Fausto Carmona has pitched the same amount of innings as he did on Opening Day — and has given up ten fewer runs.
Although both teams threatened in the third, Carmona and Boston starter Jon Lester both were able to pitch out of the jams and the game between the Indians and the Red Sox is scoreless going to the fourth.
Both pitchers breezed through the first. In the second, Adrian Gonzalez walked leading off, but Carmona was able to work around the free pass without allowing any damage, ending the inning with a loud out off the bat of J.D. Drew.
Lester once again retired the Tribe one-two-three in the second.
In the Boston third, with one out, Marco Scutaro walked and moved up to second on the Sox’ first hit of the game, from Jacoby Ellsbury. Scutaro made it as far as third but was stranded there on a long fly ball out off the bat of Dustin Pedroia, as Carmona worked out of the difficulty unscathed.
In the Indians’ half of the same inning, Matt LaPorta collected the Tribe’s first hit, and, with one out, Adam Everett collected his first hit AS an Indian, but both runners were stranded when Orlando Cabrera grounded out and Asdrubal Cabrera struck out.
The three scoreless innings by Carmona dropped his ERA from 30.00 to 15.00.
Ah, early-season baseball stats!