Cleveland’s bullpen, bench coming up big

CLEVELAND -- The Indians’ top two pitchers, Cy Young Award candidates C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona, have been anything but dominant in the American League Championship Series against the Boston Red Sox.

A shaky Sabathia was rocked for eight runs and seven hits and walked five in 4 1/3 innings of Game 1, and an aggressive but wild Carmona needed 100 pitches -- only 51 of them were strikes -- to complete four innings against a patient lineup in Game 2, giving up four runs, four hits and walking five.

But Cleveland is really no worse for the wear, entering Game 3 tonight with the best-of-seven series tied, 1-1.

“I think if you would have told us that neither C.C. nor Fausto would have made it to the fifth inning and we would have split [the first two games], we all would have taken it,” first baseman Ryan Garko said. “So it’s a pretty nice team effort.”

That effort included significant Game 2 contributions from several unheralded players Saturday night.

First, it was middle reliever Jensen Lewis, who, after Boston scored three runs in the fifth, stemmed the rally by getting Jason Varitek to ground into an inning-ending double play, the start of a 2 1/3 -inning, no-run, no-hit stint.

Then, after setup man Rafael Betancourt also pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings, it was middle reliever Tom Mastny, who, after throwing two scoreless innings in Game 1, retired the heart of Boston’s dangerous lineup -- David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell -- in order in the 10th.

And, finally, it was veteran reserve Trot Nixon, the former Boston outfielder who never complained about losing his right-field job to Franklin Gutierrez in early August, who continued to mentor younger players despite his reduced role, and who snapped an 11th-inning tie with a pinch-hit, run-scoring single.

“I think everybody was up at home plate with him [Saturday] night when he was up there,” Indians Manager Eric Wedge said. “You felt our dugout before, during and after his at-bat. He’s a big-game player, and he’s been in that situation a lot. For him to get a big hit there at Fenway, it was all the more special.”

Though ace Josh Beckett threw only 80 pitches in his Game 1 win and seemed primed to start Game 4 Tuesday night on short rest, Boston Manager Terry Francona said Sunday that knuckleball-throwing Tim Wakefield will pitch Game 4 regardless of who wins Game 3 tonight.

Had Beckett started Tuesday night, he would have been in line to start a potential Game 7 Sunday night on regular rest.

“I think sometimes you can get short-sighted if the need for panic arises, like perceived panic,” Francona said. “If you lose a couple of games, everybody wants you to immediately change what you’ve set up. But the reason we set it up like this is because we think it gives us the best chance to win the series.”

Daisuke Matsuzaka, who will start Game 3 for the Red Sox, is prepared for another attack of the killer bugs, similar to the swarm that descended on Jacobs Field for Game 2 of the division series between the Indians and Yankees.

“I did bring along some bug spray,” the Japanese right-hander said through an interpreter.

If the bugs do come inland of Lake Erie, “I guess it’s kind of like rain -- you handle it,” Francona said.

mike.digiovanna@latimes.com