THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 23, 1995 TAG: 9510230135
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: Bob Molinaro
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
The World Series is being warmed by a slow flame.
Anyone anticipating microwave theatrics and broiling controversy has had to be patient.
Over the weekend, it wasn't until the ninth inning of Game 2 that something resembling real drama took place.
Trailing by a run, the Indians had a man on second with two outs.
Naturally, the next hitter, Carlos Baerga, popped out harmlessly to end the game.
True astonishment in the World Series could only come after a clutch hit by an Indian.
Maybe things will heat up in chilly Cleveland, but first the Indians' bats will have to thaw, and the Belle, Albert, must toll.
After two games, the World Series is what the Atlanta Braves hoped for - short on scoring, long on pitching.
But the climax to the 1995 baseball season has been short on excitement, too.
It's early, of course. And in the Braves' 4-3, Game 2 victory, just enough strange plays creeped in to keep people talking.
This might yet become a terrific Series - if it reaches six or seven games.
That's a big if the way the Indians are hitting - or not hitting.
In Saturday's Game 1, the Indians managed two singles off Braves winner Greg Maddux. Sunday, Cleveland jumped out to a 2-0 lead on Eddie Murray's second-inning home run off Tom Glavine.
The Indians did very little after that.
A bit of intrique was created in the Cleveland seventh, but more as a result of klutzy Atlanta fielding than Indian hitting.
When Mike Devereaux slipped and then misplayed a routine fly ball, Kenny Lofton scored Cleveland's third run.
Two hitters later, the Indians had runners on first and third with Belle at the plate against reliever Alejandro Pena.
A fearsome presence during the regular season, Belle has become an easier out the longer the postseason has gone.
Belle fell behind 0-2, then popped out to the catcher. The A.L.'s premier power hitter was, it appeared, simply overpowered.
If they expect to bounce back, the Indians will have to find a way to score that doesn't involve Atlanta charity. Three of Cleveland's five runs in Games 1 and 2 came across the plate as a result of Braves errors.
Still, Sunday's game looked like a slugfest compared with Saturday's, in which both teams combined for five hits.
Saturday, the Indians had an excuse for not hitting - Maddux is just too good.
But Glavine wasn't nearly as sharp.
Perhaps the Indians' problems shouldn't come as a complete surprise. This isn't the same team that ruled the summer.
In the A.L. Championship Series, the Indians were unable to put a charge into a Seattle pitching staff that can't carry Atlanta's resin bag.
As baseball's big top moves on to Cleveland, Atlanta carries a psychological advantage that goes beyond its 2-0 lead. The Braves aren't considered a good hitting team. Therefore, they have come to expect low-scoring, close games.
It's true that plenty of teams have come back from 2-0 down in a seven-game playoff to make a fight of it. We might yet get some fireworks out of the Cleveland lineup.
You wonder, though, what it will do for the Indians' confidence to realize that they may have to beat Maddux twice to win the Series. by CNB