The 2012 Playoffs-The World Series

The 2012 ALDS can be found here.

The 2012 ALCS can be found here.

The Indians rolled into Citizens Bank Park to face the Philadelphia Phillies in the 2012 World Series. Earlier in the year the National League had won their first All-Star game that "counted" for home field advantage in the World Series. The Indians were just happy to have finally made it to the World Series for the first time in 15 years in search of their first championship since 1948.

The Lineups:

Cleveland

LF- Michael Brantley

CF- Grady Sizemore

C- Carlos Santana

1B- Matt LaPorta

RF- Shin-Soo Choo

DH- Manny Ramirez (R)/ Nick Weglarz (L) [at Cleveland only]

SS- Asdrubal Cabrera

3B- Lonnie Chisenhall

2B- Luis Valbuena (L)/ Jason Donald (R)

Philadelphia:

SS- Jimmy Rollins

RF- Dominic Brown

2B- Chase Utley

1B- Ryan Howard

3B- Adrian Beltre

CF- Shane Victorino

DH- Ben Francisco [at Cleveland only]

LF- Michael Taylor

C- Carlos Ruiz

Game 1:

Hector Rondon faced Cole Hamels in a struggle of aces. Both established a quick tempo against the respective lineups. With the game scoreless in the 4th, Carlos Santana roped a solo home run to give the tribe an early advantage. Both aces battled through the middle innings keeping the score constant at 1-0 going into the 8th. In the top of the 8th JA Happ relieved Hamels after the starter walked Matt LaPorta to start the inning and pinch hitter Manny Ramirez doubled putting runners at 2nd and 3rd. Asdrubal Cabrera nailed Happ's first offering into the stands to give the tribe a 4-0 advantage that they would not yield.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

CLE 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 = 4 8 1

PHI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 = 1 7 1

Notables:

CLE Asdrubal Cabrera 1-4 3-run HR

PHI Ben Francisco 2-4 2 2B, RBI

Game 2: (CLE 1-0)

Carlos Carrasco faced the man he was traded for, Cliff Lee. The Indians got to Lee early and often. Matt LaPorta cracked a grand slam in the 1st and Lonnie Chisenhall added a solo homer in the 2nd to give the Indians a quick 5-0 advantage. Lee was done after 4 after he gave up a pair of RBI doubles to Matt LaPorta and Shin Soo Choo to stretch the Indians' lead to 7-1. Carrasco was erratic at times and surrendered 5 walks, but he struggled through 6 innings giving up only 2 runs. The Indians cruised to a 10-4 victory.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

CLE 4 1 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 = 10 15 0

PHI 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 = 4 7 1

Notables:

Matt LaPorta 2-3, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, 2BB

Michael Taylor 2-4 2RBI

Game 3: (CLE 2-0)

A pair of young guns faced off in Game 3 at Progressive Field with lefty TJ House facing righty Kyle Drabek. The Indians jumped out to an early lead with Brantley lining the first pitch he saw into the gap to start the first and Grady Sizemore depositing a 2-1 fastball into the visitors dugout to give the tribe a 2-0 lead. Ryan Howard jacked a TJ House offering into "Pronkville" to tie the game at 2 in the fourth. The teams traded jabs and game stood tied 4-4 heading into the seventh. After a one out walk to Jimmy Rollins, Manny Acta called on Nick Hagadone to hold the lead in the 7th. Rollins swiped second on Hagadone's first pitch and the flame-throwing lefty fell behind Brown 3-1. Brown cracked the next pitch into the left field corner and Rollins scored. Brown got gunned down trying to stretch the double into a triple. 5-4 Philadelphia mid 7th. In relief of Drabek, Joe Blanton hung a breaking pitch that Matt LaPorta drilled off the left center wall. JA Happ did not do much better yielding consecutive singles to Shin-Soo Choo and pinch hitter Manny Ramirez. With runners on the corners and the game tied Charlie Manuel, who'd survived his 3rd heart attack in August, called on closer Ryan Madson to preserve the tie. He failed and Asdrubal Cabrera hit a sac fly to score Choo.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

PHI 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 0 0 = 5 7 0

CLE 2 0 0 1 1 0 2 0 0 = 6 9 1

Notables:

