The Red Sox extended their winning streak to 11 games last night. The Indians struggle hard enough to get just one.
So with the score tied at zero in the ninth inning the Indians went for the power play in front of the home crowd. Bringing in closer Kerry Wood to calm the Boston bats and give the Indians a chance to win it in the bottom of the ninth.
Boston outfielder Jason Bay quelled those thoughts with a three-run home run to left center field. The Boston Globe points out that Bay is red hot this season.
Bay is now 10 for 20 (.500) with 4 homers and 10 RBIs from the seventh inning on.
Wood had perhaps the best summation of the game afterward, per MLB.com:
“Cliff [Lee] throws 110 pitches and holds them scoreless,” Wood said. “I’m in for 12 pitches, and it’s 3-0.”
The bullpen has been one of the biggest issues for the Indians and Lee has done a great job in allowing the Indians to avoid them in his last two starts, both eight innings long.
Wood has been the exception to the rule, until Monday night.
But then, again would it have been a different game had the Indians bats been working? Perhaps that is an unfair statement when Tim Wakefield’s knuckleball was fluttering every which way into the night.
Both Lee and Wakefield were at the top of their game, Per the Boston Globe:
The base paths of Progressive Field, with only minor efforts needed by the grounds crew to drag the infield, looked nearly as pristine in the eighth inning as they did in the first last night. By the end of eight, the Indians had gotten two men to third base. The Red Sox hadn’t gotten one past second.
Credit Tim Wakefield, the ace so far of the Sox staff, and Cliff Lee, last year’s Cy Young Award winner, for the dearth of offense and the swift pace of the game. Each side had exactly six runners through those first eight innings, walks contributing runners for Wakefield, hits for Lee.
Wakefield aside, the Indians are trying everything to get the bats going. Asdrubal Cabrera was moved up to the no.2 spot. Mark DeRosa is now hitting seven.
THE REST…
– Its all about adjustments for reliever Jensen Lewis.
– Despite the Boston Red Sox being in town, the weather being extremely nice and the Cavaliers having an off day; the attendance still struggled at “The Prog.” What gives?
– Before being ejected Monday, Eric Wedge got fired about the leadership and approach of his team.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
“…the attendance still struggled at “The Prog.” What gives?”
You’re joking, right? How many seasons of watching a listless group can fans take? We’ve been “sending the message” to Shapiro since 2005. Either upgrade the offense, or count empty seats. But he and Wedgie just continue down the same dull path.
That’s what gives.
Wakefield is simply one of the best. A good knuckleballer is worth his weight in gold, and Cleveland has never realized that. We should’ve held onto Candiotti til he retired.
There is dead weight on this team, people who are not contributing. Kobayashi, Perez, Crowe, Francisco, Graffanino, Garko, Peralta, DeRosa, Betancourt….the front office needs to stop falling in love with mediocre players.
I’ve been hoping to see a championship before I die, but Im 63 now, come on Indians hurry up! Spend some money or sell the team. We need a quality outfield, Sizemore can’t do it alone. Bring up the young guys and get rid of the deadwood.