American League Championship Series A look at the best-of-7 American League Championship Series between the Cleveland Indians and Boston Red Sox: SCHEDULE (All times Central ) Game 1, Friday, at Boston (6: 10 p.m. ); Game 2, Saturday, at Boston (7: 21 p.m. ); Game 3, Monday, Oct. 15, at Cleveland (6: 10 p.m. ); Game 4, Tuesday, Oct. 16, at Cleveland (7: 21 p.m. ); x-Game 5, Thursday, Oct. 18, at Cleveland (7: 21 p.m. ); x-Game 6, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Boston (TBD ); x-Game 7, Sunday, Oct. 21, at Boston (TBD ). (All games on Fox ). x-if necessary. SEASON SERIES Boston won 5-2. PROJECTED LINEUPS INDIANS CF Grady Sizemore (. 277, 24 HR, 78 RBI, 33 SB, 155 strikeouts ), 2 B Asdrubal Cabrera (. 283, 3, 23 ), DH Travis Hafner (. 266, 24, 100 ), C Victor Martinez (. 301, 25, 114 ), 1 B Ryan Garko (. 289, 21, 61 ), SS Jhonny Peralta (. 270, 21, 72 ), LF Kenny Lofton (. 296, 7, 38, 23 SB with Texas and Cleveland ), RF Franklin Gutierrez (. 266, 16, 36 ), 3 B Casey Blake (. 270, 18, 78 ). RED SOX 2 B Dustin Pedroia (. 317, 8, 50 ), 1 B Kevin Youkilis (. 288, 16, 83 ), DH David Ortiz (. 332, 35, 117, 52 doubles,. 445 OBP ), LF Manny Ramirez (. 296, 20, 88 ), 3 B Mike Lowell (. 324, 21, 120 ), RF J. D. Drew (. 270, 11, 64 ) or Bobby Kielty (. 218, 1, 12 ), C Jason Varitek (. 255, 17, 68 ), CF Coco Crisp (. 268, 6, 60, 28 SB ), SS Julio Lugo (. 237, 8, 73, 33 SB ). PROJECTED ROTATIONS INDIANS LH C. C. Sabathia (19-7, 3. 21, major league-high 241 IP ), RH Fausto Carmona (19-7, 3. 06 — 2. 15 in second half ), RH Jake Westbrook (6-9, 4. 32 ), RH Paul Byrd (15-8, 4. 59, 28 walks in 192 1-3 IP ). RED SOX RH Josh Beckett (20-7, 3. 27 ERA ), RH Curt Schilling (9-8, 3. 87 ), RH Daisuke Matsuzaka (15-12, 4. 40, 201 strikeouts ), RH Tim Wakefield (17-12, 4. 76 ).
RELIEVERS INDIANS RH Joe Borowski (4-5, 5. 07, AL-high 45 / 53 saves ), RH Rafael Betancourt (5-1, 1. 47 ERA is second-lowest among AL relievers ), LH Rafael Perez (1-2, 1. 78 ERA ), RH Tom Mastny (7-2, 4. 68 ), RH Jensen Lewis (1-1, 2. 15 ), LH Aaron Fultz (4-3, 2. 92 ). RED SOX RH Jonathan Papelbon (1-3, 1. 85 ERA, 37 / 40 saves ), LH Hideki Okajima (3-2, 2. 22, 5 / 7 ), RH Eric Gagne (4-2, 3. 81, 16 / 20 with Texas and Boston ), RH Manny Delcarmen (0-0, 2. 05 ), LH Jon Lester (4-0, 4. 57, 1 relief appearance ), LH Javier Lopez (2-1, 3. 10 ), RH Mike Timlin (2-1, 3. 42 ). MATCHUPS Both teams finished 96-66, tied for the best record in baseball. Boston earned home-field advantage by winning the season series. That might not mean much, though. Cleveland was 0-6 against the New York Yankees this season before beating them 3-1 in the first round.... The Red Sox took 2 of 3 from Cleveland at Fenway Park in late May, with Schilling and Beckett earning the victories. Byrd beat Matsuzaka for the Indians’ victory. Boston won 3 of 4 r at Jacobs Field in July, a series that included consecutive 1-0 games. Matsuzaka beat Sabathia 1-0, then Carmona topped Beckett. It was the first time Cleveland traded 1-0 games since 1942.... The Indians scored three runs or fewer in five of the seven meetings. Two of Cleveland’s losses came in starts by LHP Cliff Lee, not expected to be on the ALCS roster.... The Red Sox led the AL in ERA this season (3. 87 ) while Cleveland ranked third (4. 05 ).... This series features three top contenders for the AL Cy Young Award: Sabathia, Carmona and Beckett.... These clubs met in the division series three times from 1995-1999, with Cleveland winning twice. They also finished the 1948 regular season tied for first place and had a one-game playoff for the AL pennant. The Indians won 8-3 at Fenway Park en route to their most recent World Series title.... The Red Sox held Cleveland to a. 223 batting average this season, with 59 strikeouts and 17 walks. The Indians averaged only 3. 6 runs per game. Okajima didn’t allow a run in three outings.... Hafner was 5 for 27 (. 185 ) with no home runs and five RBI against Boston. Martinez went 2 for 16 (. 125 ) with no home runs and two RBI. Sizemore had two home runs, five RBI and three stolen bases, but also struck out 11 times in 28 at-bats.... Boston pitchers had a 3. 05 ERA against the Indians. Beckett was 1-1 with a 1. 