Series #7 @Chicago

[Special_K19]

Where: U.S. Cellular Field.

TV/radio: Fox Sports Net Ohio will carry tonight's game, but not Wednesday's; WTAM AM/1100.

Pitching matchups: Jeff D'Amico (1-1, 5.21 ERA) vs. Jon Garland (1-1, 3.74) tonight at 8:05 p.m. and Jason Davis (0-2, 5.56) vs. Scott Schoeneweis (2-1, 2.79) Wednesday at 2:05 p.m.

Season series: Indians went 8-11 against the White Sox last year. White Sox lead, 955-926, overall.

Indians update: They hit .262 against the White Sox last year, their lowest average against any AL Central opponent. The Indians went 2-7 at U.S. Cellular.

White Sox update: They won the last six games against the Indians last year. Reliever Damaso Marte went 2-0 with one save and didn't allow an earned run against the Tribe in 13 innings.

Injuries: Indians - Pitchers Jose Jimenez (left rib cage), Jason Stanford (left forearm), Bob Wickman (right elbow), Brian Tallet (left elbow), Billy Traber (left elbow), outfielder Ryan Ludwick (right knee) and catcher Josh Bard (sports hernia) are on the disabled list. Third baseman Casey Blake (right hamstring) and pitcher C.C. Sabathia (left biceps tendon) are day to day. White Sox - Infielder Jose Valentin (left hamstring) and pitcher Kelly Wunsch (left elbow) are on the DL.

Next for the Tribe: Orioles visit Jacobs Field on Friday for the start of a three-game trip.

[Special_K19]

:cheer:Jeff D'Amico (1-1 5.21):cheer:
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/113026.jpg

vs.

Jon Garland (1-1 3.74)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/279782.jpg

LET'S START THE SERIES OFF RIGHT WITH A WIN!!!!!!!!
:dancin: :banana: :dancin: :banana: :dancin: :banana: :dancin: :banana:

[PissedPrincess]

:cheer:

Too lazy to say much more. :cool:

[Special_K19]

04/28/2004 12:21 AM ET
Indians' extra effort pulls out W
Four-run 10th inning seals comeback victory
By Bree Stewart / Special to MLB.com


CHICAGO -- It was a long first inning Tuesday for Indians starter Jeff D'Amico. But it was a longer 10th inning for the Chicago White Sox.

The Indians, who trailed by four runs after the first inning, fought all the way back, scoring four runs in the 10th to secure an 11-7 victory in the opener of a short two-game set at U.S. Cellular Field.

"We've been coming back all year long. What we did different tonight was get some big hits late and hold them off," said Indians manager Eric Wedge. "Coming back has never been a problem for us. We've always had a lot of fight."

A chilly and windy night in Chicago that had the makings of a pitchers' duel turned out to be just the opposite. There were a total 32 hits in the game, 16 for each team.

The game didn't get off to a positive start for the Tribe. D'Amico allowed three home runs in the first inning. The first came off the bat of Magglio Ordonez.

Frank Thomas didn't give D'Amico much time to recover, slamming a solo shot over the left-center field wall.

The back-to-back jacks didn't end the first inning damage. Two batters later, Paul Konerko hit a solo home run to make the score 4-0.

It was the first time since August 27, 2003, that the Indians allowed three home runs in one inning.

The inning finally came to an end after D'Amico faced eight White Sox batters.

"He wasn't able to locate the baseball tonight. I felt like we took him as far as we could take him," said Wedge. "With Jeff, he's going to have to make pitches to be successful."

With the four-run lead, White Sox starter Jon Garland tried to lull the Indians to sleep, in the first game of this sleepover series.

But the Tribe responded in the second inning by giving Garland a wakeup call, bringing eight Indians to the plate and scoring three runs.

Garland led off the inning by walking Travis Hafner. Victor Martinez looped a single that popped out of the glove of left fielder Carlos Lee.

With the bases loaded and no outs, Garland hit Ben Broussard to allow the first run of the inning.

The red-hot Matt Lawton slugged his second hit of the evening into center field, driving in Martinez and Ronnie Belliard.

Omar Vizquel tapped a single into shallow center, sending Broussard at full speed from second charging toward the plate for a colossal collision. But catcher Miguel Olivo hung on to the ball to record the out.

The Indians made it a new ballgame in the fourth inning with a fielder's choice RBI that gave Lawton his third RBI of the night and 19th this month.

"It's a lot better start than last year," said Lawton. "My average is decent; RBIs are always a plus. Hopefully, I can continue to work and see what happens."

The Indians took a brief lead, 5-4, in the fourth on a Vizquel RBI single that drove in Alex Escobar.

The White Sox then tied the game back up on a double off the bat of Willie Harris that sailed over Jody Gerut's head.

D'Amico lasted four innings, allowing eight hits and five runs.

Kazuhito Tadano made his Major League debut in the fifth inning. The 23-year old Japanese right-hander pitched 1 1/3 innings, allowing four hits and one run.

"For the first time out, I thought he did OK. He had some composure on the mound and competed well," said Wedge of Tadano.

Former White Sox pitcher Rick White allowed a leadoff home run to Carlos Lee in the seventh to up the White Sox lead to 7-5.

With the game slipping away, the Indians didn't panic.

"It doesn't matter how far we are down, we just have to keep coming at them, keep having good at-bats, and we can get back in there," said Casey Blake.

The Indians started their comeback in the eighth, when Martinez greeted Cliff Politte by blasting a home run to right field to bring the Tribe back within one.

Damaso Marte loaded the bases and served up a sacrifice fly to Vizquel to knot the game at 7.

