Indians 7, Red Sox 1
I have never been able to get too excited over Cliff Lee. If he threw three or four miles per hour harder, had slightly better stuff or was able to hit his spots more easily, I think he could be a fantastic pitcher. For me, he always just looks too ordinary out there – too hittable. Don’t get me wrong, when you have an offense like Cleveland’s, employing a guy that’s a little above average who can give you more than 200 innings is going to help you win games. And if Cliff Lee has suddenly become the pitcher he was last night, he will help Cleveland win a whole slew of games. Last night his stuff was as good as I have seen it and he was able to freely hit his spots. From the pure speculation department, it also looked as though the Indians’ advance team had a superb report planned for him too, as time after time he seemed to make the right strategic pitch in the right situations (more on that in a bit). People will be up in arms here today over Josh Bard’s four passed balls, and yes, it is close to time to address that issue. Maybe some will focus on a lackluster start out of the gate by Tim Wakefield. The story for me, however, was simply that Cliff Lee was magnificent and was the biggest reason that the Tribe was able to win last night’s contest 7-1.
It was clear that Lee was not going to shy away from his fastball right out of the gate. Two heaters away and then one on the inside corner made quick work of Kevin Youkilis in the first. Lee wouln’t allow a base runner until the thrid, when Bard singled and Alex Gonzalez – get this – walked. Youkilis once again came to the plate for what was one of the more fascinating square-offs I have seen this season. Youkilis clearly has a very high baseball IQ, and Lee seems like he really knows what he’s doing out there himself. So after striking Youkilis out with the inside fastball in the first, Lee went right back to it to start Youk off in the third. This time, Youkilis was sitting all over it. The problem, and I suspect Lee knew this, is that Kevin’s swing is not quite as short as it needs to be if he is going to consistently handle the inside pitch. For those unfamiliar with the difference between a swing that is short and one that is not, from the right side contrast Kevin Millar and Manny Ramirez and from the left, Carlos Delgado and Barry Bonds. Ramirez and Bonds clear their hands through the zone quickly enough to position the bat head in a way that they are able to drive inside pitches in fair territory. Millar and Delgado, with their longer, hooking-type swings, pull more foul balls. Youk takes a nice cut but he just has a little improvement in that area that he will need to make. So on this first inside fastball, Youk laced it foul about 320 feet. Unfazed, Lee went right back to the inside heater, only this time it was a little off the plate. One and one. On the third pitch, he painted the black on the inside. One and two. Youkilis watched the next pitch go by for a ball before tapping back to the pitcher. Lee had outsmarted Youkilis, an intelligent hitter in his own right.
After a Mark Loretta walk, Lee would strike Ortiz out on a healthy dose of fastballs – another intelligent plan executed well by Lee. The night before, Papi took southpaw Scott Sauerbeck’s first and only offering, a curve ball, out of the yard. Ortiz is a mature enough hitter at this point so that he is not going to be out in front of a curve ball. Sure you can get him with a good one, but it will be because it was just a damn good pitch, not because you fooled him. Well Lee knows he makes his money spotting a quality fastball and he did not shy away from pumping Ortiz with a succession of them. Ortiz left the bases loaded in the third, and Lee struck him out once again on mostly heat in the sixth.
The Tribe provided all of the offense they needed to in the first. Grady Sizemore singled and stole second. Jason Michaels reached on an infield single and then Jhonny Peralta homered on just an awful pitch from Tim Wakefield, one I wish he would just put away. I am all for experimentation and resourcefulness and to Wakefield’s credit, he has become a more complete pitcher by developing the ability to occasionally spot a fastball or a breaking ball and he even throws his knuckleball a couple of different ways. One way I have noticed him trying to throw it recently that I don’t think works is with some extra velocity. This is the pitch he threw to Peralta. He essentially tried to jam him with a knuckleball that he seemed to throw as hard as he could. The added velocity only served to detract from the knuckleball’s ability to move, however, and Peralta crushed what really amounted to a 76 miles-per-hour fastball on the inner half – not exactly a challenge to a superior MLB hitter. And that was that – with Lee dealing the way he was, the Sox were finished.
On the bright side for Boston, the full potential of their right field platoon was on display last night. Wily Mo Pena homered and later in the game, after Lee had been replaced, Trot Nixon came on and doubled off of Bob Wickman. Also, Pena saw his first action in center field, a move that will probably be panned by the bloviating nitwits around these parts but one that is appropriate nonetheless. Pena is nothing if not a fantastic athlete but he has what some may call “bad radar” in the outfield. Well with his excellent speed and a better look at the ball coming off the bat from straight away, I happen to believe he is better suited for center field. He can see the ball and just go and get it.
Josh Beckett and Paul Byrd this evening in the rubber match.
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I am not sure if you knew this but, um, Delmon Young is crazy. Down in Pawtucket last night, Delmon Young tried to spear the umpire. With his bat. As for actual items of interest from a baseball perspective, Dustin Pedroia and Hee-Seop Choi were each on base twice, Alejandro Machado homered and Jon Lester had another OK outing.
I heard he tossed the bat backhanded towards the plate ump, and it hit him squarely in the chest. This happened immediately after the ump tossed him. Shades of Carl Everett???? Oh, GO JOSH BECKETT.