CLE: Grady Sizemore 1-4 3RBI

PHI: Ryan Howard 2-4 2HR, 2RBI

Game 4: (CLE 3-0)

One game. One game. Those are the words that resonated through the brains of Cleveland Indians fans. The Indians now had four shots at the championship, but after a promising start to the game things turned sour for the Erie Warriors. Justin Masterson retired the Phillies on 8 pitches in the top of the 1st. Carlos Santana lined a single that scored Michael Brantley in the bottom of the first, but rounding 1st base Santana's left knee buckled and he collapsed to the ground in obvious pain. Lou Marson replaced Santana, but the oxygen was sucked out of Progressive Field and the Indians fell 5-1.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

PHI 0 0 2 0 1 1 0 1 0 = 5 12 0

CLE 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 1 6 1

Notables:

CLE Justin Masterson 6.0 IP 8H, 4ER, BB, 4K's

PHI Cole Hamels CG, 6H, ER, 10K's

Game 5 (CLE 3-1)

In their last chance to bring home a championship on their home field, the Indians received the devastating news that Carlos Santana would be out for Game 5 and likely the rest of the series. The heart of the Indians who'd hit .317 with 28 HR and 113 RBI watched from the dugout as Chase Utley racked up 6RBI and Cliff Lee tossed a gem in an easy 9-2 Phillies victory. Manny Acta, irate at a bang-bang call at first, was ejected in the 8th and the Indians looked listless and soulless throughout.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

PHI 3 0 2 3 0 0 1 0 0 = 9 16 1

CLE 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 = 2 7 0

Notables:

Hector Rondon 3IP+ 10H, 7ER, BB, 2K's

Chase Utley 4-5 3 2B, 6RBI

Game 6 (CLE 3-2)

A shocked and dejected Indians team boarded the team plane and headed to Philadelphia. The momentum had shifted to the Phillies and the Indians were left to regroup and wonder if Cleveland was forever doomed to failure. The team looked hopelessly splintered and step-up man Zach Putnam did not make the flight to Philadelphia after he got in a bar fight with a Phillies fan after Game 5.

Grady Sizemore stood up in the locker room before the game and simply stated: "It's time to nut up or shut up." It was as if the haze of the previous few miserable days had been lifted and the team took the field behind Carlos Carrasco. After the Indians were retired in the top of the 1st without scoring, a focused Carrasco struck out the side of Phillies utilizing his devastating changeup. Drabek and Carrasco dueled through the next 4 innings and the game remained scoreless. Carrasco appeared calm and composed on the mound working off of an excellent fastball, curveball, changeup combination. Carrasco singled to start the top of the 6th and came around to score on a Grady Sizemore double to give the tribe a 1-0 advantage. Carrasco cruised through the bottom of the sixth, but after the tribe came up empty in the top of the 7th Ryan Howard blasted a towering solo homer to tie the game. Sensing trouble Manny Acta sprinted out to the mound and got Alex White up in the bullpen. Carrasco reassured Acta and knucked down to retire the next three guys in a row. The score was tied at 1 after 7 innings. Nobody scored in the 8th. To start the 9th Matt LaPorta doubled off reliever JA Happ, but the left handed reliever got Choo and Chisenhall to ground out before he surrendered a walk to Jason Donald. Instead of Lou Marson, Carlos Santana limped out to the plate. Ryan Madson relieved Happ. Madson attacked him, getting ahead 1-2 before Santana watched two balls outside to make the count full. Madson jammed Santana inside on the next pitch, who blooped it into right center field over the head of Chase Utley for a single. Pinch runner Luis Valbuena raced around third and beat the throw home, 2-1 Indians. Manny Acta called to the pen for the bottom of the 9th and summoned All-Star Chris Perez. The closer got Jimmy Rollins to ground out to start the inning and Dominic Brown went down on strikes, but Chase Utley singled to give the Phillies a glimmer of home. Ryan Howard took a rip at Perez's first pitch and sent a high towering fly ball about 95 feet into Asdrubal Cabrera's outstretched glove. THE INDIANS WIN IT, OH MY GOD, THE INDIANS WIN IT!

