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| View Poll Results: Predict this series outcome! | |||
 Sweep in 4!
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0 | 0% |
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Win in 5!
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0 | 0% |
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Win in 6!
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1 | 16.67% |
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Win in 7!
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1 | 16.67% |
 Sweep in 4!
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0 | 0% |
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Win in 5!
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0 | 0% |
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Win in 6!
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3 | 50.00% |
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Win in 7!
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1 | 16.67% |
| Voters: 6. You may not vote on this poll | |||
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LinkBack | Thread Tools | Display Modes |
10-08-2007, 11:54 PM
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#1 (permalink) |
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Superstar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,256
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Official Series Thread | Boston Red Sox vs. Cleveland Indians | 2007 ALCS
(Series Tied 0-0)   VS.  Boston Red Sox: 96-66, .593, (51-30 at home/45-36 on the road), 1st Place in AL East/0.0GB. Cleveland Indians: 96-66, .593, (52-29 at home/44-37 on the road), 1st Place in AL Central/0.0GB. Series Schedule/Results: (All times Eastern).
 vs.   at  (GAMES 1, 2, 6 and 7 - @t Boston) ============================================== (GAMES 3, 4 and 5 - @t Cleveland) vs.   at  VENUE: @t Fenway Park - (Games 1, 2, 6 and 7).  VENUE: @t Jacobs Field - (Games 3, 4, and 5).  RADIO: MLB.com Radio!  TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change)  Cleveland @t  Boston vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change) Cleveland @t Boston vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change) Boston @t Cleveland vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change) Boston @t Cleveland vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! (*If Necessary.) TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change) Boston @t Cleveland vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! (*If Necessary.) TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change) Cleveland @t Boston vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! (*If Necessary.) TV: FOX. RADIO: MLB.com Radio.(Pitching Matchup Subject to Change) Cleveland @t Boston vs. (To Be Announced) vs. (To Be Announced) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & (0-0, 0.00 ERA) (0-0, 0.00 ERA) § (0-0, 0.00 ERA) & - (THIS SEASON)& - (LAST SEASON)§ - (CAREER)*Live Game Audio *Live Game Video * Live MLB Scoreboard! *Live SPORTS Scoreboard! |
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10-09-2007, 06:30 PM
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#2 (permalink) |
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Superstar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,256
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ALCS foes defined by pitching.
-LINK-
This is just as it should be: the two best teams in the league, meeting to decide the American League championship. By record, in fact, the Boston Red Sox and the Cleveland Indians are the two best teams in baseball. When they get together in the AL Championship Series, beginning on Friday at Fenway Park, many people will say that they are in effect playing for the World Series championship, because there are no National League teams good enough to defeat either club. But remembering the example of the 2006 St. Louis Cardinals, let us not get ahead of ourselves. It is enough that these two clubs have demonstrated over the six-month marathon season and then in the pressurized atmosphere of October baseball, that they have reached this lofty level on merit. The Yankees aren't here? Well, that's because each of these teams bested them at one time or another. The Red Sox built an immense early division lead and then held off a late charge to capture the AL East title. The Indians then defeated the Yankees soundly, winning three of four in a Division Series. Why are these teams the best, and the best-suited to compete at this level? They have what it takes to win in October -- pitching. The Red Sox finished with the AL's best team ERA and the second-best team ERA in the Majors. And many reasonable people would argue that Boston's 3.87 was more impressive than San Diego's 3.70, precisely because it was achieved in the more difficult circumstance of facing American League hitters. The Indians were not far behind, finishing third in the AL in team ERA and fifth overall at 4.07. Plus, the Indians put together their best baseball at precisely the right time. Beginning in mid-August, they went on a 25-8 tear, and when it appeared that the defending AL champion Detroit Tigers were making a move, they took three straight from the Tigers to make the AL Central title their own. This is not a typical Boston team, because its greatest strength is pitching. But that just makes its chances better at this time of year. Look at the rotation: Josh Beckett was the Majors' only 20-game winner this season. Daisuke Matsuzaka was not an instant legend in making the transition to North American baseball, but he was a 15-game winner, and the potential of his stuff was clear to one and all. Curt Schilling is one of the most successful postseason pitchers of this generation. In the bullpen, lefty Hideki Okajima, after a lights-out first half and a few bumps in the road, recovered his best form in time for the postseason push. Closer Jonathan Papelbon is simply one of the best in the game. The Indians have not one, but two genuine AL Cy Young Award candidates, the one you could have expected, C.C. Sabathia, and the one you would not have expected, Fausto Carmona. Carmona's emergence may have been the single biggest factor in the Indians' success this season. He led the AL in ERA, a pure and sure measure of his worth. The Indians have two of the best setup men in the business this season -- Rafael Betancourt and lefty Rafael Perez. These two have made late-inning rallies by the opposition somewhere between highly improbable and non-existent. Joe Borowski does not have the numbers of some other closers, except for the bottom-line saves number -- 45, leading the American League. None of that diminishes in any way the work of the offense of either club. Both lineups are notable for not only power but distribution. The usual Boston run-production tandem of David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez has been supplemented in a large way by the contributions of Mike Lowell, Kevin Youkilis, Dustin Pedroia, and the late-season brilliance of rookie Jacoby Ellsbury. For the Indians, Travis Hafner had what for him was a modest season, meaning that he had "only" 100 RBIs. But Victor Martinez had a truly superior season, and Grady Sizemore is one of the finest young players in the game. Asdrubal Cabrera's emergence at second base, and hitting second in the order, has been a key factor for the Indians. There has been plenty of clutch help coming from whichever Cleveland player needed to supply it. These clubs are capable of bashing the ball, or finding smaller ways to score. And both are sure-handed in the field. But in October baseball, it is the pitching that either sends you happily along your way, or sends you home. That is the main reason that these two clubs have come this far and have legitimate hopes of going much further. They have the kind of pitching that can shut down even the best of lineups. In general, this makes them among the game's elite. In specific, it puts them in the ALCS, while the Yankees are out. The Red Sox and the Indians are here because, basically, they're supposed to be here. What happens next ought to be very, very good. |
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10-10-2007, 10:06 AM
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#3 (permalink) |
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Opinionated so-and-so
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 10,729
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Don't quite know why, but I voted for the Tribe to beat the Bosox in 6. Very confident in our top 2 (C.C. and Fausto), more confident now in Byrd than ever (what a gutsy performance in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium, and Game 4's in Cleveland this time), and ... well, it's just a feeling. I was right (for once) in the ALDS (Tribe in 4), so this time, I'm really sticking my neck out there and saying: TRIBE IN SIX!
