It is a daunting task, but the Indians are definitely ready.
Fueled by the hit machine that was Asdrubal Cabrera and Jason Kipnis, the Tribe outslugged the Red Sox to begin a weeklong road trip to Boston and Texas.
Cabrera collected 3 base-hits, including a pair of critical, 2-run homers. The 1st bomb turned a 3-2 deficit into a 4-3 lead, and the 2nd was a controversial, tie-breaking shot.
With the game tied at 2 in the 8th inning, the Sox turned to their brilliant set-up man, Daniel Bard. However, despite Bard's miniscule earned run average and reputation as 1 of baseball's best relievers, the Indians love facing Bard. This season, Bard has allowed 13 earned runs, 6 of which have been scored by the Tribe. On this particular night, Kipnis laced a lead-off single, and the next batter, Cabrera, lined a slider toward the right field corner. The baseball appeared to hit the very top of the wall, prompting the 1st base umpire to rule that the ball did not clear the fence. Manny Acta, though, convinced the umpires to review the play, and the video showed that Cabrera's drive actually sailed over the wall, hit the knee of a fan, and then hopped back onto the field. The umps correctly overturned the initial ruling, giving the Indians a 7-5 lead. Matt LaPorta later added a RBI double, accounting for the 3rd tally off of Bard.
Jason Kipnis' 9th inning solo home run, his 3rd hit of the contest, removed any lingering doubt.
Back-to-back jacks factored into this offensive uprising as Travis Hafner launched a solo dinger after Cabrera's 1st blast.
The 2 starting pitchers, Cleveland's Josh Tomlin and Boston's John Lackey, merited no-decisions. The 2 hurlers both yielded 5 runs.
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| Acta (right) needs Cabrera to key his club's postseason pursuit |
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