Ranking NBA courts and a star spangled nightmare …While We’re Waiting
September 10, 2014Did Carmelo Anthony inspire LeBron James’ homecoming?
September 10, 2014Covering the Tribe on a nightly basis is a labor of love for me. But I also have a real job that from time to time keeps me away from the team I love the most. In these instances, readers of WFNY know they can usually count on a Jon Steiner special when I am gone. He and Scott have both stepped in at times for me this year and gone with the running blog of whatever Tribe game they are covering. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate that. So once a year, I pay homage to my fill-ins. So without further ado, I give you Twins vs. Indians, diary-style.
7:08 PM Tribe starter Trevor Bauer, he of the first inning out-aversion, walks lead off man Jordan Schafer. Here we go again? It is just the oddest thing that Bauer takes at least an inning to find himself before he settles in.
7:15 Welp, so much for that. Bauer not only picks off Schafer, but he gets the next two batters quickly. That is right, Tribe fans, Bauer made it through the first inning unscathed!
7:18 Indians.com beat writer and fellow old school hip hop head Zack Meisel mentions on Twitter that the Indians were playing A Tribe Called Quest’s “Electric Relaxation” during batting practice. I respond by saying that this is the greatest Tribe song of all time. Zack agrees, and then a top five Tribe song Twitter back and forth breaks out. For the record, I went with:
1. Electric Relaxation
2. Scenario Remix
3. The Chase Part 2
4. Jazz
5. Check The Rhime
Zack’s top five:
Top 5 Tribe Called Quest songs (h/t @WFNYTD): Electric Relaxation, 1nce Again, Stressed Out, Jazz, Check The Rhime …Award Tour, Find A Way
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) September 9, 2014
7:20 OK, back to baseball. Michael Bourn walks to open the game against Trevor May but is quickly erased on a Jose Ramirez double play smash. I still heart you, Jose. For many reasons, but mostly because you are not Asdrubal.
7:28 Ramirez makes an absolutely outstanding leaping grab robbing Trevor Plouffe. Have I mentioned my man crush on Jose? People forget that he is also just 21 years old. Kid has a nice future ahead here in Cleveland. The question is where will it be? His natural position is second base, a position currently occupied by Hollywood Jason Kipnis and his giant contract extension.
7:30 Bauer punches out Oswaldo Arcia looking while my son nearly decapitates my daughter with a putter in my living room. See that’s the fun stuff that goes on in my house after dinner and before bed.
7:34 Carlos Santana pulls a single down the right field line, beating the shift. Someone explain to me why he ever sees pitches with Kipnis hitting behind him?
7:38 Kipnis fouls off three 3-2 pitches and sends one to the right center gap. Carlos looks like he is limping to third. That bulky quad is acting up. It is nice to see Kip swinging the bat better these past few games. That smoked double was his best swing in weeks. I wrote about him at length Monday morning, but he still is easily the most disappointing player on the team this year and it is not even close.
7:40 Lonnie Chisenhall comes through with an RBI groundout. Kip moves to third. My son says “I can barely hear the crowd.” That’s because there looks like there are about 4,500 people there tonight, tops. I promise I won’t talk attendance.
7:43 Another full count is worked before Yan Gomes hits a sac fly to right, scoring Kipnis. It is now 2-0 Tribe. It was the old “get em on, get em over, get em in” routine.
Man do I love the David Murphy “Thank you, Jesus” walk up song. I find myself humming it in the shower at times. That and Fresh Beat Band tunes. I know: I have major issues.
7:48 Zach Walters K’s swinging to end the inning. The “New Zach Attack” novelty has worn off. The kid needs to start showing more patience and stop swinging and missing so much. It’s HR or K for him these days. Side note, the Indians out of nowhere out-righted outfielder Chris Dickerson to AAA Columbus today. It is a move that makes no sense. It is not like they need a roster spot. Something stinks here.
7:55 Bauer needs just 8 pitches to dispose of the Twins with two punch outs. Looking at this Twins lineup there is zero reason for the Indians not to sweep. They are mid-90s-Minnesota bad. Where are Pat Mears, Scott Stahoviak, and Matt Lawton when you need them?
