An Un-Heavy Cavs Season and Keith Richards: While We’re Waiting…
October 1, 2015Cavs Training Camp Daily: Blatt and J.R., Kevin Love’s comfort level, and versatility
October 1, 2015On Wednesday, the Cleveland Indians were officially eliminated from the possibility of postseason play. Losing the front end of the doubleheader with the Minnesota Twins 7-1, along with a late-night Houston Astro victory, was enough to seal the Indians’ fate. The Tribe won the second game 10-2, but it was merely for pride, as the remaining four games left in the 2015 season will be.
Now, some might believe the Indians are the only baseball team in Cleveland. It’s not a choice, it’s a lack of options.1 Not for me. Herb Score and Tom Hamilton have told me nearly as many bedtime stories as my parents as I often fell asleep listening to games. The radio pressed firmly against my ear with the volume low enough not to be detected. Awakening with the crease marks from the speaker on my cheek was as much a summer ritual as drinking lemonade and running through a sprinkler.
Wait a moment, I feel a song coming on:
To the tune of Aerosmith’s “I Don’t Want to Miss a Thing“
I could stay awake just to hear Ham screaming
Watch Lindor smile while he is stealing
Though the playoffs now reserved for dreaming
I could spend my nights long-tossing with Trevor
Watching Cookie strikeout batters forever
Every “K” Kluber records
Is a “K” that I treasure
Don’t wanna hang the cleats
I don’t wanna rack the bat
‘Cause I’ll miss you, Tribe
And I don’t wanna miss a thing
‘Cause even when I Google you
The sweetest GIF would never do
I’ll still miss you, Tribe
And I don’t wanna miss a thing
Watching close right now
Cheering Yan’s throw caught stealing
Kipnis and good Doctor Smooth doubling
Wondering when Danny is dealing
Then I click my app and thank God we’re together
And I just want baseball with me
In this moment forever, forever and ever
Don’t wanna hang the cleats
I don’t want to rack the bat
‘Cause I’ll miss you, Tribe
And I don’t wanna miss a thing
‘Cause even when I google you
The sweetest GIF would never do
I’ll still miss you, Tribe
And I don’t wanna miss a thing
More animal cracker than Cookie as Twins take Game 1
Minnesota 7 Cleveland 1
Carlos Carrasco (L, 14-12, 3 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 2 BB, 5 K)
Kyle Gibson (W, 11-11, 6 IP, 0 ER, 4 H 2 BB, 9 K)
Carlos Carrasco couldn’t quite put cheese on his pitches as he suffered one of his worst outings of the season. A Joe Mauer comet led off the scoring in the first and it might still be traveling up toward the asteroid belt. However, the next eight Twin batters were set down, including five via strikeout.
But, for the next 23 pitches, Progressive Field became a shooting gallery. Even when Cookie started with two strikes on Mauer, he doubled to left. Miguel Sano singled. Trevor Plouffe started the tidal wave knocking in Mauer, covering an Eddie Rosario walk, Torii Hunter double, and Eduardo Nunez walk. The Indians’ faint postseason chances were incinerated in the heat blast, which left the Twins up 5-0 in the fourth inning with no outs and runners on first and second. Ryan Webb mitigated the damage, but it was too late.
Carrasco might ask himself, “Why do I do this?” after such games. But, the money’s good, the scenery changes, and they let him use his explosive arm. Okay?
As for the offense…1-for-10 with RISP…this is the best that you — that th-the Tribe, the *Cleveland Indians* can come up with? I mean, you-you’re a professional baseball team for cryin’ out loud, Y-you’re the guys that should hit mediocre starting pitchers like Kyle Gibson up! I’m sure you got a team of men sitting around somewhere right now just thinking ways to hit guys like him and somebody backing them up! You’re telling me you don’t have a backup plan for Brantley being shutdown, that these eight boy scouts in the first game, that is the Cleveland’s hope, that’s what you’re telling me?
Oh, except for Francisco Lindor. Frankie went 2-for-3 with two steals to break through the double-digit mark in stolen bases and further enhance his absolutely ridiculous overall offensive statistics. MLB.com writer August Fagerstrom put things in proper perspective with one simple tweet.
WAR per games played in 2015:
1. Bryce Harper
2. Josh Donaldson
3. Mike Trout
4. Francisco Lindor— August Fagerstrom (@AugustFG_) October 1, 2015
Hey, guys, remember, you’re – you’re heroes now.
Minnesota 2 Cleveland 10
Cody Anderson (W, 7-3, 7 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 4 BB, 2 K)
Mike Pelfrey (L, 6-11, 1.2 IP, 4 ER, 6 H 2 BB, 1 K)
A trillion tons of dirt and rock hurtled around the infield, creating a suffocating blanket of dust too powerful for a starting pitcher to penetrate. It has happened before. It will happen again. It was just a question of when. Mike Pelfrey found out that the when was the second inning of Game 2.
Third-string catcher Adam Moore struck out swinging in his first ever Cleveland Indian at-bat, and Jason Kipnis lined out. Everyone else, however, was riding the nuclear warhead into the stratosphere. Abraham Almonte, Michael Martinez, Jose Ramirez, Francisco Lindor, and Carlos Santana all drew straws. Somehow, in the end, the only one with the short straw was Mike Pelfrey, and he would only be saved when Paul Molitor pulled his oxygen line and shoved him back into the airshaft…errr, dugout. 4-0 Indians early on.
