Maybe the substitutions were no-brainers to some. Maybe taking Martinez out after 115 pitches was a given. But Francona pushed the buttons and his players responded.
That's not to say there wasn't a little good fortune involved. Alan Embree was very thankful for what transpired after he allowed a two-out home run in the top of the eighth by Victor Martinez that gave Cleveland a 3-2 lead.
"Oh yeah," Embree said. "You come into that situation and the guy [Martinez] has pitched a great game and you don't want to mess it up. It's great that we have the lineup we do and that we have a closer like Keith Foulke who can come in and hold the fort like that. I just made a mistake on that one pitch, and I'm glad we didn't pay for it in the end."
Foulke had gotten in an inning Monday, but last night's save, his seventh of the season, was his first since last Thursday. He retired the side in order in the ninth, with two strikeouts, to preserve the win for Embree.
He has been throwing on the side, and has felt strong.
"My job is to throw strikes and get the outs as quickly as I can," Foulke said. "That's what's important for the team."
In the eighth, with runners on first and third after Mueller's double and Gabe Kapler's infield hit, Pokey Reese was due up. With righthander Jose Jimenez on the mound, the lefthanded-hitting Brian Daubach was announced to pinch hit. That prompted Indians manager Eric Wedge to bring in lefty Scott Stewart, and Francona countered with the righthanded McCarty.
McCarty said he's learned how to come off the bench and perform, something he had trouble with earlier in his career.
"The situation was we had a guy on third, so we don't need a home run," said McCarty. "It was a good pitch to hit, low, and I got a good swing and hit it down there. That's a tricky place and it's worked out well for us this season."
