Shaky Sabathia was out of control

There are strategical pitching changes mandated by the situation, then there are metaphorical pitching changes that defy logic. Consider the case of the Indians in last night's American League Championship Series opener at Fenway Park.

One inning they had Sandy Koufax on the mound. The next inning he changed into . . . well, Sandy Duncan, perhaps?

How else to explain the bewildering performance of C.C. Sabathia, who was advertised as the Cleveland ace, but performed more like the deuce of clubs? So perplexingly ineffective was Sabathia that he issued an intentional walk to Red Sox right fielder Bobby Kielty in the third inning - and Las Vegas oddsmakers were offering long, long numbers on Bobby Kielty being intentionally walked in an ALCS game.

Ah, but that walk to Kielty was perhaps the perfect fit to a Red Sox third inning that effectively settled the outcome, albeit in a way that was anything but textbook. It was a four-run frame that featured just two hits, so if you're assuming that Sabathia hurt his own cause, well, that much was conceded.

"C.C. didn't have it tonight," said manager Eric Wedge, seemingly still in shock over the way his 19-game winner struggled mightily in his 4 1/3-inning stint, giving up seven hits and eight runs and walking five. "His command was off. He was off a little bit with his fastball, having trouble getting his breaking ball where he needed to. He was running away from his changeup a little bit."

Wedge paused, but he wasn't through.

"He never really got in synch."

Major league understatement that it was, it was no more evident than in the third. While it was a leadoff double poked into the right-field corner by Julio Lugo that set the tone, the main ingredient for the Cleveland meltdown was Sabathia's inexplicable performance against Kevin Youkilis (walk), David Ortiz (hit by pitch), Manny Ramírez (walk), and Mike Lowell (double).

That led to the curious intentional walk of Kielty, which led to Jason Varitek's soft ground out that produced a 5-1 lead and had Sabathia shaking his head. Hours later, he still couldn't explain it.

"I kind of got away from our game plan. I didn't challenge guys," said Sabathia.

Making that four-run third even more mystifying was that Sabathia had looked so brilliant in the second. Having been staked to a 1-0 lead on Travis Hafner's home run, Sabathia gave up three hits and a run in the bottom of the first, but in the Sox' next turn, the 6-foot-7-inch lefthander looked every bit the Cy Young candidate he is. He struck out Kielty on three pitches, did the same to Varitek, then got up on Coco Crisp, 0 and 2. Eight unhittable pitches, eight strikes, and even though he required two more pitches to fan Crisp and strike out the side, Sabathia had surely served notice that the Fenway fans were in for a long, cold evening with an endless string of anxious moments.

Think again, because the Sabathia who came out for the third inning perhaps had Cy Young voters begging for a chance to reconsider their ballots.

What's more, after he retired the Sox in order in the fourth, Sabathia was treated rudely in the fifth and pulled from the game, his second-shortest outing of the season. Again, Ortiz (walk) and Ramírez (single) were at the heart of the damage done to Sabathia, but truly what plagued him all night was his inability to put things away when he got up, 0 and 2, to hitters.

Five Boston batters fell behind by that count against the big lefthander. All five reached base.

"I felt good in that second inning," said Sabathia. "But then I kind of got away from our plan. I didn't challenge guys."

Indeed, it's just one game, but it's one that hits home at an aspect of Sabathia that might be disconcerting to some Indians fans. That is, he has now pitched in three postseason games and each one has gotten progressively worse. Back in 2001, Sabathia - then a 21-year-old rookie - pitched six innings to get the win over Seattle. He lasted only five innings in the AL Division Series opener against the Yankees last week, followed by last night's disaster.

If there's been one common denominator in those Sabathia efforts, it's been a serious lack of control. He's walked 16 in 15 1/3 innings of postseason play, and that runs contrary to what he provided the Indians down the stretch. While compiling a 4-0 mark in September, Sabathia in 38 innings yielded a mere six walks, and in his major league-leading 241 innings, he issued a mere 37.

Wedge, however, was not biting on the fatigue theory.

"He's strong. He's really strong," said the manager. "I don't think fatigue is a factor."

What could be a factor, suggested Wedge as a way of explaining the inexplicable, is Sabathia's desire to be the team's leader.

"Sometimes C.C.'s heart gets in the way and he tries too much," said Wedge. "It's one of the reasons he's a great pitcher and a great teammate. One thing about C.C. - and it's easier said than done - but he doesn't need to do more than what he normally does."

No such analytical offering from Sabathia, who hadn't lost a game since Aug. 24. In fact, when asked if he could explain it, he said, "No." He only promised, "I need to be more aggressive next time and throw my fastball in the zone."