Uni Talk: Breaking down the Browns’ new look
April 15, 2015Best skills of the 2015 NFL Draft: Defensive backs
April 15, 2015Normally, I write the top portion of these recaps ahead of time in order to provide a true feel for how the game was expected to be played. Whether the game follows the script or diverges is an important component. I had written up about Carlos Carrasco’s ten strikeout performance and his 2014 dominance of the White Sox lineup that would be set against Jose Quintana that struggled mightily in his first start and against the Cleveland Indians last season. However, there are times when the circumstances of the game overshadow the rest of the game, and the Carlos Carrasco injury definitely qualified.
One of the reasons that sports are so great is that they provide such a fantastic microcosm of life. We get to rejoice with our team’s successes and weep with our team’s struggles. We get to see how it can be a blessing for those who persevere through trials. For Carlos Carrasco, we saw a prized prospect humbled through his initial promotion to MLB. We held hope in the promise of his potential future and frustration in the demise of those initial contributions. But, through his efforts he was able to establish himself as one of the anchor players for the Cleveland Indians current contention window, and the signing of an extension solidified his place. However, we learned that even the extension came through the embattlement of a heart condition that appeared after the 2014 season and recurred during 2015 Spring Training.
So, it was heartbreaking to watch Melky Cabrera hit a pitch directly back at Carlos Carrasco that appeared to hit him squarely in the head causing him to crumple to the ground in a full body sprawl. It is never something we want to see, but it felt especially unfair for it to happen to this player who had overcome so much to finally get to a comfortable place. As the Indians players circled the mound, White Sox center fielder knelt at second base in prayer, and a shocked Melky Cabrera walked over to the mound to check on Carlos, I truly hope that the fate of the Indians was not the first thing on the minds of fans nor do I think it was1. Thankfully, it was revealed that the ball grazed off his glove and hit him in the jaw rather than his head. Later in the night, the Indians announced that Carlos somehow managed to avoid any broken bones and, though a timeline for recovery has not yet been revealed, a jaw contusion sounds relatively benign compared to initial fears.
Yes, the game went on, and the game will count in the standings as much as any other game, but forgive me if I do not feel the same level of frustration with this loss as I might under normal circumstances.
Key Moments of the Game
Top of 1st Inning, 0 outs, Adam Eaton on second, Melky Cabrera on first: After Melky Cabrera hit Carlos Carrasco in the face, it was up to Zach McAllister to quickly warm up and get into the game under the backdrop of a stunned team. He was wild (and an official wild pitch moved the runners up to second and third base after he struck out Jose Abreu), but Roberto Perez helped him out by throwing out Avisail Garcia on a steal attempt at second base after both inherited runners had scored. On this night, it would be all the White Sox needed.
Bottom of 3rd Inning, 1 out, Jose Ramirez on second Jose had reached on an error and stole second base. Much like on Sunday against the Detroit Tigers, the Indians failed to take advantage of an opponent’s mistake and left him stranded.
Top of 4th: McAllister continued to be wild. Another wild pitch moved up Adam LaRoche to second base and a walk that led to another run caused Terry Francona to have a quick hook and put in Nick Hagadone who got out of the inning.
Bottom of 4th: Tip of the cap to Ryan Raburn who came through with a double after Jerry Sands got to second base on a passed ball.
Top of 5th: Jose Abreu remains as powerful as any hitter in the American League not named Miguel Cabrera. He demonstrated this power against Nick Hagadone.
Bottom of 7th through 9th: Eight of the final nine outs of this game were on strikeouts. The White Sox paraded left handed pitcher after left handed pitcher and the Indians felt powerless to do anything about it especially late in the game. They did have two baserunners in the seventh inning after a throwing error by Alexei Ramirez, but, again, the team failed to take advantage of an opponent mistake.
Key Moment Scorecard:
Chicago White Sox: 5
Cleveland Indians: 1
The normal template for the rest does not feel right after this particular game. Let me just state that I dislike the Win/Loss statistic even more after Carlos Carrasco is credited with that loss. The Indians have a quick turnaround with an early afternoon game on Wednesday, so, hopefully, they can relax with the news that Carlos is going to be okay and play a good game.
- I prayed for his wife, his four children, and Carlos that whatever injury he may have sustained would not negatively affect their lives. [↩]
13 Comments
Thanks for the tone of the recap, Bode. Just right.
I don’t care about this particular game. Just thankful Carlos will be ok physically, and hope he can eventually recover mentally and again stand on the mound without negative thoughts or involuntary changes in his motion or follow-through that can lead to all sorts of other issues (like Herb Score and countless others).
And glad other players are given quite obvious ammunition to ignore their union’s prodding about setting the market. The end story for Carlos is not yet written, and it might still be that he was very, very fortunate to lock up $22 million for his family barely 2 weeks ago.
Well done sir. I’m extremely glad to hear that Carrasco is going to be okay.
I’m extremely disappointed in the Indians’ offense. It seems like we always start slow, but slow is boring. HEAT UP YOU BATS.
Need hats for bats. Keep bats warm.
http://cdn2.hark.com/images/000/319/112/319112/original.jpg
Carrasco saved himself by getting some of his glove on the ball otherwise I hesitate to think just how bad it could have been for him.
My 5 YO and I were watching the game in the basement and I ran up to get him a drink and came down and he said, “dad this is bad. He just got hit in the face. I don’t think I am going to play baseball when i get older” I explained it does not happen often and we said a prayer for him. Hope he is ok.
If the ball didn’t hit the glove, it probably easily went underneath his head.
It’s never good when you hear the ball hit someone.
Ball easily and underneath my head aren’t words I’d care to ever use.
When my eldest son was 5yo, he was in teeball and got hit with a line drive squarely on the brim of his hat and then off the top of his head (from pitcher position). Thankfully, they use those soft-core balls in teeball. No matter when it happens though, it is a scary moment.
And yes, it appears that Carlos is quite okay. Amazingly.
Gracias, B-bo.
Sorry everyone – this is my fault. I drafted Brantley, Gomes, and Carrasco onto my fantasy team. This has all gone sideways so fast…
Heartwarming to hear that many of us appreciate the “bigger picture” as it relates to Carlos and his family. Impressed by Eaton and Melky’s actions right after. Baseball is their occupation and how they feed their families. To us it is simply entertainment. We all need to keep that perspective.
As the game started, I got a bad feeling that something bad was going to happen to Carlos. But more along the lines of his inconsistency and mental lapses resurfacing. Boy do I wish I had been right. Just glad he’s ok.