Indians-Rays: Dealt a 10-run Deficit? No Problem for Indians to Overcome

Cleveland Indians' Victor Martinez celebrates after his rbi-single completed a miraculous comeback against the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)" title="Indians make remarkable comeback to stun Rays" width="410" height="251" />

The Cleveland Indians' Victor Martinez celebrates after his RBI-single completed a miraculous comeback against the Tampa Bay Rays. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

The Cleveland Indians are having a disappointing year.

Usually a perennial playoff team, they find themselves dead last in American League Central. They are ranked 28th in pitching; two of their most talented pitchers, Cliff Lee—who won the Cy Young award last season—and Fausto Carmona—who placed fourth in the voting a year prior—have struggled, while the rest of their rotation is patched together journeyman Carl Pavano, and two young, inconsistent pitchers, Anthony Reyes and Aaron Laffey.

So, besides a rare spectacular start by one of the rotation’s five, the Indians have to rely heavily on their offense to win.

Luckily, their offense is good—ranked eighth in hitting—and resilient, as they showed in the first game of their series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

Carmona continued his nightmarish beginning to 2009, lasting only four outs before getting pulled. In his one-and-one-third innings pitched, he walked five batters, and, primarily because of this wildness, allowed five runs.

Jensen Lewis, who relieved him, didn’t fair much better. He recorded one more out than Carmona, but gave up the same amount of runs. This meant that Tampa Bay was ahead 10-0.

It appeared Cleveland’s season would get worse.

The Indians would not quit however. Immediately after the Rays scored three-runs in the top of the fourth inning, they answered with two in the bottom on a home run by first baseman Ryan Garko.

David Price, Tampa Bay’s prized prospect, didn’t make it through the frame, throwing 100 pitches during his three-and-one-third innings.

The Rays, despite Price’s early exit, held down the fort for the next three innings, receiving solid relief from the combination of Lance Cormier and Joe Nelson. Tampa Bay would need two more innings pitched similarly to defeat Cleveland. Evidently, even with a eight-run lead, this was easier said than done.

Indians rightfielder and fifth-place hitter Shin Soo-Choo began the eighth inning with a single. The ballpark was nearly empty at this point, but the faithful that did stay were in for a treat. Mark Derosa and Garko followed with singles, loading the bases.

At this juncture, the hits would have to keep coming with, preferably, a grand slam off the bat of Matt LaPorta, to make things interesting heading into the final inning. LaPorta could not deliver, grounding into a rally-killing double play. His grounder helped the cause of reliever Dale Thayer, but it did score a run.

Ben Francisco tacked on the second and last run of the inning with a single. Cleveland, unless a miracle transpired in the bottom-of-the-ninth, would notch their 29th defeat.

Jeremy Sowers took the mound in the top of the ninth for his fifth inning of work on the night. Earlier in the season, the 26-year-old left-hander was removed from the rotation and moved to the bullpen with hopes he would work out his mechanics. It seems the reality check did. He allowed two hits over the previous four innings, and didn’t give up a run.

Even though the chances his offense would rally and win were slim, he did his best to give them that opportunity. He worked around a one-out double by Dioner Navarro for another scoreless inning.

To my amazement, Cleveland’s offense rewarded him. Grady Sizemore, in a season-long slump, walked to begin the inning. To overcome a seven-run deficit, there would have to be a lot more of the same, along with some hits and a home-run or two.

Martinez popped up, making a rally that much more difficult. Shortstop Jhonny Peralta singled, then once Randy Choate replaced Thayer, Choo reached as Rays third baseman Reid Brignac threw away a potential game-ending double-play grounder.

Grant Balfour, one of the many Tampa Bay relievers with a unsightly ERA, battled with Mark Derosa, eventually winning after the second baseman lined out on the seventh fastball of the at-bat.

One out left, and five runs were needed to tie.

Garko was fooled thinking fastball while Balfour hurled in a slider, and flailed at the first pitch. In this situation, it is crucial to be patient, and go after pitches that can be hit, and a long ways.

Garko, after a momentarily lapse, understood this. He took a curveball outside, then, uncorked a fastball, placed terribly by Balfour right down the middle into the left-field seats for a three-run home run.

Now, all the Indians needed was a baserunner, and a victory wouldn’t be out of the question.

They were gift-wrapped a walk from Balfour, who threw four straight out of the strike zone to Asdrubal Cabrera. The hard-throwing righthander was pulled for Jason Isringhausen, the once great closer for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Isringhausen continued the trend, walking Francisco on four pitches as well. A strike was thrown in the next at-bat, but that was Isringhausen’s only accomplishment against Jamey Carrol, who took the seventh pitch of the plate appearance high for ball-four. The bases were loaded. Now, a single could tie the game.

Sizemore didn’t deliver accordingly, but what transpired was the next best thing. Isringhausen, with no place to put him, began the at-bat by throwing three straight balls. Sizemore took the next pitch, then fouled off the one after that.

Full-count, bases-loaded, down by two runs.

The sixth pitch, a fastball, was high and well out of the strike zone. Cabrera walked home. Victor Martinez, the Indians best hitter this season, could be the hero.

On cue, he was, working a 2-2 count before smacking a slider into the gap. Rays center-fielder B.J. Upton didn’t even try to corral the hit. The winning run, Carrol, was off on contact. Tampa Bay had no chance to stave off humiliation.

In all, Cleveland scored seven runs in the bottom-of-the-ninth, benefiting from four walks, an error, and three hits. The final hit that sent the Indians into a wild celebration and the Rays dejected off the field is the type that can turn around a season.

A season that just got a lot more worthwhile.