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Perez, Mujica turn close game into blowout loss
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Friday, Aug 15, 2008
CLEVELAND: It was supposed to be Zach Jackson night at Progressive Field, but Rafael Perez stole the show and not in a good way.
Perez, the only consistent performer in the Indians' bullpen stumbled badly Thursday night as the Tribe lost 11-6 to the Baltimore Orioles.
He began the eighth with the score tied but failed to retire any of the four batters he faced, three producing hits, one reaching on an error.
The inning did not end until 13 batters had gone to the plate, eight had scored and Edward Mujica had put his unique stamp on the proceedings. Sent in to put out the fire ignited by Perez, Mujica retired the side but only after giving up three hits, three walks (one intentional) and four runs. He also let in one for Perez.
In his past five appearances — a span of 31/3 innings — Mujica has given up 12 runs, 12 hits, four walks and let in four runs for his predecessors.
''It got away from us in the eighth,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''Perez was up. He just didn't have it today. Mujica, as well.''
As for Mujica's immediate future, Wedge said, ''We will have to re-evaluate him, and see if we can get him going again.''
By the time the game ended, Jackson probably wondered if he had driven to the right ballpark. Maybe this wasn't the big leagues, after all.
Regardless, he started in place of Paul Byrd, who was traded on Tuesday. Jackson has no assurances of ever becoming a long-term member of the Tribe's rotation. Then again, after Thursday night, maybe he wouldn't want to be.
Brian Roberts' leadoff single in the first inning was a routine
ground ball that had eyes. Later in the two-run inning, Asdrubal Cabrera botched a ground ball off the bat of Aubrey Huff. Granted, Jackson gave up a ringing double by Melvin Mora and a single by Ramon Hernandez, but with a little luck, he could have escaped without giving up a run.
''I thought he did a pretty good job, this being his first time out,'' Wedge said. ''He was doing it primarily with his fastball. He didn't have good command of his secondary stuff. He'll get another start.''
Each of the Orioles' runs off Jackson were tainted.
''We didn't play well in multiple areas of the game,'' Wedge said.
With two outs and nobody on in the fifth, Hernandez hit a fly ball to right-center field. Grady Sizemore drifted over, then suddenly lost it in the lights. Hernandez pulled into second with a double and scored on Kevin Millar's double.
''That's just the way the game goes,'' Jackson said. ''They made great plays for me, too. A ball gets lost in the lights, so what are you going to do?''
This is not to say that Jackson was totally victimized by bad bounces and bad defense. Far from it. He gave up eight hits, two walks and threw a wild pitch in five innings. But he deserved better.
''I definitely had some jitters out there, but I got through that as quickly as I could,'' Jackson said. ''I think I gave us a chance to win, and that's my job. I had to work a little harder in the first inning, and that got my pitch count up.''
The Indians had the misfortune to be facing the American League leader in walks (73), wild pitches (14) and hit batters (17). Moreover, Daniel Cabrera took advantage of the opportunity to widen his advantage in each category. Cabrera's one wild pitch and two walks gave a little boost to the Tribe attack. But he almost put two batters on the disabled list with his wild pitches.
He nailed Sizemore in the side of the right knee in the second inning, but after a lengthy discussion with head trainer Lonnie Soloff, Sizemore remained in the game.
In the third, Cabrera came up and in on Jhonny Peralta and struck him on the left hand. After Soloff went through his battery of field tests (feeling the bones in the hand, asking Peralta to squeeze Soloff's hand), Peralta stayed in the game but only until the seventh, when Jamey Carroll pinch hit for him. He left with a contusion on his hand and visited Lutheran Hospital for precautionary X-rays, which were negative.
''It can be tough,'' Wedge said of facing a pitcher with dicey control. ''When he tries to get a little bit more [on his fastball], he tends to get erratic.''
The Indians put Cabrera in jeopardy almost as much as he put them in harm's way. But he gave up only three runs on eight hits in 52/3 innings. While he was in the game, the Tribe stranded seven runners, six in scoring position.
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
CLEVELAND: It was supposed to be Zach Jackson night at Progressive Field, but Rafael Perez stole the show and not in a good way.
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