Cleveland Sports Forum

Great game! Terrific relief pitching. Jhonny fanning on 3 pitches was key. Perez did his job once again!

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?conte ... 6&c_id=cle

Highlights

He can't hit, but we do seem to win a lot of games with Damon in the lineup. Is he our lucky charm? Wouldn't it be nice to dream that Grady actually will return in June and play something like the Grady of old to give the offense a lift to support the steady pitching and the solid defense?

We are trying to prove that a team doesn't need an ace to lead the rotation. We're going with the equivalent of 5 3rd or 4th starters.

I'd still like to get Heredia back.

Choo with a massive bomb to rt center off of Verlander 454 feet 1-0 Tribe after 2 innings.

Double and two ground outs tied it in the 3rd.

Brantley single, steal and Lopez single untied it in the 4th.

Walk and Masterson error puts 2 Tigers on with no one out in the 7th.

Masterson gets out of it. 2-1 Tribe bottom of the 7th.

Dirks and a couple guys named Cabrera and Fielder retired and Tribe holds the 2-1 lead at stretch time.

Kotchman doubles with one out. The much-feared Shelley Duncan stands in.

Shelley hit the ball, which is sure sign Verlander not having one of his good days, but to the ss, so runner holds.

And that brings the even more dangerous Lou Marson to bat.

Lou swings at the first pitch and rolls out. 2 innings to go, Tribe up by 1.

Vinnie takes over in the 8th, retires all 3 on fly outs. Unless the Tribe scores a whole big bunch in the bottom of the inning, Pestano's day is done and his streak of games with strikeouts ends. But he again did the job, which is all that counts.

Verlander, tiring, fans Choo and Kipnis to start the bottom of the 8th.

And he gets Cabrera looking. Lucky for us we caught Verlander on a very subpar day.

I guess it's Chris Perez out there once again in the 9th. Peralta, Werth and Berry scheduled. Cabrera hits 5th.