DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Boston at the Wigwam...Game 3 Thread

Pressure on Red Sox as ALCS shifts to Cleveland
Projection from AccuScore

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Gameday Matchup
W-L NIGHT GRASS STK L10
BOS - 1st AL East 96-66 64-51 83-58 L1 6-4
CLE - 1st AL Central 96-66 67-47 84-60 W1 6-4
Pitching Matchup
BOSTON CLEVELAND
Daisuke Matsuzaka
0-0, 5.79

Last appearance:
10/05 vs LAA
4.2 IP, 3 ER
Dec = ND Jake Westbrook
0-1, 10.80

Last appearance:
10/07 at NYY
5.0 IP, 6 ER
Dec = Loss
Series at a glance
Series tied 1-1
Fri 10/12 @BOS 10, CLE 3 Recap | Box Score
Sat 10/13 CLE 13, @BOS 6 Recap | Box Score
Mon 10/15 BOS (Matsuzaka) @ CLE (Westbrook) 7:00 ET
Tue 10/16 BOS (Wakefield) @ CLE (Byrd) 8:00 ET
Thu 10/18 BOS (Beckett) @ CLE (Sabathia) 8:00 ET
Sat 10/20 CLE (Carmona) @ BOS (Schilling) TBD
Sun 10/21 CLE (Westbrook) @ BOS (Matsuzaka) TBD
· Complete Schedule: Indians | Red Sox
Today's Lineups
NO. BOSTON CLEVELAND
1. D. Pedroia, 2B G. Sizemore, CF
2. K. Youkilis, 1B A. Cabrera, 2B
3. D. Ortiz, DH T. Hafner, DH
4. M. Ramirez, LF V. Martinez, C
5. M. Lowell, 3B R. Garko, 1B
6. J. Drew, RF J. Peralta, SS
7. J. Varitek, C K. Lofton, LF
8. C. Crisp, CF T. Nixon, RF
9. J. Lugo, SS C. Blake, 3B
Injury Report
BOSTON
· Tim Wakefield, SP (Day-To-Day)

CLEVELAND
No significant injuries
· Fantasy Injury News | View MLB injury report
Today's Line
FAVORITE OPEN CUR UNDERDOG O/U
BOSTON 105 113 CLEVELAND 10
Complete Accuscore Trends
Season Series
Boston leads 5-2
Mon 5/28 @BOS 5, CLE 3 Recap
Tue 5/29 @BOS 4, CLE 2 Recap
Wed 5/30 CLE 8, @BOS 4 Recap
Mon 7/23 BOS 6, @CLE 2 Recap
Tue 7/24 BOS 1, @CLE 0 Recap
Wed 7/25 @CLE 1, BOS 0 Recap
Thu 7/26 BOS 14, @CLE 9 Recap
· Complete Schedule: Indians | Red Sox
STATS LLC
Daisuke Matsuzaka turned in one of the best starts of his season the last time he pitched at Jacobs Field. He's hoping for a repeat in this visit, and also hoping he won't have to use any bug spray.

The stakes will be much higher for Matsuzaka on Monday night when the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians play Game 3 of the AL Championship Series.

The teams split the first two games in Boston, setting up this pivotal contest with Matsuzaka (0-0, 5.79 ERA) on the mound for the AL East champions. He pitched a gem at Cleveland on July 24, yielding only four hits over seven innings in a 1-0 victory.

This is the first game at Jacobs Field since the Indians' 11-inning, 2-1 victory over the New York Yankees on Oct. 5 in Game 2 of their Division Series. Cleveland was scoreless in that contest until a swarm of bugs rattled New York reliever Joba Chamberlain and helped allow the Indians to tie the game in the eighth inning.

"I did bring along some bug spray," Matsuzaka joked through an interpreter. "But in terms of preparation, that's about it."

Indians center fielder Grady Sizemore is 4-for-8 against Matsuzaka this season.

"I'm not looking forward to facing any batter in particular, but I do know that I have to be careful with a few of them, and that includes their No. 1 leadoff man, Sizemore, who hit off me last time," Matsuzaka said.

The same day that the bugs swarmed Jacobs Field, the Japanese right-hander made his postseason debut against the Los Angeles Angels in Game 2 of a division series. He lasted just 4 2/3 innings and gave up three runs, but Boston went on to win the game 6-3 en route to a three-game sweep.

