Container Top
Homes   Jobs   Cars   Shopping
Search

Events Calendar

EVENT SEARCH:

In This Section


Most Read Stories


Blogs:


Pets:
Officials: NYer Had 20 Dead Dogs Buried in Yard

The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook

Patrick McManamon:
First and 10: Some ideas for a better second half

Akron Zips:
MAC Roundtable

Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates

Cleveland Browns:
Mangini doesn't name a quarterback

Kent State Sports:
Bye week coming at good time for Flashes

Cleveland Cavaliers:
Shaq: It’s All About Winning Championships

Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook

Varsity Letters:
Report: Walsh baseball player commits

All Da King's Men:
More On The Fort Hood Jihadist

Blog of Mass Destruction:
Dems Message To Women: Don't Enjoy The Sex

Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (63) Commonwealth Fund Report on Primary Care

See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler

Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks

Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing

Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.

Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career

HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio

Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets

Francisco a hit for Indians

Young outfielder pads his statistics with big series against Rangers

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Going into the finale of the Indians' four-game series against the Texas Rangers, Ben Francisco already had put together a banner series.

''He did that last night,'' manager Eric Wedge said Thursday with a smile.

Francisco had five singles, scored three runs and one RBI in the Tribe's 15-9 win Wednesday night. And he was no slouch in the first two games of the series, going 4-for-10. Add it up, and Francisco was batting .563 (9-for-16) with four runs, five RBI, one home run and a .588 on-base percentage.

The past three games have enabled Francisco to raise his overall average from .304 to .343.

''I don't know if I'm in some kind of groove,'' Francisco said. ''But things are going well.''

Conditions at The Ballpark in Arlington favor hitters, especially this week, when the wind has been literally howling at 25 miles per hour and more. In addition, the fences are eminently reachable, the infield is relatively hard and the grass relatively short.

''But you still have to square the ball up,'' Wedge said. ''You can still strike out.''

Francisco, who weighs 190 pounds, discovered that hitting in a fierce breeze can be difficult.

''When you're at the plate, you start swaying in the wind,'' he said. ''It's kind of annoying, because you're rocking back and forth.''

In three of the past four games, including Thursday night, Francisco has batted second in the lineup, behind Grady Sizemore.

''I like his athleticism, his quickness and his speed,'' Wedge said. ''He gives us the same kinds of things as a right-hander that Grady gives us from the left side.''

Francisco did not have a period of adjustment to the big leagues. He had been in the majors less than two weeks when he hit a walk-off homer to beat the Tampa Bay Rays last June. Three days later, he had three hits and three RBI in another game against the Rays. And one night later, he hit a pinch-hit homer against the Detroit Tigers.

''I would tell myself that this is the same game I played in the minors, that I had to do the same things that got me here,'' Francisco said. ''And obviously, having success in the big leagues gave me confidence. A big part of hitting is confidence.''


Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS: Going into the finale of the Indians' four-game series against the Texas Rangers, Ben Francisco already had put together a banner series.

Get the full article here.


Story tools

Email  Email   Print  Print   Save  Save   Reprint  Reprint   Popular  Most Popular   Reprint  Subscribe

Share this story

AddThis Social Bookmark Button
















Most Commented Stories