First pitch of first importance

First pitch of first importance

Friday, October 19, 2007
Terry Pluto
Plain Dealer Columnist

What may be the key for Fausto Carmona in Game 6 at Fenway Park on Saturday night? How about strike one, as in getting ahead in the count. When the Tribe star was knocked out after four innings in Game 2 at Boston, he walked five and was charged with four runs in those four innings. Carmona averaged slightly under three walks per nine innings in the regular season, but in Boston he was at strike one on only 10 of 24 hitters. He needs to change that strategy.

First pitches are important. In the two best games pitched by the Tribe this series, Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook combined to throw first-pitch strikes to 37 of 48 hitters they faced. Boston hitters love to take the first pitch, as they took swings at only 13 of 48 pitches.

In games 1 and 2, C.C. Sabathia (13-of-24) and Carmona (10-of-24) also faced 48 hitters, but they were only 23-of-48 and that's why neither survived the fifth inning. While Sabathia was not sharp Thursday, he was much better as he threw 20 of 28 first-pitch strikes. It helped him get through six innings, allowing two runs. That should have been it for the lefty, but it wasn't.

Second guess: It was a gamble by Eric Wedge to have Sabathia start the seventh. Boston had a 2-1 lead. Sabathia was at 106 pitches to start the seventh. Then Dustin Pedroia led off with a double. At this point, Wedge has to bring in Rafael Betancourt. At-bat was Kevin Youkilis, who had homered off Sabathia in the first inning and was 5-of-13 against the Tribe ace. But Wedge stayed with Sabathia, and Youkilis ripped a triple to right center. In the end, Sabathia threw 112 pitches and was charged with four runs. He was tired after six innings of working out of one jam after another, and with a rested bullpen, it was risky to stay with him any longer.

Anyone who spends more than five seconds thinking about a single syllable coming from the mouth of Manny Ramirez would be better off studying a script from "SpongeBob SquarePants" or your favorite cartoon. Who do you think this guy is - Winston Churchill? Meanwhile, Ramirez owns Sabathia, as he's 16-of-25 - as in a .640 batting average with four homers.

Why start Franklin Gutierrez in right field, even though he came into the game 1-of-5 with three strikeouts against Josh Beckett? And knowing Beckett has a nasty curve, which really can hurt Gutierrez? That's because Gutierrez is an elite outfielder. He threw out Ramirez at the plate in the first inning. Yes, the throw was high and Manny didn't slide - sliding is against his constitution. But it still was a strong throw, and it ended what could have been a big Boston inning.

The Indians became the first team this season to face three consecutive Boston starters without any of them finishing the fifth inning. The Tribe knocked out Curt Schilling, Daisuke Matsuzaka and Tim Wakefield in the fourth inning. That ended Thursday night as Josh Beckett pitched eight innings.

It's amazing how Coco Crisp looks so lost. The former Indian couldn't even get a bunt down in the fourth inning. He had 13 sacrifice bunts in 2005, his last year with the Tribe. He had nine this season. Crisp has hit .266 and averaged seven homers and 48 RBI for Boston. Some people close to the Red Sox say he never has been extremely comfortable with the team whereas he seemed to love playing for the Tribe. In this series, Crisp is 3-of-21 for a .143 mark. In the postseason he is 5-of-31, .161.

Yes, there was a chance for the Indians to make history, but alas, this is Cleveland and. . . . well. . . . you know what happened. The Indians did win the 1920 World Series at home. But they have never won a playoff series or clinched the American League pennant here. According to research by attorney David Hooker, the Tribe clinched the 1920 and 1954 AL pennants in Detroit. They won the 1948 pennant in Boston. The 1995 pennant was won in Seattle, and in 1997 it was in Baltimore. Now, the Tribe will have to do it in Boston this weekend.