Space Jam, Leo, and Wilco: While We’re Waiting…
July 23, 2015Joe Haden opens up about the R-word and the Special Olympics
July 23, 2015If Tuesday night was Major League night in Milwaukee, then Wednesday’s day game must have been ’90s day. There was not an overabundance of flannel, acid-washed jeans, or Starter jackets, nor did Nirvana and the Stone Temple Pilots dominate batters’ walkup music selections. Instead, the Cleveland Indians and Milwaukee Brewers combined for 31 hits and seven walks that harkened back to the days when the Brewers were in the American League and runs were as bountiful as slap bracelets at an elementary kid’s birthday party. Plus, just like in the 1990s, the Indians overcame pitching woes with an onslaught of hitting to defeat the Brewers 7-5.
Key Moments of the Game
Cody Anderson meets Mr. Regression:
Mr. Regression comes for us all. It had been a fantastic story that Cody Anderson had pitched 30.1 innings in his first four MLB starts and only given up three runs. However, no pitcher is likely to continue along those lines, let alone a rookie who was averaging less than three strikeouts per outing. And, when Mr. Regression came knocking on Anderson’s door, he wound up busting it down and dragging Anderson out of there as if they were filming Taken 4.
Honestly, it could have been much worse for Anderson. He managed to at least start the first inning inducing two outs amongst the first three batters with only Jonathan Lucroy reaching base. But, the wheels fell off as he allowed four straight hits, including a home run to Adam Lind. The Brewers put up a quick three runs1 and it was only by the blessing of already having two outs that Scooter Gennett’s line drive caught by David Murphy ended the inning.
The second inning went only slightly better as Anderson gave up another three hits, including a RBI single to center from Lind (again). Even the outs were loud as Kyle Lohse (hard grounder to Lindor), Lucroy (line drive to Kipnis), and Aramis Ramirez (line drive to Michael Brantley) all made solid contact.
Anderson would not get out of the third inning as he allowed two more hits after Khris Davis and Jean Segura hit into a couple more not-so-easy outs (Jason Kipnis needed to venture out into right field, reach out with all his might, and wound up sliding into the grass while making the catch for one). The fact that the Brewers were hitting him well all day would have been reason enough for Terry Francona to motion to the bullpen, but the fact that these last two hits were by the light-hitting Scooter Gennett and pitcher Kyle Lohse may have quickened his steps towards the mound.
Surprisingly, once Austin Adams struck out Gerardo Parra to strand his inherited runners, Cody Anderson already had a no-decision in the books as the Indians had kept pace with the Brewers on the scoreboard and it was 4-4 when he left.
Dr. Smooth, the Francisco Kid, and hitting with RISP:
The Indians have seen their starter struggle in the early innings quite a few times this season, but rarely does the offense match the opponent’s production when that happens. In this particular game though, the Indians hitters seemed on a mission to ensure a series split in Milwaukee.
Lindor started the game off by hitting his second day game home run of the season (and third overall). The Francisco Kid then continued his offensive ways in the third inning when he singled Jason Kipnis over to third base after Kipnis had led the inning off with a double. Michael Brantley then hit the first of his four consecutive hits on the day. That first hit would also be the longest as it cleared the right field fence and brought home both Kipnis and Lindor, which is how the Indians scored those four runs in the first three innings.
The fifth run would cross the plate in the fifth inning with Kipnis, Lindor, and Brantley delivering once again. After a Kipnis single and a Lindor walk, Brantley took that smooth, even swing and slapped the ball into left field. Jason Kipnis scored easily.
Brantley’s third hit would also result in a run as he doubled into right field in the seventh inning. After getting moved over to third base on a David Murphy groundout, Brantley scored as Yan Gomes was able to deliver yet another hit with RISP for the Indians.
The final hit on Brantley’s day technically did not result in a run for himself, but it still had everything to do with a run being scored. You see, Brantley had singled2 just before Mike Aviles hit into a fielder’s choice. So, it was Aviles on the basepaths instead of Brantley. Aviles stole second base and scored when Carlos Santana delivered the fifth hit for the Indians with RISP.
The Indians finished 5-for-12 with RISP (!!!)
Pace of Play Directive:
So, both teams were hitting the ball well and runners were all over the bases throughout the game. But, people do not want to sit through a four-hour game even if it is being played as if Donkey Kong is throwing barrels, while the batters are shooting banana peels and turtle shells at defenders. What are the teams to do?
Well, on Wednesday, the Indians and Brewers found out that the outs are faster to come by when you record them two at a time. So, two-by-two the outs came, killing rallies and ending innings. The Brewers hit into three double plays on the afternoon. The Indians topped them by hitting not only into four double plays, but hitting into double plays in four consecutive innings (2nd inning through 5th inning). If that seems like a lot of double plays to hit into, it is. You have to go back all the way to Tuesday night against the Brewers for the last time that the Indians hit into four double plays in a single game.
In the second inning, Carlos Santana might have found a loophole in WFNY TD Dery’s hatred of the bunt as his was so surprising that he reached safely, and it must have thrown off Lohse because he walked Yan Gomes next. Brandon Moss then started off the day of double plays by smashing a line drive hard at Scooter Gennett. Unfortunately, the ball was hit so hard that Scooter was able to flip the ball to second base and catch Santana trying to get back to the bag for the day’s first double play.
