While Nobody is Paying Attention, Tribe Wins

Not that any of you were watching, but while the Cavs were busy finishing off a sweep of the Atlanta Hawks, your last place Cleveland Indians started the next day of the rest of their season with a 9-4 win over the Chicago White Sox. It was one of those rare occasions where the moon and the stars aligned and the Tribe played an actual complete game.

Carl Pavano won his third straight start, pitching into the seventh, Aaron Laffey and Rafael Betancourt closed out the night with two and two-thirds scoreless innings of work, and the offense awoke from their week long nap with nine runs and 13 hits.

The man the New York media dubbed “the American Idle”  has really turned the corner since that debacle in Texas over a month ago. In his last three starts, Pavano is 3-0 with a 3.66 ERA. That is all we could have asked for out of the vintage Mark Shapiro risk/reward free agent signing. His line of four earned runs on 10 hits doesn’t look impressive, but he entered the seventh inning scattering six hits and two runs. He only threw 87 pitches – 67 for strikes – and didn’t walk a batter.  “He controlled the game and it was good to see” said the embattled Eric Wedge, who had to be thrilled with this win.

Offensively, for the first time in ages, the Tribe jumped out to a first inning lead. The .226 hitting Grady Sizemore led off the game with a single and Asdrubal Cabrera walked. After Victor Martinez was robbed of a hit by second basemen Chris “whatever Leo wants, Leo” Getz, Shin-Soo Choo laced the first of his two RBI hits to give the Wahoos the lead. Mark DeRosa followed with an RBI “double” of his own, which Sox Right fielder Jermaine Dye broke in on and watched sailed over his head. It was the first time the Red, White, and Blue had scored a first inning run since April 29th!

The fourth inning was the difference. The Indians loaded the bases with two out and actually came through with two, two out RBI hits. Talk about an aberation. First it was Choo, who shot a line drive to right center scoring Kelly Shoppach and Cabrera. After Mark DeRosa was drilled with a Gavin Floyd pitch in the forearm, Jhonny Peralta single back up the middle to bring home Victor Martinez and Choo. Four runs scored with two outs in  the fourth inning, that has been a rarity for our boys over this first painful first month and a half of the season.

Pavano was settling in while the Tribe offense continued to pound White Sox pitching. The Stick knocked in AC after a leadoff single and stolen base (how about Chicago catchers have thrown out just one of 33 base stealers thus far) and that was all for Floyd. In came former Royals great Jimmy Gobble. He was rudly greeted by bacl to back singles from DeRosa and Peralta (scoring Martinez). Ryan Garko’s pinch hit sac fly drove in the ninth and final Indian run.

Laffey and Betancourt finished the evening on a high note with solid relief work. The lefty/righty duo looks like the new set-up crew in front of Kerry Wood. Looking at the other choices, its not even up for debate at this point.

What is, is the shocking decision by Eric Wedge to sit Matt Laporta for the fourth straight time in favor of David Dellucci. This fiasco is deserves its own post which will come later.

Regardless, the Tribe goes for two in a row, something that hasn’t happened since April 15th and 16th. Jeremy Sowers tries for his first win of the season in his second start. He is opposed by Left hander Clayton Richard.