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Wahoo!!! Back to .500 with a win over Boston.

Maybe for once we get a thread about the indians where we don't have to hear how unfair baseball is, and how cheap the dolans are. Good to see the team bounce back after 2 horrific games to start the year. They have played good fundamental baseball the past 2 games. plus some great starting pitching.

After the endless Cavs season and the OSU early exit, for the first time in what seems like a long time, I'm in a baseball mood. The Indians have been fun to watch so far. Only the game on Saturday was really atrocious. Even in the first game, when they were down 14-0, they fought back hard.

I like what I see out of a lot of these young players. I really hope another "window of contention" is opening (realistically, probably for next year though).

Bahahaha Bosox at 0 - 4

Baseball.....Indians......just seems right... common weather time to warm up

it looks like hafner is back, or at least very close to, his old self.

i think once the weather warms up, you'll see more home runs, but he's seeing pitches a lot better. i think it's a pretty good sign he's doing it early too.

i don't expect the guy to hit 45 home runs or anything like that, but if he can be over 30, and still hit for a great average, the rest of the lineup will be really really good.

i still have questions about the pitching, i know we have seen a few good outings, especially the last two, but i am really upset (not trying to complain about the dolans/$/economics) here but i wish they would have gone out and spent some money on a legit starter. had they shelled out 15-20 on 1 or 2 guys, i think you'd be looking at a really good team.

one thing is for sure. that bullpen picked up where they left off last year. maaaaaan where were these guys in 2007.

Tomlin could be the real darkhorse for this rotation. He appears to have pretty average stuff but with good command and control. The Red Sox had problems with his ability to change speeds. It'll be interesting to see how he does the 2nd time around the league. Right now, he reminds me a lot of a young Charles Nagy.

and just think, Choo can't hit anything yet and Sizemore is on the DL. hope lives in Cleveland (hey, at least we're not 0-4 Boston )

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it looks like hafner is back, or at least very close to, his old self.

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I agree. Saturday, in the cold weather, he absolutely splintered his bat and still sent the ball to the middle of the warning track. He will see pitches with Santana and Choo near him in the lineup. They will have to pitch to one of these guys, and I'd take my chances with they surgically repair shoulder rather than two of the better up and coming hitters in the league.

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i still have questions about the pitching, i know we have seen a few good outings, especially the last two, but i am really upset (not trying to complain about the dolans/$/economics) here but i wish they would have gone out and spent some money on a legit starter. had they shelled out 15-20 on 1 or 2 guys, i think you'd be looking at a really good team.

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The real test will be next year (if a lot of the young guys progress this year). It doesn't make sense to spend big bucks this year if you are going to be easing young guys into everyday roles (Santana, Brantley, LaPorta, Carrasco, Masterson, possibly Chisenhall and White later this year). This is the whole Marlins model, win it all in 97, fire sale, let the young guys develop and when they are ready, go sign Pudge and make another run.

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one thing is for sure. that bullpen picked up where they left off last year. maaaaaan where were these guys in 2007.

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That DeRosa for Perez deal was fantastic. However, I thought the pen in 2007 was quite good. It might even have been the best in the bigs that year. It was CC and Fausto blowing up in the Boston series that really cost us.

I'm pretty encouraged by Hafner too. He's making solid contact and driving the ball more than last year. I noticed that Beckett wanted no part of Hafner in the 5th inning after Santana's sac fly ... walked him on 4 pitches, none of them even close. That's the way pitchers used to approach Hafner before his shoulder problems.

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Tomlin could be the real darkhorse for this rotation. He appears to have pretty average stuff but with good command and control. The Red Sox had problems with his ability to change speeds. It'll be interesting to see how he does the 2nd time around the league. Right now, he reminds me a lot of a young Charles Nagy.

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I thought the same thing. Probably doesn't hurt that Nagy was his pitching coach.

Beating up the Red Sox again. 7-2 after a 4-run 6th.

Dammit 7 - 4

Woot woot!!!

3-2

Bahahaha! I just called the corner bar and told them to put Boston Paul on suicide watch lmao!

Man, Tribe over .500 in April. What a strange concept.

It looks like they might have the bats. It's too bad that starting pitching is such a question mark, especially for a team that was quite outspoken that it was going to focus on winning through excellent starting pitching. I'll keep my fingers crossed but I won't hold my breath.

This is gonna be a young fun team to watch grow, We need to get down to the Jac & support them, I know we have a weekend planned for this summer, havent narrowed it down yet but were heading on down.

12:05 PM
Boston (0-5, 0-5 Road)
Cleveland (3-2, 3-2 Home)


Bos: J. Lester (0-0, 8.44 ERA)
Cle: F. Carmona (0-1, 30.00 ERA)


Boston Red Sox at Cleveland Indians
•The Indians have scored 19 runs in their last two home games against the Red Sox (both victories, June 9-10, 2010).
•The Red Sox have started the season 0-3 for the first time since starting the 1996 with five consecutive losses.
•The Indians, who have hit at least one home run in each of their three games this season, did not hit a single home run over their first three games last season.
•Chris Perez has now held his opponents scoreless in 33 of his last 34 relief appearances.
•Current Indians hitters have made 107 combined at bats against Jon Lester over their careers, and have combined for just one home run against him (hit by Grady Sizemore, who is currently on the DL).
•David Ortiz, who hit home runs in each of his first two games this season, hit just one home run in 56 at bats during the month of April last season.

By JEFF MEZYDLO
STATS Senior Writer

(AP) -- With the home opener against their archrival looming, the last thing the Boston Red Sox want is to still be in search of their first win this season.

