To prepare for the big series, Fire Brand of the AL writer Zach Hayes and Tribe Report writer James Pete will be exchanging e-mails until the first pitch Friday and throughout the series discussing everything ALCS. Look for another update tomorrow.
Note: Most recent post at the top.
[NOTE BY EVAN] Yeah, the focus should be on the Red Sox and the ALCS. But why doesn’t college hockey get any attention? Check out Evan’s guest column at The Doghouse on that very subject!
Zach: Speaking of Joba, it was the bugs! He wasn’t overthrowing and never mind Carmona dealt with the situation, it was the bugs of course!
Don’t get me wrong, I loved Trot in a Sox uniform. Back in the early 2000s the phrase Dirt Dogs was common around Boston and nobody exemplified that more than Nixon. He’s just completely washed up. Although if Game 7 rolls around and Trot goes 3 for 4 with a HR while J.D. Drew goes 0 for 5 with 4 K’s, that wouldn’t necessarily surprise me.
I agree on the depth. Dice and Wake are pretty much coin flips at this stage. Still, I can’t help but feel overly confident about facing Westbrook and Byrd. For some reason the Sox tend to struggle against either true aces or rookie pitchers they’ve never seen before. Well, Westbrook and Byrd sort of fall in the middle. I feel we can handle them. A split in Boston is the most likely scenario and wouldn’t depress me because of that.
You may not be familiar (not sure if he was up in July, surely not in May) but we have our own Jensen Lewis- his name is Manny Delcarmen. Power arm that was held back by control issues early in his career and got off to a rocky start in AAA this year before completely doing a 180. Now you could argue hes the 2nd most reliable pitcher out of our bullpen. He locates well with the heater, drops a wicked curve and a nasty split. Lewis and Delcarmen are the X factors for each bullpen.
Will Wedge just freakin pull the plug on JoeBo already? Betancourt is a gem, baby.
James: Listen, I love Trot Nixon from yesteryear…talk about a gritty guy to have roaming your outfield. What he gave us this year was a slap hitting singles hitter, and a guy that couldn’t move in the outfield. Still, you can’t help but think that the club benefited from his knowledge. Then came game three of the ALDS. Trot launched a laser into the right field stands for a solo shot, then hit an opposite field gapper for a double. Of course, his misplay of a bases-loaded hit cleared the bases. He should be a DH, but with Pronk, that will never happen.
Coco…funny…I never doubted his glove, although I know his bat in Cleveland was helped out by a solid hitting Jhonny Peralta, Pronk and VMart. He was in the two hole here, and got to see a bunch of good pitches.
Don’t talk to me about Andy Marte. No offense to Marte, but he looks like a kid that should play in AAAA ball, not the majors or AAA. He just shatters in the majors. I don’t see him ever being a factor. The interesting thing is that they have to keep Marte on the roster this year, or they’ll lose him. He may be available soon.
As far as the pitching staffs go, it’s a tough call. I can’t say a bad thing about Carmona or Sabathia. I have complete confidence in what they bring to the plate. Past that…well…I don’t know. We’ll see. I’d give Boston’s depth (not even counting Wakefield) the slight nod. Still, those first two games in Boston should be interesting.
Dos Rafael are wicked. Betancourt and Perez are as good a righty, lefty combo as there is in MLB. Still, right now, the best pitcher of the bullpen right now may be Jensen Lewis. This kid has put up Joba Chamberlain #’s since September 1. The difference? Lewis was untouchable in the playoffs. JoeBo? Well…I’d rather not talk too much about him.
Zach: I didn’t even realize the connections were so lengthy. I do remember thinking the Foulke sudden retirement announcement was a bit odd, but then all the quotes about “getting sick of baseball” came floating back when he struggled in 2005. As for Nixon, it appears his power has been completely zapped. People like to b—tch about the JD Drew signing in year 1 of 5 in Boston, but re-upping Nixon, the other option at the time, wouldn’t have been much better. He still can’t hit LHP. Nobody knew Ellsbury would be THIS ready, either.
I don’t specifically remember Coco in LF for the Tribe but there were definitely doubts about whether he could handle CF on a full-time basis. He’s turned into a Gold Glove winner right before our eyes. We expected more from the bat, though, like the 300/345/465 with 16 HR he put in 2005. That would be nice. How has Andy Marte been doing? Still struggling in Buffalo? Gammons went nutso over Marte when we snatched him from Atlanta and most expected him to be able to take over 3B in 2007. I also like Shoppach. We never gave him a chance with the knuckleball and is much much better than Mirabelli. Granted, a corpse is, but that’s beside the point.
