| Game No. 3: Cleveland Indians (0-2) At Texas Rangers (2-0) | ||||||||||
| STARTING LINEUP |
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| 1. | Grady Sizemore | 24 | L | CF | 1. | Ian Kinsler | 5 | R | 2B | |
| 2. | Mark DeRosa | 7 | R | 3B | 2. | Michael Young | 10 | R | 3B | |
| 3. | Victor Martinez | 41 | S | 1B | 3. | Josh Hamilton | 32 | L | CF | |
| 4. | Travis Hafner | 48 | L | DH | 4. | Andruw Jones | 25 | R | DH | |
| 5. | Jhonny Peralta | 2 | R | SS | 5. | Nelson Cruz | 17 | R | RF | |
| 6. | Ben Francisco | 12 | R | RF | 6. | Marlon Byrd | 22 | L | LF | |
| 7. | Kelly Shoppach | 10 | R | C | 7. | Chris Davis | 19 | L | 1B | |
| 8. | Trevor Crowe | 26 | S | RF | 8. | Taylor Teagarden | 2 | R | C | |
| 9. | Asdrubal Cabrera | 13 | S | 2B | 9. | Omar Vizquel | 13 | S | SS | |
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STARTING PITCHERS |
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| Carl Pavano | 44 | RHP |  |
Brandon McCarthy | 20 | RHP |  |
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| 0-0 | 0-0 | |||||||
| 0.00 ERA | .0.00 ERA | |||||||
| 0 K | 0 K | |||||||
| 0 walks | 0 walks | |||||||
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| The often injured Pavano is looking to start anew this season with the Cleveland Indians.
The last two seasons Pavano has pitched just 45.2 innings (5-2, 5.52 ERA). Yet he was healthy all spring and pitched decent with an extended workload. The flyball pitcher does not have much of a track record against the Rangers or pitching in their home stadium. |
McCarthy, like Pavano struggles with the injury bug. The once promising White Sox prospect pitched just 22 innings last year and 101 innings the year before.
In the spring, Mccarthy went 4-0 with a 4.37 ERA to earn a spot in this year’s rotation. McCarthy has had success against the Indians. For his career he is 4-2 with a 4.58 ERA against the tribe. It is the only team he has beaten more than once. |
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| THE SKINNY |
| the first two games of the season haven’t exactly panned out for the Tribe. Carl Pavano is the last hope at salvaging something out of the opening series. An 0-3 start is far from the end of the season, but it would help to open Progressive Field tomorrow with at least one win.
Starting pitching wise, the Indians have ran into four bad innings (the second and fifth in both games). Offensively, Cleveland hit a tad better yesterday, but could not hit to save their lives with runners in scoring position(1-16). |
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Well, it’s 9-1 Texas in the 2nd inning.
I might just point out to Mark Shapiro what a GOOD HITTING LINEUP does for a team….makes up for questionable starting pitching. You worried aloud in the media all winter about your pitching, but ignored the fact that you’ve got a lineup of inconsistent banjo hitters. Didn’t you learn anything from John Hart?
0-3 to come home….and fans will be calling for Wedgie’s head soon, count on it. Mark, you PUT your manager in this tenuous position with a lack of talent. And he compounds it with nonsensical statements like “we’re still figuring out who/what we are as a team. Ya know, we lost Casey Blake and CC from the clubhouse, and blah blah blah.” Didn’t you just spent 6 weeks in Arizona together? Didn’t you play the last half of 2008 without those “clubhouse guys?” Stop the excuse making, and start winning. I’m ALL for the return of Mike Hargrove. ALL for it.
Compare the good hitting Texas Rangers to the balanced Cleveland Indians over the past 10 years. Who has made the playoffs more often? The Indians. That’s all that matters. The fact that they are taking advantage of our suspect pitching early in the season is a bit trivial.
If you are actually in favor of Hargrove returning, then you have no idea what you’re talking about. He hasn’t been consistently effective since he was with the Indians. I might also add that he was effective with a surplus of talent.
But, I will make a point about this game:
$1.5 million for a pitcher who gives up nine runs in one inning is still a waste, even if he is a tenured veteran. The Indians are better off bringing up an unproven minor league starter who would earn around $400,000 and risk it.
If I remember correctly the Tribe had some fairly decent hitters on most of those playoff teams.
But I am more worried about the pitching. Handing Pavano the third spot was madness.