After Brantley’s homer in the third inning, David Murphy obtained yet another infield hit for the Indians. Carlos Santana unfortunately hit a grounder right toward Lind who made a quick step on the bag and easily threw the ball to Jean Segura before the slow-running Murphy had a chance to reach second base.
Not to be outdone, Austin Adams put a bunt down in front of home plate in the fourth inning with runners on first and second. Lucroy quickly popped up from his stance behind the plate, retrieved the ball and started the ever-so-popular 2-6-3 double play.
And, with a chance to break the game open in the fifth inning, Yan Gomes had the bases loaded with but a solitary out. There would be no theatrics on this one as it was the plainest of double plays, hit just hard enough that the 6-4-3 was a sure thing even as it left his bat.
Key Moment Scorecard:
Milwaukee Brewers: 2
Cleveland Indians: 1
Old Friends; Help or Haunt
No trick or treatin’ today, kids.
The Nine
A 1990s game deserves some 1990s references.
Jason Kipnis: All That. Kipnis obviously has a silly side, plus his play this season has No Doubt been All That.
Two hits and two runs on the day. Kipnis has cooled off a bit in July, but he is still reaching base 34 percent safely of the time.
Francisco Lindor: Beanie Babies. You can admit it, you had a few.
The home run and the walk were nice signs. Lindor has really come on strong lately with .275/.306/.4063 after a horrid start to his MLB career at the plate in June.
Michael Brantley: Power Ranger. No matter what iteration of the Power Rangers was your favorite, Dr. Smooth was definitely the Red Ranger (leader).
I think it is fair to say that Brantley’s back is feeling much better. His .313/.400/.516 numbers in July, along with three home runs and 17 RBI, demonstrate that he is much more the Michael Brantley now that fans were expecting.
David Murphy / Mike Aviles: Cut.It.Out. Is there a better 90s reference for these good guys than Full House? I would see David Murphy as Danny and Mile Aviles as Uncle Joey (i.e. the jokester: see Jose Ramirez’s car during Spring Training).
Murphy did get his hit on Wednesday, but he has been scuffling lately as he is only 8-for-39 in July.
Carlos Santana: Reebok Pumps. Some people loved them, while some people hated them and said they were worthless.
The power has been returning lately (seven extra base hits in July), but fans might be most interested to see that he is 16-for-65 this month. Yes, Carlos Santana is hitting over .300 in July thus far while maintaining his elite walk rate (.431 OBP). This version of Santana is a monster for opposing pitchers to face.
Yan Gomes: Pokemon. I mean, Yan Gomes sounds like he could have been one of the characters. His power would likely be a rocket cannon attached to his shoulder.
Like Santana, he went 2-for-3 with two walks on Wednesday. Gomes has not had as good of a month as Santana, but there have been some promising signs that his offense is at least returning to him a bit. If Santana and Gomes can return to their 2014 versions, then the offense will have more high-scoring days ahead.
Brandon Moss: No Fear Tees. The way Moss swings is often all-or-nothing. No fear there.
The only starting position player to end the day without a hit, Moss has really fallen apart lately. His .179/.246/.393 numbers in July are only buoyed by his three home runs, double, and triple. That makes half of his 10 hits in July register as extra base hits.
Giovanny Urshela: Rugrats. Young, intriguing, and seemingly capable of conquering any challenge.
Unlike Lindor, Urshela has not had a huge rebound month after a poor start. Then again, Urshela’s June was not nearly as bad as Lindor’s. Third base continues to rival center field though when it comes to a complete lack of offensive production for the team.
Cody Anderson / Austin Adams / Ryan Webb / Ryan Raburn:
Zach McAllister / Michael Bourn / Bryan Shaw / Cody Allen:
Obviously, Bubble Tape is the 90s reference for the assembly line of guys who needed to be utilized at the 9-spot in the lineup. Tito just kept pulling on that tape and snapping a new piece off though he came one short of averaging one per inning.
It is unknown if the only reason that Michael Bourn batted for Zach McAllister was because Francona wanted to ensure that McAllister did not hurt himself.
The Arms
Cody Anderson: Crystal Pepsi. Popular at first, but died out quickly. Okay, I truly hope that is not the case with Anderson, nor do I think it actually will be.
Austin Adams: Neon colors. In everything.
He got Anderson out of his jam, then finished off an inning of his own with a couple strikeouts.
Ryan Webb: Trapper Keeper.
Simple, functional, and you don’t really think about them too much unless something breaks. Webb did his job.
Zach McAllister: Rollerblades
Hey, so he took a tumble on Tuesday. He got right back up and pitched two beautiful innings on Wednesday (three strikeouts to only one hit).
Bryan Shaw: Super Soaker
Thankfully, it was the Brewers that were all wet as Shaw continued the bullpen dominance in the eighth inning.
Cody Allen: Warheads.
A rough inning for Cody Allen likely had many fans fearing the worst. He entered the inning with a three-run lead and gave up three hits to the first four batters, while striking out Carlos Gomez. But, it was the day of double plays and Khris Davis obliged to end the inning with one.
1 Comment
What a difference a three-run HR can make huh? The team now has 76 HRs on the season tied for 23rd in MLB with the Royals. Brandon Moss leads the team with 15 homeruns followed by Santana’s 10. I maintain the inability to make an impact with one swing of the bat is a huge reason why this offense will continue to struggle. But I’ve been beating this drum for years now.