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Matsuzaka, Westbrook square off in ALCS Game Three

Oct 15, 2007 - 1:40 PM Boston at Cleveland 7:10 pm EDT American League Championship Series Series tied, 1-1

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- Apparently the Boston Red Sox aren't destined to steam roll through to the World Series. The Cleveland Indians are ready for any challenge thrown their way.

The Indians host Game Three of the American League Championship Series on Monday, and their latest challenge will come in the form of Red Sox starter Daisuke Matsuzaka.

Cleveland got crushed, 10-3, in the series opener on Friday, failing to get anything going against Cy Young Award candidate Josh Beckett. However, it recovered on Saturday to earn a 13-6 victory in 11 innings at Fenway Park.

Former Red Sox Trot Nixon drove in the go-ahead run with a single in the top of the 11th in a game that lasted that lasted 5 hours, 14 minutes.

"We showed some resiliency," Nixon said. "To start something up in the 11th inning, it's kind of ridiculous to be playing at 1:30 in the morning, but you don't get these opportunities too much."

After C.C. Sabathia and Beckett, who combined for 39 wins in the regular season, hooked up in Game One, Cleveland sent 19-game winner Fausto Carmona to the mound against Curt Schilling, whose 1.93 postseason ERA was the best in history, in Game Two. Both hurlers were coming off outstanding starts in the AL Division Series but neither lasted long Saturday.

Game Three will be a much different matchup as the Red Sox send Matsuzaka to the mound against another struggling starter in the Indians' Jake Westbrook.

Matsuzaka will be looking to come up big for Boston on Monday, something he has not been able to do lately. The Japanese righthander was lifted after just 4 2/3 innings in the ALDS against the Angels, giving up three runs and seven hits.

He is far past his career high in innings pitched and, including his first playoff start, Matsuzaka is 2-4 with a 7.15 ERA since August 15.

Matsuzaka, however, had one of his finest starts of the season against the Indians here on July 24, when he surrendered four hits in seven scoreless innings to earn a win.

"There is a slight difference when you go into a visiting ballpark having won the last game or having lost the last game, so I feel that in that sense maybe I have a bigger responsibility (Monday), but I hope to use that as a source of strength," Matsuzaka said.

He will have to find a way to stop Cleveland leadoff man Grady Sizemore, who homered and scored three runs to spark the offense on Saturday. Sizemore is 4-for-8 with a homer against Matsuzaka this season.

The Indians will counter with veteran sinkerballer Westbrook, who also got roughed up in his postseason debut. Westbrook took the loss in Game Three of the ALDS against the New York Yankees, giving up six runs and nine hits in five innings.

The righthander is 3-2 with a 4.81 ERA in six career starts against Boston. He will have to find a way to hold down the dominant duo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, who have combined to reach base 33 out of 46 plate appearances during the postseason.

"They showed it all series, the types of hitters that they are, that they make you work," Westbrook said of Ortiz and Ramirez. "You know, they wait for their pitch and they don't miss it when they get it. I mean, like I said, it's up to me to make them hit my pitch and get ahead, and hopefully I can get some ground balls and early contact.

"That's kind of what I'm looking for, trying to get deep in the ballgame."

Ramirez is 8-for-16 in his career against Westbrook, while Ortiz is hitless in seven at-bats.

Cleveland finished the regular season 52-29 here and won both games of the ALDS at home.