Sabathia vs. Beckett
Boston Red Sox ace Josh Beckett gets the nod for Game 1 of the ALCS against the Cleveland Indians. The 20-game winner was sensational in the ALDS, limiting the Anaheim Angels to four hits en route to a 4-0 Game 1 victory.
"He's a guy that wants to be great. He doesn't want to be pretty good. He wants to be the best guy that takes the mound. That's what you want from your ace," Red Sox third baseman told reporters.
Beckett, who was 20-7 this season with a 3.27 earned run average, has been dominant in the postseason, posting a spectacular 1.74 ERA in seven postseason appearances.
The Indians combat Boston’s ace with 19-game winner C.C. Sabathia. The left-hander was less than stellar in the Indians ALDS against the New York Yankees, allowing two homers and four hits in five innings in the Indians’ 12-3 Game 1 victory.
"He had to work about as hard as he's ever had to work," Indians manager Eric Wedge told reporters.
Sabathia is 2-4 in seven career starts against Boston with a lofty 3.91 ERA. Beckett is 1-3 with an uncharacteristic 6.57 ERA in four career starts against the Indians.
Boston’s bash brothers
If the ALDS was an example of Manny being Manny then Red Sox backers are going to want a repeat performance in the ALCS. Manny Ramirez, the controversial outfielder, was unstoppable against Anaheim, compiling four RBI, two homers and a .315 batting average in Boston’s three-game sweep of the Angels.
"I am one of the best players in the game," Ramirez told reporters, "I have confidence in myself, and I know my train doesn't stop here."
Ramirez loves to hit against his former team, hitting .417 against the Indians this season and .357 against them for his career.
Ramirez isn’t the only Boston slugger that has hit his stride in the postseason. David Ortiz hit two home runs with three RBI in the Red Sox’ three-game sweep of the Indians, boosting his postseason career total to 10, the most in Red Sox history.
“Those guys are the best [No.] 3-4 combination in the big leagues,” shortstop Julio Lugo told MLB.com. “Those guys come through in the clutch. That's why they're so good. They are our run producers. When tough times come, they come through for us. We just follow them.”
Cool, calm and collected
It must be daunting for a small market team to face a $100-million plus MLB roster like that found in Boston and New York.
Not for the Cleveland Indians and their $62 million payroll.
The Indians shocked MLB with their four-game ALDS ousting of the Bronx Bombers and will try to play Cinderella again against the Boston Red Sox in the ALCS.
“We can’t get caught up in the names,” Indians first baseman Ryan Garko told the Detroit Free Press. “We can’t worry about who plays for the other team or how many big names they have. We have to worry about ourselves. That’s what we did all season and that’s what we did against the Yankees.”
The Tribe are 2-5 against the BoSox this season. They finished the season at 96-66, tied with the Red Sox for the best record in MLB.
“I had a feeling Cleveland was going to be where they are right now because they have a team, if you look around, they might not have the big names out there but they have great players,” Boston slugger David Ortiz told the Boston Herald.
Crunching the numbers
Josh Beckett is 5-2 in his last 11 overall starts and the Red Sox are 5-1 in their last six games at home against a left-handed pitcher. The Red Sox, most impressively, are 4-0 in their last four ALCS games and are 6-1 in their last seven playoff games at Fenway Park.
"With Beckett pitching that way, it's going to be tough,” pitcher John Lackey told reporters after the Angels’ 4-0 loss to the Red Sox. "You've got to hold down that kind of lineup with not getting much from your side."
On the Cleveland side, C.C. Sabathia is 1-5 in his last six outings against the Red Sox and the Indians are 2-5 in their last seven postseason road games. The Indians are also a disappointing 2-5 in their last seven overall meetings against the Red Sox.