__________________
And don't look back ... something might be gaining on you! - Courtesy of "Rules for Staying Young" by baseball legend Satchel Paige |
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10-12-2007, 10:09 AM
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#5 (permalink) |
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Superstar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,256
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Game 1 Preview.
vs. >>> Source! <<< GAME: Cleveland Indians (0-0) at Boston Red Sox (0-0). TIME: Friday, 7:10 p.m. EDT. TV: FOX. By TOM CASTRO, STATS Senior Editor The Boston Red Sox ended an 86-year championship drought three seasons ago, so they should have a good idea of how the Cleveland Indians and their fans feel going into the AL championship series. The Red Sox look to continue their push for their second World Series appearance in four years, while extending the Indians' title drought to 60 years, when the teams open the ALCS on Friday night at Fenway Park. Now in the role of seasoned playoff veterans, having made it to the postseason four of the last five years, the Red Sox are looking to add another championship to go with their 2004 title that was their first since 1918. Behind an improved starting rotation and bullpen, along with a strong lineup led again by David Ortiz and Manny Ramirez, Boston returned to the playoffs this year after missing out in an injury-plagued 2006. The Red Sox can rely on experience going into the matchup with a young Indians club that is in the postseason for the first time since 2001. In 2004, though, Boston was an up-and-coming team that erased a 3-0 deficit against the New York Yankees in the ALCS and went on to end generations of frustration from its fans by sweeping St. Louis in the World Series. The feeling of the accomplishment is still fresh for Cleveland outfielder Trot Nixon, the starting right fielder on the '04 Red Sox. "It's kind of hard to really say what it feels like," Nixon told the Indians' official Web site. "I'm happy for those guys to be in this position, and I'm extremely happy for our guys to be in this position. But I want to win." Judging by how they have performed up to this point, Nixon's teammates feel the same way. Resurgent Cleveland rolled to the AL Central championship with 96 wins and didn't slow down in its ALDS matchup, using an overpowering pitching staff and determined lineup to knock off the Yankees in four games. The most recent of the Indians' two World Series titles came in 1948. "This team hasn't had a championship in Cleveland for a long time," said veteran left fielder Kenny Lofton, who this season returned to the Indians and batted .375 in the division series. "This is just an unbelievable feeling to be able just to start this process again." Lofton was the starting center fielder for the Cleveland teams that made six playoff appearances from 1995-2001 but always fell short, losing in the World Series twice. Along with Nixon, the 40-year-old Lofton brings experience to a young club that again looks ready to compete for a title. With a lineup led by dynamic center fielder Grady Sizemore and sluggers Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner, a dominant rotation topped by C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, and a deep and overpowering bullpen, Cleveland has few weaknesses. For the Indians to take the next step, though, they'll have to defeat a Red Sox club that knows what it takes to do just that - and one that looked just as hungry to win another title during the ALDS. Boston made short work of Anaheim, completing a three-game sweep with a 9-1 victory Sunday. The Red Sox outscored the Angels 19-4 in the series. "The guys are enjoying it," veteran reliever Mike Timlin, a member of the '04 championship team who has pitched in 20 LCS games, told the Red Sox's Web site. "This is the time you work for all year long. Some of these guys have never done this. Fortunately for me, I've done this a few times, and it's great. It never gets old doing this." Boston's star-studded rotation was one of the cogs that lifted the Red Sox to their first AL East title since 1995 and into the ALCS, and it will help provide what should be several stirring pitching matchup in the series. Josh Beckett, a 20-game winner this season who shut out Anaheim in the ALDS opener, will take the ball Friday and be opposed by Sabathia, the Indians' dominant left-hander. Beckett set the tone for the Red Sox's first-round sweep by pitching a four-hitter - allowing only singles - in a 4-0 victory Oct. 3 at Fenway. He struck out eight and walked none to improve his career postseason record to 3-2 with a 1.74 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 51 2-3 innings. The right-hander was outstanding in two starts against the Indians this year, going 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and lasting at least seven innings both times. He pitched a four-hitter July 25, but lost 1-0 to Carmona and the Indians - one day after Sabathia suffered a 1-0 defeat to Boston. Sabathia, who won a career-high 19 games in 2007, will be looking for a longer outing Friday after lasting only five innings in a 12-3 win in Cleveland's playoff opener Oct. 4. He limited New York to the three runs, but walked six and threw 114 pitches. Sabathia, who made one postseason start in 2001 and beat Seattle in the division series, is 2-0 with a 4.09 ERA in the playoffs. In the July 24 start, his only one against the Red Sox this season, he gave up four hits and struck out seven in seven innings. He's 2-4 with a 3.91 ERA in seven career starts versus Boston. Left-handers