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RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: Opening arguments? None

By SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON – If he’s not the staff ace, he’s on his way to becoming it. If he can’t quite match Curt Schilling for October heroics, that may only be a matter of time.

But one thing seems already certain about Josh Beckett – he’s the guy you want to start Game One of a postseason series.

Last week, Beckett blanked the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game One of the Division Series with a complete-game shutout while the Sox scrapped together four runs against John Lackey.

Friday night, as the American League Championship Series got underway, it was more of the same. While the Red Sox bats were getting to C.C. Sabathia, Beckett was mowing down the Cleveland Indians for the first four innings, helping the Sox a one-sided 10-3 decision in the series opener.

Starting pitcher: Beckett.

Advantage? Red Sox.

''I think it’s always important [to set the tone],’’ said Beckett afterward, ''especially [when facing] someone like C.C.’s caliber. The first few innings become a little more important.’’

Beckett wasn’t perfect in the early inning. He was touched for a solo homer over the visitor’s bullpen by Travis Hafner, giving the Indians’ a short-lived lead. But Beckett struck out the other three hitters he faced that inning, then retired the next 10 hitters he faced.

''Whenever you get a couple of runs off a guy as tough as him,’’ said Beckett, ''I think it becomes a little important to get your guys back in the dugout, particularly on a cold night.’’

This was billed as an honest-to-goodness pitcher’s duel, the kind made special by the setting and the calendar, the kind you remember.

But only Beckett kept his appointment. Only Beckett pitched like an ace. Sabathia was gone before the fifth inning was complete, and when he trudged off the mound, the Cleveland Indians' chances to win last night’s ALCS opener went with him.

The prospect of a fourth shutout in seven postseason starts dissipated with Hafner’s homer, which was aided by the stiff autumn breeze. Last night, matched up with a far better lineup than the Angels, Beckett was merely very good – six innings pitched, two runs allowed on four hits.

Moreover, in between Hafner’s belt and Kenny Lofton’s slicing double with two out in the fifth, the Indians didn’t get the ball out of the infield against him. Cleveland’s turns at bat were short as Beckett methodically buzzed through the batting order, recording half of his first 12 outs by strikeout.

Later, with the game safely tucked away, Beckett became a bit sloppy. In the fifth and sixth innings, he allowed three hits, hit a batter, threw a wild pitch and yielded another run. But because the Sox led 8-1 by that point, the run was just window dressing for the Indians.

''When you’re facing a guy like C.C., ‘’ said Terry Francona, ''you’d better have somebody you believe in, and we do, because you’re going to have to beat really good pitchers to keep moving on. We know that.’’

Beckett, of course, first hinted at his ability to win big games in 2003, when he shut out the Cubs in the NLCS and added to it when he won the World Series – on three days’ rest – at Yankee Stadium – also via shutout.

This fall, he’s cemented the title of new Mr. October. Days after his shutout of the Angles in the Division Series, teammates and scouts were still raving about his dominance. Schilling, an expert in such matters, called it the most dominant performance he had ever had the pleasure to witness and spoke of his motivation to match it.

And that – more than any pitching line or stat – speaks to how far Beckett has come. When the best postseason pitcher of his generation feels compelled to keep pace with you, you’ve officially arrived as an October force.

Friday night served as one more exclamation point, one more piece of evidence to be entered.

In the 1990s, the Indians rode a powerful lineup to five straight division titles and two American League pennants, but never captured an elusive championship because they lacked a bonafide No. 1 starter.

They tried old (Dennis Martinez, Orel Hershiser) and they tried young (Jaret Wright), but they never found a honest-to-goodness frontline starter, someone to match the opposition’s series opener.

This year, returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, the Indians thought they might not one but two true aces, with Fausto Carmona, Saturday’s Game Two starter, capable of filling the role, too.

But Friday night, Sabathia was found wanting. If the Indians were looking for a Game One ace, he was in the other dugout, putting them in a familiar 0-1 hole.

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 11:59 PM | Permalink

RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: Rest of the lineup shows Sox aren't a three-man team

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- By this point of the postseason, everyone knows the impact Josh Beckett, David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez have had for the Boston Red Sox.

The threesome has been absolutely outstanding in ways most won’t realize until maybe years down the road. Beckett’s pitching, combined with the offensive talents of Ortiz and Ramirez, is poison for opponents, especially in October.

But what about the other guys?

The rest of the Red Sox lineup is just as important as the ace of the staff and the 1-2 punch from the third and fourth spot in the order.

If the leadoff hitter Dustin Pedroia and No. 2 hitter Kevin Youkilis don’t reach base, then Ortiz and Ramirez are obsolete.

If No. 5 hitter Mike Lowell doesn’t produce the way he has all season, followed by Bobby Kielty/J.D. Drew, Jason Varitek, Coco Crisp and Julio Lugo, then Ortiz and Ramirez are obsolete.

“For them to get on base like they did today is a little bit ridiculous,” said Lowell, following Friday’s 10-3 victory over the Cleveland Indians in Game One of the ALCS.

What Lowell was referring to was the pair of hammers reaching base all 10 times. What might get lost in the mix, however, is the fact Ortiz and Ramirez combined to score four runs. That means the guys around them are doing their jobs just as well, too.

“I think it’s really important,” said Lowell. “One through nine is important. We don’t want the guys hitting behind or in front of that David-Manny combination not being able to do their job . . . If they’re on base, there’s nowhere to put those guys, so they’ve got to pitch to them. That’s to our advantage.

“Then if they come through, it’s the responsibility of the guys that follow to keep it going, so they don’t get a free pass. I think we did a good job of that tonight. We put together professional at-bats and were able to work the count. We put ourselves in a good position.”

Lowell contributed three RBI, while Kielty and Varitek added two each.

