Quality ABs Aug25'07

One pitch in one at bat can make a world of difference.

That was the case Sunday afternoon in Kansas City when the Tribe’s Grady Sizemore doubled to centerfield with the Indians one pitch away from losing yet another series.

Sizemore, who has been among the league-leaders in strikeouts all season long, was behind in the count to Royals’ closer Joakim Soria with no one on and two outs with the Tribe down a run in the ninth.

Instead of trying to do too much, Sizemore did something we have rarely seen from him all season long. He shortened up and took a Soria fastball on the outside edge to center field.

Soria made his pitch, but Sizemore made the adjustment and put the ball in play giving himself and his team a chance, instead of pulling off the ball and perhaps fanning for an embarrassing 131st time this season.

With the outfield playing deep to take away the extra base hit, Royals’ centerfield David DeJesus was unable to make the catch, and made matters worse for the home team by leaving his feet in his attempt to end the contest, thus allowing Sizemore to take second getting himself in scoring position.

What followed was an RBI single by a guy making the league minimum - rookie middle infielder Asdrubal Cabrera - who since being called up from AAA has quickly established himself as one of the most important acquisitions any team has made for the stretch run since the trading deadline.

Cabrera, knowing that Soria wanted to quickly get ahead, was ready early in the count and took a fastball down the middle right back up the middle for an RBI single.

The Indians when on to win the game, 5-3, in 11 innings, but it was Sizemore’s two-strike approach that made the series’ win possible.

He won the at bats because he gave in – making himself a tough out. It wasn’t his team-leading 23rd home run some fans were hoping for. It was much more than that. It was a better approach at the plate - the type of approach managers love, teammates respect and helps you win games that get you to October.

It was the right baseball play – something we haven’t seen much from this line-up the past two months.

For the Indians to win the Central Division in 2007, they will need more at bats like Sizemore’s down the stretch. They must stop giving away at bats, must go the other way when the situation presents itself and continue to battle when down in the count.

Baseball is a game of adjustments and it is clear the pitchers in the American League have made the necessary adjustments to the Tribe’s line-up the second and third time through. The early season offensive success, which had the Tribe sticks among the league-leaders in home runs, runs scored and pitches seen, has been replaced by offensive struggles of gigantic proportions.

Closed door meetings, extra BP and tinkering with the line-up can’t hurt. But in the end, it’s up to the Indians to have more quality at bats.

It will rest on players like Travis Hafner to stop pulling off the ball, up to Jhonny Peralta to stop chasing sliders down and away and important for Grady Sizemore to finally figure out he’s more valuable to the Indians as a .300 hitter with a .400+ on base percentage than a 30 home run guy who hits .275 and leads the league in striking out.

As for today, it was one of 335 pitches in game #129 of the season that made all the difference in the world.