Video: Watch Craig and John Anderson break down Cavs-Celtics game 3
April 24, 2015Cardale Jones in line for a video game rematch?
April 25, 2015Well, I guess you’d have to be pretty gullible to think a Major League baseball team could hit a collective .186 with runners in scoring position for almost three whole weeks and not be just joshin’ ya. Give the Indians credit for sticking with that extended April Fools Day charade for as long as they did, especially convincing a new guy like Brandon Moss to play along so believably! In any case, that’s all over now, as tonight’s 13-1 beatdown of the Tigers (in Detroit, no less!) clearly pulled the curtain on the ruse and revealed the Cleveland Indians to be the pennant-bound juggernaut we all thought they were. Drop the confetti!
Re-Capping
While the Indians (6-9) were so skillfully playing possum, Detroit’s little-known starting pitcher Shane Greene was trying to convince people that he was, in fact, an UPGRADE over the departed Max Scherzer. Through his first three starts of the season, he was converting non-believers, putting up 3 wins, a 0.39 ERA, and a 0.73 WHIP – the best start to a season for a Tiger hurler since Jack Morris in 1984. Tonight, facing an Indians offense that’s produced less excitement recently than a PBS documentary about wheat, Greene seemed poised to keep rolling. He did not. Instead, with two outs and nobody on in another seemingly dull, lifeless first inning of baseball, the Cleveland bats were roused from their long, deep slumber. Michael Brantley singled, Carlos Santana walked, and Brandon Moss (yes, that Brandon Moss!) bashed a double into the left-center field gap, giving the Tribe a 2-0 lead—their first lead on Detroit in roughly, I don’t know, eight years? This was the first salvo in what would be a pretty stunning onslaught, as Greene would surrender 8 runs on 9 hits in just 4+ innings. He remains, at least, an upgrade over Rick Porcello at the moment.
By night’s end, Cleveland had clubbed 15 hits and plated 13, with four doubles and three home runs tallied – including a pair of dingers and 7 RBIs (!!!) from Moss. In one glorious evening, Moss, Lonnie Chisenhall (2-for-5 with a homer), and Jose Ramirez (2-for-3) all managed to climb above the .200 mark on the season, which is certainly encouraging, even if it continues to make Michael Bourn (.193) and Roberto Perez (.188) a bit envious.
Some people will tell you that momentum is an imaginary concept that can be statistically disproved. And it’s certainly possible that the Indians won’t score 13 runs again over the course of the next six games combined. But hey, a turnaround has to start somewhere, and embarrassing your biggest nemesis on their dirt in a great collective effort has to at least change the vibe in that clubhouse. If the bats can produce ¼ of what they did tonight, they stand a chance of hanging around.
Reason being? Well, because the Indians could very well have the filthiest starting rotation in the Major Leagues. The guy that shouldn’t be overlooked in all the talk of this offensive explosion—and I realize I am a hypocrite for having overlooked him myself up this point—is Danny Salazar. Since his very brief visit to Triple-A Columbus (do they call it a “cup of coffee” if it’s a brief demotion, or is it like, a “cup of decaf”?), Salazar has struck out 21 hitters in 13 innings of work and earned a pair of wins. His beard looks sharp and so does his stuff. J.D. Martinez alone has struck out 7 of the 9 times he’s faced Salazar the past two years, and Alex Avila (3 Ks) and Anthony Gose (3 Ks) looked silly. But it’s always just a bit more pleasing to see Danny get the best of Miguel Cabrera, as he did twice tonight.
C-Cap Recap Custom Box Score
April 24, 2015
Indians 13, Tigers 1
Green Highlight (as in “Great”): Salazar was great, but this one has to go to Brandon Moss, who more than quadrupled his RBI total for the entire season in the span of a few hours. Would it be nice if he were right-handed? Sure. But if he winds up resembling the dependable power hitter he’s been in recent years, you probably won’t cringe upon hearing his name as you did up until the first inning tonight.
Yellow Highlight (as in “Almost Green”): Salazar would be getting the green on any other night, but I rewarded him with a cartoon sketch instead. Or insulted him. Either way.
Red Highlight (as in “Stop, You’re Bad”): At one point early in the game, Michael Bourn nearly lost his shit on a strike call sightly off the outside corner. The guy is PRESSING… HARD. Year three of the Bourn experiment certainly isn’t showing signs of revealing the dynamic speedster we thought we were getting back in the spring of 2013. Unrelated news, Tyler Holt has a .383 OBP in Columbus right now. If you actually feel like talking about that.
8 Comments
You might have to keep doing these until we stop scoring 13 runs/game 😉
Such a fun game and love that Swarzak is our official blowout mop guy (both directions)
I love this pitching staff. If this team makes the playoffs then yea the opposition should be concerned. But were gonna need those bats to keep talking. I am actually hoping that the switch-hitting Swish can come up and help out. Anybody else out there have someone they’re holding their breaths on?
Funny stuff, Andrew. Enjoyed it.
And that sketch looks positively satanic. As in evil. As in Salazar’s stuff.
Seriously it’s time to end the Bourne leading off thing. Other than that great game.
See…now the analytics people can stop wetting the bed…the stats have improved!
You still need a 4th and 5th starter and that bullpen needs help.
Anyone but House!
I forgot about Salazar so that really only leaves #5 which isn’t as big a deal. Still I’m concerned about bullpen especially with all of the work they receive.