As much as the big things count at this time of the season, the proverbial little things -- like dropping down a sacrifice bunt or moving a runner over -- are just as important as a bases-loaded walk or a home run.

The Red Sox are in the midst of doing it all.

With that said, the club will make it hard for any team to beat them at this point.

"That's the one thing that is very important," said Ortiz. "Because when you're only focused on two players, when you have nine players plus, and you don't get production from the rest of the players, if I'm managing the team I wouldn't give nothing to hit to those two guys.

"Those guys are doing a great job," added Ortiz. "They're getting it done and producing at the right time. That makes a difference, too."

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 11:57 PM | Permalink

RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: Sabathia licks his wounds

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON – After crafting a career-best season spiced with historic control of his pitches, C.C. Sabathia has hit the skids in the playoffs.

The Indians’ lefty won 19 games and may yet take home the Cy Young award but he’s fallen flat on his face in two postseason starts. After walking six hitters and leaving after five innings last week in a blowout win over the Yankees, Sabathia came unraveled Friday night against the Red Sox in the ALCS opener.

Sabathia was hit hard early and then encountered major control problems as the Red Sox ran up eight runs in 4.1 innings. The lefty walked five Sox, including one intentionally, and even walked in a run when he let Manny Ramirez dig out of an 0-and-2 hole and walk with the bases loaded in the fourth inning.

After the game, Sabathia pointed to a poor change-up, sloppy control and a lack of aggression as the root of his problems.

“I was upset with myself for just not being aggressive. Not being my usual aggressive, coming-at-the-guys self,” he said. “I guess you could say that was a wasted opportunity.”

That was definitely the case. Instead of the Red Sox seeing the Sabathia that can dominate with a high-90’s fastball and cutting slider, he continually either let hitters fight back in counts or got behind himself with poor control.

“I was trying to be too fine instead of being myself and going after guys,” he said. “They were patient. They did a good job. But normally I make them chase pitches and I didn’t do that tonight.”

Sabathia’s control problem in his last two starts is truly puzzling. During the regular season, he recorded the second highest strikeout-to-walk ratio (5.65) by a lefty pitcher in major league history. Now he has trouble both getting ahead in the count and punching out hitters when he’s in control.

“He didn’t do a good enough job early in the count being aggressive so he could use all his pitches,” said pitching coach Carl Willis.

Cleveland manager Eric Wedge knows that he needs both Sabathia and Game Two starter Fausto Carmona to pitch very well for his team to have a chance to upset the Red Sox. After seeing Sabathia fail to check in with his best stuff, the pressure moves to Carmona.

''Well, he didn't have it tonight. His command was off,” Wedge said. “He was off a little bit with his fastball, having trouble getting his breaking ball where he needed to. He was running away from his change-up a little bit. He just never really got in sync.”

Both Sabathia and Wedge credited the patience of the Red Sox hitters as a major factor in the game. Sabathia said several of his fastballs were just off the plate but the Sox never chased.

“You know, when you're talking about facing a team like Boston, they're going to make you come in, they're going to make you work for it. They're not going to chase,’ said Wedge. “You've got to prove that you can be in the zone before they even think about expanding a little bit. It was just one of those nights where C.C. just wasn't able to get on track.”

After the Indians scored first on a Travis Hafner home run off Josh Beckett in the top of the first inning, the Sox put a single run on the board after four different hitters struck the ball very hard. One was a liner by Dustin Pedroia back to the box that Sabathia stabbed but the next three were singles that led to a run and a 1-1 tie.

Things became unraveled in the third, however. Julio Lugo led off with a ground rule double to right. Sabathia then walked Kevin Youkilis and grazed David Ortiz with a tight fastball to load the bases. Sabathia jumped out to a two-strike lead against Ramirez but let him get away to walk in Lugo for a 2-1 lead. Mike Lowell followed with a huge hit, a one-hop liner into the right-field seats for a double and two more runs. A Jason Varitek ground ball knocked in the fourth run of the inning for a 5-1 Boston lead.

Sabathia buried his team even further in the fifth inning when he walked Ortiz, Ramirez singled and Lowell walked to load the bases. Bobby Kielty then doubled to right to score two more runs and push the lead to a commanding 7-1.

“Not going after guys in the zone and not being aggressive, that’s what got me in trouble,” said Sabathia. “I felt great. I had no worries the whole time. Just pitch selection and not sticking with the game plan got to me.”

Willis said the frustration from the Indians’ point of view came in not seeing the best of Sabathia on the playoff stage.

“They didn’t see the C.C. Sabathia that’s been pitching throughout this season. Next time, I fully expect him to go out and pitch well,” said Willis.

Posted by Kevin  at 11:57 PM | Permalink

RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: Ramirez proves that when you're hot . . .

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Manny Ramirez certainly did his share of damage at the plate Friday night in helping the Red Sox rout Cleveland in Game One of the ALCS.

That was just a continuation of his productive hitting in the three-game sweep over the Angels in the ALDS.

But to give you an idea of how hot Ramirez is these days, it's necessary to look at what he did defensively Friday night, too. And he's on such a roll that even when he doesn't make a catch he gets credit for it.

That's what happened in the eighth inning. With Casey Blake on third base and one out, Asdrubal Cabrera laced a low liner to left-center.

Ramirez got a good jump on the ball and made a diving "catch" of the ball, ultimately rolling head over heels but managing to secure the ball in the webbing of his glove. Blake scored on the sacrifice fly.

But the truth was -- as shown by replays -- that Ramirez trapped the ball. The ball hit the turf a split-second before Ramirez's diving reach for it. Left fielder umpire Gary Cederstrom, though, ruled it a catch.

Ramirez also turned in a solid defensive play in the second, going back and a bit to his left to haul in a line drive drilled by Kenny Lofton with two outs. Just when it appeared as if the ball would get over Manny's head, he reached up at the last minute and gloved the ball, robbing Lofton of an extra-base hit.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 11:56 PM | Permalink

RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: Kielty comes through

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- The numbers screamed out to Terry Francona.

