While We’re Waiting… Long Term Tribe, Picking Heckert’s Brain and Trash Talking
April 25, 2011NFL Draft: Browns Roundtable, Part I
April 25, 2011On Sunday, the Indians lost their third straight game, their second straight in Minnesota. But a bigger loss could potentially be known later today.
Starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco, one of the most important pieces of the Tribe resurgence, left Sunday’s 4-3 loss after three innings with what the team describes as “right elbow tightness.” He will be re-examined Monday in Cleveland. Losing Carrasco from the rotation with Mitch Talbot already on the DL could be a serious hit to the Tribe’s push to stay on top of the AL Central.
“In my last start in Kansas City, I was throwing between 94 and 96,” said Carrasco. “Today I was between 88 and 91. It felt a little tight in the bullpen warming up. I felt it most when I threw my fastball. I started feeling it more in the third inning and that’s when I said something.”
Carrasco was fighting it over the first three innings, working in, out, and then back into trouble. The Twins got him for two, two-out runs in the third on a double by Justin Morneau. Things could have been worse if Shin-Soo Choo hadn’t gunned down two runners at the plate. Yes, he did this in one inning. It was a first in the long storied history of the Indians.
That would be all for Carrasco, but for most of the game, nobody knew if he was yanked for performance (two runs, six hits, two walks, one K) or injury. He had turned his ankle on a pitch in the third, but that was never mentioned after the game.
It looked like Carrasco was going to be bailed out thanks to a three-run answer in the top of the fourth. Of course, it came with a caveat.
With one out, Carlos Santana walked. Travis Hafner followed with a bloop single to left. Orlando Cabrera then laced a double to left scoring Santana and the Tribe was on the board at 2-1. This was where things got interesting. Michael Brantley crushed a Carl Pavano pitch to deep right that hit off the top of the facing of the strange right field wall and bounced back onto the field. It was originally ruled a three-run home run, but was overturned via replay. Two runs, not three, scored on the play. Naturally, Brantley was stranded on second. Instead of being up 4-2, the Tribe had just a one run lead. You just knew that run would come into play somehow.
Manny Acta knew it was the correct call, but brought up some good points about it.
“It was a good ruling,” he said. “That’s why they have that replay. But every ruling has its loophole. Is it a double? Is it a triple? You could rule it a triple with Michael running, but Michael couldn’t run hard because as soon as he touched first base he had three umpires in front of him signaling a home run.”
It was only the fourth inning, but it was a monster call.
The score remained 3-2 thanks to some excellent relief work from Jeanmar Gomez, the newly minted fifth starter replacing Talbot, who was being skipped in the rotation thanks to today’s off day. Gomez put up three scoreless frames and was sent out for a fourth. Acta has pulled every correct string this year so it is hard to question any move he makes, but with the bullpen being so good thus far and Rafael Perez already warm, it was a curious decision for Acta to try Gomez in the seventh.
Alexei Casilla led off with a single in the bottom of the seventh, and Acta came right out to get Gomez. In came Raffy to face the left-handed hitting Denard Span. Span sent a grounder to Orlando Cabrera at second that looked like a harmless groundout. Except OC booted it and both runners were safe. As big as the Brantley overturn was, the OC error turned out to be the killer defensive mistake the Tribe has managed to stay away from all season.
After Jason Repko bunted Casilla and Span into scoring position, first base was open with one out. Acta had the decision to pitch to Tribe killer Jason Kubel or to Morneau who beat them in a similar situation yesterday when Kubel was intentionally walked. On both occasions, the move backfired.
Kubel ripped a double to the gap in right-center to put the Twins ahead for good 4-3.
The Wahoo Warriors had their chance to tie it in the eighth, thanks to the weather Gods. Another Santana one out walk, this time against Glen Perkins, put the tying run on first. Hafner hit a pop fly to left, but Repko lost the ball in the sun, putting the Tribe in business. O-Cab was handed a great chance to redeem himself for the error a half inning earlier. Unfortunately, he K’d looking against right-hander Jim Hoey. Ron Gardenhire went to his pen again, calling for lefty Jose Mijares to face Brantley. Brantley flied out to end the threat.
In the ninth, a two-out Grady Sizemore double was wasted as Asdrubal Cabrera’s deep fly ball ended up on the warning track against closer Matt Capps.
I will stop short of saying this was a must-win game, because there is no such thing in April baseball, but a win here would have been huge for the Tribe, who have now lost three straight and could be facing life without a second starting pitcher if Carrasco’s elbow forces him to go on the DL. They had the game where they wanted it, with a lead in the hands of their big four relievers (yes, I will now include Vinnie Pestano in with Raffy Perez, Tony Sipp, and Chris Perez after another strong performance Sunday). But the OC error was crucial and the Twins took advantage.
The good news is the Indians now come home, still in first place, after playing 12 of their last 15 on the road. They have won seven straight at Progressive Field and welcome in the second place Royals, who were swept in Texas over the weekend. The new rotation “stopper” Justin Masterson (4-0, 1.71 ERA) will be on the hill for the first of a three game set Tuesday night, who for the second time in a week, faces KC’s Luke Hochevar (2-2, 5.12 ERA).
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(AP Photo/Paul Battaglia)
10 Comments
Minor correction: O-Cab actually went down swinging, not Santana-ing. I kid, I kid…
…about the Santana part. O-Cab really did go down swinging.
Back to life, back to reality…
3 game losing streak?
PANIC!!!
if carrasco is indeed injured and requires a trip to the dl who is the first guy up? Huff or hopefully White?
Ugh, Talbot’s injury is starting to look like a big deal. I dont trust Carrasco or Jeanmar Gomez just yet. Even though Gomez pitched pretty well out of the pen yesterday. Both of these guys strike me as capable of being effective for short periods of time, like 2-3 innings, long relief type guys. But as our 4th and 5th starters? Ehhh, I dunno. Carrasco has very good stuff but the kid seems to get rattled very easily. He slammed a rosen bag down on the mound yesterday when he didnt get a call. What about Carmona? Its always one extreme or the other with this guy. He’s either lights out or awful.
And the bullpen, yikes. We got any 97 MPH guys at Columbus? Because we could use 1 or 2 of those.
But, there is a reason the Twins have won 6 division titles in the last 9 years. Even though they are off to a slow start, losing 2 games to the Twins on the road is forgivable. Hopefully some home cooking is just what we need to get back on track. This is a pretty important homestand, even though its still very early. If this team is serious about contending they gotta be able to win series at home, especially against division rivals.
Jason Kubel is the white, slow Earl Boykins.
@Shamrock
if .500 baseball for the rest of the year (which is what this team has played over their last 10 games) is “reality” i, along with most every other Indian fan will take it.
Carrasco went thru something similar last year in Columbus and only missed one start. Cross your fingers. Alex White has been the Clippers best pitcher so I’m with yerfdog in hoping he comes up rather than Huff if someone needs to be brought up.
I hope Alex White is as good as advertised. Seems to be moving up the ladder very quickly.
Wouldn’t count on it being White. He’s still not a major league starting pitcher, as he NEEDS to develop his slider into at least an average pitch. A major league caliber starter needs at least 3 average pitches, which White doesn’t really have quite yet.
Given the youth of McAllister and Kluber, I think it might be time for more of the David Huff experience. The good news is that Huff pitched well in Columbus last year, and should be motivated knowing that if he pitches poorly it’s likely his last chance here. The bad news is that it’s David Huff.