Indians beat Tigers to reach .500 for the first time in over four months
by Paul Hoynes Saturday September 20, 2008, 9:42 PM
Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerCleveland Indians celebrate after beating the Detroit Tigers 6-3 at Progressive Field on Sept. 20, 2008. Shin Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera both had key 2 rbi singles to help beat the Tigers.
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Jeremy Sowers pitched six innings and Shin-Soo Choo and Asdrubal Cabrera came through with big hits as the Indians beat Detroit, 6-3, tonight at Progressive Field without the need of a brawl.
The Indians fifth straight victory made them 77-77. It's the first time they've been at .500 since they were 22-22 on May 18.
Sowers (4-8) held the Tigers to one run on five hits. He lasted just three innings in his previous start.
Choo gave the Indians a 4-2 lead with a two-out bases-loaded single off Justin Verlander (10-17) in the fourth. Verlander is 4-10 lifetime against the Tribe and 1-5 this year.
After Curtis Granderson cut the Tribe's lead to 4-3 with a two-run homer off Rafael Perez in the seventh, Cabrera delivered a two-out, two-run single off Bobby Seay in the bottom of the inning for a 6-3 lead.
Jensen Lewis pitched the ninth for his 11th save in 12 chances. Lewis didn't save his first game until Aug. 8.
Sowers, who had allowed 11 earned runs in 9 2/3 innings against Detroit this year, tonight allowed one run in six innings. He struck out three, walked two and allowed five hits.
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Fond finale: Tribe bids farewell to home fans with sweep of sloppy Tigers
by Joe Maxse Sunday September 21, 2008, 6:07 PM
Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerDetroit's Gary Sheffield doesn't come close to this Scott Lewis pitch in the first inning, striking out against the Indians' rookie lefty.
It was one of those ever-present grinds, but the Indians finally put themselves on the winning side of the ledger. While they certainly wanted more from this season of huge expectations, winning Sunday afternoon's home finale against Detroit, 10-5, will have to suffice. The Tribe's sixth straight win put it above the .500 mark (78-77) for the first time since the middle of May.
A third-place finish in the American League's Central Division was not what everyone had in mind back in April. But the 36,957 on hand at Progressive Field still let the home club feel appreciated as the final outs of the home season were counted down.
"Sweeping the Twins and Tigers is not an easy task," said manager Eric Wedge, whose club did just that this week. "I can't say enough about the way our guys fight through it. It know it's a cliche, but you either do it or you don't."
The Indians had reason to feel good, especially after hitting rock bottom in July, 16 games under .500, and with the postseason hopes extinguished.
Rookie left-hander Scott Lewis (3-0, 1.42 ERA) continued the improbable start to his big-league career as he notched his third straight win. He got plenty of support from the offense, with first baseman Ryan Garko driving in five runs on a 4-for-4 afternoon, including his first triple of the season.
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Indians Insider: Garko triples his pleasure
by Joe Maxse Sunday September 21, 2008, 6:58 PM
Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerRyan Garko is tagged out by Detroit's Brandon Inge as Garko is caught between second and third following an RBI double in the seventh inning Sunday at Progressive Field.
Ryan Garko got his first triple of the season on Sunday. It was an experience. After Detroit starter Dontrelle Willis loaded the bases on walks in the first inning, Garko cleared them with his line drive to right-centerfield. He never broke stride rounding second base on his lumbering way to third.
"I get one a year," said Garko, who has 34 RBI the last 35 games and 84 on the season. "Kelly Shoppach and I were laughing about it."
Garko wanted it known that Victor Martinez deserves a lot of credit for scoring all the way from first base. That's what happened in the seventh inning when Garko doubled home Martinez again from first, this time Garko getting caught in a rundown between second and third to give Martinez more time to score.
"I'm going to take him to dinner in Boston for running so hard today," said Garko, who drove in five runs or more for the third time this season. "There are times I wanted to do more this season. I tried to be Victor or Travis [Hafner]. All I could do is be myself."
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In the autumn of a lost season, plenty of cheers and questions remain for the 2009 Indians
by Bud Shaw Sunday September 21, 2008, 5:18 PM
Chuck Crow/The Plain DealerRyan Garko signs autographs and thanks fans who stayed after Sunday's Indians home finale against Detroit. Garko's five RBI fueled a 10-5 romp over the Tigers.
Inside the left-field gate, C3-PO mixed with the crowd. Some fans carried bobbleheads left over from previous promotional giveaways. A woman held a sign offering the opportunity to "win a free basement makeover."
This late-September weekend series with Detroit was circled on the calendar, but not for the carnival atmosphere in the pedestrian plaza or the trinkets at the turnstiles.
It was supposed to be about pennant contention, a chance to cheer the Indians into the postseason at the expense of the Tigers. It was about something bigger than the simple hope Gary Sheffield might strike out swinging so hard he'd corkscrew himself into the dirt.
Instead, the highlight of the final home game was the fan appreciation evident in a 10-5 win over the drowsy Tigers. The season's attendance fell below the team's projections, which might suggest the appreciation all season long wasn't as mutual as everyone involved would've liked.
A sweep of the Tigers following a sweep of the Twins at least provided a late-season high note.
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