In his career, Bobby Kielty was a .310 (9-for-29) hitter with four doubles, two homers and seven RBI against left-hander C.C. Sabathia, the Indians' choice to start Game One of the ALCS Friday night at Fenway Park.

Even though most of that damage had been done a while ago -- Kielty was only 2-for-his-last-14 against Sabathia -- Francona decided to start Kielty instead of $70 million right fielder J.D. Drew, who was 0-for-3 (3 strikeouts) in his career against Sabathia.

The move paid off. Kielty went 1-for-2 with a walk. His hit was a two-run single that knocked out Sabathia in the fifth and expanded Boston's lead to 7-1 en route to a 10-3 victory.

"I was as excited as I could be for a game. I was really nervous. I had never had the opportunity to start a playoff game," said Kielty, who was told on Tuesday that he would be starting in Game One.

Kielty's night didn't get off to a great start. A strike call that Kielty didn't agree with put him in an 0-and-2 hole in the second, and then he chased a pitch in the dirt for a strikeout. He was walked intentionally in the third, but Kielty, who joined the Boston organization on Aug. 6 after being designated for assignment by Oakland, had his biggest hit for the Red Sox in the fifth.

"When the count went to 2-and-0, I pretty much could tell he had to throw a fastball at that point," said Kielty. "So I sold out on the fastball. That's what I was looking for."

He got the fastball and knew what to do with it.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 11:47 PM | Permalink

RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: From the stat sheet . . .

-- The Sox broke a club record for walks in an ALCS game with 8. The previous record was 6, set in Game Five against the Yankees on Oct. 18, 1999.

-- Manny Ramirez' three walks tied a team ALCS record for walks in a game, set first by Don Baylor in Game Two in 1986 and tied by Johnny Damon in Game Six in 2003.

-- The Sox have walked 24 times in four games this postseason.

-- Josh Beckett has now won three consecutive postseason starts. The six innings he pitched was the shortest postseason start of his career.

-- David Ortiz has now hit safely in nine straight postseason games, a streak that began in Game Three of the 2004 World Series. Since Game Five of the 2003 ALCS, Ortiz is hitting .433 (39-for-90) in the postseason with 21 walks, 24 runs scored and 27 RBI, and has hit safely in 22 of the 24 games.

-- Mike Timlin made his 21st career LCS appearance, moving past Rick Honeycutt into sole possession of second place on the all-time list. Next up: Mariano Rivera, with 25.

-- Teams that have won the first game of an ALCS have gone on to win the series 60 percent of the time (22 of 37). The Sox are now 3-5 in first games of the LCS, beating Oakland in 1975 and the Yankees in 2003 prior to Friday night.

-- Friday was only the third time in the last eight years that the home team won the first game of the ALCS.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:44 PM | Permalink

RED SOX 10, INDIANS 3: Sox benefit from a productive approach at the plate

By STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- The Boston Red Sox' approach to attacking Cleveland Indians' starter C.C. Sabathia was apparent from the very first batter of Friday night's Game One of the ALCS at Fenway Park.

Red Sox leadoff hitter Dustin Pedroia bashed a line drive up the middle, a scalded liner that would have physically hurt the Indians left-hander if he hadn't been able to get his glove up in time, making the self-defense catch.

By the time Sabathia got out of the first, though, Boston had a run and had pulled even at 1-1.

And there was a pattern to the Sox' offense.

Kevin Youkilis -- single up the middle. David Ortiz -- single up the middle. Manny Ramirez -- RBI single up the middle. Even Mike Lowell hit the ball up the middle, even if his grounder to second was turned into an inning-ending double play.

But the Sox kept the pressure on Sabathia by either taking tough pitches, working walks, or going to the opposite field for hits. In the decisive four-run third-inning rally, for instance, Julio Lugo began the damage with an opposite-field ground-rule double to right and, after a couple of walks and a hit batsman, Lowell delivered a pair of runs with another opposite-field ground-rule double to right.

And when Bobby Kielty, batting right-handed, drove a pitch to right-center for a two-run single with one out in the fifth, Sabathia was hooked, trailing by 7-1.

''We were just trying to put together good at-bats,'' said Pedroia. ''Everyody was being real patient. We weren't trying to do too much. We were just trying to take what he was giving us. And if he didn't give you anything to hit, just take your base (on a walk). Our lineup from 1-9 had a good approach.''

Kielty, who was 9-for-29 (.310) against Sabathia in his career, with most of those at-bats coming when he was a member of the Minnesota Twins, was impressed with his teammates.

"It seemed like everyone was being really patient," said Kielty. "We made him throw a lot of pitches where he didn't want to. He likes to work the corners, but we were able to lay off some of those pitches and make him throw more pitches down the middle than he wanted.

"He's successful when he can get all three pitches over the plate, but we able to lay off some of those pitches and make him go back to his fastball. And when we got some, we got some hits off those fastballs," said Kielty.

The Sox continued to go the other way and up the middle, and they racked up bases on balls even after Sabathia had been driven from the game.

In the sixth, for instance, Pedroia and Youkilis opened the inning with opposite-field singles and then, after walks to David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez pushed home one run, Lowell's sacrifice fly to center cashed in another run, boosting Boston's advantage to 10-2.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 11:31 PM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Quick reaction -- Mike Lowell

On Ortiz and Ramirez getting on base 10 times
I've never seen anything like it. They're aggressive, they're patient . . . It's great for me because they're always on base. To get on every time is unbelievable.

On the lineup producing top to bottom
I think it's very important. Really, 1 through 9 it's important. We don't want the guys hitting ahead of or behind that David-Manny combination not to do their jobs . . . I think we did a good job today.

