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April 27, 2010Welcome to your Tuesday morning 10 am Tribe recap, where we not only tell you what happened when you were asleep, but we give you so much more detail than one would ever need in discussion of your sub-.500, rebuilding baseball team.
In the opener of the final series of their nine-game road trip, the Tribe were tripped up by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim 5-2 in a game where they surprisingly had plenty of chances to actually score runs. I know, they only scored twice, but that is actually an improvement, considering the two shutouts over the weekend in Oakland.
David Huff, the San Diego native, got the start close to his hometown in front of family and friends and he came out looking like a bundle of nerves. Before you could blink, the Angels had a 1-0 lead on a leadoff homer from Erick Aybar. The next two hitters, Bobby Abreu and Torii Hunter, singled and doubled respectively, and we looked like we were headed for another long evening. Both would score on Hideki Matsui sac fly and a two out Juan Rivera RBI single and it was 3-0 Angels after one. “It was a bad way to start the game,” said the Tribe starter, who took the loss.
Huff had a rough night, giving up five runs on 12 hits in five and a third. “David was pitching up in the zone most of the night and those guys made him pay early,” said manager Manny Acta.
With the way the Indians offense has been, this probably seemed like more than enough support for Jered Weaver. The Tribe did their best to put themselves in RBI situations, but failed time and time again to get the key hit. They caught a break in the second as Russell Branyan’s pop out fell between Rivera in left and Erick Aybar at short; both lost the ball in the twilight. Believe it or not, Branyan was driven in by none other than Jhonny Peralta (his first hit with RISP this season, now 1-13), who had two hits in his first two at bats, but K’d in each of his last three.
At 3-1, the Tribe had Weaver and the five relievers who followed on the ropes many times, but couldn’t capitalize. They went 1-11 with runners in scoring position and left 14 men on base. Nobody was a bigger culprit on this night than DH Travis Hafner.
The man formerly known as Pronk (that nickname is dead. Pronk was a country-strong, power-hitting, RBI machine) and I now refer to as Travis “Hack”ner was 0-5 with three strikeouts, including once with the bases loaded and one out in the 7th, when the Indians had their best chance for the big inning.
I’m gonna say it – this guy is done. Has been for two years. I tweeted last night that he has been living off his reputation in the mid 2000’s long enough. Has anyone noticed that he hasn’t done anything since 2006? Even in the magical 2007 season, his numbers took a steep drop (batting average dropped .042 points, he drove in 17 less RBI and had 18 less home runs in 94 more at-bats). Fast forward to 2010 and who is he really? He is Russell Branyan, without the power, who can’t play the field, and makes $14 million a year. Did I mention the Indians are on the hook for his salary for two more years after this one?
Last night’s debacle at the plate moves Hafner to .197 on the season. He is 1-13 with runners in scoring position and is hitting left-handers at a .154 clip. Add in the fact that he is not feared in the least bit by opposing pitchers and you scratch your head at how he has taken such a precipitous fall. I suspect I know why, as do many others. We don’t need to say the word.
Back to the game. Of the 14 men left on, seven were over the last three innings. During the seventh inning, it was almost as if the Angels were trying to let the Indians back. Righty Jason Bulger walked the bases loaded for Hafner and Branyan.
SIDE NOTE – Grady Sizemore had a big chance to cut into the lead with two on and nobody out and hit into a weak force play. Where has his play been thus far?
Angels manager Mike Scioscia actually brought in a second consecutive right-hander to face the lefties hitting fourth and fifth, Kevin Jepsen. He dispatched the two with ease. In the eighth, Austin Kearns (.368), unfathomably the hottest Tribe bat, hit a solo homer off of Brian Stokes. Two walks and two outs later, Sizemore sharply lined out to right off of Fernando Rodney. “I felt I hit it well,” Sizemore said, “but it was right at him.”
Again in the ninth they put two on against closer Brian Fuentes with two out, but Peralta K’d to end the game.
Stat of the night – the three most senior Indians in terms of tenure have the following numbers:
Jhonny Peralta – .175/1 HR/ 5 RBI
Travis Hafner – .197/2 HR/5 RBI
Grady Sizemore – .203/0 HR/6 RBI
UGH.
“They’re just going through the normal stuff,” Acta said. “I’m not going to say my team is tight because we’re three games under .500. Look around the league. There are a lot of teams that have it worse.”
So glad I was up on baby duty last night to watch this entire maddening affair. We turn the page to tonight with Mitch Talbot (2-1, 2.25) going for his third straight win against the Angels lefty Joe Saunders (1-3, 5.82). After the Cavs finish off the Bulls, flip on over to STO for some Acta Ball.
photo via MLB.com
7 Comments
He should change the nickname to PRORK…
Pathetic
Roid
Obvious
Rally
Killer
I’m almost positive that Branyan blooper fell in between Rivera and Wood. Wood waited until the last second to react like he lost it in the lights, but that was Rivera’s fault.
This sums of Travis Hafner right now…
In the corridor at Angels stadium the inning after Hafner struck out on three pitches in the 7th with the bases loaded and one out.
Random Guy with an Indians sweatshirt: “Hafner? I could strike out for 13 million a year every at-bat”
Me: “Well, at least he didn’t hit into a double play.”
Kearns needs to be playing everyday. Hafner has no business being in the lineup anymore. I say just cut bait and eat his salary. He doesn’t deserve to be getting everyday at-bats. Either that or drop him to 7th in the lineup.
That last inning against Fuentes was terrible too. Every first pitch was an 88-89 fastball right over the plate that everyone took. Only when Napoli came to the mound to talk to Fuentes before Peralta was up did he throw a first pitch curve. Did these guys get instructed to take the first pitch? What is this little league?
In honor of Hafner, let’s all just do 10% of our work over the next week and expect to be paid in full and not fired.
Add Peralta, Marson/Redmond to that “no business being in the lineup”. Sizemore and Valbuena are close behind.
Peralta has to be the all-time greatest stat-padder. Two hits when it didn’t matter and 3 Ks when it did. So frustrating.
How Shapriro (he went to PRINCETON!) didn’t get Philly or Boston to eat Hafner’s salary is BEYOND me. I would have rather traded Hafner and Lee (straight) up to Philadelphia for Carasco then to get three pitchers we’ll never hear from, Jason McDonald, I mean John Donald, I mean, Jason Donald and Lou “DUI/BAC/Batting Average” Marson.
Don’t worry. Mitch Talbot will save our season.
It’s a beautiful day for some AAA.
It’s not really, but I had to go with the rhyme.