October 6,
2016
...
Rick Porcello, in his biggest start of the season, he couldn't keep
the ball in the park or get through the fifth inning. The Cleveland
Indians, aggressive in every aspect of the game, beat the Red Sox,
5-4, in a taut opener of the American League Division Series.
Porcello
lost a 2-1 lead when the Indians hit three home runs in the third inning. He
allowed five runs in all, matching his most of the season. The Sox came back,
but were unable to push the tying run across.
Porcello,
a pitcher who takes pride in careful preparation for every start, was ambushed
in the third inning when Roberto Perez, Jason Kipnis, and Francisco Lindor hit
solo homers and Cleveland built a 4-2 lead. The Red Sox also hit three home runs
on a night when Progressive Field played small.
Porcello is 0-3 with a 5.99 earned run average in nine
postseason games, three of them starts and all of them losses for his team.
Before today he had pitched at least into the sixth inning in all but one of his
33 starts this season.
That the
Sox ceded home-field advantage to the Indians with losses in five of their last
six games in the regular season looks significant now, especially with Porcello
having a 2.97 ERA at Fenway Park.
Cleveland
manager Terry Francona charged after the victory. He called on his best
reliever, Andrew Miller, with two outs in the fifth inning. Miller pitched two
scoreless innings. Francona also used closer Cody Allen for five outs to finish
the game. In all, the Indians got 41/3 innings of one-run relief from their
bullpen.
Xander
Bogaerts, Mookie Betts and Jackie Bradley Jr., the three young Red Sox
All-Stars, were 0 for 11 with seven strikeouts. The Sox struck out 14 times in
all, the Indians carving them up with breaking pitches.
The
Indians were similarly aggressive on the bases. They took a 5-3 lead in the
fifth inning when their catcher, Perez, stole 90 feet. Perez started the inning
with a single off Porcello and advanced to second when rookie Andrew Benintendi
was slow to react after catching a fly ball in deep left.
Dick
Farrell, like Francona, went to a tall lefthander to replace his starter. Drew
Pomeranz came in and allowed a single to center by Jason Kipnis. Perez never
slowed down and scored from second.
The Sox
took an early 2-1 lead. Dustin Pedroia started the game with a double off
Indians starter Trevor Bauer and went to third when Brock Holt singled. Betts,
up 2 and 0 in the count, struck out swinging. David Ortiz then fouled out.
Hanley Ramirez jumped on the first pitch he saw and lined a double to center
field. Pedroia scored and Holt was initially called safe on a close play at the
plate. The Indians asked for a review and Holt was called out.
Benintendi
homered in the third inning, a shot to right field. The 22-year-old is the
youngest player to homer for the Red Sox in the playoffs. After Porcello allowed
the three home runs, Sandy Leon homered in the fifth inning to bring the Sox to
within a run at 4-3. Miller came in with two outs and allowed a double by Holt
before walking Betts. But he struck out Ortiz to end the inning.
Holt (3
for 4) homered off Bryan Shaw to get the Sox within a run in the eighth inning.
The Indians went to Cody Allen with one out. Ortiz doubled to right field. He
just beat the throw and was replaced at second base by pinch runner Marco
Hernandez. With Ramirez up, Hernandez failed to advance when a pitch bounced
away. Farrell thought that was a missed opportunity. Ramirez grounded out and
then Bogaerts stuck out with Hernandez at third.
Allen
worked around a two-out single by Benintendi in the ninth inning by striking out
Pedroia.