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

CLE 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 = 2 7 0

PHI 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 = 1 5 1

Notables:

Carlos Carrasco 8.0IP, 4H, ER, 2BB, 11K's

Ryan Howard 1-4 HR, RBI

World Series MVP: Carlos Carrasco 2-0 14.0IP, 9H, 3ER, 7BB, 18K's

Rosterin' and Prospectin': A Look at the Tribe's 40 man and Farm System

Ka-Ching, I'm on Thanksgiving Break. A whole week of reading, relaxing and seeing some old friends back home. Sadly the first big piece of news to hit is that Omar Vizquel is close to signing with the White Sox. I wish Omar the best, but couldn't he have picked another franchise? I believe I'm in the majority when I say that the White Sox are my least favorite AL Central franchise. Why couldn't Omar have come to help tutor Asdrubal and Luis in their middle infield adventures? Sandy came back to help Carlos and Lou.....

Anyways, let's start with the big news of the week: the 40 man roster. Tony did his normal superb job in reviewing the moves the tribe made with their roster. Nobody was removed, although if I was Chris Gimenez, Wyatt Toregas or Anthony Reyes, I wouldn't get too comfortable. I'm glad the Indians didn't roster any of the numerous back-end starters/middle relievers that aren't necessarily major league ready. Guys like Yohan Pino, Chuck Lofgren, Josh Tomlin, Steven Wright and Ryan Edell are nice depth options, but they don't warrant a roster spot if they're blocking guys with more potential and upside.

While fact that Jordan Brown, Nick Weglarz, Jason Donald and Jeanmar Gomez were rostered comes as no surprise, the other three new members of the 40 man are questionable. Let's start with Kelvin de la Cruz. Baseball America ranked de la Cruz as the Indians' seventh best prospect coming into 2009 noting:

"De la Cruz now sits at 89-92 mph and touches 93-94 with his four-seam fastball. He's still growing and getting stronger, so he could add more velocity. His best pitch is his 75-77 mph curveball, which has two-plane depth and neutralizes lefties and righties. He also mixes in a two-seam fastball with good sink and a changeup that shows promise.... De la Cruz again will be one of the high Class A Carolina League's youngest pitchers in 2009. How quickly he can make the necessary mechanical adjustments will dictate the speed of his ascent."

Although de la Cruz battled injuries and could only make 5 starts in '09, his talent is undeniable. His option clock is ticking and the Indians are betting he's big league ready by 2012 or at the very latest the beginning of '13, but I believe that's a risk they have to take considering this guy's talent.

The Indians also decided to roster young shortstop Carlos Rivero. Rivero spent his 2009 season in Akron and I remember going to an Aeros game at the end of June and saw that his average was hovering right around the Mendoza Line. However, Rivero flashed his talent in the second half of the season (.280 BA, .797 OPS) and at the AFL (.318 BA, .859 OPS in 22G). With another hat tip to Tony for those stats, let's turn to what BA had to say about him in '09 handbook:

"Rivero has plus power that's evident in batting practice, though that power has yet to manifest itself in games with much frequency. As his frame continues to fill out, his power should continue to grow. He has a sound swing that generates plenty of bat speed, and he is a good athlete. Defensively, he offers soft hands and a strong arm. While Rivero has the tools, the gap between his potential and his present ability is still significant. He struggles to recognize breaking pitches, and he needs to get his hands into a better load position. He has the arm for shortstop, but 16 of his 24 errors last season came on throws. He's a below average runner with below-average lateral range, and scouts from other club officials believe he could become another Jhonny Peralta."

The problem with Rivero, as noted in BA's piece, is that although he's got the raw tools..... he's still a long way from putting everything together. Rivero turns 22 next May and he'll likely need at least another year at AA and probably another year at AAA. With his option clock ticking, this puts the tribe in a hard place if he continues his slow development. Still it's hard to expose talent like this.....

Finally, we come to Wes Hodges. Hodges was a 2nd round pick out of Georgia Tech in '06 and posted good lines of .288/.367/.473 in '07 at Kinston and .290/.354/.466 in '08 at Akron. However, the knock on Hodges is his defense and as BA noted:

"[Hodges] committed 28 errors in 125 games at third base with Akron, then eight more in 22 AFL games."