I just sat here for a good five minutes trying to decide which pitching staff is stronger. It’s insanely difficult. The fact the Indians can back up Sabathia with another bonafide ace in Carmona is a huge deal, and we’re still fearful of Schilling holding up in the postseason any longer. He was lights out against the Angels but that was a lineup with Vlad walking with a cane, Anderson with one eye, Kotchman and Matthews out….basically, the Tribe order is a huge challenge. Trotting out CC and Fausto is key. And honestly, I dont think the closer differential is enough to offset that factor. I’ll give a slight edge to the Indians in the pitching department.
You make a good point about both pitching staffs being able to prevent the big inning. The one exception is Dice-K who is very prone to exploding at inopportune times. It has to do with the transition and smaller strike zone, I know (I’m giving him almost a free pass his first year) but Matsuzaka tends to lose all control periodically. He just can’t throw a strike. He was spotted a 10-1 lead earlier this year vs. Toronto and if not for a diving catch it would have been tied. I’m not sure what to expect from a hobbled Wakefield either, but a part of me says he’ll surprise with a great start….
The postseason is impossible to predict. I wanna say it’ll be a low scoring series. As soon as I do that, each game will be 7-5 or 8-6.
Other than Borowski, I’m not entirely familiar with who the Indians feature in their pen besides names and statistics. I did LOVE what I saw out of Betancourt and Perez this weekend. AKA they scare the hell out of me.
James: Well Zach, to be honest, this is always an interesting series for me. For years, we’ve looked at the Red Sox as brothers in arms against the Yankees, in the hunt for the futile World Series. Then the Red Sox WON the World Series, and now I look at it more as a Cain vs. Abel story. No, I’m not lurching on the ever-growing mobs and masses that are talking about the Red Sox becoming the Yankees-North. Not even close. You all are just another one of ‘those guys’ that have won the whole enchilada.
Before I answer your questions though Zach, a couple of things interest me here. First and foremost, there are intriguing tie-ins to this series. 2/3 of your outfield are former Tribe-hands, with Coco and Manny. Former Sox outfielder Trot Nixon has found his way as a part-timer on our club, to go along with Kelly Shoppach, who is Paul Byrd’s personal catcher, who we acquired in the deal for Coco Crisp.
The real intriguing piece to me, however is the player we don’t have, and the player you do have. Cleveland signed Keith Foulke to a deal to be their closer just before spring training. Of course, Foulke ultimately retired, leaving the job to Joe Borowski. Cleveland tried to sign Eric Gagne, before he ultimately said that Texas was his best fit. Of course, Gagne ended up playing for the Sox. I can’t help thinking that this is going to play a role in this series.
I agree with you that this series is going to be something special. Of course, when you say that, you are always setting yourself up to a bit of let down. The first thing I see with the Sox is that pitching staff. I actually would have screamed overrated until Schilling began looking like Schilling. With him on, moving Matsuzaka to the three-slot, gives the Sox interesting match-ups. I also see freakin’ Manny and Papi, and their little love-fest, and it makes me ill just thinking about it. Still, it does prove to be an interesting match-up.
I don’t make a habit of picking a team or teams to make it to the series, but I’m not surprised that the Sox are knocking on the door. I don’t really fear them…what’s the point…but do feel they possess a pitching staff that should keep them out of a big inning, and a bullpen, that should stop the Tribe in their tracks for THEIR big inning.
As far as Borowski against the Sox…I fear of the WIND taking one out when he’s pitching.
As far as Beckett goes, he’s as big time as it gets in the playoffs.
Looking at the each pitching staff, who do you give the advantage to? Cleveland’s starters and bullpen vs. Boston’s starters and bullpen?
Zach: I’ll get it started by saying I think this series will be a classic.
Nothing, from a Sox fan’s perspective, can possibly top the 2004 ALCS. You know the history behind the rivalry and how Boston always played second fiddle in the postseason to the Yankees, and climbing that hill in the fashion we did is inexplicable to this day. That was a special team and a special year. But strictly from a matchup perspective, this Indians-Sox series could top even 2003 and 2004. I’m fairy confident it will go 7 games.
From a Cleveland view, how do you see the Red Sox? Really difficult? Fairly overrated? Scary team to face? I see the Indians as a big time threat. I did pick them to win the WS before the playoffs began. To win in the postseason, you need 2 or 3 dominant starting pitchers, a decent offense that hits in big spots and a stellar bullpen. The Indians fit all of those criteria for a winner. It’s also a true homefield advantage to play @ the Jake, which by the way is a great ballpark. I had the pleasure to seeing a Ben Broussard walkoff shot in 2005 vs. Baltimore. I remember Fernando Cabrera was filthy for you guys and I thought he’d become a big time star. Oh well….
How scared are you for a possible Ortiz-Borowski 9th inning clash? Or seeing Josh Beckett three times in one series?
