C.C Sabathia had another strong outing but unfortunately Tigers’ starter Jeremy Bonderman was just a little better as he and the Tigers shut out the Tribe 3-0 Saturday night. Indian hitters could only manage three hits off Bonderman through eight innings. He even had a no-hitter going until Todd Hollandworth’s double in the fifth. Sabathia and Bonderman, two of the best power pitchers in the American League, combined for 18 strikeouts in the game. The fielding errors for the Tribe continue as they committed three more Saturday, including two in the sixth.

So when our offense was hot, we couldn’t get any pitching. Now our pitching is improving but the punch is not there from the bats. Go figure.

LeBron James recorded his second postseason triple-double as the Cavaliers beat the Pistons 86-77 in Game 3 Saturday night. LeBron had 15 of his 21 points in the pivotal fourth quarter where the Cavs outscored Detroit by 12. With the game in striking distance, LeBron and Damon Jones put it out of reach with two huge three-pointers late in the fourth. Behind a raucous crowd, the Cavs played solid defense in the final quarter to inch closer in the series.

LeBron came up big and took control down the stretch but the performances of Varejao and Marshall cannot be overlooked in the game. Varejao finished with 16 points on 6 of 7 from the field and Marshall had several key rebounds as well as a couple of key blocked shots in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers finally showed some signs of life and as long as they bring the same energy and hustle in Game 4, this series could actually turn out to be very competitive.

Detroit’s cocky, loud-mouthed forward may have possibly provided the Cavaliers with some bulletin board material after the game.

Rasheed Wallace warned the Cavaliers not to feel too giddy.
“They did what they were supposed to do,” he said. “We are still going to win this series. We’re not going to let one game discourage us.”

The Cleveland Cavaliers are trying to hold home court in this 7 game series with the Detroit Pistons, but they will have to play the next 2 games without Larry Hughes.
The wake for Justin Hughes, Larry’s brother, is scheduled for Monday night. This is the same time the Cavs and Pistons will be playing game 4.

The Cavs need Flip Murray to step up and be a floor leader if they expect to have any chance to compete against the Pistons. Cleveland seems to be in awe of the Pistons when they should be rolling up their sleeves and doing the dirty work. LeBron James can’t win alone, he needs support from the team and that includes coaching from Mike Brown.

The Indians organization obviously has seen enough of 32-year-old reliever Danny Graves. The club has designated him for assignment and is recalling Fausto Carmona to replace him in the bullpen. Graves, who had a 5.79 ERA in 13 appearances, never got into a consistent rhythm this season. As for Carmona, he has been up once before when he filled in for Sabathia in the rotation. Although the Indians feel Carmona’s role with the team in the future will most likely be in the rotation, they really have no choice and need somebody to stop the bleeding in the bullpen.

“We’ll work him in somewhere in the middle,” said Wedge. “We’re looking to get the bullpen in shape. For us it’s a need right now.”

Rafael Betancourt may be joining the club in the next few days. Out for nearly a month with an upper-back strain, Raffy will go on a rehab assignment Sunday and may return in time for Tuesday’s game.

These two moves may not solve our bullpen issues but it’s a start. Betancourt coming back is a big plus and Graves, well, he had to go. I’m just surprised it took them this long to cut him loose.