Although Hodges represents a right handed bat option for the predominantly left handed Indians lineup, his atrocious fielding proceeds him. When you're projected starting rotation is Jake Westbrook, Justin Masterson, Aaron Laffey, David Huff and Fausto Carmona/Carlos Carrasco, all of whom are very young or sinkerballers, you want a good defensive 3B. On top of that, the two guys ahead of Hodges, Peralta and Marte, are both right handers themselves. Hodges injury concerns and his .265/.307/.383 line in 359 PA at AAA last year as a 25 year old makes we wish the tribe had protected Matt McBride instead.

I know Matt McBride had a pedestrian slash line of .247/.301/.427 in 406 PA at Akron this year after his monster start at Kinston (.405/.453/.667 in 139 PA), but he's rebounded at the AFL and has put up an unbelievable line of .378/.511/.649 line there in 22 games. He has versatility and can catch (although Santana appears to have that covered), play third and the corner outfield. Here's what John Sickels had to say about him after seeing him at the AFL.

"I like McBride quite a bit as a sleeper. He won’t be a gold glove catcher but he’s not terrible, and his bat has a lot of potential if he can show some improved plate discipline at higher levels."

McBride just seems too valuable to expose especially considering Hodges' faults.

Anyways onwards and upwards to Kevin Goldstein's top 11 Indians prospects (with 4 bonus prospects). If you don't have a Baseball Prospectus subscription, I strongly recommended it. You won't get better in-depth baseball commentary anywhere else.

Five-Star Prospects
1. Carlos Santana, C
Four-Star Prospects
2. Lonnie Chisenhall, 3B
3. Alex White, RHP
4. Jason Knapp, RHP
5. Nick Hagadone, LHP
Three-Star Prospects
6. Hector Rondon, RHP
7. Lou Marson, C
8. Jason Kipnis, OF/2B
9. Carlos Carrasco, RHP
10. Michael Brantley, OF
11. Zach Putnam, RHP

Four More:

12. Jess Todd, RHP

13. Nick Weglarz, OF/1B

14. TJ House, LHP

15. Jason Donald, SS

Anyways, Goldstein agrees with about everybody else in the prospect watching community that Carlos Santana is an elite prospect. Project Prospect ranked him as the SECOND best position prospect in baseball at the end of the MiLB season. Goldstein says this about the gem of the Casey Blake trade:

"Santana's bat is so special that if he was a first-base prospect, he'd still be elite. His approach is big league-ready, as he never swings at a bad pitch. As one scout put it, "When he does finally swing, special things tend to happen." His power is plus to plus-plus to all fields, and for a player with his strength, he maintains an outstanding contact rate. He's a solid defender with above-average arm strength."

Sounds pretty damn good to me. He looks a little like Victor Marintez, v.2, bigger, faster, stronger.... though I hope I didn't just jinx him. I can't wait to see him in the big leagues midseason (around the Super Two cutoff).

Goldstein was also high on Chisenhall and admitted in his chat that he almost placed him in the "Five Star Prospect" category. His projection of Chisenhall (membership required) states:

"If he continues to develop, look for Chisenhall to be a .300-hitting third baseman with 20-25 home runs annually"

Sounds good to me.

However, after Santana and Chisenhall, Goldstein's list is surprising. Goldstein favors high upside guys over surer things closer to the big leagues. There's no doubt that Alex White, Jason Knapp and Nick Hagadone are all supremely talented, but I think its a stretch that they're all ranked above Hector Rondon. The Venezuelan righty just completed a marvelous season and is just a stone's throw away from the big leagues going into his age 22 season (2009: Rondon at AA-2.51 FIP, 4.56 K/BB in 15G, at AAA-3.56 FIP, 4.92 K/BB in 13G). Goldstein admitted Rondon was close to a four star prospect in the comment section and stated in his assessment: "He projects as a good third starter with some room for growth." I guess I might be biased by my Indians loyalty, but I think Rondon has top-of-the-rotation potential (and Project Prospect agrees-if you check out the chat replay)

Goldstein isn't a Weglarz fan and left Alexander Perez and Jeanmar Gomez completely off the list. However, the exclusion of Perez and Gomez should be viewed more as a compliment to the system's incredible depth than anything else.

Anywho, I trust most you guys have already seen Manny Acta's interview with Les Levine. I don't know about you guys, but Acta's radiant personality is a breath of fresh air after Eric Wedge and Charlie Manuel. I can't wait to see this guy in action...

