Month: September 2006 (Page 11 of 15)

The Indians went through quite an emotional roller coaster during their 7-6 loss to the White Sox Friday night. An impressive ninth inning comeback by the Tribe was all for naught as Tom Mastny blew his first save when he surrendered a walk-off two-run home run to A.J Pierzynski. Trailing 5-3 heading into the ninth, the Indians shocked the Sox faithful when they rallied with four straight doubles off closer Bobby Jenks to take a 6-5 lead. The Tribe went ahead but could have even added more to their slim advantage. With the lead, they had a chance at an even bigger inning with two on and nobody out until Ryan Garko hit into a double play. As it turns out, they would need another run or two. Mastny, converting his last five save chances, let up a single to Konerko before the Sox catcher took him yard to end it.

The blown save wasted a terrific night by Sizemore, both at the plate and on the basepaths. Grady finished 3-for-4 with a single, double, triple, and two stolen bases. But what has plagued the team all season came back to bite the Tribe again…the bullpen.

“This is still new to me,” he said of the ninth-inning job. “Anytime I get out there, it’s good for me. I can only build off this.”

The Indians had a heartbreaking end to their 2005 season and just barely missed a spot in the postseason. They are light years away from the playoff picture this season and have been for quite some time but still have a chance at ruining the chances of some other American League teams that are in the playoff hunt, namely the Chicago White Sox.

It was them who put the dagger in the hearts of Tribe players and fans at the end of last season and the Indians, should they choose to accept it, have an opportunity to give the South Siders a little bit of payback this September. As it sits now, the Sox are trailing the AL Central-leading Tigers by five games and are jockying for position atop the Wild Card standings with Minnesota. With six games remaining against Chicago, the Indians can really make life difficult for the Sox should they take care of business against them. As frustrating as the 2006 season has been for us Tribe fans, I for one would be able to sleep a little easier if the Indians somehow could play a tiny role in derailing the Sox’ playoff chances this season.

Thursday night, it was the Indians who played like they were in the midst of a postseason run, not the White Sox. The Tribe got on the board first and built a sizable 7-0 lead through five and put it in cruise control the rest of the way, beating the Sox 9-1. Cliff Lee was rock solid, carrying a no-hitter into the fifth. He gave up a run through six and the gave way to the bullpen. Rafael Betancourt and Jason Davis combined to throw the final three scoreless innings.

The Tribe’s offense came back to life and pounded 17 hits against Mark Buerhle and White Sox. They got home runs from Grady Sizemore and Victor Martinez. In addition, Ryan Garko, Jason Michaels, Aaron Boone, and Andy Marte all enjoyed three-hit nights. Jhonny Peralta, finishing 0-for-5, was the only player left out of the Tribe hit parade.