MVN - Most Valuable Network

Game #37: Carmona complete game shuts down Toronto

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9		R	H	E
Toronto	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0		0	5	1
CLEVELAND	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	0	X		3	5	0
W: Fausto Carmona (4-1) L: A.J. Burnett (3-4) HR: CLE: Asdrubal Cabrera (1)

Fausto Carmona threw a five-hit shut-out as the Cleveland Indians defeated the Toronto Blue Jays 3-0 on Monday afternoon in Cleveland. The win came in the first game of a twi-night doubleheader.

Carmona struck out three, and walked four, continuing to show a bit of wildness to go along with some of the most wicked stuff in the game. Carmona also received some solid defense to help support his complete game. In the fourth inning, Ben Francisco nailed Scott Rolen at third, to help end an early threat. In the seventh inning, Ryan Garko back-handed a sharply hit ball with two runners on, and got it to Carmona at first to end the inning.

Carmona is one of the few pitchers that close watchers can say is struggling, while going 4-1, with a 2.40 ERA over the season. Still, Carmona has walked four or more batters in every game he’s started but one. He has 35 walks in his first eight starts this season is already past the halfway mark of his 61 walks last season. Carmona’s stuff is just so good, that when he isn’t walking batters, he’s either forcing them to drive the ball into the ground, or striking them out. Tonight, 18 of his outs were either by a ground ball, or strike out.

Toronto didn’t have a chance.

Cleveland’s offense didn’t do much more than Toronto. Toronto starter A.J. Burnett was actually outpitching Carmona through much of the game. Burnett had a one-hitter into the sixth when things began coming apart. Grady Sizemore hit a one-out double, and a Jamey Carroll ground-out moved Sizemore to third. David Dellucci followed with a single, to get the Indians on the board.

In the seventh, Travis Hafner drew a walk, which is about all he’s good for these days, and was driven home when Asdrubal Cabrera hit a one-out homer to give the Indians their second and third runs.

Thankfully, Carmona was on top of his game, because Cleveland’s erratic offense returned. Imagine if the Indians didn’t have good starters. Thankfully they do.

Cliff Lee will be going in the nightcap against Shawn Marcum. He has quite a performance to follow-up.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 12th, 2008 at 9:58 pm and is filed under Cliff Lee, Fausto Carmona, Travis Hafner, Asdrubal Cabrera, Ben Francisco, Tribe Victory, Jamey Carroll, James Pete, Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians, David Dellucci, Ryan Garko, Toronto Blue Jays, Scott Rolen, Shawn Marcum, A.J. Burnett, Tribe Report. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.