Take it easy,

Alex Trebek

A Team of Rivals

At the moment I'm consumed by 4 papers that are all due Friday. Hell of a way to spend the week before thanksgiving break... especially since I checked out around Halloween. I've got papers on the movie Sonnenallee (to be written in German), the interaction between the Mongol Rulers of China and Persia respectively in the 13th century (actually two relatively short papers summarizing two different sources) and finally a good old 6 pager for Early Modern Europe about the changing conception of property during the 17th century. If you have any ideas send them to me by Friday. :)

Anyways... enough grumbling.... time to talk a little baseball. I've already commended the Indians for their hire of Manny Acta. Acta and the Indians have complied what appears to be a diverse group of articulate, well-respected individuals to staff the coaching spots around the diamond.

Here's how it stands:
Manager: Manny Acta
Bench Coach: Tim Tolman (good to see Acta get "one of his guys" on his staff)
Pitching Coach: Tim Belcher (not sure about this hire, but I trust Acta's judgment)
Hitting Coach: ?
Bullpen Coach: Scott Radinsky (he should have replaced Chuck Hernandez here around the end of April)
3rd Base Coach: Steve Smith (good write up on him here: http://www.blogcatalog.com/blog/the-tribe-daily)
1st Base Coach: Sandy Alomar (so well liked that the trolls on cleveland.com had positive things to say)

I'll have more analysis at the end of the week. With Kevin Goldstein's top 11 Indians prospects coming out soon and the 40 man roster deadline... we should have a nice weekend of Indians baseball news on our hands.

Keep it classy,
Alex Trebek

The Pen Plan

I’m in the midst of a bunch of papers and whatnot before Thanksgiving Break, so I’ll wait a week before I complete the World Series portion of the “2012 Playoffs.” Anyways, the offseason is still slow and since the Indians don’t look to pull off any major moves anyways, let’s take a look at the tribe’s 2010 relief corps.

Bullpen Spot Secure:

RHP Kerry Wood- Wood was a serviceable closer last year, but he was nowhere near worth 10 million especially on a cash-strapped team like the Indians. The market is flush with closers this offseason and the Indians likely wouldn’t get anything prospect-wise for the Texas flamethrower and would have to eat a significant portion of his 10.5 million dollar contract (his 11 million dollar 2011 vesting option doesn’t help). Worse case scenario: he pitches bad this year and the Indians don’t allow his option to vest. Best case scenario: he pitches well and the tribe can trade him to a contender in need of bullpen help for a nice prospect and salary relief. If he’s on the Indians’ roster after July 31st, the Indians won’t let his 2011 option vest (unless in the unlikely event the Indians are in contention).

RHP Chris Perez- Perhaps Shapiro’s best deal of last year’s firesale was prying Chris Perez and Jess Todd away from the St. Louis Cardinals for super utilityman Mark DeRosa. Here’s what Baseball America had to say about him in this year’s handbook:

“Perez has a wicked fastball… He can throw it consistently at 95 mph and dial it up to 97-98 when necessary. His fastball has natural sink and he offsets it with a biting slider than hums in the high-80s… Command and inexperience continue to block Perez from being dubbed St. Louis’ (Cleveland’s) closer.”

Sign me up. Perez flashed his promise during his hot-streak in August, but was humbled by a rocky September. Perez looks to be Kerry Wood’s likely successor.

LHP Tony Sipp- Sipp is the tribe’s most promising left-handed reliever, well since Rafael Perez fell apart. To get anything out of a 45th round draft pick is a bonus, much less a possible late-inning left hander. Sipp’s sported an outstanding 10.80 K/9 rate, but his 5.63 BB/9 rate leaves something to be desired. Hopefully he’ll avoid imploding like so many of the Indians’ homegrown relievers…..

Likely Bullpen Arms:

RHP Jensen Lewis- Although Jensen wasn’t a complete disaster in ’09, he came nowhere near the promise he held after his excellent closer cameo at the end of ’08. In April it seemed like he was blowing every other game, but he retained a decent K rate (8.41 K/9) and could still be an effective mid-innings reliever.

