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The Indians are on a roll. No, not kaiser, poppy seed or apple cinnamon. The reference relates to winning.
For the first time this season, the Tribe has taken three games in a row. Try
as they might Monday night at Jacobs Field, Cleveland's whimsical defenders
tried to give the Boston Red Sox the game, but the Indians prevailed 2-1.
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Contributing six scoreless innings, Jake Westbrook gave another bravura performance; Victor Martinez whacked a two-run homer, and the bullpen preserved the victory.
And yes, this is the same bullpen responsible for a half-dozen losses.
In his last three outings (22 innings), beginning with seven perfect innings
of relief, 40-of-66 outs recorded by Westbrook have come on 38 ground balls
(two double plays). Thirteen other batters went down on strikes.
"That's the type of pitcher I am," he said. "I don't strike out
guys. I try to get them to make early contact."
Only 13 hitters have been retired on balls lifted in the air. Thanks to his
devastating sinker, Westbrook has become the guru of the grounder, the baron
of the bouncer, the honcho of the high hopper.
"Jake has been nothing less than outstanding," Indians manager Eric
Wedge said.
His overall earned-run average has dipped to 1.32. So is Westbrook in the rotation?
Nobody should have to ask.
"It's safe to say he obviously deserves to be in the rotation," Wedge
said.
But in the time-honored tradition of baseball, no team official has told that
to Westbrook.
"No one has said anything," Westbrook said. "I prefer starting.
I'd like to do that as long as I can. But when they tell me to pitch, I'll go
out and pitch."
One of his other five lodge brothers will have to step aside for the time being.
Don't be surprised if someone suddenly comes down with an injury before Saturday,
when Jason Stanford could rejoin the rotation.
What has turned Westbrook's season (and maybe his career) around? Probably his
perfect bullpen appearance in Detroit April 19.
"That game helped build my confidence a lot," he said.
Martinez gave the Indians the lead in the first inning, when he rocked Curt
Schilling with a drive that sailed over the fence in right. After the game,
a reporter kidded Martinez, telling him he shouldn't be hitting home runs against
a marquee pitcher like Schilling.
"Why not?" Martinez said with feigned innocence.
It was Martinez's first game hitting in the cleanup spot, making Wedge look
like a genius.
"I didn't do anything different," Martinez said. "I went to the
plate and tried to make good contact."
Westbrook did not have an easy time against the Red Sox.
In the fourth inning, disaster seemed certain, when Boston loaded the bases
with one out. Omar Vizquel was the first to make life difficult for Westbrook
by muffing Brian Daubach's ground ball for his sixth error of the season.
Jason Varitek followed with a single, and Kevin Millar slapped a bouncer off
Westbrook for an infield hit with one out.
With the count 1-and-2 on David Ortiz, Westbrook delivered a fastball that cut
the plate almost in half several inches above the knees. "Ball 2,"
proclaimed umpire Sam Holbrook with the utmost confidence.
You might say things weren't going Westbrook's way at that point. But Ortiz
eventually skipped a hard ground ball to second baseman Ronnie Belliard, who
turned it into a 4-6-3 double play, ending the inning.
David Riske started the seventh, struck out the first batter he faced but walked
the next two and left.
"The ball was better coming out of David's hand," Wedge said. "I
sure as hell know he didn't want to get taken out, but I had to make a move."
Rick White took over, and Ortiz hit a towering fly ball to the deepest part
of center field. Alex Escobar retreated, then jumped four feet in front of the
fence, and the ball went under his glove for an RBI double, cutting the Tribe
lead to 2-1.
"I thought the wall was closer than it was," said Escobar, who felt
he should have caught the ball. "The wall doesn't bother me. I just played
a different angle. I was trying to find the wall and I couldn't."
The play did not disrupt the concentration of White, who walked Manny Ramirez
intentionally, struck out the last two batters of the seventh and the first
two in the eighth.
"After the walk to Manny, it was time to bear down," White said.
Rafael Betancourt sealed the win in the ninth, but not before a throwing error
on Johnny Damon's steal attempt put a runner on third with one out.
Betancourt proceeded to strike out Bill Mueller and induced Ortiz to hit a bouncer
to second. Then he had to face Ramirez, who walked on a 3-and-2 pitch.
"I got two strikes on Manny then tried to be too fine," Betancourt
said.
That brought up Daubach who swung at the first pitch, ending the game on a fly
to left.
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