Series #16: @Boston

[Special_K19]

Friday May 23 7:05
Ricardo Rodriguez vs Derek Lowe

Saturday May 24 1:05
Brian Anderson vs John Burkett

Sunday May 25 2:05
Jason Davis vs Casey Fossum

All-Time Match-Up: Indians lead 994-919 overall.

GO TEAM GO!! Should be a fun series, but no Travis for Jacqui.

[Special_K19]

Ricardo Rodriguez (2-4 4.31)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/400156.jpg

vs

Derek Lowe (3-3 5.89)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/117955.jpg

LET'S GO RICO!!!!!!! :dance2:

[PissedPrincess]

:wavey2:

Good Luck K.

[PissedPrincess]

When is Trav coming back up? Most sad he's not coming now.:cry:

[Special_K19]

He was eligible to come off the DL yesterday, but will remain in Buffalo for awile to get back into his groove. I guess they want to see a little more of Ben Broussard at first before making any decisions. So barring injury at least another week before he's back.

[Special_K19]

Rodriguez roughed up in loss
First-inning errors prove costly for doomed Tribe
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com

BOSTON -- This may be the first season of his Major League managerial career, but no one has to tell Indians manager Eric Wedge how costly sloppy play can be. But just in case he was looking for reinforcement for his young club, the Red Sox provided a rude reminder early on Friday night at Fenway Park.
The Indians committed two errors that led to two unearned runs, including one by starter Ricardo Rodriguez (2-5), and Boston scored six times en route to a 9-2 romp over the Tribe.

Boston sent 10 batters to the plate in the opening frame, with Bill Mueller and Shea Hillenbrand connecting for consecutive doubles to break the inning and the game wide open. The two hits drove in three runs as Cleveland lost the opener of a three-game series in Boston and the first game on a six-game road trip.

"That's not the way we want to start things off, obviously," said Wedge. "I was proud of the way Ricardo didn't give in to it, and fought, and got us through five innings. He threw quite a few pitches in the first. I don't think he threw that many in the next four."

For the record, Rodriguez threw 44 pitches in the nightmarish opening inning and just 41 in the next four. The 25-year-old right-hander settled down to finish five innings, allowing seven runs, eight hits, with one walk and one strikeout.

"I looked back at the scoreboard and wondered how the game got away that quickly," said Rodriguez. "I don't know how they did it because they hit some good pitches. But my job there is just to concentrate and try to put the first inning behind me. I was able to forget about it and just pitch the rest of the way."

"I think Ricardo set the tempo after that first inning," said Wedge. "(He) shut them down for four more innings for the most part."

The inning also featured two costly errors, one committed by Rodriguez that laid the groundwork for the long inning. With one out, Todd Walker grounded weakly to the third-base side. Rodriguez threw over Ben Broussard's head at first, allowing Walker to take second.

After Nomar Garciaparra extended his hitting streak to a Major League-leading 23 games, Manny Ramirez walked to load the bases. Trot Nixon then grounded to the left of Brandon Phillips, who allowed the ball to get beneath his glove for the second error of the inning.

"I was just trying to turn and make the throw to second and I rushed it," admitted Phillips. "I let it hit the grass and it took a bad hop on me. That's a mistake you learn from and you won't see me make it again."

"We made a couple of mistakes defensively, a couple bad decisions, and it hurt us," said Wedge. "Ricardo didn't help himself by throwing that ball to first base. That's a ball he knows he needs to hang on to. (He) was just a little bit too aggressive.

"Brandon was trying to be aggressive as well, looking to try to get the ball to second base when he probably should have taken the out at first base. They're aggressive errors, but nevertheless, Boston has a good lineup and they took advantage of it."

The six first-inning runs were more than enough for Red Sox starter Derek Lowe (4-3), who tossed a complete game and retired the first seven Cleveland batters, before Broussard just beat Garciaparra's throw from deep short in the third for an infield single.

"I turned to (hitting coach) Eddie (Murray) and asked, 'How is he doing it?'" said a pondering Milton Bradley. "You look up and see that he's only throwing 88 miles an hour on his fastball, but he sinks everything. He really doesn't give you much to hit. That was the case tonight."

"When you get down with a pitcher on the mound like that and a pretty good lineup over there, it's tough to battle back," said Wedge. "Our guys didn't give in. We just weren't able to do anything against Derek."

Lowe would allow just three more hits, another by Broussard, a two-run single by Bradley in the sixth that broke up Lowe's shutout bid and a ninth-inning single by Jody Gerut.

