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| AL Post-Season Preview: Indians
Story URL: http://indians.scout.com/2/686881.html | |
| Chuck Murr IndiansInk.net | Oct 4, 2007 |
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They tied Boston for the best record, won the tough AL Central going away, and yet the Cleveland Indians still aren't getting much recognition. All of America is talking about how the Colorado Rockies, Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees each rallied with impressive stretch runs to make the playoffs. Know what? Since Aug. 13, it was the Indians who had baseball's best record at 31-13. C.C. Sabathia will be right where he's yearned to be -- on center stage in the biggest game of his career on Thursday night. The left-hander will be facing the Yankees for the first time in three years and making his second post-season appearance. He beat Seattle as a rookie in the 2001 AL Division Series. AL DIVISION SERIES New York Yankees (94-68) vs. Cleveland Indians (96-66) GAME ONE, AT CLEVELAND THURSDAY, OCT. 4, 6:30 p.m. Chien-Ming Wang (19-7, 3.70 ERA) vs. C.C. Sabathia (19-7, 3.21 ERA) GAME TWO, AT CLEVELAND FRIDAY, OCT. 5, 5 P.M. Andy Pettitte (15-9, 4.05 ERA) vs. Fausto Carmona (19-8, 3.06 ERA) GAME THREE, AT NEW YORK SUNDAY, OCT. 7, 6:30 p.m. Jake Westbrook (6-9, 4.32 ERA) vs. Roger Clemens (6-6, 4.18 ERA) GAME FOUR, AT NEW YORK (if needed) MONDAY, OCT. 8, 6 p.m. Paul Byrd (15-8, 4.59 ERA) vs. Mike Mussina (11-10, 5.15 ERA) GAME FIVE, AT CLEVELAND (if needed) WEDNESDAY, OCT. 10, 5 p.m. Wang vs. Sabathia 
"I'm excited," Sabathia said Wednesday. "This is an unbelievable feeling and I like our chances." So does All-Star catcher Victor Martinez, who was the club's offensive leader this season, but whose biggest responsibility in the post-season will be to handle Cleveland's pitching staff. "Every game that C.C. goes out there, we know we have a very good chance of winning if we all just go and do what we need to do to finish the game,"Martinez said. "He really has matured and stays in control of his emotions. That's the biggest difference in him. "He let's me take control of the game, doesn't shake me off very much. I think that comes from our working together in the minors and for several years now in Cleveland. "He's our ace and we have a lot of confidence in him." 
Outfielder Grady Sizemore said Sabathia is the club's unquestioned leader. "C.C. is awesome," Sizemore said. "We've been leaning on him all year and we're glad to have him going for us. "Every game is important in a series like this, whether it is game one, two or five. We want to get that first win and think with C.C. we have a good chance. But if we don't win, we've matured enough as a team to know that it is not the end of the world, either. "There's something to be said for the Yankees' experience in the post-season, but we're coming in with a lot of adrenalin. We're all excited to get going. "What we did earlier (0-6 vs. Yankees) has no effect on this series. They obviously did a very good job on us. We have to use that to our advantage, though. We have to look at that as we've got to work hard to win." Designated hitter Travis Hafner said the Indians respect the Yankees' tradition, but are not in awe of the most storied franchise in American sports. "Everybody here wants to win the World Series and to do it you have to be able to beat everybody," Hafner said. "The Yankees are a good team and we recognize that. We also understand that to win it all, we've got to beat them. "We feel like we're a better team than when we played them earlier in the year. "When we've got C.C. on the mound, I like our chances. The other thing is that we're excited to get things going, excited to be here and there's something to be said for that. Experience is good to have, but energy and desire can get a lot done, too." Except for his RBI total, virtually every one of Hafner's other statistics are down considerably from a typical year for him. After hitting over .300 in each of the last three years, Hafner's average tumbled to .266. Hafner's home runs were way down, too, from 42 last year to 24. He did face more exaggerated infield shifts from opposing teams than in the past. But he also, as reflected by the drop in homers and doubles, seemed to lose some of his power this year. After averaging 38 doubles in each of the last three seasons, Hafner only had 24 this year. For