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Do IT this week: Layering
Ben Francisco misplays ball, but game is lost on missed opportunities
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, May 26, 2008
CLEVELAND: Probably thousands of kids ran the bases at Progressive Field after the Indians' 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
Every child made the circuit, ending the journey at the plate. Some held the hand of a parent through all the left turns; others were carried by their mothers or fathers, who knew the route.
Finding the way home is a fundamental goal of the game, but one that the grown men who make up the Tribe lineup, players making at least hundreds of thousands of dollars, have been unable to attain consistently.
It is true that the proximate cause of the club's eighth defeat in nine games was Ben Francisco's error, which allowed Jarrod Saltalamacchia to score from first on Ramon Vazquez's single with two outs in the 10th.
Francisco knew he might have trouble with the short hop and bent down on one knee to block the ball. Instead, it bounced through him almost to the fence in right.
''It was just an in-between hop,'' Francisco said. ''The last thing I thought was that it would go through my legs. That's something that can't happen, no matter how you do [play] it.''
Correctly, manager Eric Wedge focused his attention elsewhere.
''This was definitely about the hitting,'' he said. ''Ben just got caught in between. That is not why we lost the game.''
Wedge went on to quickly summarize various missed opportunities by the offense, particularly against rookie starter Doug Mathis, who gave up one run in the first inning and spent the next five blunting Tribe threats.
Mathis was making the second start of his major-league career and fifth appearance. Drawing the assignment against the Indians came just in time for him, after he gave up nine runs
(six earned), eight hits and four walks in 21/3 innings against the Twins five days earlier.
Apparently, Mathis learned volumes in that outing, because on Sunday he allowed seven hits and three walks in six innings. But even with those numbers, he left himself vulnerable.
He might have spent a more traumatic afternoon if he hadn't thrown two double-play balls (Texas relievers also threw one after he left) and foiled a bases-loaded threat in the second inning.
Travis Hafner took responsibility for that failure. With bases full and one out, Francisco tapped a ball to the pitcher, who forced David Dellucci at the plate. Then it was Hafner's turn. He was fooled on a breaking pitch and flied to left to end the inning.
''Today is a day we had to win,'' he said. ''C.C. [Sabathia] and the bullpen did a great job. We had our chances, especially on my at-bat with the bases loaded in the second. That was the key at-bat of the game.''
But again, it was tough to pin the loss on one player, particularly Hafner, who participated in the first-inning rally that netted a run. Francisco started it with a one-out double, and Hafner singled to left, forcing Francisco to stop at third.
Victor Martinez got the run home with a single, but suddenly it was as if the hitters felt a sudden discomfort because they were on the verge of performing a miracle. So they killed the rally on Michael Aubrey's liner to the third baseman and Jhonny Peralta's three-foot ground out to the catcher.
''It seemed like we had a chance to score runs all day,'' Hafner said. ''But we couldn't find a way to get runners across the plate.''
Wedge reiterated what he's been saying for a week or more, words that were not meant to comfort his players.
''They've just got to get it done,'' the manager said. ''Like I said a couple of days ago, I'm tired of talking about it. Of course, I know I have to talk about it; it comes with the territory.
''I have to believe we're going to come out of this offensive skid. It's been going on a long time, but you have to come to the park and think today is the day.''
The only run that Sabathia gave up came on Ian Kinsler's home run to lead off the seventh, one of five Rangers' hits off the Indians' ace.
''It was a fastball right down the middle,'' Sabathia said. ''He's a good hitter, a fastball hitter. So he did what he's supposed to do.''
Sabathia was asked myriad questions about how he keeps the faith, the frustration of losing close games and when will it end. He said all the right things.
''Any day, any inning, any minute we're going to come out of this and start hitting,'' Sabathia said.
Asked whether the hitters were pressing, Martinez said, ''If I said no, I'd be lying to you. But the only thing we can control is playing the game hard.''
Hafner echoed his manager when he said: ''It's on the players. Nobody can give us a magic potion.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: Probably thousands of kids ran the bases at Progressive Field after the Indians' 2-1, 10-inning loss to the Texas Rangers on Sunday.
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