Jake Westbrook scattered 7 hits over over 6â…” innings, giving up just two runs as the Indians bullpen came in and helped preserve a 4-2 victory for the Erie Warriors. The star of the game was Westbrook as his sinker was butt nasty tonight. Of the 20 outs he got, 14 of those came on the ground with 6 of them on double plays.
With all the hoopla surrounding, the top two starters for the Tribe, you wouldn’t have thought Westbrook would throw as well as he did given his history against the Sox. But as I have been saying all along, throw out the past history and play for today.
Westbrook sent the Red Sox down quietly in the 1st inning. He struck out Dustin Pedroia and then walked Kevin Youkilis. He ended the inning as David Ortiz grounded into a 4-5-3 double play. With the Westbrook’s sinker working, you knew the night has the possibility of a lot of double play outs.
Daisuke Matsuzaka had his stuff working in the 1st as well. After a Grady Sizemore ground out, Dice-K struck out Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis Hafner.
The visiting nine from Boston blew a chance to break open the game in the 2nd inning. Westbrook walked the leadoff hitter Manny Ramirez. Mike Lowell then reached on a single. Westbrook got a ground ball on the next batter, J.D. Drew, but Ryan Garko obviously hasn’t taken ballet as the ball hit his glove and he fell over allowing all the base runners to be safe. This set up a bases loaded situation for the Captain, Jason Varitek. Unfortunately, he was unable to bring home Manny from third as he popped a short fly ball to left for the first out. Westbrook got out of the inning as Coco Crisp grounded into a 6-3 double play.
Matsuzaka started the Indians half of the 2nd by getting the hot-hitting Victor Martinez to ground out. Garko followed that up with a single. Dice-K then got Jhonny Peralta to strikeout for the second out of the inning. Kenny Lofton would put the Indians on the board with a 2-run homer that just got over the outstretched glove of Drew in right field. Dice-K was able to get out of the inning though as he got the original Dirt Dog, Trot Nixon, to ground out.
After going quietly in the 3rd inning, the Sox squandered another great opportunity to close the 2-0 Indians lead in the 4th. Big Papi led off with a double to left center. The next batter, Manny, grounded a ball to short but Big Papi couldn’t jump high enough and the ball hit him for the first out of the inning and Manny was safe at first with a single. Westbrook then got Lowell to ground into a fielder’s choice and Drew grounded out.
In the Indians half of the 3rd inning, Dice-K gave up a single and a walk but that was it. He ended the 3rd with a strikeout of Martinez. He set the side down in order in the 4th. The 5th inning was a different story though.
Dice-K started it out with a strikeout of Nixon but Casey Blake followed that with a single. With Sizemore at the plate, Matsuzaka uncorked a wild pitch allowing Blake to move up a base. Sizemore would end up working a walk. Cabrera brought in the third run of the night for the Tribe as Blake scored from second. The speedy Sizemore ended up on third base. Hafner made it 4-0 Erie Warriors as he hit into a fielder’s choice that got Cabrera at second but scored Sizemore. Martinez chased Dice-K from the game with a single. So for the second start in a row, Dice-K threw only 4â…” innings. Terry Francona brought in Mike Timlin and he came in and struck out Garko.
Westbrook had set down the Sox 1-2-3 in the 5th inning. In the 6th, he got his 300th double play of the game. Ok well third but who’s counting. He got Pedroia to ground out, then walked Youk and Big Papi. He finished off the inning as Manny grounded into a 6-4-3 twin killing. Another chance, another failed opportunity for the Red Sox.
The Red Sox finally got on the board in the 7th inning. After a Lowell pop out, Drew singled to Sizemore in center. The slumping Varitek got the Red Sox to within two runs as he hit a 2-run homer to center field. Julio Lugo singled and that was the end of a pretty good night for Westbrook. Jensen Lewis came on for Eric Wedge’s Indians team and struck out Pedroia.
Timlin worked a perfect 6th and Hideki Okajima came in for him to start the 7th and also worked a perfect inning.