80 ERA and 14 strikeouts in 15 innings spanning two starts. Matsuzaka went 1-1 with a 4. 26 ERA. Papelbon had two saves, with four strikeouts in two innings. National League Championship Series A look at the best-of-7 National League Championship Series between the Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks: SCHEDULE (All times Central ) Game 1, today, at Arizona (7: 37 p.m. ); Game 2, Friday, at Arizona (9: 18 p.m. ); Game 3, Sunday, at Colorado (7: 37 p.m. ); Game 4, Monday, Oct. 15, at Colorado (9: 18 p.m. ); x-Game 5, Wednesday, Oct. 17, at Colorado (7: 37 p.m. ); x-Game 6, Friday, Oct. 19, at Arizona (7: 37 p.m. ); x-Game 7, Saturday, Oct. 20, at Arizona (TBD ). (All games on TBS ). x-if necessary. SEASON SERIES Colorado won 10-8. PROJECTED LINEUPS ROCKIES 2 B Kaz Matsui (. 288, 4 HR, 37 RBI, 32 SB ), SS Troy Tulowitzki (. 291, 24, 99, 104 runs ), LF Matt Holliday (. 340, 36, 137, 50 doubles ), 1 B Todd Helton (. 320, 17, 91,. 434 OBP ), 3 B Garrett Atkins (. 301, 25, 111 ), RF Brad Hawpe (. 291, 29, 116 ), CF Ryan Spilborghs (. 299, 11, 51 ), C Yorvit Torrealba (. 255, 8, 47 ). DIAMONDBACKS CF Chris Young (. 237, 32 HR, 68 RBI, 27 SB ), SS Stephen Drew (. 238, 12, 60 ), LF Eric Byrnes (. 286, 21, 83, 103 runs, 50 SB ), 1 B Conor Jackson (. 284, 15, 60 ) or Tony Clark (. 249, 17, 51 ), 3 B Mark Reynolds (. 279, 17, 62 ), C Chris Snyder (. 252, 13, 47 ), RF Jeff Salazar (. 277, 1, 10 ) or Justin Upton (. 221, 2, 11 ), 2 B Augie Ojeda (. 274, 1, 12 ). PROJECTED ROTATIONS ROCKIES LH Jeff Francis (17-9, 4. 22 ERA ), RH Ubaldo Jimenez (4-4, 4. 28 ), RH Josh Fogg (10-9, 4. 94 ), LH Franklin Morales (3-2, 3. 43 ). DIAMONDBACKS RH Brandon Webb (18-10, 3. 01, 194 strikeouts ), LH Doug Davis (13-12, 4. 25 ), RH Livan Hernandez (11-11, 4. 93 ), RH Micah Owings (8-8, 4. 30 ).
RELIEVERS ROCKIES RH Manny Corpas (4-2, 2. 08, 19 / 20 saves since becoming closer in July ), LH Brian Fuentes (3-5, 3. 08, 20 / 26 saves ), RH Matt Herges (5-1, 2. 96 ), RH LaTroy Hawkins (2-5, 3. 42 ), LH Jeremy Affeldt (4-3, 3. 51 ), RH Taylor Buchholz (6-5, 4. 23 ), RH Jorge Julio (0-5, 5. 23 ). DIAMONDBACKS RH Jose Valverde (1-4, 2. 66, NL-high 47 / 53 saves, RH Brandon Lyon (6-4, 2. 68 ), RH Tony Pena (5-4, 3. 27 ), RH Juan Cruz (6-1, 3. 10 ), LH Doug Slaten (3-2, 2. 72 ), RH Edgar Gonzalez (8-4, 5. 03 ). MATCHUPS Colorado won six of the final eight meetings with the Diamondbacks and took the season series for only the third time in 10 years. Arizona, however, has the only victory against the Rockies during their current 17-1 run, a 4-2 triumph that clinched a playoff spot on the final weekend of the season.... Colorado went 5-4 at home against the Diamondbacks and 5-4 in Arizona.... Helton batted. 375 (24-for-64 ) against the D-Backs.... Hawpe hit three home runs and had 18 RBI.... Francis was 1-1 with a 2. 64 ERA. Fuentes tossed 92 / 3 shutout innings, and Jimenez struck out 16 in two starts.... Diamondbacks starters went 4-6 with a 3. 93 ERA against Colorado this year.... Webb made six starts against the Rockies this season, including opening day in Denver. He went 1-3 with a 5. 77 ERA. His best outing was his last — a victory over Francis at Coors Field on Sept. 28, when he yielded two runs and eight hits in seven innings.... Valverde had seven saves in nine chances against the Rockies. He pitched 82 / 3 innings, allowing 11 hits and five walks while striking out 13.... Salazar was waived by the Rockies at the end of spring training. Now he might start against them in the NLCS. The Diamondbacks claimed Salazar on March 28. He hit. 299 at Class AAA Tucson, then batted. 277 for Arizona after a midseason promotion. Diamondbacks Manager Bob Melvin said Salazar might have hit the biggest home run of the season — a three-run shot as a pinch hitter with two outs in the ninth inning to beat San Francisco 5-3 on Sept. 10.... Cook (oblique ) could come off the 60-day disabled list to start Game 4 for Colorado. He’s healthy, but is he ready to pitch ? He went 1-1 with a 5. 63 ERA against the D-Backs this season, while Fogg was 1-1 with a 2. 63 ERA in four starts against Arizona.
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