Scripted

And now we try to clinch at home. It's funny how in the span of just a few days we've gone from wondering if we'll clinch, to hoping for the ideal situation in which to clinch. No longer do we hold our breath hoping the Tribe can pull this one out. Now we're making demands on how we want to win.

Ideally, of course, the Tigers will lose tonight and the Indians will win tonight and the Tribe will get a chance to clinch at home tomorrow night. That would be the earliest they can do it. Even without help from Kansas City, we can clinch at home with a sweep.

The AP article from Wednesday's game pointed out that the Indians could actually clinch during the first game of the doubleheader in Seattle on Tuesday. That's the last make-up game from the snowouts and the Tribe will actually be the home team in that game -- they'll wear home jerseys and bat second. Which means the Indians could actually clinch the division after winning a home game on the road.

There's a new stat for baseball.

Original and perhaps only remaining RCR reader Mike wondered why there seems to be a debate as to who the #3 starter will be in the post-season. I honestly don't know. Unless the coaching staff is in love with the idea of back to back ground ball pitchers, I don't see why Byrd wouldn't stay where he's at.

What I would find interesting is if there's any possibility that would deny Westbrook a start in a five game series. If the Tribe doesn't have home field advantage, it would be interesting to see if Wedge would go with C.C. on short rest to try and win a Game 4 instead of having to head back to Boston (the only team the Tribe could face and not have home field advantage over, although at this point that wouldn't be the case).

Speaking of Boston, Bob Ryan of the Boston Globe wrote an interesting article on the four playoff bound AL teams. This is what he had to say:

"Let's examine the AL contenders.

1. Cleveland. Grady Sizemore can hurt you. Casey Blake can hurt you. Jhonny Peralta can hurt you. Travis Hafner can hurt you. Victor Martinez can absolutely abuse you. They're not the Yankees, but they're all heating up at the same time. That's a lot of guys you don't want to see up, if you know what I mean.
What scares me is what C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona can do to your batters. The 6-foot-7-inch, 290-pound Sabathia is at the peak of his game, and Carmona has games in which he is laughably unhittable. Paul Byrd and his 1937 windup could easily produce six or seven solid innings in a playoff setting. And suddenly the Indians have great setup people, led by former Red Sox farmhand infielder Rafael Betancourt (1.46 with 70 strikeouts and - gulp - 9 walks). How Joe Borowski has managed to close 42 games in 48 opportunities, given that he has a 5.04 ERA and has allowed 70 hits in 60 2/3 innings (Papelbon has allowed 29 hits in 55 innings), may be baseball's greatest supernatural mystery, but that is what he's done.
Recent history teaches us that two great starters, excellent setup people, and a closer who can close are all you need.

2. New York The lineup is sometimes ridiculous, even without Jason Giambi. Did you know that Jorge Posada has an OPS of .972? The reason they have not won since 2000 is that their starting pitchers have failed them in the playoffs. Period. End of story. Are Pettitte, Wang, Clemens, and Mussina good enough? If they are, there is no reason the Yankees can't win.

3. Orange County American League Baseball Representative They're the chic team of the moment. By the way, hate to tell you that Orlando Cabrera has driven in 83 runs. Now here's a team that can manufacture a run. And assuming his right triceps tendinitis doesn't hamper him, Vladimir Guerrero is the flat-out scariest all-around hitter in the AL.
But do John Lackey, Kelvim Escobar, and Jered Weaver really frighten anybody? Give me C.C. and Dr. Faustus.
Mike Scioscia's the best manager in the derby, however. That's a fact.

4. Your Sawx Simply put, I fear that their best baseball is behind them, that what you saw as they were getting out to that 36-16 record and that big spread over the You-Know-Whos was the best baseball they could produce. Sure, if they could have started the playoffs in June when they were getting quality start after quality start and Okey-Dokey was untouchable and Youkilis was on base every five seconds and a few other things, they would have won. Then.
But this is now. Is this a team that inspires confidence?

Yeah, they could get lucky. Didn't the 83-79 Cardinals win last year?

Here's a better bet: Go, Pats."

He seems to think very highly of our Tribe.