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Indians look to build commanding lead in ALCS

Oct 16, 2007 - 2:36 PM Boston at Cleveland 8:21 pm EDT American League Championship Series Indians lead, 2-1

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- The Cleveland Indians are showing no fear against the Boston Red Sox.

The Indians will look to build a commanding lead in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series when they host the Red Sox in Game Four on Tuesday.

After splitting the first two games of the series in Boston, the Indians forged their way ahead in this series courtesy of a surprisingly strong pitching performance from Jake Westbrook, who led Cleveland to a 4-2 victory Monday in Game Three.

The Indians will try to get another solid outing from an unlikely source when they send Paul Byrd to the mound Tuesday. The veteran righthander won the clinching game of the AL Division Series against the New York Yankees, allowing two runs in five innings.

Byrd earned a win against Boston on May 30 at Fenway Park, allowing two runs - one earned - in six innings. He owns a 4-2 record with a 4.12 ERA in seven starts against the Red Sox in his career.

"Well, (Byrd) was a guy that was very consistent for us this year," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "You know what you're going to get from Paul. He knows himself very well. He knows how to get hitters out his way.

"He just goes out there and does his thing, and he's been doing it for a lot of years. He's pitched in a lot of big ballgames."

The Red Sox will counter with knuckleballer Tim Wakefield, who will be making his first start of the postseason. The 40-year-old righthander was left off the ALDS roster due to shoulder and back injuries.

Wakefield, however, does not feel that there will be any lasting effects from not pitching in over two weeks. He has not pitched in a game since allowing four runs - three earned - in seven innings in a win against Minnesota on September 29.

"I really don't have any concerns," Wakefield said. "I was able to throw a simulated game last week in Boston. I got my work down in between there and I feel ready to go."

Wakefield threw 77 pitches and went five innings in the simulated contest. He is 4-5 with a 6.12 ERA in 16 career games - nine starts - in the postseason.

Cleveland had been searching for a shut-down starting pitcher during the ALCS. Surprisingly, Jake Westbrook turned out to be the guy.

Westbrook pitched 6 2/3 strong innings and Kenny Lofton provided some offensive fireworks in Monday's triumph.

"Anytime you can get a 2-1 lead in the series, it's special," Indians closer Joe Borowski said.

The Indians entered the series with two of the top starters in the AL going in Games One and Two in C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona. When neither 19-game winner was able to complete five innings, Cleveland was left searching for an answer in the rotation.

Westbrook (1-0), who suffered the Indians' lone ALDS loss to the New York Yankees, was an unlikely choice to shut down a Boston offense that had scored 35 runs in five postseason games and boasted the formidable duo of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez in the middle of the order.

But Westbrook stepped up to the challenge, pounding the strike zone early in at-bats and getting ahead of the Red Sox hitters to set up his trademark sinker.

"You try to get early contact and you try to keep hitters off base," Westbrook said. "But when they are on base, that's what you try do is to get a double play. That's kind of what I worked for."

The righthander started the first 11 hitters he faced with strikes and threw first-pitch strikes to 21 of the 27 batters he faced. He induced 14 ground-ball outs and allowed two runs and seven hits while walking three and striking out two to earn his first career postseason win.

"He did a great job keeping the ball down in the zone," Cleveland catcher Victor Martinez said. "He was getting ahead of hitters."

Lofton staked his pitcher to an early lead when he got to Boston starter Daisuke Matsuzaka in the second for a two-run blast. With Ryan Garko aboard following a one-out single, Lofton drove the first pitch he saw from Matsuzaka just over the right field wall for a 2-0 advantage.

"I wanted to be aggressive at that point and I got lucky," Lofton said.