Ball Played: Bauer lasts less than an hour before hitting the shower

Sigh. The day after the Cleveland Indians exploded for a strong offensive showing to complement a strong pitching performance, they fell back to scuffling on offense, while Trevor Bauer did not even last two innings. Such is the life in a season of a last place team whose pendulum comes down to match every upward swing. On Tuesday, the Indians were on the downswing and lost to the Boston Red Sox 9-1.

Adding an extra kick while we were down, the Boston Red Sox also announced Tuesday night that they hired Dave Dombrowski, the Indians nemesis GM from Detroit, as their new president of baseball operations.

Keys of the Game

1.2 Innings Pitched:

I feel bad for Bauer. He obviously cares. The look of absolute disgust on his face as the Red Sox were knocking him around was as obvious as the look in his eyes when he was pulled from the game. He will once again be off searching for answers. Trying to figure out the necessary adjustments, if he has changed something in his delivery or approach. Attempting to find that scientific reasoning before the season ends.

It did not have to be that way on Tuesday. We have seen Bauer struggle early with control, get out of a jam or two, then settle in and put together a nice start. It appeared that he might be able to just that in the second inning.

First, there was an error on Mike Aviles. Aviles had saved a run in the first inning by chasing down Sox second baseman Brock Holt along the third base line. In the second, however, he fielded a Rusney Castillo grounder, stepped on third base for one out, then fired across the diamond to complete the double play. But, the throw was wide and the runners advanced. Bauer had managed to load the bases by then, walking Blake Swihart before Mookie Betts struck out on three pitches.

At least, he appeared to have struck out on three pitches, but the home plate umpire was overturned. Replays do not demonstrate a change in the flight of the ball, but it was ruled that Betts fouled the pitch. Two pitches later, Betts drove a double into left field over the head of Ryan Raburn¹.

However, while it is frustrating and upsetting that the umpires cost him an out, in that sort of situation Bauer also needs to settle in, pick himself back up, and get out of the inning anyway² .

The pitcher who went 8-5 with a 3.76 ERA in the first half of the season is in there³. Hopefully, we get to see that pitcher soon.

Yet another rookie left-handed pitcher:
On Monday, rookie Matt Barnes no-hit the Indians into the fourth inning before everything fell apart for him. On Tuesday, Venezuelan rookie Eduardo Rodriguez no-hit the Indians into the fourth inning, but he continued to excel after giving up his first hit.

Rodriguez came into Tuesday off of a game against the Miami Marlins in which he had given up eight runs in just five innings pitched. In fact, he had already given up six or more runs in 4 of his 15 career starts. However, he had also given up one or less runs in eight of those starts.

Unfortunately, the Indians saw the good version of Rodriguez. Lindor’s fourth inning hit was sandwiched between streaks of 10 and 7 straight outs from Indians hitters.

The Indians managed to get some solid contact off of Rodriguez in the seventh and eighth inning (including Michael Brantley’s seventh inning home run), but it was far too little and much too late to do any damage in this particular game.

Key Scorecard:
Boston Red Sox: 2
Cleveland Indians: 0

The Numbers

There are some good things and some bad things that came out of this game, here they are in numerical format

One plate appearance
It was just good to see Jason Kipnis back. Hopefully, his shoulder is healed enough for him to finish the year uninhibited.

Struggling Bauer 2nd half statistics and MLB rank among starters

6.40 FIP (2nd worst ahead of Dan Haren, who was DFA’d and thus does not have a team)
-0.7 WAR (2nd worst ahead of Dan Haren)
7.05 ERA (4th worst ahead of Kyle Gibson-Twins, Ubaldo Jimenez-Orioles, Jeff Samardzija-White Sox)
2.68 HR/9 (2nd worst ahead of Dan Haren)
3.65 BB/9 (8th worst)

Statistics via fangraphs.com

16 hits by Boston
Bauer only gave up six of them. Lost in this game was that the bullpen struggled as well. Three of the four bullpen arms gave up at least one run (And Kyle Crockett needed defensive help to get Castillo out in the third inning to not give up more. Roberto Perez made a great throw to Mike Aviles at third base to catch Rusney Castillo napping on the basepaths.).

The 16 hits were the most given up by Indians pitching since July 25 against the Chicago White Sox, and they were the most hits allowed in a complete game of eight innings pitched all season (Boston was the home team, therefore did not bat in the bottom of the ninth inning).

Statistics via baseball-reference.com

1. And yes, it was a ball that a better defender likely should have been able to track down. [↩]
2. Bauer would allow another hit to Brock Holt, strike out Xander Bogaerts, and his night was then complete after just one and two-thirds innings. [↩]
3. Bauer gave up 12 home runs in over 105 innings in the first half, while he has given up 11 home runs in just 37 innings pitched in the second half thus far. [↩]