Published: April 30, 2008 11:23 am         

A funky inning, but a far from funky plan

It was a tough way to lose a game, but then there is never is a pleasant way. Still, Allegany High's Aaron Laffey once more showed a nation of baseball fans that he's right where he belongs - in a big-league uniform, on a big-league pitcher's mound, getting out big-league hitters.

Monday night the Cleveland Indians left-hander, making his first start of the season for the Tribe after going 3-1 before his recall from Triple-A Buffalo, worked out of a first-inning jam then retired 14 straight New York Yankee hitters, and 15 out of 16, taking a 2-0 lead and a no-hit shutout into the sixth with Indians Hall of Famer Bob Feller, who no-hit the Yankees 62 years ago this week, watching from the press box.

Laffey was well aware of what was going on, saying afterward, "I would look at the scoreboard, then I'd quickly look away because I didn't want to be too aware of it."

None of which had anything to do with what would happen in the sixth; none of which made it any easier to digest once it did happen.

The Yankees' Melky Cabrera opened the sixth with an infield single to short. Derek Jeter reached on a dribbler to third, then Bobby Abreu dumped a single to left to load the bases on the only ball to this point to leave the infield.

With the count 1-2, Laffey got a fastball too far in and hit Alex Rodriguez on the leg, bringing in a run and cutting New York's deficit to 2-1.

"He's one of the game's best hitters, and I didn't want to make a mistake over the plate," Laffey said. "I just kind of yanked it."

Jason Giambi and Hideki Matsui followed with consecutive run-scoring groundouts to first for a 3-2 lead. After Matsui's at-bat, Indians manager Eric Wedge lifted Laffey for Jensen Lewis as the Yankees were on their way to a 5-2 win.

"Sometimes it's not how you hit them, it's where you hit them," said Yankee manager Joe Girardi.

"Not a whole lot happened in that inning," said Wedge. "It was a funky inning, but they definitely capitalized."

What else is new? It was the kind of inning Laffey used to enjoy seeing growing up a Yankee fan, but it's not what he needed to see Monday night, taking the loss despite allowing just three hits in 5 2-3 innings.

"I had an inning just like that earlier this season at Buffalo," said Laffey. "It's not something you want to get used to. It's definitely more frustrating the second time around."

Still, the entire performance was yet another example of the shrewdness the Indians front office possesses. They knew just what they were doing when they made this guy the 468th player taken in the 2003 amateur draft.

Laffey said he had good four- and two-seam fastballs from the end of the first into the sixth, mixing in quality change-ups and attacking the lefties with sliders.

"I'm very satisfied with the way I threw the ball," Laffey told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "After it leaves my hand, I can't control the uncontrollable."

True that, but what Laffey can control, namely himself, he does control as he has never looked overmatched on the big-league level, carrying the same kind of mound presence of a poised veteran such as Mike Mussina, who earned his 253rd career victory Monday night, tying him with Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell for 41st place on the all-time list.

Laffey's name was mentioned in trade talks during the offseason, but not by the Indians. The club reportedly had a deal on the table with the Pittsburgh Pirates that would have involved several players from both teams. The sticking point? Aaron Laffey. The Pirates wanted him in the deal rather than veteran lefty Cliff Lee. The Indians said forget that noise; Laffey wasn't going anywhere.

Now the Indians find themselves with an abundance of well-planned riches as Lee has barely given up a run this season, with Laffey and fellow left-hander Jeremy Sowers up from Buffalo to keep things in check until the Cleveland injury situation is settled. Saturday against the Yankees, it was Sowers making his first start of the season for Cleveland, going 5 1-3 innings and carrying a six-hit shutout into the sixth.

The Indians entered last night's game with Seattle two games under .500 and, given how they have received little production from the middle of the batting order, lucky to be just three games out of first place in the American League Central.

Maybe not so lucky. A club, after all, doesn't find its organization stockpiled with quality left-handed pitching by accident. Pitching is the heart of the plan in Cleveland and as he proved once again with veteran guile and pitching, Aaron Laffey belongs in the heart of it all.

Contact Mike Burke at mburke@times-news.com.