"The fact that we can come back like that has to be encouraging to everybody in here," said Blake.

Vizquel then collected his fourth hit of the night to lead off the final inning. Blake's RBI double provided the go-ahead run.

"I had some pitches to hit in the earlier innings," Blake noted. "I just didn't take advantage of it. I decided later in the game to be a little more aggressive. He gave me a good pitch to hit, and I swung aggressively. I guess that's something I can learn from."

A bases-loaded walk made it 9-7, before a Belliard RBI single and an error by White Sox center fielder Aaron Rowand on the play gave the Indians their final runs.

"It just shows that this team is capable of overcoming a deficit like that, against a good ballclub," said Blake.

Every starter recorded at least one hit, with four Indians recording multi-hit efforts.

David Riske made the bottom of the 10th inning interesting, eventually loading the bases and bringing the tying run to the plate in the form of Thomas. But the Big Hurt lofted a broken bat popup to short left that Vizquel corralled for the game's final out.

"To get the win was very encouraging tonight," said Wedge.

Bree Stewart is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

[Special_K19]

:cheer:Jason Davis (0-2 5.56):cheer:
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/425186.jpg

vs.

Scot Schoeneweis (2-1 2.79)
http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/gameday/mugshots/150011.jpg

RALLY TIME!!!!!!!! WE'RE ONLY DOWN BY 2 AND IT'S STILL EARLY!!
:dancin: :banana: :dancin: :banana: :dancin: :banana: :dancin: :banana:

[Special_K19]

If it weren't for our stupid bullpen, all of baseball would be talking about the streaking Indians, instead, we're considered one of the worst teams. :(


04/28/2004 5:32 PM ET
Bullpen lets another one slip away
Tribe's four-run, ninth-inning lead vanishes in loss
By Bree Stewart / Special to MLB.com


http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/images/2004/04/28/ZgHV8Brv.jpg
Matt Lawton singled in the second inning for his 1,000th career hit but was thrown out at second. (Jeff Roberson/AP)


CHICAGO -- The Indians seemingly had Tuesday's game in the bag until the ninth inning, when the White Sox rallied to score five runs and escape with a 9-8 victory on a crazy day in the Windy City.

The near 40-mph winds in Chicago ruffled the players' uniforms, created mini dust storms from the dirt in the infield and had napkins and wrappers swirling around the field.

The wind also factored into a Ben Broussard error in the decisive rally that cost the Indians the game and a chance to sweep the White Sox in this two-game set at U.S Cellular Field.

On a seemingly routine infield pop up, Broussard stumbled as he tracked the ball and then had it drop out of his glove. The out would have been the second of the inning, but instead the floodgates opened.

"I feel bad for Broussard because he was coming into the game fresh, he had no idea what the wind was doing," said Matt Lawton.

After the game, Lou Merloni, the starter at first base, said: "It was an extremely difficult play, especially for a guy to go in there in the ninth inning and not be accustomed to the wind."

But it was the damage done before the error that really hurt the Indians. David Riske came on to replace Rick White, but gave up a two-run homer to Magglio Ordonez that brought the White Sox within two runs.

The collapse of the bullpen left manager Eric Wedge reevaluating his closer situation. "We've just got guys who aren't doing their job in the bullpen, obviously we have to reassess everything," said Wedge after the game.

"(Riske) is a guy that we've been counting on to finish off games. He needed more work, and had an opportunity to do that today with what we thought was a comfortable four-run lead and it just dominoed on us," said Wedge.

Riske, whose ERA is now 12.27, said that the wind wasn't a factor in his pitching performance. Rather it's been inner struggles for the right-hander.

"When you struggle like that you, just want to throw strikes and that's what I was trying to do, throw a strike every pitch instead of throwing quality strikes," said Riske.

"I need to get out there and pitch like I know I can, and I'm not doing that right now."

Closer Rafael Betancourt relieved Riske after he gave up a double to Carlos Lee. Betancourt allowed an RBI single and the game winning sacrifice fly off the bat of Sandy Alomar Jr.

The ninth-inning meltdown overshadowed a fine performance by Ronnie Belliard, a milestone 1,000th career hit by Lawton and a quality start by Jason Davis.

"That was a game that we felt, for eight innings, we took it to them and dominated that game, and they beat us one inning and took the game," said Merloni.

Davis threw 105 pitches in 6 2/3 innings, giving up eight hits and allowing three runs, two of them earned.

Belliard had another impressive offensive and defensive performance. Batting in the leadoff spot, he went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. He also reached base on two walks.

"He's a guy that has done everything for us this season. Not just offensively, but he's been great defensively as well," said Wedge.

The Indians set the pace early, putting up six-runs in the fourth inning.

Belliard fouled off five pitches in a very lengthy at-bat with the bases loaded and two outs. He then ripped a three-run double.

The Indians batted around in the fourth inning, bringing Casey Blake back to the plate. Blake doubled to deep left-center, scoring Vizquel.

Vizquel launched a two-run homer, his first of the year, in the sixth, knocking in Belliard who was on base with a walk and knocking out White Sox starter Scott Schoeneweis.

Down by six runs, the White Sox continued to nibble at the Indians' lead until they came up for their final at-bat.

"We had a four-run lead in the ninth inning," said Wedge. "You can't lose those games like that, and we've done it more than once. There are no excuses for this."

The Indians will take the off day Thursday to regroup and come back strong against the Orioles.

"Good players get it out of their system real quick. They have a short-term memory," said Merloni. "The next game is against Baltimore. What happened here tonight doesn't mean anything, we have to go out there and get the job done. That's the key to good teams, and the key to good players."

Bree Stewart is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.