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Do IT this week: Layering
Indians' ace outduels veteran Greg Maddux to earn series victory
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Monday, Jun 16, 2008
CLEVELAND: It was billed as a showdown between C.C. Sabathia and Greg Maddux, the implication being that the ace of the Indians' staff some day will reach hall-of-fame stature, as Maddux did long ago.
But at 42, Maddux isn't Maddux anymore, even as a defensive All-Star. His own error Sunday at Progressive Field contributed to the San Diego Padres' 7-3 defeat and the Tribe's second series win in a row.
Sabathia outpitched Maddux, who can still do a credible job retiring hitters with his finely tuned command of the strike zone and various controlled-speed, off-speed and no-speed pitches, some of which could be called fastballs without too much of a stretch.
Maddux didn't pitch all that badly — allowing five runs and eight hits in six innings — given the fact that his throwing error in the third inning set the stage for three unearned runs.
But the younger, stronger-armed Sabathia was the superior pitcher, permitting six hits and three runs and striking out 10 in eight innings.
Maddux created his own bad luck with the error. Sabathia's misfortune was thrust upon him. It happened in the fourth inning, immediately after the offense staked him to a 3-0 lead.
A cardinal baseball rule holds that the one thing a pitcher must not do is give up runs right after your team has scored. So Sabathia wasn't pleased with himself when he allowed three runs in the fourth.
''I was upset, but I thought to myself, 'No more,' '' Sabathia said.
As manager Eric Wedge said, ''C.C. didn't like it, but he didn't let it affect him. That's a testament to his maturity.''
A couple of key hits in the inning weren't exactly struck on the fat part of the bat, either. Tony Clark beat out a dribbler to the second baseman, and Khalil Greene slapped a pool shot to first, as Ryan Garko lost the race to the bag, at least in the eyes of umpire Mark Wegner. Replays indicated that the runner was out on a very close play.
''A hit is a hit,'' Sabathia said. ''I'm still pitching out of the stretch.''
In the end, it didn't matter. After the fourth inning, Sabathia retired 11 of 12 batters through the eighth, facing the minimum number of hitters because of a double play liner to Garko.
There were questions posed by reporters about the possibility of being distracted either hitting against Maddux (3-5, 3.31 ERA) or having him watch Sabathia pitch.
''He's one of the greatest right-handers ever in the history of the game, and the way he does it is very special,'' Wedge said. ''He makes the baseball do what he wants it to do, which is what you teach all young pitchers.''
But Maddux was an issue only for Indians hitters, not Sabathia.
''I told somebody this morning that I was more worried about Adrian Gonzalez than Maddux,'' he said.
Not that Sabathia (5-8, 4.26 ERA) is unmindful of Maddux's accomplishments. When Sabathia was asked whether he ever envisioned winning as many games as Maddux (350), he laughed and said: ''You have to be kidding. What did he have, 17 seasons in a row with 15 or more wins?
''I was looking at some of his numbers. He had something like 20 walks in 230 innings in 1997. He's done things that nobody has ever done. He doesn't know our hitters, and somebody told me he was in the video room for four hours on Friday.''
After Maddux made an ill-advised throw of Franklin Gutierrez's slow roller in the third and Jamey Carroll was hit by a pitch with two outs, Ben Francisco made it 3-0 with a drive that cleared the high wall in left.
''The other pitcher is really good,'' Maddux said of Sabathia. ''He's too good a pitcher to give him extra runs. I like watching him pitch; he has incredible stuff.''
Francisco homered off a change-up that hung in the strike zone.
''I went to bed thinking about hitting against Maddux,'' he said. ''But once we start playing, it's just a normal game.''
Maddux gave up two hits to Gutierrez, the last driving in the Indians' fifth run in the sixth inning, the Tribe producing three singles after two were out.
After Maddux left, Grady Sizemore launched his 17th home run of the season to start the seventh inning. It was his fourth homer in the past five games.
He is dangerously close to being labeled a power hitter, and he'll tell you what's wrong with that.
''You have to hit 50 home runs every year,'' Sizemore said with a slight smile. ''If you hit 40, you're not doing your job. It's a no-win situation.''
Maybe some day, Sizemore will find out whether he's right.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: It was billed as a showdown between C.C. Sabathia and Greg Maddux, the implication being that the ace of the Indians' staff some day will reach hall-of-fame stature, as Maddux did long ago.
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