8:00 I go upstairs and turn on the radio to listen to the dulcet tones of Tom Hamilton while putting my kids to bed. My son reads a book while my daughter and I are tuned in in the other room. Both kids fall asleep every night to the Tribe game. It is a third generation family tradition.
8:01 Dr. Smooth grounds into an inning ending DP. Disappointed Hammy voice was in full effect. Speaking of Michael Brantley, there are two NICE Dr. Smooth t-shirts out there. The Fresh Brewed Tees version and the one from our friends at GV Artwork. Take your pick, they are both sweet.
8:06 Smooth runs a looooong way to make a sliding catch, but doesn’t as the ball ends up bouncing for a bloop hit. Joe Mauer’s double is the first Twins knock of the game. There goes my chance to live blog a no-hitter. Brantley’s left field defense is so solid to the naked eye, but the analytics don’t support him. Speaking of which, there is a potential logjam for 2015 in the outfield. Brantley is obviously not going anywhere. Bourn has a $13.5 and $14 million number for the next two years and that’s a deal that is not exactly high on the movability list. Murphy has a $5.5 million contract for next year. But if the Indians do go out and make a deal for an extra bat, there is a strong possibility that player could be a corner outfielder. That is not even bringing up potential moves of Lonnie Chisenhall and Kipnis to the outfield eventually.
8:10 Something called Kennys Vargas continues his assault on Tribe pitching with an RBI double, cutting the lead in half.
8:11 Trevor freaking Plouffe singles in Vargas and the no-hitter, shutout, and lead have all gone away in a three hitter span.
8:12 Oswaldo Arcia jacks a two-run bomb and Minnesota takes a 4-2 lead. All of this happened with two out and nobody on. If Brantley gets a step closer to that ball hit by Mauer, it’s 2-0 Tribe still. What was I saying about the Twins lineup again?
8:21 Santana and Kipnis both draw walks from noted fireballing ace Trevor May. Time for some Goosendale magic.
8:22 By “magic” I didn’t mean popping out to the shortstop. I want Lonnie to succeed because I see good things in that bat of his. 2014 was probably his last chance to be a regular in Cleveland and he responded to the challenge. Unfortunately, his defense is painfully bad at third. Earlier in the season the Indians brass had Lonnie take flyballs in left to possibly increase his versatility. This was when Carlos was playing third (was that this season? Seems like 10 years ago). The experiment was never acted upon as Lonnie grabbed the third base job, Santana moved to first, and the injured and defensively-challenged Nick Swisher was moved to a central DH role. This winter, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit if Lonnie played some outfield in Winter Ball or was used as a key figure in a trade for a big right-handed power bat.
8:31 After Yan Gomes’s fly out, it was up to The Good Guy to come through. He popped out to third and the Tribe stranded another golden opportunity. Putting two on with nobody out and not even moving the runners up a base is inexcusable, especially with just 19 games left and zero margin for error. The Tribe just cannot afford to lose any of these home games against the sad sack Twins.
8:36 Why is it that Bauer usually has one bad inning and then immediately reverts back into an out-getting machine? After giving up four in the fourth, he retired the Twins in order.
8:43 On a 3-2 pitch Jose Ramirez laces a two-out double to center. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed the J Ram experience since Asdrubal Cabrera was sent to Washington. The way Jose has played this last five weeks, both with the bat and with the glove, may have kept Francisco Lindor in the minors for at least the beginning of the 2015 season. There is no reason to rush the super prospect, who is just 20 years old. As much as I want to see him, Ramirez has shown to be more than capable of handling the position. His future may be as a Mike Aviles super utility type, but the open of 2015 he should be playing shortstop and batting second.
8:45 After a wild pitch and a walk to Brantley, May induces a Santana ground out to end the threat. The Indians just don’t want to win this game, do they.
8:58 Enter Twins reliever Aaron Thompson (who?). Watching the Twins brings me back to the bad old days when the Tribe would trot out 4A full lineups and bring the likes of “up and coming” Hector Ambriz, Frank Herrmann, and Jess Todd out of the pen. Thompson wears number 64 and throws left-handed. Give Twins manager Ron Gardenhire credit, he knows the Tribe has trouble with lefties.
9:22 Thompson retires the Tribe in order in the sixth and comes out for the seventh with that 4-2 lead. He gets the first two Wahoos before giving up back to back singles to Bourn and Ramirez. Out comes Gardy and he calls for yet another lefty, Brian Duensing, making his 10,000th career appearance against the Indians. Duesning has given up eight runs in his last 10 outings. He is in to face Dr. Smooth.
9:28 Brantley’s fly out to Arcia in right was another in a long line of failures with the bat in this one. They are now 0-7 with runners in scoring position. I can hear Disappointed Hammy Voice and I am not even listening to the radio. Have I mentioned what a killer loss this would be?
9:30 I glance over at the scores and see that the Tigers are leading the Royals 4-1 in the seventh. I have punted on the division and have looked only at the Wild Card standings. Therefore we need the Tigers and Seattle Mariners to lose. It is time for a karma change. I am switching to the radio.
9:34 Another 1-2-3 inning for Bauer. He is now through eight innings and has eight strikeouts and one walk. The four runs on four hits all came in a nine pitch span with two outs in the fourth inning. As Hammy reminds us “take away those nine pitches, and he’s got a no hitter!” The only problem – the Tribe’s offense is once again being, well, the Tribe offense. Two runs on seven hits against Trevor May, Aaron Thompson, and Brian Duensing just ain’t cutting it.
9:37 Ariba Santana! Los doubles off the high wall in left and once again limps into second. That sore quad is really affecting his running. Tying run is now at the plate. Its dire Tribe fans, can they actually come through with a crooked number? The good news is that closer Glen Perkins is not available thanks to a sore neck.
9:38 Hammy tells us “one thing this club could really use is a run producing right-handed bat.” Also just in, water is wet, dog crap smells, and the Cavs might make the playoffs with LeBron James back on the roster.
9:42 Kipnis works the count full, but weakly flies out without moving Santana to third. I know Hollywood Jason has swung the bat decently the last two games, but he is still far from off the hook for this bagel of a season he has given the Indians.
9:44 Replay? No replay? Lonnie Chisenhall tries to leg out an infield hit, but Eduardo Escobar’s throw to first narrowly beats him. Terry Francona took a few steps out of the dugout, but got the “thumbs down” from Freakin’ Millsy. Out goes the lefty Duensing, in comes Casey “Dope” Fien to face The Yanimal.
9:47 Who knew that Casey Fien is second in AL to KC’s Wade Davis in holds? Things you learn when you listen to Hammy and put Underwood on mute. Plus, you can’t beat Disappointed Hammy voice, especially in September.
9:48 Of course Yanimal delivers with an RBI single. Its 4-3. Tito now pulls out his trump card. Now pinch hitting for Tyler Holt, number 72 because that is his age….Jason Giambi! Can he do it one last time? If he goes deep here Hammy might jump out of the booth.
9:52 Giambi swings hard, but flies out to Schafer in left. So much for that….
9:54 Marc Rzepcynzski replaces Bauer. J.B. Shuck is now out in right field. Chris Dickerson is somewhere wondering what exactly happened to his roster spot.
10:06 Rzep and Old Man Atch combine to keep the Twins off the board as we move to the Tribe’s last licks.
10:07 I’m listening to a radio commercial with Brian Hoyer hocking Windows. Ironically, I just had this particular company and a few other companies out at my house last week. If any of you have ever gone through this experience, you know how painful it is. My wife and I both work hard to save our money, then we need new windows and a way too expensive chunk of money is just taken from us. I know, you don’t care. But just be warned. There is no way around it.
10:10 Jared Burton comes on for the save chance. Walters and his power bat come up and he gets ahead 2-0 in the count. He swings at an iffy pitch and weakly grounds to second. Hammy’s response: “on a 2-0 pitch…. mmm mmm mmm.”
10:11 With two outs, Ramirez flies out to right. Game over. Burton throws only six pitches and the Tribe loses an absolute killer game to the Twins, who managed four runs on four hits. All in a row in the same inning with two outs. I’ve said it before and I will say it again, you don’t win when you can’t score. The Indians finish the night 1-10 with RISP.
That now makes 14 out of their last 18 games in which the offense has “produced” three runs or less. Yikes.
Goodnight now…..
20 Comments
TD why are you calling Kipnis “Hollywood”. Don’t you realize he hurt the left side of his oblique? Yes it was in April and was on the DL, but it was not long enough to heal. He needed more than 2-3 weeks rest. Right now he can not put any swing in to it. He should be shut down.
got his contract, came to camp overweight, got hurt, and hasn’t been the same all year. Blame the injury if you must, but how do you explain then his complete dropoff after June last year when he was healthy?
I fear that Lonnie is trade bait this winter and I think it’s a mistake. But the team’s options are pretty limited when they’re most likely stuck with the terrible Swisher and Bourn contracts. If there was any way to dump those, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I was playing around at making a 2015 roster the other day. The Swisher situation made the roster bum me out so much, I just decided to cut him. lol
Ramirez has been SO MUCH FUN to watch on defense, I wouldn’t even care if he was struggling offensively. The fact that he’s been hitting the way he has too, makes me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. Barring any roster changes that would move Ramirez elsewhere, I see absolutely no reason for Lindor to be our opening day shortstop.
I’m not sure why they continue to trot Walters out there as much as they do. I’m trying to be optimistic that they can turn him into a decent hitter instead of a strikeout machine. But for a team that’s been fighting to make the post season, it seems crazy to play someone who is pretty much a guaranteed strikeout as much as they have.
The Dickerson move baffles me. The quote from Francona on it makes sense to a point but it’s still weird to me, probably in part because I don’t envision Shuck contributing at a greater level than Dickerson, you don’t need a roster spot, and there’s probably a less than great chance that another team will pick him up.
“All of a sudden, you have a bench job basically the guys are kind of the same skill set,” Francona said. “Sometimes you can try to create spots for two guys and then neither one gets the proper amount of [playing time]. So we told C.D., ‘For better or worse, we made a decision to go with Shuck and allow you a chance to move on, rather than have you just sit here.'”
Well then it is on him to be in better shape. and know how to make adjustments during the season like studying video of pitchers.
April baseball matters.
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What’s the harm in another team picking up Dickerson? He’s nothing special, and isn’t exactly a key part of the team now or going forward.
I have no problem with a another team picking him up. I’d be very happy for him. I just fear that no one will.
I regret that I have but one upvote to give.
$6474 won’t buy you a BMW. You’re in debt. You’d better start working at a real job to pay it off.
Good stuff TD. Also, I’ll throw in my favorite Tribe Called Quest song (partly because it samples Lou Reed beats):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71ubKHzujy8
at least we aren’t learning about how someone should sign Vince Young because of a 2006 O-ROY award.
Vince Young, you say? Tell me more! GIVE . . . HIM A . . . SHOT.
You should read Dery on Twitter when it comes to the Kipper. I’m sure once Kipnis plays more up to Kipnis’s standards Dery will be back slurping him. It’s just how it goes.
It’s not like he’s a De Aza who Baltimore added who by the way homered twice last night for them. I guess the Indians couldn’t have used him. Just like JD Martinez. Tribe FO is #1!
I still get the giggles thinking about that post.
I’d vote for Scenario or Award Tour.
My kid could never fall asleep to Hammy. He gets too excited when Hammy says “Swing and a miss!”
Am I the only one with this opinion on Kipnis? I hope I am wrong, but as I said before, he showed up out of shape and that could be a direct cause for the injury. I give him credit for trying to play through it. We will see what happens next year when he is back healthy. Its not like I want him to be bad. All I know is that if he does what he is supposed to do, this season is vastly different.
All I know is that if he does what he is supposed to do, this season is vastly different
Could be applied to any number of players as well as the GM!