whatever reason, Hafner seemed to hit more balls to the opposite field this season, and didn't pull the ball with power the way he has in the past. Club officials were hopeful that Hafner would eventually pull out of his year-long slump, but that didn't happen. "I can't really explain it, but I do know that I felt a lot more comfortable in September and I hope that carries over," he said. LAST GAME, INDIANS 4, ROYALS 2: DH Travis Hafner's two-run double in the third inning in a 4-2 win at Kansas city on Sunday allowed him to reach 100 RBIs for the fourth consecutive year. Joe Borowski picked up his 45th save, one shy of Jose Mesa's club record. The win was the Indians' 96th, tying the 1999 team for the sixth-most in franchise history. NOTES, QUOTES The Indians will go with a four-man rotation in the Division Series against New York. The rotation, in order, will be Sabathia, RHP Fausto Carmona, RHP Jake Westbrook, and RHP Paul Byrd. If the series goes the distance, Sabathia would start Game 5. SS Jhonny Peralta has 62 career homers as a shortstop, tying Hall of Famer Lou Boudreau for second for most career homers by an Indians shortstop. Woodie Held is No. 1 with 85. RHP Joe Borowski's 45th save Sunday tied Bob Wickman (2005) for the second-highest total in Indians history. OF Kenny Lofton, the Indians' career leader in stolen bases, had just two steals in his last 57 games. BY THE NUMBERS: 51 -- Number of years it has been since the Indians had two 19-game winners, as they do this year with LHP C.C. Sabathia and RHP Fausto Carmona. The last time the Indians had two pitchers with 19 or more wins was 1956, when Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, and Herb Score each had 20 wins. QUOTE TO NOTE: "Some of these kids don't even know how to pop corks the right way!" -- OF Kenny Lofton, a veteran of post-game celebrations, during the Indians' clubhouse champagne party after clinching the Central Division title. POST-SEASON GAMES PLAYED: OF Kenny Lofton, 84 (39 with Indians); OF Trot Nixon, 38; INF Chris Gomez, 18; OF David Dellucci, 17; LHP Aaron Fultz, 6; RHP Joe Borowski, 5; RHP Paul Byrd, 5; 2B Josh Barfield, 4; LHP C.C. Sabathia, 1. MEDICAL WATCH: OF Brad Snyder (broken left thumb) was called up from Class AAA Buffalo and placed on the DL Aug. 31; RHP Cliff Politte (shoulder surgery in May 2006) missed the entire season.
HITTERS
Josh Barfield, 2B
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .500 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .111 9 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Season .243 420 53 102 19 3 3 50 14
Casey Blake, 3B
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game 1.000 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .389 18 5 7 2 0 0 5 0
Season .270 588 81 159 36 4 18 78 4
Asdrubal Cabrera, SS
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .278 18 4 5 0 0 0 2 0
Season .283 159 30 45 9 2 3 22 0
Shin-Soo Choo, LF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Last 7 Games .294 17 5 5 0 0 0 5 0
Season .294 17 5 5 0 0 0 5 0
David Dellucci, LF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .133 15 1 2 0 0 1 4 0
Season .230 178 25 41 11 2 4 20 2
Ben Francisco, LF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .333 3 0 1 1 0 0 1 0
Last 7 Games .273 22 2 6 2 0 0 5 0
Season .274 62 10 17 5 0 3 12 0
Ryan Garko, 1B
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .250 24 3 6 4 0 1 2 0
Season .289 484 62 140 29 1 21 61 0
Chris Gomez, 3B
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Last 7 Games .143 21 2 3 0 0 0 2 0
With Cle .283 53 4 15 2 0 0 5 0
Franklin Gutierrez, RF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .250 4 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .190 21 1 4 0 0 0 0 0
Season .266 271 41 72 13 2 13 36 8
Travis Hafner, DH
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .500 2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0
Last 7 Games .524 21 3 11 1 0 1 4 0
Season .266 545 80 145 25 2 24 100 1
Kenny Lofton, OF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .320 25 3 8 1 2 0 3 0
With Cle .283 173 24 49 9 3 0 15 2
Andy Marte, 3B
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .333 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .222 18 0 4 1 0 0 0 0
Season .193 57 3 11 4 0 1 8 0
Victor Martinez, C
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .750 4 0 3 0 0 0 3 0
Last 7 Games .269 26 3 7 1 0 1 8 0
