May 21, 2013

Tribe Weekend Recap: The Rotation Situation Helps The Tribe Take Two

April 15, 2013 by 19 Comments

Nick SwisherThe weekend brought a fresh series and a fresh start for the Indians. They hadn’t played since Tuesday’s 14-1
debacle against the New York Yankees and the back to back rainouts were a welcome sight. Let them wash away the the memories of that brutal two game stretch and get back to baseball. The bats slumbered in two of the three games against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field, but they scratched and clawed their way to a series win, taking the first two of the three-game set.

There has been lots to talk about since we last got together, so let us get right to it.

Nick Swisher’s walkoff single was a thing of beauty on a night of hideous at-bats. Friday night’s series opener had a first pitch temperature of 42 degrees. However, for the brave 11,864 who paid to see this one, it felt more like four degrees. It was cold and rainy, a brisk night that felt more like football weather. For nine innings, the Sox and Tribe pitchers completely shut down the opposing offenses. Chicago lefty Jose Quintana baffled the Tribe over his seven innings of work. The only baserunners he allowed were Michael Brantley, who got on base via a second inning double and Swisher, who he hit with a pitch in the fourth. Other than that, he was perfect. Seven strikeouts, no walks. [Read more...]

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Hoping the Indians used the rain to regroup

April 12, 2013 by 11 Comments

bauer acabJudging from the reactions of most fans—not including those who attempted to brave the elements—the consecutive rain-outs, effectively preempting the final two games of the Indians’ four-day Opening Series, was a welcomed relief.

The excitement and anticipation surrounding the lineup is largely still there, but the concern over the rotation, having just allowed 25 runs to the injury-riddled Yankees, is very real. Save for Justin Masterson, who has managed to defeat Cy Young winners in each of his first two outings, the men taking the bump to start games invoke emotions that range anywhere from cautious optimism all the way down to the throwing of blunt objects. The successful 2013 debut of Ubaldo Jiménez is largely an afterthought due to his woeful start in front of 40,000-plus fans on Opening Day. Brett Myers has yet to show that he resembles anything close to a middle-of-the-rotation arm let alone one that commanded $7 million and forced would-be starters to various minor league situations. Zach McAllister has the peripherals that say he should take the leap this season; he had a quality start during his first outing of the season, but the Indians lost.

[Read more...]

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Box Score: White Sox 9, Indians 0

October 3, 2012 by 1 Comment

The Indians (68-94) season has come to a woeful, merciless end. In a game as fitting as possible for this entire season, the White Sox (85-77) poured on 16 hits, led by three homers from backup first baseman Dan Johnson (his first HRs of the season), in a complete thrashing of the Tribe.

The next time you see Cleveland baseball, there likely will be plenty of changes to the lineup and the coaching staff. Oh, and Travis Hafner popped out to White Sox 3B Jose Lopez in the ninth. That seems ironic, doesn’t it?

 