The complete game was just the second of Lowe's career and the first since the Red Sox right-hander threw a no-hitter on April 27, 2002 at Fenway Park against Tampa Bay. Before Friday, Lowe had been winless in his last five starts, dating back to his last win, against Toronto, on April 18.

[Special_K19]

Brian Anderson (2-4 5.14)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/110230.jpg

vs

John Burkett (2-2 5.43)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/111734.jpg

LET'S GO BA, GET BACK IN THE W COLUMN!!!

[PissedPrincess]

:gt:<-------Tribe:cool:

[Special_K19]

First-inning woes continue in loss
Indians hurt themselves with errors, missed chances
By Mike Petraglia / Special to MLB.com


BOSTON -- Brian Anderson showed his patience during Saturday's game and his leadership after.
The Tribe starter was the latest victim of shoddy defense as Boston scored five times in the first, all of the runs unearned, en route to a 12-3 rout of Cleveland at Fenway Park.

For the second straight contest, the Indians yielded a big opening frame to the Red Sox, committing another two errors in the process. The visitors have been outscored 11-0 in the first inning of the first two games.

"That's not what I had in mind when I took the mound," said Anderson, who fell to 2-5 with the loss. "When you play a top-flight ball club that just took over first place (AL East) and is playing at home, you need to be better than we were."

"We haven't done a very good job the first inning the last two nights, no doubt about it," admitted Indians skipper Eric Wedge. "We've got to do much better than that when we come out of the box."

The trouble began with a one-out Bill Mueller single. John McDonald, making his seventh start at third, allowed a Nomar Garciaparra grounder to get through his legs for the first error. Manny Ramirez was then walked intentionally to load the bases. Shane Spencer, who had been perfect in the field in 29 previous starts, dropped a routine Kevin Millar fly ball in right, allowing Mueller to score the game's first run.

"The ball just appeared out of the lights and I lost it," said Spencer. "I slipped but that was after I had already misplayed it. There are no excuses there. You have to make that catch."

Shea Hillenbrand followed with a sacrifice fly to center to make it 2-0. David Ortiz proceeded to clear the bases with his second homer, a three-run blow into the Indians bullpen in right.

"We had our chances to get out of that inning but some crazy things happened to us," lamented Anderson.

Anderson could be excused if he were looking for pity. But the lefty, making his first career start at Fenway, wasn't prepared to use the fielding miscues as his defense.

"You can't afford to think like that," said Anderson. "It's just human nature to think you wouldn't be in this situation if you get a ground ball or fly ball (fielded). But these things happen.

"And with those two players (McDonald and Spencer), you couldn't ask for better fielders. Those two plays with those two players you probably won't ever see again."

Saturday marked the first time since June 2-3, 1950 that the Red Sox had scored at least five runs in the first inning of consecutive games. Ironically, those two games were also at Fenway against the Indians.

And as was the case Friday night, Boston's starting pitcher had more than enough cushion with which to work. John Burkett (3-2) won his second straight start, limiting the Indians to two hits and two runs over five economical innings.

The Indians cut Boston's lead to three in the second on a sacrifice fly by Josh Bard, scoring Spencer, and an RBI double from McDonald, plating Ben Broussard.

Garciaparra extended the Majors' longest hitting streak of 2003 to 24 games with a solo homer off Anderson leading off the third.

Kevin Millar added some insurance in the fifth when he doubled home two more runs, making it 8-2 Boston. Anderson's day was finished after five innings. The lefty allowed eight hits and eight runs, three earned, while walking one and striking out two.

Matt Lawton led off the sixth with his seventh homer, a longball to right.

"I felt good about our effort in terms of offense," said Wedge, whose club managed seven hits. "We didn't quit. We kept playing. We played (Friday) night, too. We dig a hole like that, you got to come through when opportunities present themselves, and we didn't do that."

"You can say that we were that close to getting out of the (first inning), but baseball can be cruel sometimes and that's been the case the last two days here," added Anderson.

Reliever Jason Phillips finished for Cleveland, allowing four earned runs and seven hits over the final four innings.

[Special_K19]

Jason Davis (3-4 5.81)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/425186.jpg

vs

Casey Fossum (4-2 4.50)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/407154.jpg

I don't mind losing, but don't get blown out again, Tribe. I'd rather lose 5-4 in 13 innings than 12-3.

[PissedPrincess]

Well, Grady is sitting Manny, and Mueller:angry: , so pencil in a W K.

