Acta refuses link to bad luck

By Paul Hoynes

The Plain Dealer

ANAHEIM, Calif.

Some may view the two high choppers that played a big role in beating the Indians on Sunday at Angel Stadium as bad luck. Not Manny Acta.

“Luck is not in my vocabulary,” the Indians manager said. “Baseball is when preparation meets opportunity. To me, high choppers have nothing to do with luck. It has to do with hard ground in front of plate and your pitcher jamming a guy.

“It worked for them. It could have gone our way.”

Joe Smith gave up both infield hits in the eighth inning. The second one by Peter Bourjos tied the score. Then Erick Aybar followed with a two-run double to give the Angels a 6-5 victory.

The Indians went 3-3 on the trip against Oakland and Los Angeles, the two teams with the best ERAs in the AL. Infielder Adam Everett, who made a critical error in Sunday’s game, called the trip bittersweet.

“We faced some tough pitching, we played well, but we felt we could have squeaked out another win ... maybe two,” Everett said. “This team has some grit in it. I think people know that now. We won’t roll over when we’re down a couple of runs. It says a lot about where we’re going.”

Said Acta, “Coming out to the West Coast and playing .500 against the two top pitching staffs in the league is encouraging. I’m proud of these guys.”

Orlando Cabrera felt the same.

“Every single game on this trip we had a chance to win,” he said. “We faced tough pitching and tough hitters. It’s been awesome to see the way we keep bouncing back.”

Fausto Carmona, who pitched seven innings in a no-decision Sunday, has never beaten the Angels, but he’s pitched well against them. In eight appearances, he’s 0-3 with a 1.79 ERA (nine earned runs in 451/3 innings).