On the team's offense
During the season we had a couple of dry spells offensively. We were a little disappointed. But it seems like all the guys are clicking and that's a good sign.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:13 PM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Quick reaction -- Terry Francona

On Josh Beckett
He gave us just what we needed. He had to kind of re-find himself each inning, and once he did he was very, very good. It just seemed like it took him a hitter each inning.

On the team's offensive showing
I thought our approach was really, really professional. We had real good discipline, hit the ball the other way, drove the ball the other way, didn't expand the zone.

On Ortiz and Ramirez
They're on base, what, 10 times? That's kind of the extreme but, again, I thought we had good at-bats all the way up and down.

On facing other team's aces
When you're facing a guy like C.C., or tomorrow a guy like Carmona . . . you're going to have to beat real good pitchers to keep moving on.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:08 PM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Quick reaction -- Josh Beckett

On why his control is so much better this year
I think my control was there. It was more me trying not to give in, or make the perfect pitch every time. This year I trusted my stuff.

On why he's so good in the postseason
I don't know. I'm just out there trying to execute pitches. All the other stuff does is create distractions, and we're trying to get away from the distractions and play good baseball.

Posted by Art Martone  at 11:03 PM | Permalink

POSTGAME: Quick reaction -- Eric Wedge

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
C.C. Sabathia heads back to the dugout after being taken out of the game in the fifth inning.

On C.C. Sabathia
He didn't have it tonight . . . He just never really got in synch. When you're talking about facing a team like Boston, they're going to make you work for it. It was just one of those nights for C.C. . . . One thing about C.C., and it's easier said than done, but he just doesn't need to try and do more than he normally does.

On what he'll tell his team in the face of such a one-sided loss
Nothing. We keep going. Our guys do a good job of separating from day to day and situation to situation. We'll chew on this one for a very short period of time tonight and move on.

On Josh Beckett's performance tonight
Real good. He's dropping that breaking ball in there, doing a good job of going left-to-right on the plate with his fastball, elevates when he needs to . . . He was on tonight. I thought he threw the ball well.

On how to decide whether to remove Sabathia
I've got so much confidence in our guys and in particular a guy like C.C. . . he's proven to me before, and proven to us before, that he can be a little off and find it. Unfortunately, it didn't happen tonight.

Posted by Art Martone  at 10:56 PM | Permalink

FINAL: Boston 10, Cleveland 3

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Josh Beckett throwing in the top of the third inning.

By JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- It was complete domination.

Boston made Cleveland look like a college team during spring training as the Red Sox defeated the Indians, 10-3, in Game One of the American League Championship Series last night at Fenway Park. The Red Sox received solid starting pitching, an explosive offense and sound defense to take a 1-0 lead in this best-of-seven series.

\It wasn’t the pitchers’ duel most thought they would witness between the pair of Cy Young Award candidates.

As far as October artistry is concerned, Red Sox starter Josh Beckett continues to be poetic. Cleveland Indians ace C.C. Sabathia wasn't.

The right-handed Beckett, who pitched a complete-game four-hitter against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in Game One of the ALDS a week ago, was solid once again. He needed to work only six innings and allowed just two runs on four hits with no walks and seven strikeouts. Sabathia, the left-hander, never found his groove as Boston pounded him for eight runs on seven hits.

It was clear from the get-go that Beckett had his October stuff. He struck out the first two batters he faced in the brisk 51-degree game-time temperature before the Indians’ Travis Hafner unloaded with a solo home run that landed in the first row behind the visitor’s bullpen for a 1-0 Cleveland lead.

It was a mistake pitch by Beckett, a fastball that did not move enough inside, and Hafner turned on it. Other than that, Beckett was in control. The right-hander responded by retiring the next 10 batters he faced before hitting the Indians’ Ryan Garko with a pitch in the fifth.

Putting the runner on meant nothing, because Beckett was able to get Jhonny Peralta to ground into a 6-4-3 double play, and after Kenny Lofton doubled, Beckett got out of the jam by striking out Franklin Gutierrez to end the inning.

Prior to the game when Sabathia was warming up in the bullpen, the left-hander seemed out of sorts a bit and that proved to be true early last night. The key for the Red Sox was to get to him early, and they did. In the process, Boston gave its ace a solid offensive cushion.

Ramirez provided an RBI-single in the bottom of the first inning before the Red Sox pushed across a four-spot in the third to jump out to a 5-1 lead as Sabathia couldn’t quite get into a groove early. The big hit in the inning was a two-run ground-rule double for Lowell.

Sabathia retired the side in order in the fourth, but he imploded big time in the fifth. He loaded the bases before Bobby Kielty – starting in place of J.D. Drew due to his career success against the Cleveland starter – provided a two-run single to break the game wide open. That would end Sabathia’s night.

Right-handed reliever Jensen Lewis replaced the starter and surrendered an RBI-double to Jason Varitek to give Boston an 8-1 lead.

The Indians pushed across a run in the sixth off Beckett, a RBI-single by Asdrubal Cabrera, but that would all Cleveland could muster. The Red Sox, however, weren’t done.

Boston scored two more in the sixth inning with Ramirez drawing his second bases-loaded walk of the game, Lowell providing a sacrifice fly for a 10-2 lead. With the Sox holding an eight-run lead, Francona decided to pull Beckett after six innings and only 80 pitches (53 strikes).

Because of the short night, it’s possible he could come back and work Game Four – only if absolutely needed – instead of Tim Wakefield, who is scheduled to start that game Monday in Cleveland.

