A look at Ohio State Buckeyes who were drafted or signed as UDFA
May 4, 2015Craig Ehlo is still recovering from The Shot
May 4, 2015Ordinarily it would be a difficult case to make that a major league baseball team is playing with its back against the wall on May 3. But on Sunday, in the fourth inning, already having lost two of three in a four-game series against the Toronto Blue Jays, the Cleveland Indians were doing just that.
In the fourth inning with the Tribe ahead 1-0 on Jason Kipnis‘ solo home run, Trevor Bauer gave up an infield single chopped high off the plate by Edwin Encarnacion. After an ineffective attempt at a sac bunt by Russell Martin and a 5-4 fielder’s choice, Bauer hit Kevin Pillar on the wrist putting runners on first and second. That was followed by an opposite-field ground ball single by Michael Saunders to tie the score.
Dr. Smooth doesn’t fall for that momentum babble.
But Dr. Smooth doesn’t fall for that momentum babble. Michael Brantley led off the bottom of the fourth with a laser double to right, Santana singled to left and Moss hit a sac fly to left to score Brantley. After four innings it was 6-2 and the Indians were not in a surrendering mood and, in the fifth inning, the Indians put a big six of their own on the scoreboard.
Final score, 10-7 Cleveland, in their most impressive come-from-behind victory of the year. Sunday’s victory was just one game but it salvaged a split with the Blue Jays in this Thursday-through-Sunday home series.
Coming into the four-game set with Toronto, the Indians had not won a single series since the third day of the season against Houston (and that’s still their only series win). TJ House was proving to be a liability as the fifth starter (and he lost again, badly, on Thursday night, then went on the D.L.). Carlos Carrasco was still looking to return to his dominant performance level prior to taking that line drive off the jaw (and he had a shaky first three innings on Friday night before settling down to get the victory). Corey Kluber was winless (and still is, having lost again on Saturday). Kluber is looking like anything but a contender for a second consecutive Cy Young award. He is now at 0-4 with a 4.62 ERA. And, prior to Sunday’s game, Trevor Bauer had not returned to his impressive early-season form since suffering an apparent bout with food poisoning (he still hasn’t). Bauer went only 4 1/3 innings on Sunday, giving up six runs. His ERA is now up to 3.38.
Of that top of the fourth inning on Sunday, Francona said after the game, “I thought we were at a crossroads, where we could feel sorry for ourselves or kick it into gear.” They did, indeed, come back to win after that, but, in reality, that crossroads is encountered during just about every game of a long 162-game season. This was a L-W-L-W series for the Indians who are still looking for something, anything, resembling a streak of good baseball.
And finally, this note regarding baseball on television: During baseball broadcasts, replays very often begin with a closeup of the pitcher’s back followed by a rapid zoom-out as the pitch is being made. Whatever gave directors the idea that this gadgetry was ever an enhancement to the viewing experience? It’s just become tiresome and annoying. The game already features too many closeups that detract from the big-picture action on the field. With the ever-increasing number of high-def, big-screen TVs in use, you’d think it would have occurred to someone by now to show a wide-screen view of the field more often, especially for replays.
2 Comments
Games like yesterday simultaneously crush my fan-soul and give me hope.
Can we be possibly be this bad? YES.
Can we overcome that terribleness? YES.
To many shortcomings starters pitch lights out offense doesn’t score and defense doesn’t defend. Bullpen blows games. The offense starts to produce and the starting pitching goes in the tank and the bullpen is still sketchy. Welcome to baseball in Cleveland.