Sabathia Tames Toronto

Score: Indians 6 Blue Jays 1


Turning Point: With the bases loaded in the Tribe half of the seventh, Casey Blake came to the plate. Casey drove a ball that hit off the top of the left field wall for a two run double. That would start a barrage of scoring, and send Cleveland on the way to a win.


Analysis: C.C. pitched another gem tonight. He was finally able to get the run support he needed to out duel an opposing ace. As mentioned above, the Indians were finally able to get the Roy Halladay in the seventh inning. Blake started the rally and at the end of the inning it was 6-1 in favor of the Tribe. The offensive output seems to be taking baby steps in the right direction. The team had nine hits and they scored six runs. They still left eight men on base, but at least men are getting on again, which wasn’t happening a week ago.


MVP: C.C. Sabathia
Tip your cap to the reigning Cy Young winner. He was lights out for seven innings. His pitching line was seven innings of work, six hits, one run allowed, and nine strikeouts. It doesn’t get much better than that.


Extras:

- Ben Francisco might be the hottest hitting Indian right now. His two run pinch hit double in the seventh put this game out of reach. He is now 5-12 since being called up with two doubles and two RBIs.

- Travis Hafner had a good night at the plate, which is good news for the struggling lineup. But the better sign was Hafner’s hits were to the opposite field. His single in the seventh started the rally for the Indians, and his double down the left field line in the bottom of the fifth was smoked. He was 2-3 with a double and a run scored.

- The win over Halladay is the first time the Indians have beaten the Blue Jay ace. Cleveland had never beaten him until this evening.

- Casey Blake continues to be the clutch hitter for Cleveland. Blake is hitting a whopping .424 with runners in scoring position.


Next Up: Game two of this series is tomorrow night. Another great pitching match up is on tap. Aaron Laffey, who has been great in his first two starts, will take the hill for Cleveland. Laffey took a tough loss after giving up an unearned run to Kansas City. He went seven innings, gave up only four hits, and struck out five. He is 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA. The task doesn’t get any easier tomorrow night for the Indians offense. Right hander, Dustin McGowan, will start for Toronto. McGowan’s last start was phenomenal. He didn’t allow a run to the White Sox in 7 and 1/3 innings. He struck out six and only allowed four hits. McGowan is 2-2 with a 2.95 ERA. The first toss of the evening is at 7:05 PM from the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.