Closer can't stay in control

Fausto Carmona sat by his locker in the back corner of the visiting clubhouse at Fenway Park after the Indians' 6-5 loss to the Red Sox last night, head buried in a towel.

He had a horrible ninth inning.

Another one.

All he needed was an out. Carmona, just 22 years old and new to the closer's role with Cleveland dealing Bob Wickman to the Atlanta Braves July 20, needed just seven pitches to strike out Wily Mo Peña and Coco Crisp. He was a pitch away from ending the game.

Then, he lost control of a 3-and-2 pitch that hit Doug Mirabelli.

His next pitch hit Alex Gonzalez's left elbow.

Two outs. Runners on first and second.

Carmona managed a strike to Kevin Youkilis, but missed with his next three pitches.

``I thought if he got the bases loaded when Youkilis got up there, I thought he'd be done," Gonzalez said. ``I thought if he loaded the bases he was done."

A foul ball made it a full count, but rather than end the game, he buzzed one up and in to Youkilis.

``It was a hot night," Youkilis said. ``Maybe he didn't have a good feel for the ball. Maybe he didn't have a good grip. He throws hard. He's a pitcher you have to battle. Guys said it looked like it almost took off my head, but when your adrenaline's going like that you just can't tell at times."

If anything, Carmona might not have to worry about David Ortiz. Just two nights earlier, Carmona saw his first offering to Ortiz get hammered over the center-field wall for a three-run walkoff homer. Forget the base runners. If he could get Mark Loretta out, he would leave Ortiz in the on-deck circle.

He couldn't get Loretta. It was a two-pitch at-bat, and Loretta sent the second one off the Wall in left-center for the winning two-run double.

After blowing his second save in three days, Carmona staggered off the field.

Indians manager Eric Wedge talked of confidence and recovery.

``He's tough-minded," Wedge said. ``He'll have better days ahead of him, and he'll be stronger for going through this. Sometimes it takes some rough moments to go through when you're younger in that ninth-inning role, that closer role. He'll learn from it and he'll be better for it. We'll have to help him, we'll talk to him, make sure we stay confident. Let him know we believe in him and we'll stick with him."

Jeremy Sowers, who had given up a pair of runs and five hits in five innings, his shortest start since July 8, lightly patted Carmona's back as Carmona hunched over in his folding chair.

Reporters kept their distance, inching as a pack closer to the back corner.

They approached Carmona one at a time and Carmona nodded them off, ducking into the shower, then slipping into slacks and a white, blue-striped shirt, hanging around long enough to grab a bottle of water before leaving for the team bus.