While We’re Waiting… 2000 and Counting, Big Z’s Rest, and the Drama-free Cavaliers
May 14, 2009Breaking Tribe News: Vizcaino in, Sowers Out
May 14, 2009In front of thousands of school kids on “weather day” (as well as TD, DP, and Mrs. DP), our Erie Warriors came through with another complete performance for a 4-0 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was the second time this week that actually happened! Could our Indians be starting a trek down the right path?
For the fifth straight start, ace Cliff Lee came to play. The difference was that this time, the rest of the team joined him. The reigning AL Cy Young award winner went seven scoreless innings, allowing just six hits and one walk while striking out a season-high nine batters.
He was his usual aggressive self against a very odd lineup set out by Chicago manager Ozzie Guillen. Trying to beat Lee with a lineup featuring Jayson Nix, Scott Podsednik, Wilson Betemit, and Brett Lillibridge is like bringing a knife to a gun fight. To make matters worse for the Sox, right fielder Jermaine Dye was tossed from the game by umpire Mike DiMuro after he K’d looking to end the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Guillen was soon to follow him to the clubhouse. “”I just told the guy the pitch was low at the knees,” said the skipper. “I didn’t like the way he was calling strikes and balls. It was kind of weird. I wasn’t even adamant about my players. I was adamant about both sides. I think he was a little inconsistent behind the plate.”
As for Cliff, he finally received some run support thanks to the home run ball, something that seems to have been absent from the Tribe attack. Victor Martinez got things started early with a solo shot to the Indians bullpen in center off of the previously unbeaten Mark Buehrle. In the fourth with one out, Jhonny Peralta barely beat out a double play ground-out to keep the inning alive for Ryan Garko. The Wahoo DH, who hasn’t received much playing time of late, deposited Buehrle’s first pitch into the left field bleachers, putting the Tribe up 3-0. That was more than enough for Lee.
“I made one bad pitch to Garko,” Buehrle said. “Lee’s been pitching pretty well and he’s had success against us, so you know it will be a tough game.” They added a fourth and final run in the fift by playing some small ball. Matt Laporta walked to open the inning. Kelly Shoppach laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt to get Laporta into scoring position for Grady Sizemore. Grady, in a rare clutch performance this season, singled up the middle to score the rookie.
After his seven zeroes, Lee turned then game over to the reliable duo of Rafael Betancourt and Kerry Wood. They provided two innings of quick (by Betancourt’s standards) and easy work to preserve the much deserved victory for Cliff, just his second of the year, despite an ERA under 1.50 in his last five starts. “My past few outings have been really good,” Lee said. “I feel like I’ve given the team a chance to win basically every time I’ve pitched. We haven’t gotten those wins, but I feel like I’m doing my job and doing what I can to help the team win. Obviously it’s nice to get wins, but I can only control what I can control. That’s really all I focus on and everything else I don’t worry about too much.”
What I was focused on was the lineup, which saw a Mark DeRosa much needed day off and the first appearance by Jamey Carroll at third base. Garko was DH’ing against the left-hander and we didn’t have to be subjected to David Dellucci. Grady, still sitting at .228, was in his usual leadoff slot, but if he continues to at this pace, a move down in the order has to be strongly considered.
In taking two of three from the White Sox, coupled with losses by both the Royals and Tigers yesterday, the 13-22 Indians are still just 5.5 games out of first place, despite the White Sox series win being just their second of the year. They are 2-7-1. I’ve said this may times, all it is going to take to get right in the thick of the race is a five-game winning streak.
The question remains, is this group actually capable of doing that, considering they have only one back-to-back games once this season. Garko knows what it’s going to take. “We’re not going to catch lightning in a bottle and roll off, like, 20 straight wins,” he said, “but if we can win five or six series in a row, I think that will start getting us back to where we need to be.”
Up next for the Red, White, and Blue is a trip to Tampa for a four game set with the Rays (16-19). The up and down Fausto Carmona (1-4, 5.57 ERA) opens for the Tribe against James Shields (3-3, 4.02 ERA).
EDIT: All photos taken by our own DP
4 Comments
I hope the Tribe continually faces left-handers, if only to keep Delucci on the bench.
I know you guys watermark these photos so people don’t steal em and use em as their own. But it does kinda ruin them a bit.
@ Eli – I thought the same thing, they kind of look like you’re looking through the screen behind home plate. Which they probably are, but yea, makes it look a bit, odd I guess.
Now if only Shoppach could have bunted well in the 9th against the Tigers…..