The Cleveland Indians have been called the “Windians” for a reason this season. They just keep winning. Sure, they’ve lost 15 games this season but after an Asdrubal Cabrera RBI double off of Daniel Bard pitch left out over the plate, the “Windians” are the first team in MLB to 30 wins.
On Saturday night as the Red Sox held a 3-1 lead against the Chicago Cubs, skipper Terry Francona went with Matt Albers instead of Bard. The move was to allow the former North Carolina Tar Heel an extra day of rest. The move didn’t work out too well for Francona and the Red Sox. On Sunday night, Bard came in to a 3-1 game and was perfect in 1.1 innings as he struck out two.
Monday night, Bard entered the game with a 2-1 lead after a fine performance from Clay Buchholz who left with one out in the 8th and a runner on second base. Bard got the first batter he faced to pop out but then allowed the game tying single to Michael Brantley on a 2-2 count. After that, it didn’t take long for Cabrera to bring in the winning run as he took the second pitch he saw and laced the game-winning double.
Given the fact that Cabrera was amoing the league’s hottest hitters, I’m surprised they didn’t walk him to get to Shin-Soo Choo. They didn’t and ironically enough, Rich Hill came in and struck out Choo on four pitches. But hindsight is 20/20.
The Red Sox did try to rally in the 9th inning as J.D. Drew and Jed Lowrie connected for one out singles. But Indians closer Chris Perez was able to get the speedy Carl Crawford to ground into a game-ending double play on a night where a win would have put the Red Sox in first place after the New York Yankees and Tampa Bay Rays both lost.
Buchholz was paired up against his buddy and former teammate Justin Masterson, who had owned his former club in two starts against them. Runs were hard to score off the pair as the only run off of Buchholz came from the bat of Cabrera in the form of a solo home run. The only runs off of Masterson came off a Dustin Pedroia single and Crawford solo home run.
Pedroia did end up leaving the game after it appeared he injured his ankle when he tripped over second base. It turns out that he suffered a leg stinger and should be okay. He’ll be off on Tuesday which just happened to be a rare day off for him.
Both pitchers pitched well enough for the win just as they have been doing as of late. For Buchholz, it’s been a great run since struggling early on. For Masterson, it’s something he’s been doing all season long for the “Windians’.
But yet again, it came down to the bullpen and just like earlier in the season, the Red Sox bullpen failed them.
Even though the Indians are a great team and have been pulling off these comebacks all season long, it was a sight too familiar for the Red Sox. When they struggled early on, part of the blame went to the bullpen blowing late leads.
It was an offseason that saw the Red Sox sign Dan Wheeler and Bobby Jenks to add to the bridge to Jonathan Papelbon that already included Bard. But Wheeler has been ineffective for the most part and Jenks has downright sucked donkey doo and is on the disabled list right now. Other than his Saturday blip on the radar, Albers has been outstanding and Hill has stepped up to be the No. 1 lefty out of the bullpen.
When we look back at the end of the season if the Red Sox don’t make the postseason, we’ll be able to attribute it to the bullpen, the third wheel to the big offseason acquisitions of Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez.
We’ll be back later with tonight’s lineups, batter/pitcher matchups and links from the day. But for now, enjoy the overnight links by clicking on the read more button below if you’re on the home page.
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Surging Indians keep Bard, Red Sox from going over top [Boston Globe]
Pedroia’s injury considered minor [Boston Globe]
Setup needs some cleanup [Boston Globe]
Indians raze the Bard [Boston Herald]
Sox see what may have been [Boston Herald]
Drew stays patient [Boston Herald]
No decision for Dice-K [Boston Herald]
Pedroia OK after scare [Boston Herald]
Questions, answers, numbers [Clubhouse Insider]
Tribe rally to beat Red Sox, 3-2 [CSNNE.com]
Buchholz: Got to tip your cap to Masterson [CSNNE.com]
Pedroia ‘OK’ after leaving game with leg injury [CSNNE.com]
Francona: Matsuzaka will not have surgery [CSNNE.com]
Scutaro waits patiently while on the DL [CSNNE.com]
Notes: Jenks felt ‘great’ during 25-pitch side session [CSNNE.com]
Rapid reaction: Indians 3, Sox 2 [ESPN Boston]
Dice-K, now in Japan, will get 2nd opinion upon return [ESPN Boston]
Why did Buchholz come out in 8th inning? [Extra Bases]
Facing Cabrera wrong move from the start [Extra Bases]
Daisuke Matsuzaka to Get Second Opinion on Elbow, But Not Facing Tommy John Surgery [NESN.com]
Video: Dustin Pedroia Suffers ‘Stinger’ in Left Leg Against Indians, Will Likely Receive Day Off [NESN.com]
Dustin Pedroia Expected to Be Fine After Leaving Game in Cleveland [NESN.com]
Dustin Pedroia’s Injury Scare Just One Part of Painful Finish for Red Sox [NESN.com]
Heidi Watney Hangs Out With Red Sox Fans at Red Sox TweetUp [NESN.com]
Cabrera’s hot bat lifts Cleveland late [Providence Journal]
Tito dismisses talk of surgery for Dice-K [Providence Journal]
Lowrie in the lineup for his bat, not his defense [Providence Journal]
Red Sox Journal: Indians playing ‘inspired’ baseball [Providence Journal]
For more slices of Red Sox goodness, head over to the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, CSNNE, ESPN Boston, NESN, Providence Journal, RedSox.com and WEEI websites.
And if you must check out the enemy news, head over to the Akron Beacon Journal and Cleveland Plain Dealer websites. You can also check out our Bloguin brother Burning River Baseball.
Photo credit: AP Photo