Lewis would end up only facing one batter for the night as the flame thrower Rafael Betancourt came on for the Indians in the 8th. He got into another battle with Youk and ended up winning this one too as he got Youk to strikeout. He then retired Big Papi on a scorching line drive to right and Manny on weak pop fly to second.
Okajima was back on the bump for the Sox to start the 8th. He got the lefty Hafner to ground out and then the switch-hitting Martinez was issued a free pass. Francona went to his bullpen again, this time for the Boston native, Manny Delcarmen. All Delcarmen did was come in and strikeout Garko and Peralta to send the Sox into the 9th down two runs.
Wedge brought in his closer, Joe Borowski, to finish off the Red Sox and he did just that. He got Lowell to hit a weak pop out to Garko at first. He then got Drew to hit a lazy fly ball to Sizemore in center for the second out. He would end up giving the Indians a 2-1 lead in the ALCS as he got Varitek to pop out to Blake at third to send the Jacobs Field crowd into a wild frenzy.
For a $103 million dollars, I expected a lot more out of Dice-K in the postseason. Granted he is a rookie and he’s only been here a year. He’s supposed to thrive in these big games and for the second time in as many games, he’s failed to get out of the 5th inning. He just doesn’t look comfortable on the mound it all. The last time he was at the Jake, he pitched brilliantly.
There is a chance that tomorrow’s night game could be rained out because there is a chance of rain in Cleveland. I’d think they will try and play tomorrow but they do have the luxury of the off day on Wednesday to make it up. If they do play, Tim Wakefield will toe the rubber for the Red Sox while the crafty Paul Byrd will do the same for the Indians. Not to state the obvious here but if the Red Sox don’t win one of these next two games at Jacobs Field, their season is over.
Notes and musings:
Amalie Benjamin thinks that you won’t see Eric Gagné pitch in any more close games. She also thinks if the Red Sox make the World Series that he will be left off the roster. I totally agree with her.
The Red Sox claimed lefty Jay Marshall off of waivers from the Oakland A’s. He will probably start next year in Portland. They also designated for assignment Daniel Haigwood.
Hideo Nomo, Masato Yoshi and Dice-K are the only Japanese-born pitchers to start a game in the postseason.
David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have combined to reach base in 33 of 46 plate appearances in 5 games of this postseason for an on-base percentage of .717.
Speaking of Big Papi, he has reached base safely in 18 of 23 plate appearances in this postseason with 8 hits, 9 walks, and a hbp.
In each of the Indians last 2 World Series appearances in both 1995 & 1997 they lost GM 1 of the ALCS before winning going on to win each series in 6 games.
Saturday’s 11-inning defeat marked the 1st time ever that the Red Sox have lost a post-season extra innings game at home.
The Indians had an American flag that spanned most of the outfield during the pregame intros.
Indians skipper Eric Wedge was named the Sporting News Manager of the Year.
The Indians are 15 of 37 with a runner in scoring position and 2 outs coming into tonight’s game.
Coming into tonight’s game, Manny has a 12-game hitting streak in LCS play, tying Don Baylor for 3rd longest in LCS history to Pete Rose (15) and Greg Luzinski (13). With his hit in the 4th inning, it’s now tied for 2nd at 13 games.
The Red Sox set an ALCS record by using 8 pitchers on Saturday.
The home run by Franklin Gutierrez on Saturday was the 1st hit in extra innings of a League Championship Series since 2004 when Jim Edmonds (St. Louis) belted a 2-run walk-off HR in the 12th inning against Houston.
Dice-K has given up 4 runs or more in an inning 8 times in 2007.
Before his homer, Kenny Lofton took his sweet time getting into the box. Royce Clayton was yelling at him from the dugout to get in the box and even Jason Varitek said something. After he hit the home run, he told someone in the Indians dugout that he purposely took his sweet ass time getting in the box to mess with Dice-K’s head.
Angels GM Bill Stoneman is stepping down tomorrow as general manager of the Angels.
Grady’s Ladies were out in full force for the game.
A fan was seen holding up this sign:
