Olbermann: Derek Jeter is not the greatest person in human history
September 24, 2014Joe Haden’s Problem? Shadowing.
September 24, 2014What more is there to say? The Cleveland Indians had their chance to make the playoff run the way they did last year. It was all there in front of them. Four games with the Kansas City Royals. Make or break. Do or die. Win or go home. Throw all the clichés you want out there, but the Wahoos just needed to win out.
Monday night’s scheduled game was a winnable affair that was stymied by bad Tribe defense, worse offense, and some odd managerial choices. The 2-0 loss to Kansas City left the Indians with zero margin for error. The loss also came with some hard feelings.
Following the game, starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco was honest with his disappointment in how things went down where the Indians blew two defensive plays that were the direct result of the Royals only runs.
“We should’ve made those plays right there. That cost me two runs,” Carrasco said. “I thought they had a pretty good chance of making them, but sometimes we don’t make those plays. That can cost us.”
The only one who should be apologizing is Terry Francona.
“It was a terribly immature and foolish thing to say. I know better and apologize for saying it. I have made some terrible pitches in my career and position players could have questioned what I was doing. No one wants to be criticized when making their best effort. I will apologize to everyone and it won’t happen again.”
The only one who should be apologizing is Francona. He is the one who owes Carrasco an apology for putting a career journeyman backup catcher at first base in a game of such importance. I have no idea why Carrasco had to come up and say he was sorry. He’s a grown man, if he wasn’t upset by it, then you would have to have some questions. Old friend Justin Masterson was a nice guy and nothing seemed to ever bother him when times got tough. I always liked how Carrasco has handled both his failures and recent successes and have no problem with him showing real emotion after a tough loss. I said the same thing about Chris Perez during his implosions. Bad or good, at least he was being real with the media.
Cleveland’s defense has been a major problem all season. According to Defensive Runs Saved, the Indians’ defense has been 78 runs below average — worst in the majors. Seventy-eight runs equates to roughly eight wins, reaffirming that had the Indians simply been average, they would be the team others were chasing in the AL postseason race.
Now the Indians had to go out and win a game Tuesday night with no momentum and an ice cold lineup. Danny Salazar did his best early to keep the Indians in the game. He fanned six in three scoreless innings, but KC’s Yordano Ventura was just as good. Then came the fourth, Salazar lost it. He walked Billy Butler and gave up a single to Alex Gordon. After getting Salvador Perez to pop out, Omar Infante laced a double to left scoring two. An inning later, Danny seemed to calm down as he retired the first two Royals. But then the wheels fell off the wagon.
Back to back doubles by Eric Hosmer and Billy Butler made it 3-0. Alex Gordon was intentionally walked so that Salazar could face the right-handed hitting Perez. The All-Star catcher was about to make it all over but the shouting. Like Infante an inning earlier, Perez doubled just past the outstretched glove of Michael Brantley, scoring two more runs.
In the end, the Indians could only muster one lone run on an eighth-inning double play ball by David Murphy. It ended a 16-inning scoreless drought, not that it mattered. The only bright spot in this one Brantley, who had two of the Indians five hits, and is now four knocks away from 200 on the season. While his defense leaves plenty to be desired, you can’t argue that this guy has been one of the best offensive stories in all of baseball this season.
The Royals, who entered the game with the American League’s second-highest team batting average but its second-lowest total of extra-base hits, knocked out 13 hits in total, including six doubles, cruising to the 7-1 win. The most opportune of those hits were provided by two-run doubles by Gordon, Perez,, and Infante — the sixth, seventh and eighth hitters in Kansas City’s lineup. It was the first time in six years that the Royals had three multi-RBI doubles in the same game, the last such instance coming in 2008 against the White Sox. Meanwhile, the Indians have totaled one run in the last two games.
There are only four games left are now 82-76 and are in need of a miracle.
“You have to be realistic about the situation,” Michael Bourn said. “It’s tough. I’m not going to sit here and lie to you and say it’s easy, because it’s not easy. You have to win. There’s no other option. If we lose, we’re out.”
55 Comments
I have no idea if Santana has used PEDs. It is possible of any player. But, when a player is suspended for PEDs (w/o a failed test), then has a sudden power-spike in a contract year at age 33yo, it raises a few flags, no?
We could conjecture ourselves to death sports are loaded with guys juiced all I know is I would have looked hard at signing Cruz for this season and I started saying that over 13 months ago. It didn’t happen the Orioles benefited winning a division pennant and I’m sure Cruz will benefit with a new deal from someone.
As far as Cruz goes he started in 2005 and has averaged almost 20 HRs a year. 0, 6, 9, 7, 33, 22, 29, 24, 27 and now 40. His first four years he played a maximum of 96 games coming in 2007. He played as few as 8, 41 and 31 so more then the prospect of drugs I’d say health is more of a concern. Maybe health and the drugs are connected I don’t know and frankly don’t care. I just know Cruz at $8M for this past year at a cost of a first round draft pick after a season where the Indians finished one game behind Detroit and made the “playoffs” was worth the risk. At least for me.
Why does everyone harp on our defense? Yes they weren’t great but I guarantee you that you will never, ever, ever win any game in which you score ZERO runs. 25 games we lost this year we scored 1 or less runs in.
and if you think that Cruz being on the O`s and them having a power-surge this year + Chris Davis being suspended for PEDs and that is all “coincidence” then I don’t know what to say either 🙂
C’mon man you are better then this of course it’s a coincidence Davis admitted he takes Aderall it’s just this time, for some unknown reason, he forgot to get permission. Cruz just happens to be on the Orioles at the time. I’d have more ?s about Davis then Cruz. It will be interesting to see how Cruz does next season and who he’s playing for as well.