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