batted just .203 against Sabathia this season, and Boston manager Terry Francona tweaked his lineup Thursday, announcing switch-hitter Bobby Kielty would start in right field in Game 1 in place of the left-handed hitting J.D. Drew. The veteran Kielty, recalled from the minors Aug. 18, is 9-for-29 (.310) with two homers and four strikeouts in his career against Sabathia. "He was brought in here to give us some right-handed punch," Francona said. It remains to be seen whether Cleveland can carry over its amazing clutch hitting from the ALDS. The Indians went 11-for-30 (.367) with two outs and runners in scoring position against the Yankees. Besides Nixon, the Red Sox and Indians have several other personnel connections, along with a recent history of playoff matchups. Ramirez rose to stardom while playing his first eight years with Cleveland, while teammate Coco Crisp also started his career there before coming to Boston in a trade before last season. Francona and Red Sox pitching coach John Farrell were teammates on the Indians in 1988 and went on to work in their front office. Cleveland manager Eric Wedge was a Red Sox prospect who played 27 games for Boston in 1992 before he was left unprotected in the expansion draft and picked by Colorado. The teams met three times in the postseason from 1995-99. The Indians swept the Red Sox in '95 in the ALDS on the way to the World Series, then defeated them in four games in the '98 division series. Boston got some revenge the next year, rallying from a 2-0 deficit in another ALDS matchup to beat Cleveland in a thrilling five-game set. For the underdog Indians to come out on top this time, they'll need to play with the same aggressiveness and focus that got them through the first round - attributes that seemed to still be on display in the Cleveland clubhouse this week. "Who cares?'" first baseman Ryan Garko said of the Red Sox being favored. "Once the game starts, it doesn't matter. We know Boston is a great team, but we hope beating the Yankees is just the beginning for us. We want to keep going." Game 2 will be Saturday night at Fenway. |
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10-12-2007, 03:26 PM
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#6 (permalink) |
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Opinionated so-and-so
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Pasadena, CA
Posts: 10,729
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Kielty over J.D. Drew? This could be a case of micro-managing, and could come back to bite him hard in the arse. .310 vs. C.C. is hardly a "lead pipe cinch" that I start him over my regular, Drew.
I am getting so nervous right now!
__________________
And don't look back ... something might be gaining on you! - Courtesy of "Rules for Staying Young" by baseball legend Satchel Paige |
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10-12-2007, 05:34 PM
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#7 (permalink) |
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All Star
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 635
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I hate people who put too much emphasis on games, especially game one... but in my opinion, this could be the biggest game of the series. Boston is the heavy favorite tonight, but if they lose, it's now Cleveland's series. If Cleveland beats Beckett, there's no reason they shouldn't win it all.
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10-12-2007, 06:37 PM
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#8 (permalink) |
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He Hate Me
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Somewhere I Belong
Posts: 2,577
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I agree. If The Indians beat Beckett in game one, the Red Sox are going to have a big problem (mainly because, though I may be biased, I think the Indians have better depth, both in starting pitching and in a more balanced offense). I do, though, like having the Indians as the underdog...
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10-12-2007, 06:42 PM
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#9 (permalink) |
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Superstar
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 1,256
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Absolutely. Plus, let's not forget that after Game 2, the series shifts to Cleveland for not just the next 2, but for the next 3 games! IMO, that's HUGE. Say all you want (not you, meaning you guys specficially, but you meaning the "general media") about how how home-field advantage doesn't mean anything in baseball. I think in this series it just might prove that it may be the overall difference when it comes to winning this series. If the Sox lose either Game 1 or 2, Cleveland is without a doubt the team in the driver's seat.
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10-12-2007, 06:49 PM
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#10 (permalink) |
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Superstar
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Atlanta, GA
Posts: 1,160
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I voted Red Sox in 7 by the way. I want Indians to win this series though (wonder why, *cough* Yanks fan *cough*).
Red Sox should win tonight. CC did horrible against the Yanks and unless that changes tonight the Sox should win. Of coarse im assuming Beckett continues to pitch well tonight. If he has a bad game, then this game is up in the air.
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