Chris Perez an option in tie games late

Indians manager Manny Acta is not opposed to using closer Chris Perez in the ninth inning or later of a tie game when the Indians are on the road.

He did it once this year on April 13 against the Angels. Perez, with the score tied, 3-3, started the 10th inning and pitched 11/3 scoreless innings. The Indians lost, 4-3, in the 12th when Chad Durbin gave up a run.

The idea of a manager using his closer on the road in a non-save situation is to extend his team's chances of winning the game. If Acta had waited to use Perez against the Angels until the Tribe had a lead, his best reliever would have never left the bullpen.

Acta could have used Perez on Tuesday and Wednesday in the ninth inning against Boston. In each game, the score was tied going into the bottom of the ninth. On Tuesday, he went with Vinnie Pestano, who gave up a walkoff single to hitter Jacoby Ellsbury to beat the Tribe, 3-2.
On Wednesday, Joe Smith took a 3-3 tie into the bottom of the ninth. He retired the first two batters before Ellsbury hit a game-winning homer to straightaway center field.

"I've done it in the past," said Acta. "The majority of the time I do it is when the heart of the order is coming up."

Pestano and Smith faced the bottom of the Red Sox lineup on Tuesday and Wednesday.

"When I use the closer in that situation, I want him to face the toughest part of the lineup," said Acta. "Sometimes if you're saving your closer for just a save situation, there's a chance that if you bring another guy in from the bullpen, he might not survive that inning because you're on the road. Then what are you going to do with your closer?

"We've done it. I'm not afraid to do it. The main thing is to try and win the ballgame."

Acta said he rarely uses his closer in a tie game on the road in the ninth inning. He will wait for the right spot in extra innings.

"I'm not going to save my closer until the 14th inning, just waiting for the save," said Acta. "But in that situation Wednesday night, we'd used Tony Sipp [in the eighth], but we still had Smith."


(cleveland.com)