LHP Rafael Perez- Oh, Rafael….. Although, Raffy Perez looks to get another chance in ’10 and Bill James published a bullish projection, one must wonder if Perez will go down as another Fernando Cabrera for a nice start to his career, but atrocious continuation. He had absolutely no control in ’09 although his 4.81 FIP was nowhere near as bad as his 7.31 ERA. Anyways, he’s not dead yet….

RHP Joe Smith- Mr. Smith, the famed ROOGY obtained from the Mets in the Franklin Gutierrez swap, was fairly bland in his Indians debut. Smith was decent, if not great, when he was healthy in ’09. Should be a solid, 6-7 inning matchup guy if he can stay healthy.

Contenders for the last bullpen spot:

I’m operating under the assumption that the tribe will carry 7 relievers given the unstable nature of their young pitching staff.

LHP Jeremy Sowers- Everybody knows Sowers. The former first round pick in ’04, he shot through the minors, putting up very impressive numbers. He flashed his promise in a ’06 callup going 7-4 with a 3.57ERA. However, since his nice debut Sowers has been somewhere between mediocre and bad. Sowers often starts games strong, but falters in the mid-innings meaning that he could be prime for a long guy out of the bullpen… especially considering that the rotation has lots of question marks. Sowers had a decent 4.77 FIP in 22 starts in 2009, but an awful BB/K ratio concerns me and leads me to believe that he’s bullpen bound (0.98, 52 BB and 51 K’s). Fun fact: Sowers has only picked up 10 wins in his 57 starts since 2007.

RHP Jess Todd- Todd was roughed up in his first taste of MLB action, but he shows promise as a middle innings relief, perhaps as an 8th inning guy if he realizes his potential. From the 2009 BA Handbook:

“Todd augments an attack dog mentality with tremendous control of three pitches- the cutter, an 88-91 MPH sinker and a tight slider… to some, Todd profiles as a reliever because there’s a lingering concern his frame isn’t built to handle the grind and innings of the long big league season. His repertoire also may be better suited for the bullpen until he refines a reliable changeup.”

Todd has promise, but a little time in AAA certainly wouldn’t hurt….

RHP Jose Veras- Veras a cast-off courtesy of the Yankees. He seems to have a nice arm and could be a solid addition to this bullpen…. Decent 2008 numbers offer some hope (3.59 ERA, 4.19 FIP, 9.83 K/9)

There you go…. Bullpens are simply volatile. Case in point: I thought the tribe would sport one of the best pens going into ’08 and ’09, but well you know….. Hopefully, at least regression to the mean will be on the tribe’s side next year. Anyways, now you have something to think about while you’re enjoying this wonderful weather!

Alex Trebek

The 2012 Playoffs-ALCS

The last week has been busy on my hill here in Ohio. Once we hit Thanksgiving Break/Christmas Break I'll make sure to post more frequently and the rampant offseason speculation will commence in full force. With that let's take a look at our ALCS matchup of the Cleveland Indians against the Boston Red Sox.

As the Indians took care of the Yankees, the Red Sox owned the heavily favored Texas Rangers. The Sox swept the Rangers straight out of the playoffs. The BoSox came to Progressive Field for a rematch of the 2007 ALCS against the Cleveland Indians.

Boston Lineup:
CF Jacoby Ellsbury
2B Dustin Pedroia
3B Kevin Youkilis
1B Prince Fielder
RF Jason Bay
DH Victor Martinez
LF Josh Reddick
C Kelly Shoppach
SS Marco Scutaro

Cleveland Lineup:
LF Michael Brantley
CF Grady Sizemore
C Carlos Santana
1B Matt LaPorta
RF Shin Soo Choo
DH R Manny Ramirez/L Nick Weglarz (platoon)
SS Asdrubal Cabrera
3B Lonnie Chisenhall
2B L Luis Valbuena/ R Jason Donald (platoon)