Hoping for a better outing from Jon Lester, the Red Sox look to avoid starting 0-6 for the first time since 1945 when they conclude a three-game set with the surging Cleveland Indians on Thursday.

After missing the postseason in 2010, Boston quickly became a popular World Series pick with the offseason additions of slugger Adrian Gonzalez and speedy Carl Crawford. However, the Red Sox have looked like anything but title contenders while batting .190 and boasting an 8.33 ERA so far.

If the Red Sox are to eventually reach the postseason in 2011, they will join the 1974 Pirates and 1995 Reds as the only clubs to make the playoffs after starting 0-5. No team has made the World Series after losing their first five games.

"This game will humble you in a hurry and it's doing that to us right now," Red Sox manager Terry Francona said. "We've got to start acting like a good team. We've got to find a way to win a game."

With the New York Yankees in town for Friday's opener at Fenway Park, Boston hopes to get back on track after falling 8-4 to the Indians on Wednesday. Boston has not been swept in a series by Cleveland (3-2) since Aug. 28-30, 2001.

"We can't get caught up with all their potential Hall of Famers and payroll," Indians outfielder Travis Buck said. "We just go out and play the game. You're playing against the baseball anyway."

Gonzalez had two hits, including his first homer, and Crawford also added two hits. However, a four-run Indians' sixth inning helped send Boston to its worst start in 15 years.

While Gonzalez is batting .350 with five RBIs, Crawford is 4 for 19 with six strikeouts.

Coming off a career-high 19-win season in 2010, Lester has also struggled early. He gave up five runs and six hits, including three homers, in 5 1-3 innings Friday, but he didn't get a decision in a 9-5 opening-day loss at Texas.

Lester, who led the AL with 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings in 2010, did not strike anyone out for only the second time in his career.

The left-hander is 3-1 with a 4.53 ERA in eight starts versus the Indians, but 0-1 with a 6.55 ERA his last two against them.

Fausto Carmona also looks to bounce back from a rough opening day for Cleveland. He gave up 10 runs and 11 hits in three innings of a 15-10 loss to Chicago on Friday.

"He's a sinkerball pitcher. When the sinker is up, it gets hit," manager Manny Acta said. "It's too early to make excuses. He's our number one guy and he just didn't have it."

The right-hander has looked good while going 1-1 with a 1.74 ERA despite receiving an average of 2.61 runs of support in three home starts versus Boston.

After giving up 23 runs in two straight losses to the White Sox, Cleveland's pitchers have yielded just six during the current three-game winning streak.

Indians shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera is 3 for 8 in the series after he homered and drove in four runs Wednesday. Though third baseman Jack Hannahan was 0 for 2, he's batting .313 this season, and is 6 for 12 against Lester.

© 2011 by STATS LLC and Associated Press.

I always pray fro the Tribe going into the "June Swoon" each season. Hope they have some pitching, enough to play smart ball. Don't have to win, but I hope they play hard. Go Tribe! Wahoo! Love the Bosox results too.

alot of people are expecting White to get a callup in July or so. him, Weglarz, Chisenhall, and Kipnis mean we have alot of talent coming up soon.

of course, KC's prospects are rated higher and the other teams have more talent in the major's 'now', but you never know with baseball, which is why it's fun.

Yea the indians could be real contenders if all of those guys pan out.

If Cliff Lee would've have just signed an extension with Philly in 09, we could have have gotten back Drabeck, and maybe more in that deal. We would really be looking good if that would've happened.

Red Sox staring 0-6 in the face.

0-0 with the Tribe in the middle of the 6th. game could go either way obviously, but I'll bet they were expecting to shell the Indians and their neck collars are going to start getting awfully tight these last 3 innings.

Go-ahead run in the bottom of the 8th. (walk, SB, sac, sac [run], and a groundout).

1-0 good guys.

Three outs away from sweeping the team that was supposed to go 162-0.

Great fundamental baseball there, and a squeeze bunt for the lead!

Was it the squeeze? I saw Cabrera bunted to third.

Can't find the radio feed so I'm stuck with ESPN Gamecast.

I'm following the CBS.Sportsline Gamecenter....just said he sac'd to third to get the run home. Not sure if it was a straight bunt or what.

Ortiz walked with 2 outs in the 9th. Close the door Perez!

I have a bad feeling about Drew going yard here.

cmon Pure Rage, strike this ... out.

Great Win and Sweep!

It was a squeeze and a beauty at that. Runner broke for home and A. Caberra on a pitch outside managed to bunt it up the third baseline, Perfect!

Ballgame!

Four in a row baby!

Broom.Baby.Broom

Sweep bosox on a suicide squeeze bwahahaha!

1st place in the AL Central at 4-2 (tied with KC...that's right Royals and Indians sit atop the standings)

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/baseball/mlb/standings/

I can see tomorrow's Boston headline ......

"Suicide bunt puts Sox on suicide watch"

those are the kinda games we haven't been winning in 3 years. i hope it keeps up.

i know it's early but how can you not be excited about the start. they stumbled out of the gate with those 2 really bad losses but it didn't seem to shake them at all. fausto bounced back too which is awesome.

j/k


Ya know what.....who really cares a rats behind....

These young guys are playing hard fun baseball and thier not quiting there playing hard till the end, I dont care what our final record is this year,

Bottom line....THERE IS EXCELLENT FUN BASEBALL BEING PLAYED IN CLEVELAND.....LET THE YOUNG GUYS PLAY HARD AND LET THE CHIPS FALL WHERE THEY MAY.