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Do IT this week: Layering
Lee's stellar performance negated by team's inability to score
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer
Published on Thursday, Apr 23, 2009
CLEVELAND: This is what the Indians have been waiting for.
Eight solid innings from Cliff Lee, only two runs, nine hits and one walk allowed. There's no stopping him now. A few more performances like this, and Lee will be on track to win consecutive Cy Young Awards.
Then again, there's always a catch. Maybe not always forever, but in the first month of the 2009 season, taking the bad with the good has become the norm for the Tribe, which just as often has been forced to take the bad with the worst.
So despite Lee's excellence, there was no celebration in the home clubhouse, because the Royals eked out a 2-0 win Wednesday night at Progressive Field.
Lee threw 122 pitches and was strong at the end. Kansas City concocted a run in the first on Coco Crisp's leadoff double, a fly to right that sent Crisp scurrying to third and another fly to right that brought him to the plate.
In the seventh, Willie Bloomquist's two-out bloop single to center with runners on second and first gave the Royals an important insurance run.
''I liked the way Cliff was able to command the baseball and run through eight innings for us,'' manager Eric Wedge. ''I think all our starters are moving in the right direction.''
Lee (1-3, 5.25 ERA) knew he had done his job.
''I felt good, and I felt like I was locating my pitches all night,'' he said. ''In the seventh, I threw a changeup that he [Bloomquist] hit off the end of the bat for a little blooper [to score the run]. There's nothing I can do about that.''
If Lee had any problems throwing more than 120 pitches, he wasn't letting on.
''I felt strong the whole way,'' he said. ''If someone told me before the game I'd go eight innings and give up two runs, I'd be happy with that.''
Wedge defended his decision, saying: ''Cliff had an extra day [off]; it starts with that. It also was a cool evening, and he was very consistent throughout.''
You could make a case that with a few breaks, Lee would have thrown eight scoreless innings, but so what? Even then, the best he could have achieved was a tie.
That's because Brian Bannister (1-0, 0.00 ERA) turned the Tribe's bats into toothpicks. Bannister lasted two fewer innings than Lee, but he gave up only four hits and two walks, inducing the Indians to hit 10 ground balls for outs.
''He moved the ball around well, and he did a great job of making us hit his pitch,'' Wedge
said. ''Their entire staff did a very good job.''
There was only one opportunity for a breakthrough against Bannister. Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner began the fourth inning with singles, but neither runner got to third.
''We didn't get a lot going,'' Wedge said. ''But a couple of points in time, we could have done a better job.''
Bannister is coming off a disappointing season and started 2009 in Triple-A, having been called up on Tuesday because Doug Waechter is on the disabled list.
Despite a 9-16 record and a 13-start winless streak last year, Bannister has had his moments, especially against Cleveland. Including Wednesday night's outing, he is 4-1 with a 1.62 earned-run average against the Tribe.
Grady Sizemore, never one to talk up the merits of an opposing pitcher, thought his team could have done better.
''We just didn't hit well as a team,'' he said. ''You have to give him credit, but offensively, we just didn't get it done.''
In addition to the performance turned in by Lee, the good news for the Indians was the debut of Tony Sipp, called up from Triple-A late Tuesday night to help glue the bullpen together again. Sipp pitched the ninth inning, striking out Mike Jacobs and retiring the next two batters on fly balls.
''He threw the ball great right off the bat,'' Wedge said. ''It was important for us to keep it at two runs.''
Yet Wedge allowed a raw rookie to do the job.
''We saw him in spring training and we trust our minor-league development guys,'' the manager said. ''We thought he could handle that situation.''
Sipp had no idea when he might be called on to pitch.
''I didn't know if they'd ease me in or throw me right into the fire,'' he said. ''I found out.''
Sipp waited awhile to test his reactions following his big-league debut.
''I was anxious to see how everything worked out, how the experience would be,'' he said. ''I felt the same competitive-wise, but I'm glad to get the first one out of the way.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the Indians blog at http://www.ohio.com/tribematters. Follow the Indians on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ABJ_Indians.
CLEVELAND: This is what the Indians have been waiting for.
Get the full article here.
Comments
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Alliance, Oh
Posted 06:50 AM, 04/23/2009
nobody will care what happens until the middle of June....when the Cavs run is over and they win the championship, while the Indians are floundering to hit the .500 mark!
Posted 08:02 AM, 04/23/2009
Maybe we should switch the Aeros and the Indians - Aeros can play in teh Major League and Indians at Canal Park!
Akron, Oh
Posted 08:05 AM, 04/23/2009
Good move with Rafael Perez. Tony Sipp was impressive. Time for a Trevor Crowe replacement with AAA outfielders smashing the ball. This team cannot afford to waste a good outing from our starters.
Posted 08:48 AM, 04/23/2009
Sorry to break the news ramon, but Crowe will probably get sent down once fan fav David Delucci gets healthy.
Offense was a let down for sure. Lee did his job.
Cuyahoga Falls, OH
Posted 08:48 AM, 04/23/2009
Yes it is still early, no one's running away with the division, blah blah blah...but good teams find ways to win and bad teams find ways to lose. When the starter does well, the bats don't work. When the bast are on fire, the starter sucks. When the starter rocks and the bats hit, then it's the bullpen. You can't win 'em all...but I can think of at least 3 in the last week that we SHOULDA won but didn't.
akron, oh
Posted 09:14 AM, 04/23/2009
the title of this article is misleading. the "excellence" was done on the KC side of the game. Their pitching was able to shut down the #4 run scoring team in MLB.
Anti-Politically Correct & Anti-GOP, OH
Posted 11:51 AM, 04/23/2009
Is it time to trade Lee and Hackner?