If Cleveland thought last night was bad, it won’t get any easier for the Indians Saturday night as they try to even the series when they face another October master pitcher in Curt Schilling.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 10:33 PM | Permalink

Photo: Kielty scores

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Bobby Kielty scores on a double by Jason Varitek in the bottom of the fifth inning. Coco Crispis on the left.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 10:19 PM | Permalink

Photo: Pedroia leads off

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl

Dustin Pedroia singles to lead off the bottom of the sixth inning.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 10:03 PM | Permalink

Photo: Sabathia's out

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Cleveland manager Eric Wedge removes C.C. Sabathia in the fifth inning.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 9:37 PM | Permalink

Photo: Manny walks

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Manny Ramirez walks with the bases loaded in the bottom of the third inning, scoring Julio Lugo, background left.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 9:11 PM | Permalink

Photo: Papi hit by pitch

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
David Ortiz is hit by a pitch in the bottom of the third inning to load the bases.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 9:08 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Schilling 'fearful' of Carmona

AP photo / Charles Krupa
Cleveland Indians pitcher Fausto Carmona laughs during his news conference before Game 1 of the American League Championship baseball series today at Fenway Park. Carmona will face Red Sox ace Curt Shilling in Game 2 Saturday.

By KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON – Ever since the Indians drafted Fausto Carmona as a 17-year old out of the Dominican Republic, they loved the big, strong pitcher’s talent. They just didn’t know how best to use it until this season.

Carmona, now 23, was shuttled to the minor leagues in 2006 after an ugly meltdown in the Indians’ closer role. Soon after trading veteran closer Bob Wickman, the Indians shifted Carmona from his middle relief spot and he promptly blew three saves in a row in August. He finished the season with a 1-10 record and 5.42 ERA in 38 appearances.

When Carmona reported to spring training, the Indians hoped he’d be able to win a spot in the starting rotation. Almost shockingly, their hopes were realized. In spades. The righty blossomed into the most surprising pitcher in baseball, finishing second in the AL in wins (19-8) and in ERA (3.06).

He was especially impressive down the stretch, winning all five of his starts in September and allowing a mere seven earned runs (1.78). In last week’s start against the Yankees in the ALDS, Carmona dominated in a complete-game, 2-1 win where he allowed just three hits.

When he toes the rubber tonight in Game Two of the ALCS, Carmona hopes to continue his outstanding pitching. Curt Schilling, his adversary for the Red Sox, certainly respects the youngster.

“I know enough to know I'd rather be facing somebody else. This kid is something else. I've watched him a couple games against us, and I've seen him on TV a couple other times,” said Schilling. “The game he threw in New York was just a dominating, dominating outing. He's as good as anybody I've seen this year.”

Schilling, one of the game’s all-time best playoff pitchers, went a step further in his praise for Carmona when he said the Indians and Carmona should be favored tonight.

“You know, it's been a long time since I've gone into a game being an underdog, but given the year he had and the way he's throwing, I can absolutely see why people think we're going to have a hard time winning that game,” he said. “He's been phenomenal, he's been consistent, his stuff is electric and he's been fun to watch. Like I said, I'd rather be facing somebody else.”

The maturation of Carmona says an awful lot about the patience that’s needed with young pitchers. That was certainly the case with the Indians. They saw the strength of the 6-4, 220-pounder and loved how he mixed his fastball and sinker to keep hitters off balance. When he ran into trouble as a closer, Carmona went down to Triple A for a quick spell and came back ready to try his lot as a starter. Then he continued to work on his skills in winter ball.

''I'm a big believer that anything you experience in and outside of the game is a big part of who you are today, on and off the field. I think that goes for all of our players,” said Cleveland manager Eric Wedge. “People tend to forget what Fausto did before and after being in the (closer’s) role. He was one of the best setup guys in baseball for six weeks prior to being a closer. Starting prior to being a setup guy, then starting after being a closer, then doing that in winter ball and coming into this season. You talk about a tough young man. A tough, intelligent young man that understands what he’s experienced and how to be a better baseball player for it. Fausto is a great example of that.”

Carmona says putting his troubles as a closer behind him was easy. He gained confidence throughout the winter and came to spring training ready to revitalize his career.

“From the stretch I went through last year as a closer, I learned a lot. I don't regret what I went through last year because it makes me stronger,” Carmona said last night through interpreter Luis Rivera. “I worked hard in the Dominican during winter ball and worked on my confidence and worked on my pitches, and coming into spring training I forgot completely about what happened the year before. I feel like it was a new start for me and I was going to take the opportunity and do the most with it.”

Posted by Kevin  at 8:32 PM | Permalink

Photo: First run

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Mike Lowell greets Kevin Youkilis at home plate as Youkilis scores the first run of the game for the Red Sox.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 8:25 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Strange bedfellows

BY SEAN McADAM
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Cleveland GM Mark Shapiro's best friend is Patriots' Player Personnel guru Scott Pioli. His sister, Julie, meanwhile, is married to New York Jets coach Eric Mangini.

That leaves Shapiro with some divided loyalties.

''When the Pats and Jets play,'' Shapiro said last night, ''I refrain from watching. Scott (who sat with Shapiro last night, next to the visitor's dugout) is a 15-year friend and Eric is my brother-in-law.

''But I'm an Eric Mangini fan and Scott Pioli fan first and a Pats or Jets fan second.''
---
Shapiro is the son of agent Ron Shapiro, who has represented a number of star players, including Cal Ripken Jr. and the late Kirby Puckett.

Ron Shapiro also has three current players on the Indians roster -- Jake Westbrook, Joe Borowski and former Sox outfielder Trot Nixon.

In those cases, Mark Shapiro recuses himself from negotiations and lets assistant GM Chris Antonetti handle the contract talks.

''I just think it's the right thing to do,'' said Mark Shapiro. ''Why create any doubt or conflict?''

Posted by Sean McAdam  at 8:24 PM | Permalink

Photo: Beckett on the mound

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Josh Beckett pitches in the first inning.

Posted by Donna McGarry  at 8:12 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Manny does the wave / Photo

Journal photo / Gretchen Ertl
Manny Ramirez, who once played for the Indians, waves to one of the Cleveland players during batting practice before the game tonight.

