to run the clock.  Also, Edwards and Kellen Winslow have grown up and become playmakers.  I have been critical of Edwards in the past for being a selfish player, but he has emerged as one of the best wide receivers in the league.  He now appears to be worth the third overall pick in the draft.  As for Winslow, if he’s only 85%, just think what he would be if he were completely healthy.  He’s a beast right now.

 

Hopefully, the coaching staff can use the bye week to fix the defense.  The Dolphins’ Ronnie Brown had the usual 100 yard game against the Browns, and outside of the turnovers, the defense could not stop the Cleo Lemon led Miami offense.  Outside of Kamerion Wimbley, no one is putting consistent pressure on the quarterback.  The line is horrific in stopping the run.  The secondary is improving at the corners where rookie Eric Wright continues to improve, but the safety play has regressed from last season.  It would not be a shock if many personnel changes are made up front between now and October 28^th, which would be the game at St. Louis against the Rams.

 

After the Steelers’ game to open the season, the Browns looked like a hopeless cause.  In just five weeks, the offense gives the Cleveland fans a reason to think things are getting better.  This team should end its streak of not being able to win two in a row, which has extended over four years, by beating the Rams.  There is a light at the end of the tunnel.  Sorry, Romeo Crennel and Phil Savage critics.  I’ve seen enough progress to merit keeping these guys and continuing the rebuilding process.  The Cleveland Browns are most definitely headed in the right direction.

 

JD

 

It was written by the experts that the Cleveland Indians best chance to win the American League pennant was getting dominant performances from its two aces, C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona.  The Tribe’s starters for the first two games of the ALCS have combined to pitch 8-1/3 innings and have allowed 12 earned runs.  So, image how suprised everyone must be that the series is tied at one game apiece considering the work of the Cy Young worthy pair.  The Indians have used a superior performance by the bullpen to split the first two games in Fenway Park.

 

You would expect the Raffies to be at the center of the good work by the bullpen, but Rafael Perez struggled last night, giving up back to back bombs to Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell to turn a 5-3 lead into a 6-5 deficit.  However, Jensen Lewis came up huge giving Eric Wedge 2-1/3 scoreless innings to quiet the Red Sox’ bats, and Rafael Betancourt provided his usual outstanding performance by shutting down the Boston bats for another 2-1/3 innings.  Then, the fans of Cleveland got huge lift from an unexpected source.

 

Tom Mastny was pressed into service to face the big three of David Ortiz, Ramirez, and Lowell in the bottom of the tenth.   Surely, this would be where the Sox would take advantage and go up 2-0 in the best of seven series.  But Mastny retired the three hitters in order and gave his hitters a chance to face the unreliable part of the Boston bullpen.  The righty’s 7-2 record despite an ERA in the mid to high 4.00 range belies his uncanny ability to have the bats get warm when he comes in the game, but the 11th inning was beyond anyone’s thoughts.

 

First, Trot Nixon, I suppose his name should be proceeded by much maligned (including here), put Cleveland ahead 7-6 with a soft single into center which scored Grady Sizemore.  Nison was in the game because Eric Wedge pinch ran for Travis Hafner in the top of the ninth, but the skipper stuck with him even though the Sox brought in lefty Javier Lopez to pitch.  A wild pitch, and clutch hits by Ryan Garko and Jhonny Peralta followed by the capper, a three run bomb by Franklin Gutierrez gave the Indians a seven run inning and sent them home with the series tied.

 

Quietly, Peralta has had a good post season so far with the stick.   He hit .467 (7 for 15) against the Yankees, and erased a 3-1 deficit yesterday with a three run homer off of Curt Schilling.  He has been a little shaky defensive, especially on balls in the hole, but he has contributed mightily with the bat.  The one through nine approach preached by Wedge since he took over the manager job has never been more in evidence than the playoffs thus far.  Everyone has pitched in, including Nixon, reverse catcher Kelly Shoppach, and Jason Michaels.

 

I’m sure the fans no believe the Indians will come home and all will be well.  However, Jake Westbrook needs to give the Tribe a quality start in game three, if only to give the bullpen a little bit of a blow.  If the Tribe can get a well pitched game from the struggling sinker baller, and the hitting continues to keep the pressure on Daisuke Matsuzaka, perhaps Cleveland can make people remember that there is indeed two teams in the ALCS.  It’s not just the Red Sox invitational.

 

KM 

 

It’s finally here!  After three days with no baseball for the Cleveland Indians (kind of like the All Star break), the American League Championship Series starts tonight at Fenway Park in Boston.  The Tribe is making their first appearance in the ALCS since 1998, when they lost to the Yankees in six games.  It is the fourth time the Indians and Red Sox have met in the post season, with the Tribe winning Division Series in 1995 (3-0) and 1998 (3-1), and losing in five games in 1999.  Of course, that does not include the one game playoff in 1948, which sent Cleveland to the World Series and the franchise’s last World Championship.

 

The Indians went 2-5 against the Carmine this season, and as was the case with the Yankees in the regular season, it was the club’s offense, which was the problem.  The Tribe scored just 25 runs in the seven games, averaging less than four per contest.  Part of that is the Boston pitching, which is very good, but Cleveland did not swing the bats particularly well, especially in the four game set at home which featured back to back 1-0 games, with each team winning one.  The game the Indians won actually came against Josh Beckett with the only run coming on a Franklin Gutierrez home run.

 

Obviously, the Boston one-two punch of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez is a concern, but to me it is imperative the Indians pitchers keep the top of the Red Sox order, Dustin Pedroia and Kevin Youklis off base.  Pedroia is the typical irritant middle infielder that hits the ball where it’s pitched and was perturbed earlier this year when he felt Fausto Carmona was throwing at him.  Of course, the rookie stands right on top of the plate, so it wasn’t like the Tribe right hander was wild, he was simply a little off the inside corner.  Youklis is a quality hitter who makes pitchers work.  Cleveland hurlers have to keep them off base ahead of the big boppers.

 

The Tribe hurlers have to also not allow the bottom of the Boston batting order hurt them.  Once you get past Mike Lowell, the Sox 6 through 9 is filled with guys like Julio Lugo, Coco Crisp, and a disappointing J.D. Drew.  The Cleveland starters keep these guys off base.  If these guys can collect a few hits, it turns over the lineup quicker and provides more opportunity for Big Papi and Manny.

 

Offensively, the Indians have to have the same approach they had against the Yankees.  They have to continue to get contributions from Jhonny Peralta, Kenny Lofton, Casey Blake, and Gutierrez because the Red Sox pitchers will be very careful not to let Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez beat them.  It would be amazing if the two out success the Tribe had against the Yankees would continue, but it is unlikely.  This series, the Indians will need a few extra base hits mixed in early in innings to score some runs. 

 

Compared to the Yankees, the Red Sox have much better pitching, but their offense isn’t as potent.  Compared to the Angels, the Indians have a better lineup.  On paper, it really looks like this series will go six or seven games.  Of course, that said, it will probably be a sweep.  No matter what happens in this series, it looks like they will all be low scoring affairs.  If the Indians can score four runs per game, they will win this series and go on to the World Series.  It should be a great series and great drama.

 

MW