HOW THEY MATCH UP

* Offense: Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz is only five for 18 against C.C. Sabathia, but slugging partner Manny Ramirez is 12 for 21 with four homers and seven runs batted in against the Indians ace, and has hit .357 with 15 homers and 44 runs batted in against Cleveland, the team with which he spent his first eight big league seasons. Ortiz and Ramirez combined for four homers and seven RBIs and reached base in 16 of 26 plate appearances in the division series sweep of the Angels. The Indians have a nice one-two power punch with Travis Hafner and Victor Martinez and actually hit more homers this season than the Red Sox -- seven players reached double figures, including leadoff man Grady Sizemore (24) and No. 9 batter Casey Blake (18). Cleveland hit .315 with 16 extra-base hits and 20 walks in the division series against the Yankees. They also take pitches like the Red Sox, so four-hour games are probable. Edge: Even.

* Defense: The Indians improved up the middle when rookie Asdrubal Cabrera replaced Josh Barfield at second base in August. Fenway Park and its quirky outfield dimensions could favor Boston, since Cleveland starts career center fielder Kenny Lofton in left and rookie Franklin Gutierrez in right. The Indians have a superb center fielder in Sizemore, who is not afraid to dive on the warning track. Boston has Gold Glove-caliber defenders in center (Coco Crisp) and at third base (Mike Lowell), and though catcher Jason Varitek’s throwing skills have slipped, he is one of the game’s elite game-callers. Ramirez can be an adventure in left, but he plays the Green Monster well and has a strong and accurate arm. Julio Lugo can be shaky at times at short. Edge: Red Sox.

* Starting pitching: The Red Sox have the most dominant starter in Josh Beckett, a strike-throwing machine who threw a four-hit shutout to beat the Angels in the division series and gave up three runs and struck out 14 in 15 innings against Cleveland this season. But the Indians have a top-notch ace in Sabathia, a dominant slider specialist in Fausto Carmona, and their Nos. 3 and 4 starters, Jake Westbrook and Paul Byrd, give them more quality depth than Boston’s Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was shaky in his division series start, and knuckleball-throwing Tim Wakefield, who is coming off a shoulder injury. Curt Schilling, Boston’s No. 2 starter, has a great postseason record but is not the power pitcher he was a few years ago and needs pinpoint control to be effective. Edge: Indians.

* Bullpen: Though Cleveland right-hander Joe Borowski gets the job done -- he had a league-leading 45 saves despite a 5.07 ERA -- Boston has the decided edge at closer with Jonathan Papelbon, who combined a 96-mph fastball with a nasty split-fingered pitch to convert 37 saves in 40 opportunities while going 1-3 with a 1.85 ERA. The Indians’ setup men, left-hander Rafael Perez and right-hander Rafael Betancourt, are much better; they combined to give up one run in eight innings against New York, striking out nine. Boston left-hander Hideki Okajima looked good in the division series but struggled in the second half. Edge: Indians.

* Bench: September call-up Jacoby Ellsbury gives the Red Sox a dangerous pinch-running threat and a strong late-game defensive replacement for Ramirez in left. Alex Cora is a slick-fielding middle infielder, and Eric Hinske and Bobby Kielty add pop. The Indians don’t use their bench much, other than Kelly Shoppach serving as personal catcher for Byrd. Edge: Red Sox.

* Manager: Cleveland’s Eric Wedge was criticized for starting Byrd in Game 4 against the Yankees instead of Sabathia on short rest; Byrd won, setting up Sabathia and Carmona for the first two games of the ALCS. Wedge also has stuck with Borowski through thick, thin and thinner, but his attachment to his oft-shaky closer could burn him in this series -- who would you want facing Ortiz or Ramirez in the ninth, Borowski or setup men Perez and Betancourt? Terry Francona, who guided Boston to the 2004 World Series title, has far more postseason experience. Edge: Red Sox.

* Prediction: Indians in seven games.

-- Mike DiGiovanna