Game 1

Hector Rondon and Josh Beckett battled each other in an epic ALCS Game 1 struggle. After a leadoff double to Jacoby Ellsbury, Rondon struck out the next three batters and settled in retiring 13 of the next 14 batters. Beckett was just as hard to hit with a pair of weak singles from Carlos Santana and Lonnie Chisenhall representing the only two baserunners he allowed through the first six innings. Rondon recorded his eleventh strikeout when he got Prince Fielder to swing and miss to start the 7th, but then he walked Jason Bay. His next batter, Victor Martinez, crushed a pitch into the alley for a double. Bay had to stay at 3rd because of an excellent relay from Shin Soo Choo. Rondon struck out Josh Reddick on 3 pitches and looked to have strikeout 13 against former Indian Kelly Shoppach after he painted the outside corner on a 1-2 count against the catcher. However, the umpire didn't agree and Shoppach blasted a 3 run homer on the next pitch. Steve Phillips, doing commentary for TBS shortly after his release from prison for tax evasion, called the 3 run homer "crucial" after the game.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
BOS 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0=3 7 0
CLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0=0 3 1

Notables:
Rondon 7.0IP 5H, 3 ER, BB, 12K's
Beckett CG, 3H, BB, 8K's

Game 2 (1-0 BOS)

Jacoby Ellsbury pulled Carlos Carrasco's first pitch of the game over the right field wall. However, instead of imploding, Carrasco settled in and pitched a strong 6 2/3 innings only yielding one more run. Grady Sizemore lit John Lester up, ripping three hits including 2 home runs in Lester's 5 innings of work. After a Michael Brantley single to start the game, Sizemore nailed a Lester fastball into the right field mezzanine. In the 3rd, Sizemore launched an opposite field solo shot and drilled an RBI single in his final AB against Lester in the 5th. Although Carrasco departed the game with a 5-2 cushion, Alex White gave up a 2 run double to Victor Martinez in the top of the 8th to cut the lead to one. However, in the bottom of the 8th Manny Ramirez nailed a 2 run double against Junichi Tanzawa to give the Indians their final margin 7-4.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
BOS 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 0=4 8 0
CLE 2 0 2 0 1 0 0 2 x=7 12 1

Notables
CLE Grady Sizemore 3-5, 2HR, 4 RBI
BOS Victor Martinez 2-4 2B, 2 RBI

Game 3 (Series Tied 1-1)

Upon the series' shift to Fenway, the Indians and Red Sox traded runs through the first 5 frames. In the first, Sizemore nailed his 3rd homer of the series, a solo opposite field shot over the monster, but Jason Bay responded with an RBI single in the bottom of the first off TJ House. Carlos Santana gave the Indians a short lived lead when he drove in 2 on a groundball single up the middle in the 3rd. However, the Sox responded with single runs in the 4th and 5th to tie the game at 3. Nobody scored in the 6th, 7th or 8th and the Red Sox turned to closer Daniel Bard in the 9th to preserve the tie into the bottom half the frame. Bard walked Valbuena, struck out Brantley and then issued another walk to Sizemore. After falling behind 2-0 to Carlos Santana he induced a clutch fly out. With runners on first and second and 2 outs, he got ahead of Matt LaPorta 1-2. Matt LaPorta hit a 99 MPH Daniel Bard fastball right at 3rd basemen Kevin Youkilis. Youkilis bobbled the ball and unable to go to third slung the ball over first basemen Victor Martinez's head and into the stands, Valbuena raced home and gave the tribe a 4-3 advantage that Chris Perez locked down on only 8 pitches in the 9th.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
CLE 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1=4 8 0
BOS 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0=3 11 2

Notables:
BOS Clay Buchholz 7IP, 6H, 3ER, 3BB, 3K's
CLE Carlos Santana 1-4, BB, 2 RBI

Game 4 (CLE 2-1)

The Red Sox gave a warm welcome to former teammate Justin Masterson. Prince Fielder crushed a 456-foot 3 run homer in the bottom of the first and Masterson only lasted 2+ in a Boston blowout. Aaron Laffey pitched 5 strong in relief and the Indians had a rally in the 7th, but it was Boston's game from start to finish. Rookie Casey Kelly pitched 6.2 strong innings for the Red Sox.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
CLE 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0=3 10 1
BOS 4 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 x=9 13 0

Notables:
BOS Prince Fielder 2-3 2BB, 2B, HR, 5 RBI
CLE Nick Weglarz 2-4 2B, 2 RBI

Game 5 (Tied 2-2)