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 7:25 PM | Permalink

PREGAME INDIANS JOURNAL: Reaping the riches of a home-grown team

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- With a payroll less than half of the Red Sox, winning baseball games isn’t easy for the Indians. Yet after finishing with identical 96-66 records, the Tribe found a way to get the job done.

The principal reason clearly lies in player development. Under the direction of general manager Mark Shapiro, the Indians have churned out a slew of good, young players in recent years. The minor league system introduced three every-day players this season in first baseman Ryan Garko, second baseman Asdrubal Cabrera and right fielder Franklin Gutierrez. Fausto Carmona transitioned from a rocky rookie year as a reliever in 2006 into one of the premier starters in the American League in `07. Young relievers Rafael Perez and Jensen Lewis helped firm up a shaky bullpen.

These new additions join more established veterans who also came through the Indians' farm system, notably C.C. Sabathia, Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez. Cleveland’s payroll this season was a shade over $61 million. Boston’s hovered near the $143 million mark. Two of the best buys on the squad are all-star outfielder Sizemore ($916,000) and Carmona, who earned only $387,000 this season.

Rookie battle
There are two major impact rookie second basemen in this series. Dustin Pedroia is the likely Rookie of the Year in the American League but Cabrera enjoyed an extremely impressive debut as well.

Cabrera began this season with Double A Akron but quickly stopped through Buffalo (9 games) before landing in the majors on Aug. 7. Over the last seven weeks of the season, Cabrera received a taste of the action and quickly seized the opportunity. He ended up hitting .283 in 45 games with 22 RBI. A slick fielder, he only coughed up one error in 220 chances at second base and shortstop. He also quickly rose in the batting order from ninth to his present spot in the two hole.

“Initially it was not a permanent move,” to fix the rookie high in the order, said manager Eric Wedge. “We knew that we were going to give him some playing time, and he just went out and took it. If you look at the way he handled himself offensively, the way he handled himself defensively, you know, the kid was just in the middle of everything. When we called him up, he was at the bottom of our order and then we made some changes with our entire order, from really head to toe. And that's when we put him in the two hole. We weren't sure how that was going to work out, either.”

Staying put
Before the game, Wedge was asked why he doesn’t step on the field after his team secures a victory. Even after closing out the Yankees in New York, Wedge resisted the urge to celebrate with his players near the pitcher’s mound. He says the game is about the players, not himself.

“I’ve done that all year, it's not just a postseason thing,” he said. “This is their team. It's their clubhouse, it's their team. It's about the players. Managers and coaches do what they can to help them be the best they can be, but ultimately it's all about the players. As soon as you get done playing and you start managing and coaching, it sure as hell better not be about you anymore or you shouldn't be doing it because your time is done. It's about the players and it's about what they do and what they mean to each other.”

Keeping the faith
Even with top starters Sabathia and Carmona, the Indians know they’ll have to rely on closer Joe Borowski throughout this series. With 45 saves, Borowski knows how to close a game but his 5.07 ERA speaks to bigger troubles in tight situations.

Wedge has supported Borowski all season long and continued to put faith in his closer.

“Your bullpen starts with your closer,” said Wedge. “We've got someone down there with as much strength, actually more strength than I've ever seen in regard to being the leader of our bullpen, as a closer needs to be. Because of that, other people that are down there are more confident. It's black and white; either you get it done or you don't. He saved 45 games for us during the season, saved the final game (in New York). He's the one that we want to get the baseball to.”

Posted by Kevin  at 7:12 PM to McNamara | Permalink

PREGAME: Limited number of World Series tickets available Monday

A limited number of tickets for Games One, Two, Six and Seven of the 2007 World Series, which may be played at Fenway Park, will be available by telephone only beginning at 3 p.m. Monday.

Fans may call touch-tone ticketing at (617) 482-4SOX beginning at 3 p.m. Monday. Fans with disabilities may call 877-RED-SOX9 beginning at noon on Monday. The Red Sox' TTY number is 617-226-6644.

There is a one-game, two-ticket purchase limit per customer. Ticket prices for the World Series are $225 for box seats, $150 for grandstand seats, $75 for bleacher seats and $50 for standing room. All orders will include an $8 per ticket and $15 transaction fee. Prices are set by Major League Baseball.

Fans who registered and were selected in the random online drawing for the opportunity to purchase tickets for the World Series will be notified via e-mail on Saturday.

No tickets will be sold at the Fenway Park box office.

Posted by Art Martone  at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

PREGAME: Tonight's umpires are . . .

BOSTON -- Randy Marsh, a veteran of 26 years as a big-league umpire, will be the crew chief for the American League Championship Series between Boston and Cleveland.

This will be the 18th postseason series of his career, and his eighth LCS.

The members of his crew are Kerwin Danley, Brian Gorman, Paul Emmel, Gary Cederstrom and Dane DeMuth.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:52 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Snyder, Tavarez 'disappointed' about being left off postseason roster

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- Decisions have to be made when it comes to putting together a postseason roster, and that means there are going to be some hurt feelings.

Red Sox pitchers Kyle Snyder and Julain Tavarez, who were with the team all year, have been left off the rosters for each of the first two rounds.

''There's some disappointment, there's no way around it for guys who have been with us all year. It's not good news," said manager Terry Francona. "We have to make some decisions. We don't expects those guys to jump up and down and cheer, but we expect them to be professional, which they are, to the n-th degree."

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:48 PM | Permalink | Comments 1

PREGAME: Pedroia gets his revenge . . . in cribbage

BOSTON -- It was not a normal day for Boston manager Terry Francona.

Francona lost his cribbage match to second baseman Dustin Pedroia, whom he has been beating on a regular basis this season.

"He killed me, kick my rear," said Francona. "Hey, you can't go 162-0."

