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Offense finally puts bite on Mariners with RBI single by Cabrera in 11th
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Friday, May 02, 2008
CLEVELAND: It didn't feel like a win, and manager Eric Wedge wasn't doing much rejoicing in the wake of the Indians' 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night at Progressive Field.
Asdrubal Cabrera delivered a two-out, bases-loaded single to bring home the game winner, and Wedge gave his novice second baseman full credit.
''It was like pulling teeth [trying to score], but fortunately Asdrubal stepped up,'' Wedge said. ''He's a big-game player. He's at his best in the last two or three innings of games, and he was again tonight.''
On the other hand, Wedge is tired of watching his team waste scoring opportunities. And even when a run or two crosses the plate, rallies usually are thrust upon his slumping batsmen; they do as little as possible to actively participate.
That's how it was in the 11th, when the Indians needed a walk, a hit batter and a flared double to left by Travis Hafner (his second double of the game), in addition to Cabrera's solid line drive.
''I wasn't happy with our at-bats tonight,'' Wedge said. ''Our at-bats have to get better. We have to stick our nose in there with two strikes [and not be timid]. We have to concentrate and be disciplined every at-bat.''
Wedge's voice rose as he continued: ''That's the only way we've done it in the past, and that's the way we need to do it now. It's not OK to do it one day and not the next or for one guy to do it and the next guy not to. I try to be as positive as I can, but it's time for us to turn the corner.''
Richie Sexson, who earned his big-league stripes with the
Tribe, hit the first pitch of the 10th inning for a home run off Masa Kobayashi to give the Mariners a 2-1 lead, but the home forces ''roared'' back with the tying run in their half of the inning.
In another rally that only a passive-aggressive personality could love, one-out singles by Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez got things started, but it really picked up when J.J. Putz couldn't find the plate, walking Cabrera to load the bases and Grady Sizemore to drive in the tying run.
But with one out and the bases still filled, Putz suddenly found the range, striking out Casey Blake and David Dellucci.
When the worst thing you can say about a pitcher is that enemy batsmen hit three hard outs, you know he had a good night. And Paul Byrd did. In 72/3 innings, he allowed four hits and one walk.
''Byrd did a fantastic job, a great job for us,'' Wedge said.
The only Mariners runner who reached second was Ichiro Suzuki, who singled with one out in the sixth and took second on Jose Lopez's grounder to shortstop.
The Tribe's offense turned back into a pumpkin after exploding for eight runs Wednesday night against the Mariners. Not only were the hitters maddeningly ineffective, but also their one-run rally in the fourth might have netted more.
Victor Martinez started it with a one-out double, and with two outs, Hafner lined an RBI double to right, his second hard-hit ball of the night (He drove a ball 395 feet to the track in center for an out in the second).
Garko followed with a single to center, and third-base coach Joel Skinner waved Hafner to the plate. It became a battle between Suzuki's strong arm and Hafner's heavy legs. Not surprisingly, Suzuki won, though his throw to the plate was high, and Hafner nearly slid under the tag.
Should Skinner have sent Hafner? Probably not, but there were two outs, and the rule of thumb is to force the defense to make a good play rather than hope your offense gets another hit. In the case of the Tribe, the odds of generating three hits in a row probably were the same as Mr. Ed winning a Kentucky Derby.
''The guy in center field is unbelievable,'' Wedge said. ''Not only does he have a howitzer, he throws it on line. You have to trust the percentages. If he's off a fraction, Hafner's safe. And with two outs, you have to be aggressive.''
Rafael Betancourt gave up Suzuki's third single of the night to begin the ninth, and with one out, he threw a fastball over the head of Martinez for a wild pitch that put Suzuki in scoring position.
Betancourt got the second out, but with Beltre at the plate, Suzuki took off for third. Martinez's throw was on target and in time, but in his haste to make the tag, Blake let the ball get by him, and Suzuki scored the tying run.
Asked if he was relieved to be on the winning side, Blake said: ''Yeah, you're telling me. I don't know what I'd feel like if we lost. There aren't many feelings worse than letting your team down.''
On the other hand, Blake was hardly the only Indian who did that.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: It didn't feel like a win, and manager Eric Wedge wasn't doing much rejoicing in the wake of the Indians' 3-2, 11-inning victory over the Seattle Mariners on Thursday night at Progressive Field.
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