In a game that began with the temperature sitting at 38 degrees, both sides have been cold at the plate, although, of course, the pitching might have something to do with that.
Through six innings at Progressive Field, the Indians and Boston are still scoreless, and both pitchers have settled in and been dominant, although with pitch-counts high for both Fausto Carmona and Jon Lester, it won’t be long until this game is in the hands of the bullpens.
Carmona allowed a harmless single in the middle three innings and — through six frames — has allowed just two hits, striking out four and walking two. Carmona, on 98 pitches, has cut his ERA by two-thirds, from 30.00 all the way down to 10.00, in a sterling vindication of his status as the Tribe’s ace.
Lester has been no less brilliant, striking out nine, allowing two hits and walking three. One of those walks, to Carlos Santana in the fourth, was immediately followed by a caught-stealing, and thus, both teams have left four men on base.
The Red Sox need a win today, but our “ace” has had something to say about that, and, as yours truly said about mountains and molehills when Fausto Carmona was shelled on Opening Day — one game does not a season make, and that is being borne out today.