Big inning helps Indians get past Halos
07/19/2006ANAHEIM -- Everything finally went right for manager Eric Wedge and his Indians. Well, except for one call in the ninth.
Wedge was ejected by home-plate umpire Ed Montague for arguing a changed strike-three call, but that didn't stop him from enjoying an end to his team's five-game losing streak. Behind a five-run fifth inning on Wednesday, the Indians escaped Southern California with a 6-4 win against the Angels.
The Indians did what several teams before them could not -- figure out Angels starter John Lackey. The Tribe's explosion in the fifth ended Lackey's scoreless inning streak at 30 2/3 frames.
In completing a 2-5 road trip that included losses to two Angels rookies and a Twins starter with an ERA north of 6.00, the Indians ironically book-ended the week with victories against the two hurlers that entered the day as the top ERA leaders in the American League.
"You don't like what happened in between, but to win the first one and win the last one against those two pitchers says a lot about our club," Wedge said, referring to Lackey and Twins phenom Francisco Liriano.
Wednesday's starter, Paul Byrd, had plenty to say about right fielder Casey Blake, who made a diving catch in the bottom of the sixth that stopped the tying runs from scoring.
With the Indians leading, 5-3, Chone Figgins sliced a ball into the right-field corner. With two outs, Blake sprinted to his left to snag the drive that was tailing away from him. If the right fielder had botched his attempt, the two Angels on base would have surely scored and, with the speedster Figgins at the plate, the play could have ended as an inside-the-park home run.
"That was the whole game, in my mind," Byrd said. "I am still amazed, I thought he had no chance."
Blake, himself, said he was just as surprised.
"I remember thinking I didn't know how I came up with it," he said. "I didn't think I had it until I looked at it in the glove."
Blake, who went 0-for-5 with a walk and hit into two double plays in Tuesday's loss, was just happy to contribute in some way.
"Personally, I was kind of a rally-killer [today and Tuesday]," he said. "It feels good to help out Byrdy and the team a little bit."
Blake's walk in the fifth sent Lackey (8-6) to the clubhouse, but not before the Indians got the big inning they had been striving for all series. The Tribe had baserunners all throughout its three games in Anaheim, but found it tough to push across multiple runs.
Ben Broussard put an end to Lackey's streak, driving a two-run homer on an inside fastball that tied the game at 2. Four of the next five Indians banged out hits, with Jhonny Peralta delivering a two-run single and Joe Inglett hitting an opposite-field RBI double.
Aaron Boone increased the Tribe's lead to 6-3 with a solo home run in the seventh.
The big fifth inning was essential for a team that entered the day having lost nine of its last 11 games.
"It's one step in the right direction," Broussard said.
Byrd (7-6) was his normal quality self. Never one to overpower hitters, he usually allows hits here and there and gets into jams. But almost always, he's able to get out of them with minimal damage.
Admittedly over-emotional and overthrowing because he was facing his former teammates, Byrd completed six innings and allowed three earned runs on 10 hits. He gave up Juan Rivera's third home run in two nights and two RBI singles to Vladimir Guerrero, but ended with the sixth quality start in his past eight games.
"I'm not good enough to stay in a place too long, but I'm not bad enough to retire," he said.
Inglett, playing in place of Grady Sizemore -- who hadn't been out of the starting lineup all season -- also helped Byrd out by playing the best game of his young Major League career.
He reached base five of the six times he came to the plate and raised his average from .176 to .286. His RBI that capped the Indians' five-run fifth was the first of his career.
A game like Wednesday's should do plenty for the 28-year-old's comfort level. Breaking out in the manner he did made Inglett feel he belongs on a Major League roster.
"It was a big-time confidence builder," said Inglett, who also swiped his first base. "Everything is starting to slow down, my heartbeat is not even that fast anymore."
Wedge became irritated in the ninth when closer Bob Wickman apparently struck out Figgins leading off the inning. Angels manager Mike Scioscia popped out of his dugout to protest that Figgins had tipped the ball to the ground. Montague conferred with third-base umpire Marvin Hudson and signaled for Figgins' at-bat to continue.
"A call with the opposite umpire is usually made right away, it's not something that's debated upon," Wedge said. "For them to change that call after the fact, I didn't think that was right."
Indians second baseman Ronnie Belliard left the game in the fifth when he strained his hamstring beating out an infield chopper. He is day-to-day.
Source: http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/
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