-- STEVEN KRASNER

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:45 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: No secrets at this time of year

BY STEVEN KRASNER
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON _- At this stage of the season, no player is flying under the radar, says Boston manager Terry Francona.

So don't expect the Red Sox pitchers to be throwing cookies to the Indians at the bottom of their order. Indeed, Boston pitchers will be quite wary of Cleveland's number nine hitter tonight, Casey Blake, for instance.

"He's not a number nine hitter," said Francona of Blake, who batted .270 with 18 homers and 78 RBI this season.

"Our guys aren't going to fly under the radar, either. This is two good teams. This is going to be a fun series," said Francona.

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:40 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Wakefield feels fine

BOSTON -- Red Sox manager Terry Francona said that Tim Wakefield came through his five-inning simulated game on Tuesday without any ill effects.

Wakefield has played catch since that 77-pitch workout, and the knuckleballer still is being penciled in for a Game 4 ALCS start Tuesday night in Cleveland.

-- STEVEN KRASNER

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 4:37 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: It's no surprise that Schilling's ready to go

BY JOE McDONALD
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON --- It's no secret Curt Schilling thrives on the big stage, especially in October.

And there'll be no bigger stage in baseball than the one Schilling will be on Saturday night, when -- six days after he dispatched the Angels in the third and deciding game of the ALDS -- he takes on the Indians in Game Two of the ALCS.

Schilling, a veteran of three World Series, has had ample time to prepare for Saturday's game. It will only be the second time he's worked Sept. 25.

"Having faced them once this year helps," he said. "Our advance scouts put together another tremendous set of reports, so I'm confident that I know what we need to do. I have to go out and execute."

While the Red Sox were preparing for Game Three of the ALDS last Saturday in Anaheim, Schilling spoke at length about how he loves to pitch at this time of the year. He spoke about having the ability to silence a stadium filled with 50,000 fans with a solid performance.

When he was asked Friday afternoon about what makes him so good in October, Schilling pooh-poohed the notion.

"I can't indentify anything other than I think we execute well," he said. "You have to execute almost perfectly in October to be consistently successful, and I think we've done that."

Schilling was once a power pitcher and now he's more of a finesse guy. Instead of relying on a 95 MPH fastball most of the time, he uses all of his pitches with pinpoint consistency now.

"Everything has changed stuff-wise," he said. "We just have taken a much different approach to starting a game, tempo-wise. I'm not as adamant about establishing my fastball as I am about establishing the change of speeds."

Schilling enters Saturday's game with a 9-2 lifetime record in the postseason in 16 starts. He also boasts a 1.93 ERA in the postseason, which is the third best in history. In LCS play, he's 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA in five starts.

Posted by Joe McDonald  at 4:17 PM | Permalink

PREGAME: Foul-ball kid tossing out the first pitch

Journal photo / Bob Breidenbach
Danny Vinik, the fan who helped the Red Sox beat the Angels in last Friday's game, waves to the crowd before throwing out the ceremonial first pitch.

BY KEVIN McNAMARA
Journal Sports Writer

BOSTON -- These Red Sox don't miss a trick.

Forget some old legend or civic leader. The Sox have chosen Danny Vinik to throw out the ceremonial first pitch Friday night. Vinik is the teen who snatched the foul ball out of Angels' catcher Jeff Mathis' mitt in last week's Game Two victory.

Vinik is the son of Jeff Vinik, a Red Sox limited parter and the former manager of Fidelity Investment's Magellan Fund.

Posted by Kevin  at 3:29 PM to McNamara | Permalink | Comments 2

PREGAME: The Game One starting lineups

BOSTON
-------------
Dustin Pedroia 2b
Kevin Youkilis 1b
David Ortiz dh
Manny Ramirez lf
Mike Lowell 3b
Bobby Kielty rf
Jason Varitek c
Coco Crisp cf
Julio Lugo ss
---
Josh Beckett p

CLEVELAND
-----------------
Grady Sizemore cf
Asdrubal Cabrera 2b
Travis Hafner dh
Victor Martinez c
Ryan Garko 1b
Jhonny Peralta ss
Kenny Lofton lf
Franklin Gutierrez rf
Casey Blake 3b
---
C.C. Sabathia p

Posted by Steven Krasner  at 3:05 PM | Permalink

Projo SoxTalk with McAdam: Let the games begin

Click here to listen to today's edition of projo SoxTalk with Sean McAdam. The topics: how the players dealt with the long layoff; the Beckett-Sabathia matchup; how Sabathia has made this season his best ever; why winning tonight is very important for Boston; the mismatch at the closer position; Eric Wedge; and will the Colorado Rockies ever lose again?

Remember, if you click the above link, you can listen to all of our editions of SoxTalk over the past year -- so you can see how correct (or incorrect) we were all along as the season unfolded.

Here are some excepts from Sean's comments today:

Players getting antsy to start the series? "They're creaturs of habit, and they get into rhythm and ... you would think that sitting around -- even if there's kind of that anticipation, you know, a little kid before Christmas, finally you want Christmas morning to come. And I'm sure those guys are happy that today is the morning of the game, and they can get back and start doing what they look forward to doing."

Lose tonight and there's the risk of going down 0-2 heading into Cleveland: "They certainly don't want to be up against that, and they know firsthand how tough [Game 2 starter Fausto] Carmona can be, having lost to him -- Beckett himself -- in a 1-0 pitchers' duel back at the end of July. If anything, based on the limited experience they have against both, they've actually done better against Sabathia then they have against Carmona. They're both going to be tough, but certainly getting a win tonight and getting a leg up, and getting some momentum and getting the crowd behind them, all those things would be beneficial in the long run."

Borowski vs. Papelbon: "I think that is the Red Sox' biggest edge. You've got Borowski, who's a guy that had an E.R.A. over 5, who ... was 13-of-19 in one-run saves, so the tighter the save the more precarious it became with him. He didn't have a lot of clean innings all year ... I think Papelbon is the best closer in baseball. That includes whoever you want to put on there, from Mariano Rivera to Joe Nathan to anybody else.

