I Open at the Close: While We’re Waiting…
July 30, 2015Browns Training Camp: Tramon Williams ready for competition, a fresh start
July 30, 2015The 2015 Cleveland Indians season has played out much like the end of the first act in the animated superhero movie The Incredibles. The 2013 and 2014 seasons were the opening demonstration of the individual powers for players on the team and included AL MVP nominations, Silver Slugger, and Cy Young Awards. However, the 2015 season has been a long, drawn-out Superhero Relocation Program. The superheroes still look the same, but they do not utilize their powers except on rare occasions when they break the rules. Thankfully, Wednesday was one of those rare occasions as the Cleveland Indians broke out of a six game losing streak by defeating the Kansas City Royals 12-1.
Now, the hope is that Royals starter Jeremy Guthrie was actually Mirage. Mirage is the one who prodded Mr. Incredible to break out of his doldrums and return to his life as a superhero1 . It remains to be seen if the Indians will use Wednesday’s game as the beginning of an action montage of high-scoring affairs against their rivals2 on the upcoming West Coast trip or if it was merely a standalone rescue when they told their wives they were out bowling, but it was a welcome sight either way.
Keys of the Game
Same old song and dance early:
Given the outcome, it could be easy to forget that the game began in much the same manner that many Indians games have begun. Lots of men on the basepaths, precious few players crossing home plate.
Bottom of 1st, bases loaded, 1 out:
Brandon Moss proceeded to strike out.
Yan Gomes was hit by a pitch (more in next section) scored Jason Kipnis.
Giovanny Urshela flied out.
Bottom of 2nd, bases loaded, 0 outs:
Francisco Lindor hit a sacrifice fly to score Michael Bourn.
Jason Kipnis was picked off first base (held up on review despite the picture below showing it was a bad call).
Michael Brantley flied out.
So, two innings with the bases loaded and less than two outs. Zero hits, two runs, and the feeling that we wasted yet another opportunity.
Here is the angle that clearly shows Kipnis was safe:
.@TheJK_Kid was 100% safe on that pick off. I don't know how that call wasn't overturned. pic.twitter.com/8SPZEMrhMa
— Sarah Sachs (@Sarahsachsphoto) July 29, 2015
Guthrie HBP sequencing:
Bottom of 1st:
Carlos Santana walked to load the bases.
Yan Gomes hit by pitch on an 0-2 count to score a run from third (Jason Kipnis).
Bottom of 2nd:
Jason Kipnis hit by pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Home plate umpire Tom Woodring warns both dugouts.
Bottom of 5th:
Michael Brantley hit by pitch with one out and no one on base.
Terry Francona comes out of dugout to complain, and is thrown out of the game by Woodring.
From the above game situations, it would not appear that Jeremy Guthrie would purposefully allow the Indians to score a run nor load the bases with no outs. So, only the Michael Brantley HBP could really even be called into question, but from Guthrie’s complete lack of command on the day, none of the pitches seemed intentional. Thankfully, for the Indians, Woodring allowed Guthrie to stay in the game, while Francona had to watch the rest of the action from beyond the tunnel.
That 6th Inning:
The inning began and ended with Yan Gomes striking out. In between, every other member of the Indians reached base safely except for the just-traded Brandon Moss, who also struck out. And, it was beautiful.
- Giovanny Urshela started the theatrics by ensuring at least one insurance run for Kluber by belting a home run deep to left field on the first pitch he was given.
- Michael Bourn continued his torrid pace in the second half with a single to Paulo Orlando in left field.
- Tyler Holt made sure that Alex Rios got some work by knocking a hit to right field.
- Jason Kipnis hit the left-center gap for a hit, which was enough for Michael Bourn to score from second.
- Francisco Lindor made sure the bases did not get loaded by clearing the deck and the right field wall with the second home run of the inning.
- Michael Brantley was feeling left out, so he followed with a home run of his own after fouling off three straight pitches he didn’t like.
- Carlos Santana walked because that is what Carlos Santana does.
Ned Yost left Jeremy Guthrie in for the entire 40-pitch, six-run inning, which was a bit cruel. Perhaps it was penance for hitting all of those batters early in the game.
Kluber:
Corey Kluber tossed an ordinary, dominant performance (for Corey Kluber, that is). He is such a special talent that sometimes we need to remember to appreciate that what he does on a start-by-start basis is so extraordinary. And, for the second time in his last three outings, the offense supported him with a bevy of runs.
- Perfect through four innings
- Shutout through eight innings
- Complete game on 112 pitches (77 strikes)
- Six strikeouts
- Five hits scattered in four different innings
- One lonely walk
- Solitary confined run allowed in the ninth inning
Key Scorecard:
Kansas City Royals: 1
Cleveland Indians: 3
The Numbers
Bomb Voyage sets offensive explosion:
For Indians in a game in 2015:
- Four home runs were highest
- Seven extra-base hits were tied for most
- 12 runs were tied for second most (only a 13-1 win versus the Detroit Tigers on April 24 was higher)
- 18 hits were tied for the most (with 6-3 win on May 31 versus the Seattle Mariners)
- 23 players reaching base safely was tied for second most (that same May 31 game versus Seattle led the category with 25)
- Yes, three HBP was the most too
Kids fighting to be Jack Jack:
Giovanny Urshela as Dash: Sorry Giovanny, we love you, but you will have to settle for being Dash. It’s a good gig and he’s a fun character. Now, while many people are noticing Lindor’s recent HR surge, Urshela has quietly been amassing yet another hitting streak. He is currently at eight games, during which time he has a .370/.393/.630 slash line including four extra base hits.
Urshela had a 13-game hit streak earlier this year in which he had exactly one hit in each game. In fact, Urshela has a hit in 31 of 42 games in which he has appeared (includes two games when he did not get a hit as a pinch hitter).
Francisco Lindor as Jack Jack: Our own wonder kid had perhaps his best day for the Indians thus far. His four RBIs were a career best, obtained via a 2-for-5 day which included a sacrifice fly. Then, there were the plays in the field that appear so simple when Lindor is at shortstop, and so difficult when anyone else is there.
Lindor finished the series with the Royals only 3-for-14, but made the most of those three hits by hitting a pair of home runs, and finishing with seven RBI.
4 Comments
I was at the game and so the heat may have very well been affecting my vision, but it didn’t look like Tito did anything worthy of getting tossed. He seemed calmed and poised and didn’t come sprinting out of the dugout, so he must have just said something specifically to get thrown out.
I like to imagine it was something like this
http://25.media.tumblr.com/1e4d0d54678ee2811c1c257d4ab2ac11/tumblr_mwabjgHk9N1rkkwnoo1_500.gif
I was hoping for more information on it too. I was actually wondering if it had to do with the pace of play directives. Managers are not supposed to physically leave the dugout without first getting T/O approval from the umpire and Tito walked straight out.
http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/b3/20/ad/b320ad70cb84c96a5d7aab6543ae0d69.jpg