Hector Rondon and Josh Beckett dueled again in Game 5. The game was scoreless until the 5th, when Lonnie Chisenhall knocked in Asdrubal Cabrera on a sac fly to make it 1-0 Cleveland. Rondon continued his dominance setting down all 6 batters he faced in the 6th and 7th, 4 on strikeouts. Beckett matched him keeping the game at 1-0 mid 8th. With one down in the 8th, Jacoby Ellsbury ripped a double into left. After a Dustin Pedroia walk, Manny Acta called on Alex White to perserve the lead. White and Youkilis battled for 9 pitches before Youkilis drilled a ball off the monster plating Ellsbury and Pedroia. Tony Sipp relieved White and got the Indians out of the inning without further damage. However, Boston lead 2-1 going into the 9th. The Indians loaded the bases with one out in the top of the 9th and Terry Francona pulled Beckett for Bard. Bard struckout Grady Sizemore and Carlos Santana popped out ending the Indians threat.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
CLE 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0=1 7 0
BOS 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 x=2 5 0

Notables:
CLE Rondon 7.1IP 4H, 2ER, 2BB, 8K's
BOS Youkilis 1-4 2B, 2 RBI

Game 6 (BOS 3-2)

The series shifted back to Cleveland and the Indians turned to Carlos Carrasco for this do or die game. In three seasons with the tribe Carrasco had shown brillance at times (8-2 2.65 ERA after the all star break in '12), but had performed miserably at other times (3-10 5.80 ERA in 2010). He didn't have his best stuff for game 6, but managed to keep his emotions in check. After the Sox loaded the bases in the first, Carrasco escaped harm with a double play ball. In the fourth, after a Prince Fielder leadoff homer and a double to Jason Bay, the venezuelan native induced three straight harmless ground balls. The Indians hitters had their share of missed opportunities. Having already scored a run in the second and with runners on the corners Lonnie Chisenhall dribbled into an inning ending double play. Carrasco and Lester both lasted six and the game stood tied at 3 going into the 7th. Zach Putnam pitched scoreless innings in the seventh and eighth, but the Indians were similarly baffled by Boston's relievers. Nick Hagadone and then Chris Perez ran into trouble in the 9th, but the the Red Sox were unable to capitalize with the bases loaded and two outs. The bullpens further battled through scoreless 10th, 11th and 12th innings. After Jess Todd set the Red Sox down in the top of the 13th, Shin Soo Choo stepped up to the plate against Boston lefty Hideki Okajima. On a 1-1 count Choo blasted a line drive that drilled the right field foul pole. Indians win 4-3.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 R H E
BOS 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 = 3 13 2
CLE 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 = 4 10 0

Notables:
CLE Shin Soo Choo 2-6 2B, HR 2 RBI
BOS John Lester 6.0IP 5H, 3ER, 4BB, 5K's

Game 7 (Tied 3-3)

The Indians got to Clay Buchholz for four runs in the first three innings. After Buchholz walked Luis Valbuena to start the 4th, Francona pulled him in favor of Tazawa. The Japanese righty shut the tribe down pitching 4 scoreless. On the Indians side, rookie TJ House glided through the first 5 innings without allowing a run. House coughed up a pair in the sixth, but limited the damage. After a scoreless seventh courtesy of Alex White, Prince Fielder crushed a Nick Hagadone delivery in the right field stands to cut the Indians lead to 4-3 mid 8th. WIth one down in the bottom of the 8th, Asdrubal Cabrera roped a triple into the right field corner and Tazawa was done. The Red Sox called on Daniel Bard, who struck out Lonnie Chisenhall before Luis Valbuena roped a single between first and third to plate Cabrera. Michael Brantley nailed a 2-0 Bard pitch into the right center alley that scored Valbuena. Brantley was able to advance to third on the throw home. A visibly shaken Daniel Bard fell behind Sizemore 3-1 before the MVP runner-up yanked a 2 run homer into the visitors' bullpen. The Indians put on their beer goggles and excitedly watched as Chris Perez shut the Sox down 1-2-3 and gave the Indians their first pennant in 15 years and an 8-3 victory.

Box 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
BOS 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0= 3 8 1
CLE 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 4 x= 8 11 0

Notables:
CLE Grady Sizemore 2-5 HR, 3 RBI, SB
BOS Clay Buchholz 3.0+IP, 6H, 4ER, 3BB, K

ALCS MVP: Grady Sizemore BA .448 (13-29), 4HR, 11RBI, 3SB

Alex Trebek