Your Turn: Do you agree that Papelbon is the best closer in baseball?

Posted by Mike McDermott  at 10:39 AM | Permalink

Baseball Today: Friday, October 12

Journal photo by Bob Breidenbach

AT LAST: Sean McAdam provides a position-by-position breakdown of the Red Sox-Indians series; the majority of the checkmarks go in Boston's favor. McAdam also talks to scouts for a player-by-player breakdown of the Cleveland roster.

All of which means, after five long days, we're about ready to play baseball again.

The national media have come out with their predictions. Among them . . .

-- Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com: Red Sox in 7.
-- Of SI.com's 10 experts, five pick the Sox and five pick the Indians. One of them, Jacob Luft, gives a position-by-position analysis and concludes that Cleveland will win.
-- The Diamond Mind simulation, which predicted the Sox would beat the Angels, picks Boston over Cleveland. (espn.com) A caveat: It also picked the Yankees over the Indians.
-- Tim Kurkjian of ESPN: Red Sox in 7.

First pitch, 7:10 p.m. Get ready.

WELL, I'M READY: When last we saw Josh Beckett, he was authoring one of the greatest postseason starts in Red Sox history. Tonight he'll try to match it against C.C. Sabathia. Kevin McNamara has the details. (projo.com)

AS AM I: When last we saw Sabathia, he was subduing -- though not exactly dominating -- the Yankees. Tonight, reports Steven Krasner, he says he plans to sacrifice speed for command. (projo.com)

DON'T BE RIDICULOUS: Krasner and McNamara say Jonathan Papelbon isn't buying the notion that he's a better closer than Joe Borowski. At least not publicly. (projo.com) He'd get an argument from slate.com's Chris Park, who thinks the Indians should take Borowski out of the job.

WE'VE COME A LONG WAY: Krasner, who knew him back when, profiles Indians manager Eric Wedge, a familiar face to McCoy Stadium denizens of the early 1990s.

PROJO BITS AND PIECES: The roster's been decided and Tim Wakefield is in and Kevin Cash is out . . . Terry Francona is reserving the right to change the rotation as the series progresses . . . It's official: Bobby Kielty's starting tonight in place of J.D. Drew . . . Trot Nixon is to the 2007 Indians what Gabe Kapler was to the 2004 Red Sox . . . Francona says you can throw past results out the window when it comes to this series.

MY KIND OF PLACE: Mike Lowell couldn't be more clear: He wants to stay in Boston. (Boston Herald)

NO PLACE LIKE HOME: The sublime Joe Posnanski unveils the Heartbreak City Quotient and concludes that Boston, which is ''going to win another Super Bowl this year, maybe another World Series . . . is the best place on earth to be a sports fan these days.'' The poor folks of Cleveland, whose teams haven't won a championship since 1964, rank 9.58 on a heartbreak scale of 10. (joeposnanski.com)

TALL ORDER: ESPN.com's Howard Bryant says the Indians, having slayed one behemoth to get to the ALCS, now have to slay another to get to the World Series.

HERE'S HOW YOU DO IT: Randy Hill of FoxSports.com gives the three remaining postseason teams tips on how to beat Boston.

FASTEN YOUR SEATBELTS: Regardless of who wins or loses, SI.com's Jon Heyman thinks these will be two great League Championship Series.

SHIFTING TIDES? Suddenly, it looks like there's a chance Joe Torre may not be fired, after all. The New York Post reports the Yankees apparently are being influenced by the number of players who've come out in support of the manager . . . and by whispers that Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Andy Pettitte won't come back if Torre doesn't. But Northjersey.com's Pete Caldera says ''too many opinions of key club officials would have to be altered to prevent a managerial change -- an extremely tall order.''

HIGH-TICKET ITEM: The New York Post reports Alex Rodriguez' asking price is 12 years, $360 million. And why not? MSNBC.com's John Brittain makes the case that A-Rod ''belongs in the pantheon of all-time baseball greats.''

WIMPS! SI.com's Tom Verducci says the Indians ''laughed when they watched Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez allow themselves to be blatantly distracted by the bugs'' in Game Two of the ALDS last Friday.

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE TELL THIS GUY THE PARTY'S OVER? Roger Clemens is leaving the door open for yet another comeback (New York Daily News), though it sounds like Debbie Clemens will slam it shut after him if he plays again.

NLDS, GAME ONE . . . goes to the Rockies by a 5-1 count. The Diamondbacks' Justin Upton defends his controversial slide into Kaz Matsui, in which he was called for interference, by saying it was how he was taught to slide. (Arizona Republic) But Baseball Musing's David Pinto says the umpires got it right. And the Rockies' Troy Tulowitzki wonders if Upton wasn't trying to get revenge for being hit by a pitch, though he says the notion that Upton was hit intentionally was ridiculous. (Arizona Republic)

IF YOU PLAY AN NLDS GAME AND NO ONE SEES IT, DOES IT MAKE A SOUND? Yahoo.com's Jeff Passan wants to know where the Diamondbacks fans were.

QUICKLY: Our friends at the Riverside Press-Enterprise say Bill Stoneman may step down as Angels general manager . . . Rod Barajas -- the subject of some offseason subterfuge between Toronto and Philadelphia who wound up as the Phils' Opening Day catcher -- has been cut loose by the Phillies after a disappointing season (Philadelphia Inquirer) . . . John Schuerholz steps down as Braves GM, though he's staying on as team president (Atlanta Journal-Constitution) . . . Dusty Baker interviewed with the Reds about their manager's position (FoxSports.com) . . . Steve Stone isn't interested in becoming the Cubs' general manager (Chicago Tribune).

-- ART MARTONE

Posted by Art Martone  at 7:26 AM | Permalink