ALCS Preview

The Indians just knocked off the hottest team in baseball in 4 games and are still getting no respect. Almost nobody thinks that this team can beat the Red Rox. The argument that I hear most often is the Red Sox have deeper starting pitching. Do they?

Let's look at the numbers.

Game 1: CC sabathia vs. Josh Beckett (Advantage Indians)

• CC was 19-7 with a 3.21 ERA
• Beckett 20-7 with a 3.27 ERA
• Sabathia also had a 2 month span in which he allowed 2 or fewer runs in every start. He went 4-3 in those games. If he had any run support at all he would be something like 22-5 right now and be a hands down Cy Young winner.

Game 2: Fausto Carmona vs. Curt Schilling (Advantage Indians)

• Sorry Curt, this is a no brainer. I said it before the playoffs...Fausto Carmona is the best pitcher in baseball and he showed it in game 2 of the ALDS.
• Fausto was 19-8 with a 3.06 ERA.
• Schilling was 9-8 with a 3.87 ERA.
• You can throw the post season experience out the window in this matchup as well. Carmona already beat Pettitte.

Game 3: Jake Westbrook vs. Dice K (Advantage Indians)

• You may think I am crazy but Dice K just does not impress me. This game is also at the Jake.
• Westbrook was 6-9 with a 4.32 ERA.
• Dice K was 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA. Again the Indians starter has the better ERA.
• Futher, since the all star break, Westbrook has a 3.44 ERA while Dice K has a 5.19 ERA. Dice K has just been bad since the break.

Game 4: Paul Byrd vs. Tim Wakefield (Advantage Indians)

• I am not a huge fan of knuckle ballers in the playoffs.
• Wakefield had a 17-12 record and an ERA of 4.76.
• The Byrd man had a 15-8 record and a 4.59 ERA, AGAIN better than his pitching counterpart.
• Paul Byrd is also coming up an improbable win against the Yankees in game 4.

As for starting pitching, the Indians one through four, based on the numbers are just better than the Red Sox one through four this season in every single matchup. Who would have thought?

What about the bullpen since pitching wins championships?

• Perez and Betancourt are studs with ERAs of 1.78 and 1.47 respectively. Perez looked dominant at times in the ALDS as did Betancourt in game 4.
• Okajima and DelCarmen, the two best guys in the Red Sox pen, had ERAs of 2.22 and 2.05 respectively. Again, ADVANTAGE INDIANS.
• Throw Jensen Lewis in the mix and his ERA of 2.15 is miniscule compared to the 3.42 of Timlin.
• As for the closer....I'll give the Red Sox the advantage here. Borowski is frightening every time he steps on the mound, while Paplebon and his 1.85 ERA can be dominant. The Red Sox have to be better at one aspect I guess.

How the two teams played down the stretch?

• The Indians played the final month of the season at 18-9 whereas Boston was 15-11. The Indians swept their AL Central counterparts in Detroit when they were threatening while the Red Sox lost 5 of 6 to the Yankees.
• Since August 13th, the Red Sox are 26-19 while Cleveland is 31-13.
• The Indians knocked off an opponenet in the Yankees who were red hot while the Red Sox beat a team in Anaheim that was only 14-13 in September including losses in 6 of their last 9.

My Point: Yeah the Red Sox are a great team and can win this series. But, how are they so superior to the Indians, a team that tied them for the best record in baseball? Ask a Yankee fan who the better team is.