Scoring Summary
Top 2nd: Chi White Sox
- D. Johnson homered to deep right, D. Viciedo scored
Top 4th: Chi White Sox
- H. Gimenez singled to shallow center, D. Viciedo scored, H. Gimenez to second on first baseman J. Hannahan’s fielding error
Top 5th: Chi White Sox
- P. Konerko homered to deep left, R. Olmedo scored
- D. Johnson homered to deep right, D. Viciedo scored
Top 9th: Chi White Sox
- D. Viciedo homered to right
- D. Johnson homered to right
 Chi White Sox
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
O. Hudson 2b 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 .197
D. Wise rf 4 0 1 0 0 1 2 1 2 .259
P. Konerko dh 4 1 1 2 1 1 1 0 2 .298
D. Viciedo lf 4 4 3 1 1 1 1 0 2 .255
D. Johnson 1b 5 3 3 5 3 0 0 0 1 .364
J. Lopez 3b 5 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1 .246
H. Gimenez c 5 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 0 .455
J. Danks cf 3 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 3 .000
R. Olmedo ss 5 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 3 .244
 Totals 41 9 16 9 5 5 7 1 17
 Batting
2B - D Viciedo (18, D Huff); R Olmedo (2, V Pestano).
HR - P Konerko (26, 5th inning off D Huff 1 on, 2 Out), D Viciedo (25, 9th inning off V Pestano 0 on, 0 Out), D Johnson 3 (3, 2nd inning off D Huff 1 on, 0 Out, 5th inning off D Huff 1 on, 2 Out, 9th inning off V Pestano 0 on, 0 Out).
RBI - P Konerko 2 (75), D Viciedo (78), D Johnson 5 (6), H Gimenez (1).
2-out RBI - P Konerko 2, D Johnson 2, H Gimenez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - O Hudson 2, P Konerko 1, D Viciedo 1, J Danks 2.
GIDP - O Hudson, P Konerko, R Olmedo.
Team LOB - 10.
 Base Running
SB - D Wise (19, 2nd base off D Huff/L Marson).
 Fielding
DP - 1 (R Olmedo-O Hudson-D Johnson).
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 .283
J. Kipnis 2b 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 .257
L. Chisenhall 3b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .268
R. Canzler lf 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 .269
T. Hafner dh 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 .228
C. Phelps ss 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .212
J. Hannahan 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 .244
L. Marson c 2 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 .226
J. Donald cf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .202
 Totals 31 0 5 0 0 2 9 0 8
 Batting
2B - J Kipnis (22, B Omogrosso).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - L Chisenhall 2, R Canzler 1, T Hafner 1.
GIDP - J Hannahan.
Team LOB - 6.
 Fielding
E - L Chisenhall (6, throw); J Hannahan (14, field).
DP - 3 (D Huff-C Phelps-J Hannahan, C Phelps-J Kipnis-J Hannahan, C Phelps-J Kipnis-J Hannahan).
 Chi White Sox
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
G. Floyd (W, 12-11) 7.0 3 0 0 2 6 0 1.36 4.29
B. Omogrosso 0.2 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.38 2.57
L. Septimo 1.1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0.98 5.02
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Huff (L, 3-1) 4.2 9 7 3 2 2 3 1.31 3.38
T. Sipp 1.1 1 0 0 1 3 0 1.27 4.42
C. Seddon 1.1 3 0 0 1 0 0 1.40 3.67
F. Herrmann 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.83 2.33
V. Pestano 0.2 3 2 2 1 2 2 1.10 2.57
C. Allen 0.1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.52 3.72
WP - T Sipp.
Pitches-strikes - G Floyd 99-59; B Omogrosso 14-11; L Septimo 13-9; D Huff 96-58; T Sipp 22-14; C Seddon 20-11; F Herrmann 4-3; V Pestano 21-13; C Allen 3-2.
Ground balls-fly balls - G Floyd 7-7; B Omogrosso 2-0; L Septimo 1-1; D Huff 10-10; T Sipp 1-1; C Seddon 4-0; F Herrmann 1-0; V Pestano 0-2; C Allen 1-0.
Batters faced - G Floyd 25; B Omogrosso 4; L Septimo 4; D Huff 25; T Sipp 6; C Seddon 7; F Herrmann 1; V Pestano 6; C Allen 1.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Mike Everitt. 1B–Laz Diaz. 2B–Tim Welke. 3B–Paul Schrieber.
Weather: 64 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 10 mph, out to right.

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Pitchers’ Duel Crumbles Into Chicago Slugfest

October 2, 2012 by 7 Comments

I’ve had the pleasure 1 of recapping several of Corey Kluber’s starts this season. For nearly six innings tonight, it was his best start of the season by far as he held the potent White Sox offense in check. But, those pesky pale hosers broke through with two outs in the sixth and struck for four runs. The Tribe had no answer for that, mustering just two hits of their own, as they went on to lose this final series opener 11-0.

Kluber had command early in this game and navigated through the first five innings allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out five. His changeup was effective, and in addition to the K’s, he was jamming the White Sox for lots of easy grounders and shallow fly balls. In the first five, his biggest threat was in the second when he surrendered two leadoff singles and a passed ball by Santana moved up the runners. Then came the sixth.

In the momentum shifting sixth, Kluber retired Gordon Beckham on a groundout before Dewayne Wise bunted his way on base. Kluber bounced back to strike out Kevin Youkilis before squaring off with Adam Dunn. During Dunn’s AB, the Tribe battery tried to keep tabs on Wise, owner of 17 steals in 98 games. But, when Wise took off on a 1-1 count, Santana’s throw was too late and to the wrong side of the bag. 2 Of course, Dunn made them pay as he took a vanilla 91 mph slider with too much of the plate and served it into center to break the scoreless tie. After a Paul Konerko walk, Alex Rios followed that up by banging one high off the left field wall, plating Dunn and dispatching of Kluber. Joe Smith then gave up a pair of singles to A.J. Pierzynski and Dayan Viciedo before recording the final out of the inning. [Read more...]

