CLEVELAND – The grand bullpen experiment for the Indians last season produced a result more gruesome than any teenagers-get-sliced-and-diced horror flick. After closer Bob Wickman was peddled to Atlanta, Cleveland made Fausto Carmona, a set-up success, the new closer.
Oops.
Six days brought three blown saves. Carmona lost his first five decisions and Indians brass said, “Enough!” The right-hander was sent back to Buffalo having yielded 17 earned runs in 91/3 innings, a swell 16.39 ERA. By comparison, Yankees closer Mariano Rivera had eight seasons in which he surrendered 17 or less earned runs.
But through those struggles, Cleveland skipper Eric Wedge saw Carmona’s mental makeup and toughness. Tonight, Carmona can twist the knife in the Yanks’ guts and put the Indians up two games to none with his start in Game 2 of the AL Division Series.
After Carmona went back to the minors last season, he returned to starting duty and was nurtured through winter ball. Suffice to say this has worked a heckuva lot better. C.C. Sabathia and Carmona have given Cleveland as good a 1-2 combo as can be found anywhere outside of Cooperstown.
“What Fausto has done a great job with is learning from all his experiences, the ups, the downs, the good days, the tough days. . . . The toughness that he’s shown and just the way he’s handled everything,” Wedge said of the 23-year-old, whose power sinker brought a 19-8 record and a 3.06 ERA. “I mean, that would be difficult for anybody, much less a young pitcher.
“Things worked out very well for him.”
The product of the Dominican Republic – yup, Pedro Martinez was his idol growing up – has obliterated that little 2006 side trip to Hades and now finds himself front and center on the national stage.
“I learned a lot from what happened last year,” Carmona said through interpreter and first base coach Luis Rivera. “I went back to winter ball and continued pitching. I worked on the things that I felt like I needed to be successful in the big leagues this year if I got an opportunity.
“Playing winter ball helped me out, gave me confidence.”
Now he’s up against the Yanks. He faced them twice this season, going 0-1 and giving up six earned runs in 13 innings. Nervous? No way.
“I know they’ve got a great lineup. When I get on the mound I don’t look at names. I just go after the hitters. It will be no different than their best hitter to the ninth hitter,” Carmona said with a shrug. “I know it’s a big game, but that doesn’t bother me. I know it’s the same baseball.”