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Indians waste scoring opportunities again in loss to Tigers
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Jun 09, 2008
DETROIT: It was a game in which the Indians' mastery was clearly in evidence. Through injuries and slumps, unexpected setbacks and disappointments, the Tribe has become expert at playing just badly enough to lose.
So it was at Comerica Park on Sunday, as the Detroit Tigers went ahead two games to one in the four-game series with a 5-2 win.
Jeremy Sowers pitched just poorly enough to dig a big hole — but not too big — for the offense, and the hitters wasted just enough chances to avoid having to catch up. All in all, it was a bravura performance for a team that is attempting to resist the urge to win. Unfortunately for the Indians, that is not their objective.
Sowers (0-1, 6.91 ERA) was summoned from Triple-A Buffalo to take the place of Jake Westbrook, who soon will undergo elbow surgery and probably be on the disabled list for a year. That means Sowers has become part of the rotation by default, though he is unlikely to keep his job if he performs as he did against the Tigers.
Then again, he wasn't awful, just bad enough to lose. In four innings, Sowers gave up all the runs on seven hits and two walks.
''Jeremy just didn't have the command I hoped he'd have,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''They made him work all the way through and put him on the defensive. He didn't throw it where he wanted to consistently.''
Sowers gave up a run in the first inning on Placido Polanco's double and Miguel Cabrera's two-out single. Curtis Granderson whacked a solo homer with two outs in the second, and the Tigers
put together a three-run rally in the fourth.
Before he could retire a batter, Carlos Guillen's double, Ivan Rogriguez's RBI single and a walk to Brent Clevlen put Sowers in serious trouble. He retired the next two batters without a run scoring, but Polanco singled home two more runs to give the Tigers a 5-1 advantage.
''I threw way too many pitches in four innings,'' Sowers said. ''Twenty-plus-pitch innings are not what you want. That's a credit to their hitters. Usually, that's a team that comes out hacking, but not today.''
Sowers threw 90 pitches before he was relieved. Maybe he wasn't sharp because it had been seven days since he pitched. But he didn't think so.
''At this time of year, it's nice to have a couple of extra days,'' he said. ''I threw two bullpens in between.''
He didn't blame the heat and humidity (88 degrees) for his performance, but he has not pitched in hot weather this year.
''I think the warmest it was in Buffalo when I pitched was 75,'' Sowers said. ''My last start, I wore long sleeves.''
Sowers believes that last year's struggles are behind him.
''I have my confidence on the mound,'' he said. ''I just didn't pitch well enough. Even then, I was only a couple of pitches away from being OK.''
To make everything work, the Tribe's attack had to fritter away opportunities. In that respect, the Indians worked their magic in two ways: failing to score in virtually a can't-miss situation, and keeping rallies to one run that easily could produce more.
An inability to get more than one two-out hit certainly helped. After Shin-Soo Choo's double and a two-out RBI single by Grady Sizemore in the third, Franklin Gutierrez went down swinging. Ryan Garko's single with runners on first and second in the sixth gave the Tribe a second run. But the next two batters, Jhonny Peralta and Ben Francisco, bounced into force plays.
Even late in the game, the Indians had a chance to put pressure on the Tigers. Reliever Zach Miner entered the fray with one out in the eighth and walked Gutierrez, gave up a single to Victor Martinez and hit Garko to load the bases. Freddy Dolsi was summoned to replace Miner, and he struck out Peralta and Francisco to end the threat.
''If you're going to win the ballgame,'' Wedge said, ''that's where you have to do it.''
In the face of all these near misses, Scott Elarton stood out like a redwood tree in the desert. Elarton can be excused for not going along with the program, inasmuch as he arrived from Buffalo in late May.
Elarton took over for Sowers and delivered three strong innings, allowing only a walk and striking out two.
''Elarton gave us a chance to win the game,'' Wedge said. ''He was outstanding.''
Elarton, a veteran right-hander, signed a minor-league contract and was invited to spring training after telling team officials he no longer wanted to be a starter. He has been adapting to the bullpen, which according to him, has been no big deal.
''I just have to warm up quicker,'' he said. ''Honestly, there's no difference in my approach.''
Since his initial outing May 26, when he gave up three runs in one inning, Elarton has made three appearances, allowing one unearned run in seven innings.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
DETROIT: It was a game in which the Indians' mastery was clearly in evidence. Through injuries and slumps, unexpected setbacks and disappointments, the Tribe has become expert at playing just badly enough to lose.
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