___________________________________

  1. Tongue-in-cheek here. [back]
  2. Carlos also had two passed balls. I agree with the STO guys, it looked like Santana was a little lazy behind the dish. [back]

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Box Score: White Sox 11, Indians 0

October 2, 2012 by 3 Comments

While the White Sox claimed a big victory today, the Indians already had knocked Chicago out of playoff contention last week. Detroit’s Monday night victory clinched the AL Central for the Tigers, accomplishing an impressive September comeback to win the worst division in baseball.

And, oh yeah, the Indians lost badly on Monday. They managed just two hits and one walk while striking out 12 times against the fearsome trio of Hector Santiago, Jesse Crain and Leyson Septimo.

Only two games remain now for the Tribe (67-93) in 2012, who secured their third season with less than 70 wins since 2009. They’re one of only 5 MLB teams (Kansas City, NY Mets, Pittsburgh, Houston) to not have a .500 record or better during these four years.

 
Scoring Summary
Top 6th: Chi White Sox
- A. Dunn singled to shallow center, D. Wise scored
- A. Rios singled to left, A. Dunn scored, P. Konerko to second
- A.J. Pierzynski singled to right center, P. Konerko scored, A. Rios to third
- D. Viciedo singled to right, A. Rios scored, A.J. Pierzynski to third
Top 8th: Chi White Sox
- A. Ramirez singled to shallow center, A.J. Pierzynski scored, D. Viciedo to second
Top 9th: Chi White Sox
- A. Dunn singled to shallow right, D. Wise scored, K. Youkilis to second
- P. Konerko singled to shallow right, K. Youkilis scored, A. Dunn to third
- D. Viciedo homered to deep left, J. Danks, R. Olmedo and A.J. Pierzynski scored
 Chi White Sox
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
D. Wise cf 6 2 2 0 0 0 3 1 2 .262
K. Youkilis 3b 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 .235
    J. Lopez 1b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .243
A. Dunn dh 4 1 2 2 0 1 2 0 1 .206
    J. Danks pr-rf 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
P. Konerko 1b 4 1 2 1 0 1 1 0 1 .299
    R. Olmedo pr-3b 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .226
A. Rios rf 5 1 2 1 0 0 2 0 3 .304
    L. Septimo p 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .000
A.J. Pierzynski c 4 2 2 1 0 1 1 0 2 .278
D. Viciedo lf 4 1 2 5 1 1 1 0 2 .252
A. Ramirez ss 5 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 .265
G. Beckham 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 .234
 Totals 42 11 15 11 1 4 11 1 18
 Batting
HR - D Viciedo (23, 9th inning off S Maine 3 on, 1 Out).
RBI - A Dunn 2 (96), P Konerko (73), A Rios (91), A Pierzynski (77), D Viciedo 5 (75), A Ramirez (73).
2-out RBI - A Dunn, A Rios, A Pierzynski, D Viciedo, A Ramirez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - A Dunn 1, A Ramirez 3, G Beckham 1.
GIDP - A Rios.
Team LOB - 8.
 Base Running
SB - D Wise (18, 2nd base off C Kluber/C Santana).
 Fielding
DP - 1 (H Santiago-G Beckham-P Konerko).
 Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 3 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .284
    T. Neal ph 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .217
J. Kipnis 2b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .256
    C. Phelps ph 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .241
A. Cabrera ss 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .273
    B. Lillibridge ph 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .197
C. Santana c 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 .253
R. Canzler dh 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .291
M. Brantley cf 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 .287
M. LaPorta 1b 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .241
L. Chisenhall 3b 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 .271
V. Rottino lf 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .111
 Totals 28 0 2 0 0 1 12 0 7
 Batting
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Santana 1.
GIDP - C Santana.
Team LOB - 4.
 Fielding
E - L Chisenhall (5, throw).
PB - C Santana 2.
DP - 1 (L Chisenhall-J Kipnis-M LaPorta).
 Chi White Sox
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
H. Santiago (W, 4-1) 7.0 1 0 0 1 10 0 1.34 3.33
J. Crain 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.08 2.44
L. Septimo 1.0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1.08 5.54
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
C. Kluber (L, 2-5) 5.2 5 4 4 2 6 0 1.49 5.14
J. Smith 1.0 2 0 0 0 1 0 1.18 3.00
S. Barnes 0.1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.33 4.50
C. Allen 0.2 2 1 1 1 1 0 1.53 3.77
E. Rogers 0.1 4 4 4 0 0 0 1.12 3.12
S. Maine 1.0 2 2 2 1 2 1 2.67 10.50
HBP - T Neal (by L Septimo); A Cabrera (by H Santiago).
Pitches-strikes - L Septimo 11-6; H Santiago 108-78; J Crain 13-8; C Kluber 97-62; J Smith 16-11; S Barnes 5-3; C Allen 28-19; E Rogers 22-14; S Maine 30-17.
Ground balls-fly balls - L Septimo 2-1; H Santiago 8-3; J Crain 2-0; C Kluber 6-4; J Smith 5-0; S Barnes 0-0; C Allen 3-0; E Rogers 0-1; S Maine 0-2.
Batters faced - L Septimo 5; H Santiago 23; J Crain 3; C Kluber 23; J Smith 6; S Barnes 1; C Allen 5; E Rogers 5; S Maine 6.
Game Details
Umpires: HP–Tim Welke. 1B–Paul Schrieber. 2B–Mike Everitt. 3B–Laz Diaz.
Weather: 61 degrees, cloudy.
Wind: 8 mph, in from right.

