News
Lee to face fellow Cy winner Carpenter
Cleveland (28-36) vs. St. Louis (34-29), 8:05 p.m. ET
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
06/13/09 9:40 PM ET
CLEVELAND -- It's the stuff that Interleague dreams are made of. |
An American League Cy Young Award winner. A National League Cy Young Award winner. And a national ESPN audience.
The pitching matchup and the pomp and circumstance of primetime make Sunday night's showdown between Cliff Lee of the Indians and Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals a mid-June special. It's the kind of matchup that makes Interleague Play a little more intriguing. But for the pitchers involved, it will just be another day at the office. "I'm not that worried about it," Lee said. "Obviously, you know [Carpenter] is a great pitcher, so you can't give up many runs or wind up in the hole. Hopefully our guys put up some runs and stay out of the norm of how successful he usually is." Carpenter's pretty successful, all right. He didn't allow an earned run over his first 24 innings this season. And though he missed some time with a left oblique strain, he hasn't given up more than three earned runs in any start this season. The injury aside, Carpenter is putting together a campaign reminiscent of his 2005 season, when he went 21-5 with a 2.83 ERA in 33 starts to win the Cy Young. And the Indians, who are wrapping up their only series against the Cards this season, were lucky enough to draw Carpenter for Sunday. "He's got a little bit of everything," said Jamey Carroll, who is 5-for-14 in his career against Carpenter and is the only member of the Tribe with an extensive history against him. "It's going to be a tough day." The Cardinals, of course, drew a tough one, as well. Coming off his Cy-worthy 22-3 season in 2008, Lee has remained effective this year. He has a 2.31 ERA over his last 11 starts, though he's only won three games in that span because of a lack of support from his teammates. Facing Albert Pujols, who has already homered three times in this series, will be an interesting test for Lee. "You get the scouting report and use it accordingly," Lee said. "He's one of the best hitters in the game. You just have to treat him like any player in any other lineup. You've got to make sure you don't miss out over the middle of the plate. He's smart enough to recognize what you're trying to do against him. So you've got to be unpredictable." One would tend to predict a tight pitchers' duel for Sunday night. But as Carpenter acknowledged, that's not always the way these things go. "It's not the matchup," Carpenter said. "It's not the Sunday night game. It's the game [itself]. It's what the game evolves into and what happens [that matters most]." These Interleague games have a way of keeping players on their toes. And facing a Cy Young winner you're not all that familiar with can be a challenge for a hitter. But Carroll said it also has its benefits. "The more you see a guy, the more comfortable you're going to feel against him," Carroll said. "But sometimes it's good not knowing anything about somebody and just going out and trying to put up good at-bats. It can work either way." The Indians and Cardinals will both have their work cut out for them Sunday night. Pitching matchupCLE: LHP Cliff Lee (3-6, 3.17 ERA)
The left-hander gave up four runs in six innings against the Royals, but pitched better than his line showed. A sloppy sixth inning in which Kansas City scored two runs thanks in part to two infield hits and a throwing error by catcher Kelly Shoppach didn't help his cause. As he has for most of the season, Lee did what every starter hopes to do -- keep his team in the game. The Indians rallied for eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull out a win, though Lee didn't figure in the decision. He threw 105 pitches, the 12th time in his past 13 starts he has topped the 100-pitch mark. Lee threw 98 pitches against the Reds on May 24, the only time he hasn't topped 100 in that stretch. STL: RHP Chris Carpenter (4-0, 1.23 ERA)
Tuesday's game against the Marlins offered a bit of a rarity for the Cardinals -- their ace, Carpenter, was spotted a three-run lead, and the club still lost. The 34-year-old, who came in with a 0.71 ERA -- a franchise low spanning the first six starts of the season -- gave up three runs in six innings to get a no-decision, walking one while striking out three and surrendering six hits. The three runs allowed, however, came on a two-run blooper to left field and a two-out infield single off Carpenter's glove -- both by Emilio Bonifacio. He ended up throwing 89 pitches (59 strikes). For his career, Carpenter is 2-2 with a 5.96 ERA in nine games (seven starts) against the Indians. Tidbits
Jake Westbrook, one year removed from Tommy John elbow ligament replacement surgery, has thrown seven scoreless innings for Double-A Akron in two rehab starts. But he said he's still a little rusty, which is normal for pitchers in his position. "The day of [my starts], my arm doesn't feel as alive as I'd like it do," he said. "There's definitely some soreness the day after. But I'm throwing the ball well. It's just a feel thing right now. Hopefully I'll get to a point where I get that pop and alive feeling like I once had." Westbrook's third start will be a five-inning effort Wednesday, most likely for Triple-A Columbus. ... All kids donating non-perishable food items for the Cleveland Foodbank at Sunday night's game will receive a free ticket to the game or a voucher for a future Sunday home game. Items requested are peanut butter, pasta, jelly, cereal and macaroni and cheese. The collection will take place on Gateway Plaza, beginning at 5:30 p.m. ET. ... Hall of Famer Bob Feller will hold a book signing at the South Park Indians Team Shop from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday. He'll sign copies of his new book, titled "Bob Feller's Little Blue Book of Baseball Wisdom." Tickets
Buy tickets now to catch the game in person.
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• Monday: Indians (Carl Pavano, 6-5, 5.40) vs. Brewers (Dave Bush, 3-3, 4.58), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Tuesday: Indians (Jeremy Sowers, 1-3, 5.10) vs. Brewers (Yovani Gallardo, 6-3, 2.88), 7:05 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Indians (David Huff, 2-2, 7.39) vs. Brewers (Jeff Suppan, 5-4, 4.48), 7:05 p.m. ET
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