Matsuzaka is winless in his last five road starts, and 0-2 with a 10.34 ERA in his last three outings away from home.

The Red Sox are hoping the day off helped stifle any momentum the Indians may have gained from their 11-inning, 13-6 victory in Game 2 on Saturday. Boston failed to score over the final five innings, managing only three hits.

"Well, there had better not be any carryover," Boston manager Terry Francona said. "That would be a horrible mistake on our part.

"That was one of the funnest games I've ever been a part of until the very end, and then it rapidly became a whole lot not of fun. We lost in kind of an ugly fashion at the end."

The Indians used a seven-run 11th inning to end the 5-hour, 14-minute game. Former Red Sox outfielder Trot Nixon snapped the tie with an RBI single before Franklin Gutierrez capped the outburst with a three-run homer.

It was another shaky appearance out of the Red Sox bullpen for Eric Gagne, who retired just one of the three batters he faced and was charged with the loss. Gagne had a 6.75 ERA in 20 appearances this year with Boston.

"When he first came over here, he had the gall to give up some runs in Boston," Francona said sarcastically. "You can't do that. My point was, it was tough for him when he first came over."

The Red Sox have won nine of their last 12 games at Cleveland, including three of four July 23-26. The Indians, however, have won 16 of their last 19 home games, including two Division Series wins against the Yankees.

"I'm glad to be coming home," lndians manager Eric Wedge said. "I'm excited about playing here in front of our fans. I'm excited that the city of Cleveland gets to watch their team play here at home for three games."

Indians starter Jake Westbrook (0-1, 10.80) makes his second career postseason start after a shaky outing in his first one. Westbrook allowed six runs and nine hits over five-plus innings in an 8-4 loss to the Yankees last Sunday.

"Well, definitely, having already had one under my belt, especially in Yankee Stadium, it was a lot of emotion, a lot of different feelings that I'm definitely not used to having not pitched in the postseason before," Westbrook said.

"I'm going to be a little more relaxed, but still, amped and ready to go. It's going to be a lot of better pitching here in front of our home fans, and I'm excited and ready to go."

The right-hander is 3-2 with a 4.81 ERA in six career outings against the Red Sox. He was tagged for five runs over six innings in a 6-2 loss to Boston on July 23.

While Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is hitless in seven career at-bats against Westbrook, left fielder Manny Ramirez is 8-for-16 in his career against him. The two Boston sluggers have combined to go 6-for-12 with seven runs scored in this series.



Lets Go Tribe... Im think Im, taking my Chief Wahoo Jack O lantern with me to B Dubs tonight...hopefully they dont make me put it in my car

HERE WE GO TRIBE

FANTASTIC double play

The thread title confuses me

Great start from Westbrook

That looked really close. Could have gone either way.

NO MORE WALKS

Hahaha I love that from Lofton

a double play would be REALLY nice.

I swear if we walk someone in I am going to break something!

On a side note, if you like Oatmeal don't buy the "Low Sugar" Quaker Instant Oatmeal. Stuff tastes like soap.

KEN-NEY
KEN-NEY
KEN-NEY
KEN-NEY

KENNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!

KENNY!!!!

2-0 Tribe

Kenny for Prez!!

wow - how perfect was that!

I love Kenny!

Trot needs to pick up his pace a little bit

WAY TO GO KENNY!

Let's keep it going Westbrook!

I don't think anyone is second guessing the trade for Kenny Lofton now

That should hopefully calm Westbrook down a bit. A nice job getting out of an error that could have spelled disaster and then a clutch HR. LETS GO TRIBE!

At what point do we start calling him Kenny Legend?

Now seems as good of time as any

I'd love nothing more than for Kenny to get his first ring as a memeber of the Tribe!

that was awesome.

Wow, you know what I just realized. The only player in Cleveland's lineup to NOT hit a HR in this postseason is Casey Blake. Kind of an incredible stat. If Blake gets one, I wonder if that's ever been done?

Great inning!

3 innings in the books for Westbrook.

How many pitches has he thrown? Seems like he is in pretty good shape

Was that really just a 5 pitch inning?

and it lasted a whole 2 minutes

COME ON PRONK!

We are hitting the ball well off Dice K.

Hopefully we can get a couple more to fall in the gaps and get a couple more runs before they go to the pen

Awesome! Good at bat by Pronk - Dice-K wanted nothing to do with him!