Ten questions about the American league Championship Series game five:
1. How will C.C. Sabathia pitch?
A: Against New York and Boston, he was starting the first game of the series and placing a lot of pressure on himself to get the team off to a good start. He pitched poorly both times. My guess is that because the Indians are leading the Red Sox three games to one, there will be less pressure and C. C. will be able to settle down and pitch a good game. Also, he has had two poor starts to learn from, and sometimes the guy who fails learns more and ultimately becomes better than the guy who always succeeds. Just law of averages makes me think sooner or later a pitcher as good as Sabathia will win, and eventually, Josh Beckett has to have a post-season start in which he struggles. Maybe it won't be tonight, but we'll see. Even Orel Hershiser eventually lost a few playoff games.
2. How will the Red Sox respond to having their backs against the wall?
A: This is a veteran team. They won't be intimidated. If they show up ready to hit, they can beat anybody. There is little doubt in my mind they could still win the series if they started getting some little breaks, and their hitters — other than Ramirez and Ortiz — and pitchers started living up to expectations.
3. Should the Red Sox bench Coco Crisp and play Jacoby Ellsbury?
A. I'd say no. Crisp hasn't hit in the series, but sooner or later, he will. He's a good defensive player and has a lot of speed, too. If Terry Francona was going to bench him, he should have done it long before game four. If I were managing, which I am not, I'd figure out who my best players were and get them as many at-bats and innings as I could on the premise that the talent will assert itself.
4. How much longer can Rafael Betancourt keep getting out the Red Sox hitters?
A: I have no earthly idea, but I hope for at least another week.
5. If the Indians are leading by one run in the ninth in game five, should manager Eric Wedge give the ball to shaky closer Joe Borowski?
A: Yes.
6. What if that happens in a game seven?
A. Maybe.
7. What if that happens in game seven of the World Series?
A. Well, the Indians would have to get there first. But, remember Jose Mesa? I think Borowski has done a good job for the Indians all year, and he did lead the AL in saves, and he did have more three-up-three-down saves than Mariano Rivera this year, but if he is pitching in game seven of the World Series with a one-run lead, and gets two strikes on the last batter, I don't know if I'll be able to watch. At least we Indians fans learned to deal with this in recent years with the team's all-time saves leader Bob Wickman keeping us on the edge of our seats for years.
8. Isn't it interesting the way Wedge has bunted and stolen bases way more than usual in the playoffs?
A: Yes! Since runs are harder to come by in the post season (because you are facing better teams and generally only seeing the better teams' better pitchers), it only makes sense to have the team ready to play for one run in certain situations.
9. Will this come up in game five?
A: I guess we'll see. If I were the Indians, I'd do anything I could to facilitate ending the series in Cleveland. First, I'd like to get the series over and send the Sox home as soon as I could, and second, I'd hate to have to go back to Boston and try to win. Fenway Park is one of those places where no lead is ever really safe.
10. How hard was it to come up with 10 questions about a single game?
A: Harder than I thought. It might be easier to do for the World Series. We'll see.
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