In a recent interview with WFNY, Indians Director of Player Development Carter Hawkins said the player who demonstrated the most outstanding work ethic and drive over the past calendar year was Cody Anderson.
Having hard work and dedication pay off is always heartening. Anderson ensured the four-run lead would hold up by controlling the Twin lineup through seven innings of shutout ball. Since returning to the rotation, Anderson has pitched 43.1 innings across seven games, holding a 5-0 record (the Indians are 6-1 overall in those games) with a 1.66 ERA as opposing batters are hitting a meager .204/.275/.309 against him.
Adam Moore pushed the lead to five when he got his first hit with the Tribe in the third. Then Francisco Lindor hit his 12th home run of his abbreviated season with Jason Kipnis on base to push the lead further.
In most cases, it would have been just another blowout game for the Indians (one way or the other). The Indians actually have the second most “blowout games” (those with a differential of 4 or more runs) in 2015, and they now sit 37-33 in those types of scenarios, with both games of the doubleheader qualifying.
Instead…
J-Ram upsets grumpy pants Molitor
Imagine a firecracker in the palm of your hand. You set it off, what happens? You burn your hand, right? You close your fist around the same firecracker, and set it off. Your wife’s gonna be opening your ketchup bottles the rest of your life.
Well, after Paul Molitor decided to walk Jason Kipnis in order to pitch to Jose Ramirez, J-Ram closed Molitor’s fist around that firecracker. Ramirez sent a high shot, which he admired with his bat in the air before celebratorily flipping it. As the Twins dugout is on the first base side, the bat landed in their general vicinity.
Hey, J-Ram was just tryin’ to have some fun before the season died!
Seriously, the Twins bench is absolutely ridiculous in how they react to a simple bat flip especially given that Molitor decided to intentionally walk the batter in front of Ramirez. It was a simple celebration. If the Twins decide to risk a member of the Indians by beaning either J-Ram or Lindor on Thursday — while the Twins should be focused on getting back the game they are back in the AL Wild Card standings — then that is on them for being idiots.
Final note on the season:
Just wanted to give everyone a hearty thank you for reading my scribblings this season. The Wednesday doubleheader is my last scheduled recap of the season (keep reading WFNY for Clayman), and I thoroughly enjoyed writing the recaps for you. Also, a big thanks to the editors and others at WFNY who have allowed me to go well beyond any type of script on many occasions. Whether it was utilizing terrible puns, giving a background story on Shaun Marcum, comparing fans to characters from Gilligan’s Island, or one of my many movie-quote recaps that I at least entertained myself on. It’s been a blast guys.
- Why yes, that line is directly from the 1998 film Armageddon. If you pay attention, you might see another line or two make its way into this recap. [↩]
22 Comments
Thanks for doing these all summer, bode. Nice rookie outing! I read most, even if I didn’t comment much at all. (Figured if I didn’t have something nice to say about the Indians . . . but it didn’t reflect on your recaps, which were great.)
Look forward to reading these again in April. April . . . . hmm, April something, something.
Appreciate you reading them. And look forward to reversing the April record from ’15 and hoping the team doesn’t turn a Wedge (strong start, poor finish).
Was gonna say pretty much what G_O said. I don’t always comment, but I always eagerly await the 10 o’clock post to see how you or Andrew are going to recap. It may have been a frustrating, mostly disappointing season for the team, but reading the recaps have been a blast.
Thank you.
And, if there is anything Cleveland sports have taught us: even in the frustrating portions, there is always some fun to be had.
Looking forward to seeing some of these guys come back next year. But I am really hoping to see what off-season improvements the “new” front office can squeeze out.
Man that 32-42 against the Central is what killed us. I hope we can find some way to get past our division next year.
Yeah, if you cannot win IN your division, then you cannot win your division.
Really strange the hold the Tigers had on us. Some of it was sequencing (playing them before they gave up), but we still should not be as bad as we have been against them the past several years.
And, thanks Hop for being in here with me day-in and day-out. Always good to have someone to talk Tribe even (or especially) on the things we disagree on.
Great job this year, sir. Hopefully you’ll have another month of writing next year!
Well now that you have finally agreed Carlos is what he is (a crappy baller) we have nothing left to disagee on! Haha
Fine work all season long, sir.
http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/hogwarts-clap.gif
http://www.reactiongifs.com/r/2s.gif
Cody Anderson is making me want to put Bauer on the trade block next to Carlos Santana with the specific target of a right handed power hitter. If not keep the starting pitching depth and take a look at some veteran role players such as Marlon Byrd who would be a perfect platoon with Chisenhall.
Thanks for reading and the constant supply of GIFs Sham.
Thank you. Yes, I wouldn’t mind the overtime pay either. wait, what’s that? oh..well, I wouldn’t mind anyway.
Thank you kind sir. Much appreciated.
Reverse that April record and we are gearing up for PO now.
At home too! Need to do much better at home. Need to be at least a few games over .500 at home.
While I think the unwritten rule stuff is nonsense, Ramirez went a little overboard last night. Admire your home run when you’re playoff bound. Not that he deserves to get plunked. It’s so silly that The Code requires some Twins pitcher to risk suspension during a playoff chase. Yeah, that’ll show us.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WN3wfCxU9DI
Yes, I can’t imagine the fortitude it takes to follow any baseball team all season long, let alone a struggling, underachieving one.
Well, I would have anyway. So, just sharing 🙂
More on this in a bit at WFNY 🙂