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Indians win 6-4, knock White Sox out of first place

September 27, 2012 by 4 Comments

Baseball is a really weird sport. Well, maybe not weird so much as it has a really grueling, long season with streaks, peaks and unfortunately for the Indians, collapses. What in the world am I talking about? I’m filling in for TD today on the recap, so I’ll just lean on him anyway. These were some of his comments on Twitter last night.

I cannot believe this White Sox team has been in first place this long. Talk about unimpressive.

Stat of the year: The Indians have been in first place 40 days this season. The Tigers? Counting (yesterday,) 38.

Seriously, the AL Central doesn’t deserve a playoff team. The Sox are fighting for their lives with Hector Santiago and Brian Omogrosso?

And that’s always been such an interesting thing about baseball this time of year. Pennant races are being decided not by Johnny Damon, but Russ Canzler. They’re being decided by Ezequiel Carrera and Vinnie Rottino instead of Grady Sizemore. And now when it matters most for the White Sox and least for the Indians, the Tribe plays the role of spoiler. [Read more...]

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Kluber Spoils Afternoon For Sox, Perez Spoils Win With Postgame Comments

September 26, 2012 by 11 Comments

Poor Corey Kluber. The Indians rookie right-hander gave his signature performance yesterday in a big spot and all people want to talk about this morning are the comments made by closer Chris Perez.

Playing spoiler is something that nobody wants to be in position to do, but the Indians are in that spot. Over the first two games in this series against the Chicago White Sox, you can argue that the Indians have completely outplayed the team currently occupying first place in the AL Central. They have looked like quitters at times over the last two months, but something has gotten into them this week.

A few weeks back, the White Sox organization decided to move up the time of the game to 1:10 local in observance of the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur. It was quite a coincidence that they now have Kevin Youkilis on their team, who is Jewish. Youk had said that had it been a night game, he would not have played. In the end, the decision didn’t help as the Sox came out completely asleep.

Kluber is not exactly the second coming of Roger Clemens and for the most part, hasn’t really done much to impress in his 11 starts since taking a spot in the rotation. In fact, the Tribe lost nine of his first 10 starts.

However yesterday, the righty had the Sox completely baffled. Kluber had the longest outing of his short career, seven innings. Other than the two solo homers to A.J. Pierzynski and Dayan Viciedo in the fifth, The Sox couldn’t touch the kid. [Read more...]

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WFNY Wednesday Wahoos: Indians Minor League Weekly Review 7/25

July 25, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Each and every Wednesday, I try to bring you all of the news and notes from the Cleveland Indians minor league system. Enjoy.