[Special_K19]

If the Tribe can make it out of the first unscathed it should be at least close.

[Special_K19]

Davis, Bradley lead Tribe to triumph
Indians jump out early, stay the course behind Davis
By Amy Nelson / Special to MLB.com



BOSTON -- For the past two days, the Indians' youth was exposed as starting pitching and poor defense led to 11 first-inning runs by the opponent. On Sunday, the youth movement received a wakeup call coming in the form of Jason Davis.

Milton Bradley drove in a season-high three runs and 23-year-old Davis tossed a career-high 7 2/3 innings as the Cleveland Indians avoided a series sweep to hold on for a 6-4 triumph over the Boston Red Sox.

"We're young and people are down on us, but we'll be right back in the thick of things before too long," said Bradley.

Davis (4-4), making his 13th career Major League start, yielded a run but got out of a jam when he struck out Trot Nixon with runners on first and third base to end the first inning. He settled down thereafter, retiring 22 of the next 23 batters he faced, using just 95 pitches before leaving in the eighth.

"Tonight I was able to fall into a groove that, basically, I've been looking for all year," said Davis. "I was able to go out there and have confidence in my fastball, and it worked."

At one point, the right-hander set down 17 in a row before Johnny Damon's two-out single in the eighth inning snapped the streak and sparked a late Red Sox rally.

"We scored some runs early and that gave me some confidence to go out and just throw strikes, and let my defense work for me to get a lot of quick outs."

A ground-rule double by Todd Walker and a two-run two-bagger by Nomar Garciaparra in the eighth chased Davis, who allowed four runs and six hits while striking out four without issuing a walk.

"Jason was outstanding today," said Indians' manager Eric Wedge. "He was very aggressive with his fastball. He's able to work off that and keep a very good hitting team off balance for the most part."

"He was really hitting his spots and it was one of his better outings as far as him commanding the fastball," added veteran catcher Tim Laker. "There are a lot of unproven guys here and we want to see them have big games. It says a lot for a young team to lose two here, then bounce back and play such a good game and have a young guy step up and pitch a good game like that."

Davis was helped by his offense as Cleveland got on the board in the first inning for the first time in the series.

After leadoff hitter Matt Lawton grounded out, Omar Vizquel smacked a double off the left-field wall. Ellis Burks then walked, setting up Bradley's team-leading 13th double of the season that plated both runs.

"They got on us quick the first two games and I wanted to come out and get a quick lead on them," said Bradley, who is hitting a league-leading .476 (20-for-42) against left-handers this season, "and help J.D. go out there and settle down and throw his pitches -- not (to have to) throw perfect pitches. And he did pretty good."

Boston, however, countered in the bottom half of the frame. Walker extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a one-out single to left field and moved to second after Garciaparra was hit by a pitch for the second time in as many days.

Kevin Millar singled to left, scoring Walker for his 28th RBI this season.

With just a 2-1 lead after two innings, the Indians seized the opportunity to take advantage of a struggling Casey Fossum (4-3) in the third.

Burks sparked the frame with a one-out single and hustled home on a double to center field by Bradley. Bradley then stole third and Shane Spencer hit a sacrifice fly for a 4-1 lead.

Burks' hamstring tightened up later in the game and he was taken out for precautionary reasons.

"This is a big game against a good ballclub and anytime you win in Boston it feels good," said Bradley, who had the wind knocked out him in the eighth diving for Damon's sinking fly ball.

Lawton chipped in with an RBI double in the fourth inning and Spencer added another sac fly in the seventh to complete the Indians' scoring.

After Davis was chased when he gave up the two-run double to Garciaparra -- which extended his hitting streak to a Major League leading 24 games -- the bullpen took over and made it interesting.

Billy Traber was pulled after walking pinch hittter Manny Ramirez to put runners on first and second, and David Riske came on in relief and surrendered an RBI single to Millar. With Ramirez and pinch runner Damian Jackson in scoring position, Riske, however, avoided further damage by striking out Nixon.

Danys Baez retired the first two batters in the ninth before issuing a walk to Bill Mueller. But he induced Damon to fly out to deep right to capture his ninth save in 12 chances.

In the end, it was Davis who dominated the day by becoming the team's first four-game winner and helping the Indians to just their seventh road win of the season.

"It gives you a great deal of confidence -- it's the kind of confidence that a starting pitcher looks for," he said. "To go out and work into the eighth inning here in Boston against a team that's hot, that gives you that much confidence to believe in yourself and to stay within yourself. Just to know your limits and just go out there and pitch."