Paul Jasienski / Getty Images file

Playing in his first postseason, veteran Todd Helton is counted on by the Rockies both for his hitting and his leadership, writes Bert Blyleven of MSNBC.com.

INDIANS VS. RED SOX
In beating the Angels in the LDS, the Red Sox beat a team that was hurting. The timing of injuries to key players for the Angels could not have been worse. Boston took advantage of the holes in Anaheim's lineup, limiting the Angels to just four runs. The Angels lack of power was also exposed.

For the Indians to beat the Yankees the way they did, it tells anyone who's paying attention that Cleveland has a very solid club. Cleveland is flying high after knocking out New York and primed to win one of the first two games in Boston. The fans in Beantown will sure give the Tribe an earful inning after inning, but against the Yankees the Indians showed they are fearless to opposing fans and swarming bugs.

After splitting in Boston, Cleveland will take two of three at home and then finish off the Red Sox by beating them again at Fenway Park. Sure that's tough to pull off, but for the Indians this postseason is all about responding to the most daunting of challenges.

Cleveland's 1-2 punch of C.C. Sabathia and Fausto Carmona at the top of its rotation can outdo that of any other team, including Boston's top two of Josh Beckett and Curt Schilling. Carmona had a great regular season but in Game 2 against the Yankees he showed another side of himself -- that of coming up huge when it counts the most. The 23-year-old right-hander gave up just a run and three hits in nine innings, while striking out eight. If there's more of that to come from him in the LCS, woe to Boston.

In Game 1 of the LDS Sabathia was far from sharp, but he battled and held the Yankees to just three runs and four hits in five innings. He gave up six walks, quite uncharacteristic for him. From his outing against New York, Sabathia will figure out he needs to calm down and if he does so expect him to pitch much better against the Red Sox.

Game 3 should pit Daisuke Matsuzaka against Jake Westbrook and in Game 4 it will likely be Tim Wakefield taking on Paul Byrd. Biggest thing to watch in these games is Matsuzaka, who showed signs of wearing down late in the season. He got the ball in Game 2 of the LDS but didn't impress, allowing three runs and seven hits in 4 2/3 innings while also walking three batters. If Matsuzaka is fatigued, the adrenaline of pitching in the playoffs might get him over feeling tired but he needs to consistently get ahead in the count.

Cleveland figures to run up against a resurgent Manny Ramirez, and dealing with the suddenly slugging slugger will be a key test for the Tribe's pitchers. Ramirez hit two mammoth home runs against the Angels and he batted .375 with four RBI. And if Ramirez falters there is still David Ortiz to be concerned about. In the sweep of the Angels Big Papi hit .714 with two home runs and three RBI. If Cleveland can keep Ramirez and Ortiz from being the offensive heroes of the LCS, it should punch its ticket to the World Series.

Slideshow   The Week in Sports Pictures A kayaker flips out, a racehorse eyes the Triple Crown and more. more photos

The Indians' attack has multiple weapons including Grady Sizemore, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, Ryan Garko, Kenny Lofton, and Casey Blake, who seems to almost always come up with the big hit. The Red Sox need to have Blake's measure in order not to get burned by him in a critical spot.

When it comes to bullpens Boston's got a star closer in Jonathan Papelbon, who had a sensational regular season with 37 saves and a 1.85 ERA. The set-up man is right-hander Hideki Okajima, who hopes to leave his September struggles (8.10 ERA) behind and return to the form that produced a dominant first half of the season (2-0, 0.83 ERA).

Cleveland has the benefit of three outstanding set-up men in lefty Rafael Perez and righties Jensen Lewis and Rafael Betancourt. Joe Borowski's the closer and he led the AL with 45 saves. But his ERA was 5.07 ERA, and some tab him as shaky at best in his role. But don't doubt Borowski's guts. It may not be pretty but most times he finds a way to get it done, although his coming in with a two-run lead rather than just a one-run advantage makes Indians skipper Eric Wedge much more comfortable.

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