The Cleveland Indians got an immediate payoff from their bullpen shuffle. They hope the new starter as a result of those changes will also bring an instant dividend Thursday night when the Indians complete a two-game series with the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park.
The Indians (11-17) arrived in Boston with their relievers having compiled a brutal 6.49 ERA, but more alarmingly, with seven blown saves in 13 opportunities. The breaking point for general manager Mark Shapiro came Tuesday after Cleveland's bullpen was ripped for seven runs in the final three innings of a 10-6 loss at Toronto. He made a series of roster moves, most notably moving starter Aaron Laffey to the bullpen to bolster the flagging relief corps and sending struggling reliever Rafael Perez to Triple-A Columbus."We've reached a point right now where we're going to make the moves that help us right our bullpen," Shapiro told the Indians' official Web site before Wednesday's game. "And feelings are not going to get in the way of that.
"We're going to have to look at things from top to bottom in our system and look for solutions. Those are conversations we're having right now. We are pushing the envelope on internal considerations."
Laffey quickly justified Shapiro's tinkering, earning a three-inning save after Carl Pavano pitched six effective innings in Wednesday's 9-2 victory that ended Boston's nine-game home winning streak.
"Old-school save, three innings," Indians manager Eric Wedge said of Laffey's first career save. "It was good that we could get him out there right away."
Now the attention falls to the man taking Laffey's spot in the rotation as Jeremy Sowers makes his season debut after being called up from Columbus. The left-hander was 1-1 with a 2.25 ERA in four starts with the Clippers, striking out 22 in 24 innings while yielding six runs.
Sowers, who went 4-9 with a 5.58 ERA in 22 starts last year for Cleveland, is 0-2 with a 5.94 ERA in three career starts against the Red Sox (17-11) - all at Fenway Park, where he has been reached for 11 runs in 16 2-3 innings.
Offensively for the Indians, Victor Martinez extended his hitting streak to 15 games, going 3 for 4 with a homer and four RBIs. He's batting .433 (26 for 60) during his current run, .398 overall and is 6 for 14 with a home run lifetime against scheduled Red Sox starter Tim Wakefield.
Wakefield (3-1, 2.91) is trying to win his fourth consecutive decision and picked up a victory Saturday despite turning in his worst effort of the season. The knuckleballer was reached for season highs of five runs and seven hits in five-plus innings - nearly squandering an early five-run lead - as the Red Sox eventually defeated Tampa Bay 10-6.
"The offense won the game," Wakefield said. "I was lucky enough to get through five, and the bullpen really picked me up."
The 42-year-old turned in a stellar effort versus the Indians on April 27, scattering one hit and four walks in seven scoreless innings, but left without a decision in Boston's 3-1 victory. Wakefield is 10-8 with a 4.28 ERA in 21 starts and 26 lifetime appearances against Cleveland.
