Indians’ Win Nothing Short of Grand

Let’s see, there was a relief pitcher who couldn’t throw a strike, another who probably wished he hadn’t and a slugger who produced just the sort of jolt the Cleveland Indians needed.

Final score: Cleveland 9, Baltimore 4.

The Indians staved off elimination, grabbed a hunk of momentum and trail in their best-of-five American League division series, two games to one.

Game 4 is at 10 a.m. today. Just how will these teams top themselves?

If it’s crisp and clean you want, you’d be better off following another series. After three games, there have been enough big hits, brutal defensive plays and wretched pitching to drive a purist batty.

Let the Dodgers and Braves play tidy 2-hour 8-minute games marked by brilliant pitching. Baltimore versus Cleveland has looked more like rec-league softball.

The Orioles took full advantage in Games 1 and 2.

It was the Indians’ turn in Game 3 here at Jacobs Field.

First, Baltimore Manager Davey Johnson took starter Mike Mussina out of the game with the score tied, 4-4, to start the seventh inning.

Next, reliever Jesse Orosco (0-1) walked three consecutive batters, loading the bases. Orosco’s wildness against the first two batters was bad enough, but when he couldn’t throw a strike to pinch-hitter Casey Candaele, who was trying to bunt, things really went south.

Finally, Albert Belle slammed a 1-2 fastball by Armando Benitez, the next reliever, into the left-center field stands for a grand slam that broke open the game and sent the crowd of 44,250 into a tizzy.

Can one pitch and one swing alter the course of a series?

“I think so,” Cleveland third baseman Jim Thome said. “It definitely can change the momentum. It certainly won the game for us.”

The Indians, so downcast after B.J. Surhoff had hit a three-run homer against starter Jack McDowell to give the Orioles a 4-3 lead in the fourth inning, came alive.

“Albert just seems totally prepared for every situation,” Candaele said.

If so, Belle had to change tactics on the fly. After Orosco walked Kenny Lofton and Kevin Seitzer to open the inning, Cleveland Manager Mike Hargrove sent Candaele to bunt.

It seemed an odd move, considering there were none out and Thome had batted .311 with 38 homers during the regular season. Sure, a successful bunt would have moved the runners along, but the Orioles simply would have walked Belle intentionally to get a force play at any base.

Julio Franco, batting .091 in the series, was the next batter.

“At that point in the game, I needed somebody to bunt the runners over,” Hargrove said. “Jimmy hadn’t bunted all season.”

Candaele gladly took the walk, Johnson then removed Orosco in favor of Benitez and Belle came through with the second slam in Cleveland’s lackluster postseason history. Elmer Smith had the first one in Game 5 of the 1920 World Series.

Orosco later said he couldn’t get a proper grip on the ball, but didn’t blame it on the 53-degree weather.

“The ball was slick. I couldn’t get a feel on the ball,” Orosco said. “It’s happened to me many times before, but it was definitely frustrating because I didn’t want to put the team into that position.

“Mike Mussina did a great job of keeping us in the ballgame.”

Orosco did a great job of letting the Indians get back into the ballgame and the series, too.

“Except for a couple of outings this year, he’s been our best reliever,” Johnson said. “That was really out of character. You can’t walk three guys in a row at this level and get away with it.”

Belle made the Orioles pay, then followed his usual method of operation by refusing a league official’s request to report to the interview room. So, it was left to others to speak for him.

Standing at third base after he had drawn a leadoff walk, stolen second and moved to third on the walk to Candaele, only one thought went through Lofton’s mind as Belle stepped to the plate.

“We had the right man in the right position,” he said.

Added Hargrove, “Tonight’s game was really just another piece of evidence that Albert is a very intense competitor.”