Season .301 562 78 169 40 0 25 114 0
Jason Michaels, LF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .333 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .238 21 5 5 1 0 0 3 0
Season .270 267 43 72 11 1 7 39 3
Trot Nixon, RF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .143 14 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
Season .251 307 30 77 17 0 3 31 0
Jhonny Peralta, SS
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .250 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .280 25 5 7 1 0 1 1 0
Season .270 574 87 155 27 1 21 72 4
Luis Rivas, 2B
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .273 11 3 3 0 1 1 4 0
Season .273 11 3 3 0 1 1 4 0
Mike Rouse, IF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .091 11 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Season .119 67 7 8 1 0 0 4 1
Kelly Shoppach, C
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .667 3 1 2 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .174 23 3 4 1 0 1 3 0
Season .261 161 26 42 13 0 7 30 0
Grady Sizemore, CF
BA AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
Last Game .000 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games .300 20 1 6 2 0 0 0 0
Season .277 628 118 174 34 5 24 78 33
PITCHERS
Rafael Betancourt, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2
Last 7 Games 3.00 0 0 1 3 3 2 1 0 0 5
Season 1.47 5 1 3 68 79.1 51 13 4 9 80
Joe Borowski, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 1
Last 7 Games 3.00 0 0 2 3 3 3 1 1 1 2
Season 5.07 4 5 45 69 65.2 77 37 9 17 58
Paul Byrd, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 5.68 0 1 0 1 6.1 11 4 2 0 2
Last 7 Games 7.13 0 2 0 3 17.2 30 14 4 3 5
Season 4.59 15 8 0 31 192.1 239 98 27 28 88
Fausto Carmona, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 3.86 1 0 0 1 7 7 3 2 0 4
Last 7 Games 1.71 3 0 0 3 21 15 4 2 4 20
Season 3.06 19 8 0 32 215 199 73 16 61 137
Aaron Fultz, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 1.1 1 0 0 0 1
Last 7 Games 3.00 0 1 0 3 3 4 1 0 1 2
Season 2.92 4 3 0 49 37 31 12 2 18 28
Mike Koplove, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games 9.00 0 0 0 3 3 4 3 0 2 2
Season 6.00 0 0 0 5 6 6 4 0 2 4
Aaron Laffey, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 1.80 1 0 0 1 5 4 1 0 0 2
Last 7 Games 3.18 1 1 0 3 17 16 6 0 4 8
Season 4.56 4 2 0 9 49.1 54 25 2 12 25
Juan Lara, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 13.50 0 0 0 1 1.1 2 2 1 1 2
Last 7 Games 13.50 0 0 0 1 1.1 2 2 1 1 2
Season 13.50 0 0 0 1 1.1 2 2 1 1 2
Cliff Lee, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 1.2 0 0 0 0 2
Last 7 Games 3.86 0 0 0 3 4.2 5 2 1 0 5
Season 6.29 5 8 0 20 97.1 112 68 17 36 66
Jensen Lewis, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 0.2 1 0 0 0 1
Last 7 Games 0.00 0 0 0 3 4 2 0 0 1 4
Season 2.15 1 1 0 26 29.1 26 7 1 10 34
Tom Mastny, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 5.40 0 0 0 1 1.2 2 1 0 0 0
Last 7 Games 4.91 1 0 0 3 3.2 5 2 0 1 1
Season 4.68 7 2 0 51 57.2 63 30 6 32 52
Matt Miller, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games 0.00 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0
Season 0.00 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 0 0
Edward Mujica, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 0.1 2 0 0 0 0
Last 7 Games 8.10 0 0 0 3 3.1 7 3 2 0 0
Season 8.31 0 0 0 10 13 19 12 3 2 7
Rafael Perez, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 9.00 0 1 0 1 1 2 1 0 1 1
Last 7 Games 3.38 0 1 0 3 2.2 4 1 0 1 2
Season 1.78 1 2 1 44 60.2 41 12 5 15 62
C.C. Sabathia, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 3.86 1 0 0 1 7 8 3 1 1 4
Last 7 Games 3.86 2 0 0 3 21 20 9 1 4 24
Season 3.21 19 7 0 34 241 238 86 20 37 209
Jeremy Sowers, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 0.00 0 0 0 1 5 5 0 0 2 5
Last 7 Games 6.92 0 1 0 3 13 19 10 3 4 10
Season 6.42 1 6 0 13 67.1 84 48 10 21 24
Jason Stanford, LH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 11.57 0 0 0 1 2.1 5 3 0 0 1
Last 7 Games 6.23 0 0 0 3 4.1 7 3 0 3 2
Season 4.78 1 1 0 8 26.1 32 14 1 7 16
Jake Westbrook, RH
ERA W L Sv G IP H ER HR BB K
Last Game 4.26 0 0 0 1 6.1 7 3 0 1 5
Last 7 Games 3.93 1 0 0 3 18.1 23 8 1 5 18
Season 4.32 6 9 0 25 152 159 73 13 55 93
General manager Mark Shapiro and manager Eric Wedge (right) watch batting practice Wednesday on the eve of the Indians' first playoff game since 2001. Copyright © Scout.com and IndiansInk.net | |