And the trading madness has begun. … Oh wait. The Indians have only acquired IF/OF Brent Lillibridge thus far? That’s not that incredibly exciting then. But Tuesday’s series-opening victory over Detroit sure got Cleveland fans back in the excitement of the playoff race, at least. [Read more...]

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Kevin Youkilis Traded To White Sox

June 24, 2012 by 3 Comments

Well, that didn’t take long. One day after another public spat with manager Bobby Valentine, albeit fairly benign, the Boston Red Sox have traded Kevin Youkilis to the Chicago White Sox. Youkilis has been hampered by injury the past two seasons and his numbers had declined significantly. There was little room for him in the Red Sox plans with the emergence Will Middlebrooks at third, David Ortiz entrenched in the DH spot, and Adrian Gonzalez locked in at first base.

The Indians were once thought to be potential suitors for Youkilis if he were to go on the market, but those rumors faded and this weekend Ken Rosenthal was told that the Tribe was a “longshot” to land him. It was a rough weekend for the Tribe bats, scoring just two runs against two Houston left-handed starters. Youkilis was a potential target to fill the need for a right-handed bat, but certainly not an ideal option.

The White Sox seemed to have the inside track and they completed the deal before the weekend was out, sending right-hander Zach Stewart and utility man Brent Lillibridge to Boston.

[Related: What About Soriano To The Indians?]

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Indians Notes: Kipnis as Leader, Chisenhall Returns, Strength of Schedule

June 3, 2012 by 7 Comments

There aren’t particularly too many Browns storylines right now and my brother and I covered many of the pivotal NBA ones yesterday, so today is Tribe time. Check out my usual WFNY Wednesday Wahoos for more of my regular Tribe coverage.

– Who are the new Cleveland Indians? Of course, people reminisce all the time about the Tribe teams of the ’90s. Those teams were the classics for many current sports fans in NE Ohio, featuring such legends like Jim Thome, Manny Ramirez, Sandy Alomar and more. Then, moving forward, the Indians continued to win games and AL Central titles up till 2001, before having a six-year playoff lapse.

Looking back, the team that went to the 2007 ALCS featured names such as Victor Martinez, CC Sabathia and Jhonny Peralta, all guys on other AL teams also fighting for the 2012 playoffs, along with long-gone folks like Ryan Garko, Casey Blake, Josh Barfield and Joe Borowski. Outside of players that then hardly played like Asdrubal Cabrera, Rafael Perez, Fausto Carmona/Roberto Hernandez and Shin-Soo Choo, there are hardly any guys still around from just five years ago. [Read more...]

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Box Score: White Sox 14, Indians 7

May 26, 2012 by 7 Comments

The Indians dropped their first game without the troika of Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana, and Travis Hafner, who are all on the shelf for a variety of reasons. But it wasn’t an unimpressive lineup that led to the loss, as the Tribe’s pitchers were shelled by the White Sox. Derek Lowe’s regression came in a swift and thunderous swoop, as the sinkerballer gave up 8 earned runs in just 2.1 innings. The bat of Jason Kipnis made it a game as the Tribe offense battled back into it, but another blow-up inning by Joe Smith and two defensive miscues in the 7th put the game out of reach.

Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .277
M. Brantley cf 4 1 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 .269
J. Kipnis 2b 4 2 2 4 2 0 1 0 0 .272
J. Lopez dh 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 .250
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .217
J. Damon lf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .153
J. Hannahan 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 .276
J. Diaz ss 3 1 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 .000
L. Marson c 3 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 .121
 Totals 33 7 6 7 2 1 10 0 2
 Batting
2B - M Brantley (15, J Peavy).
HR - J Kipnis 2 (8, 3rd inning off J Peavy 1 on, 1 Out, 5th inning off J Peavy 1 on, 1 Out).
RBI - M Brantley 3 (17), J Kipnis 4 (28).
Team LOB - 1.
 Fielding
E - C Kotchman (2, field); J Diaz (1, field).
 Chi White Sox
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
A. De Aza cf 5 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 3 .280
G. Beckham 2b 5 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 .204
A. Dunn dh 5 2 2 0 0 0 3 0 0 .244
P. Konerko 1b 4 3 4 2 0 1 0 0 0 .396
    B. Lillibridge pr-1b 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .186
A. Rios rf 5 3 3 3 1 0 0 0 3 .275
A.J. Pierzynski c 5 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 .312
D. Viciedo lf 5 2 3 5 1 0 0 0 0 .264
A. Ramirez ss 4 0 2 0 0 0 1 1 1 .209
O. Hudson 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 .231
 Totals 42 14 17 12 2 1 9 2 15
 Batting
2B - A Dunn (10, D Lowe); P Konerko 3 (13, D Lowe, J Accardo, T Sipp); A Rios (8, J Smith); A Pierzynski (7, D Lowe).
HR - A Rios (4, 8th inning off T Sipp 1 on, 1 Out), D Viciedo (10, 3rd inning off D Lowe 1 on, 1 Out).
RBI - A De Aza (20), P Konerko 2 (29), A Rios 3 (23), A Pierzynski (32), D Viciedo 5 (23).
2-out RBI - A Pierzynski, D Viciedo 2.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G Beckham 2, A Pierzynski 1.
Team LOB - 5.
 Base Running
SB - A Ramirez (4, 2nd base off D Lowe/L Marson), O Hudson (1, 2nd base off J Accardo/L Marson).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
D. Lowe (L, 6-3) 2.1 10 8 8 0 3 1 1.52 3.25
J. Accardo 2.2 1 0 0 0 3 0 1.11 2.84
N. Hagadone 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0.93 1.93
J. Smith 1.0 4 4 3 1 1 0 1.35 4.05
T. Sipp 1.0 2 2 2 0 1 1 1.56 6.19
 Chi White Sox
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Peavy (W, 6-1) 6.1 6 7 7 1 9 2 0.92 3.07
M. Thornton (H, 7) 0.2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.30 3.15
J. Crain 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1.05 1.46
W. Ohman 1.0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1.06 6.35

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Asdrubal Cabrera, Carlos Santana Out For Game 2 Against White Sox

May 26, 2012 by 12 Comments

Well, Manny Acta said the Indians would have to see how both Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana were doing when the team got to the park on Saturday, and it looks like both will not be able to go in the second game of the series. Both young stars were removed from Friday’s game as a “precaution” and they’re going to be held out again as the Indians try to avoid further injury which could derail what appears to be a contending season.

So Acta will put out an significantly inferior lineup against the dominating Jake Peavy on Saturday. Both Cabrera and Santana are down, and Travis Hafner was already out, staying back in Cleveland to have his sore right knee treated. The little bit of good news is the return of Jack Hannahan, who the Tribe desperately needed on the left side of the infield. Jose Lopez will DH and hit cleanup in this murderers’ row, and he’ll be protected by Casey Kotchman and Johnny Damon. Juan Diaz, who was promoted yesterday from Akron, will play short in place of Asdrubal and bat 8th, while Laser Lou will fill in for Santana and bat 9th.

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Box Score: White Sox 9, Indians 3

May 25, 2012 by 3 Comments

Riding the high of a three-game sweep of the Tigers, the Cleveland Indians came down to earth quickly on Friday night. The White Sox shelled the Tribe in a 9-3 disaster of a game. More important than the loss were the injuries to both Asdrubal Cabrera and Carlos Santana. Cabrera left the game  with tightness in his hamstring and Santana left the game shortly after that when he took a foul ball off his facemask. It was an ugly night.

Cleveland
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
S. Choo rf 3 2 2 0 0 1 1 0 0 .276
J. Kipnis 2b 3 0 2 0 0 1 0 2 0 .267
A. Cabrera ss 3 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 4 .301
    J. Diaz ss 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .000
C. Santana c 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 5 .245
    L. Marson c 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .100
J. Lopez 3b 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 .267
S. Duncan dh 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 .200
J. Damon lf 4 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1 .162
C. Kotchman 1b 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 .216
A. Cunningham cf 4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 .192
 Totals 33 3 7 3 1 3 7 3 17
 Batting
2B - S Choo 2 (13, J Quintana 2).
HR - S Duncan (4, 9th inning off Z Stewart 0 on, 0 Out).
RBI - A Cabrera (20), C Santana (24), S Duncan (11).
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - C Santana 2, J Lopez 2, A Cunningham 1.
GIDP - C Kotchman.
Team LOB - 6.
 Base Running
SB - J Kipnis 2 (8, 2nd base off J Quintana/A Pierzynski, 2nd base off H Santiago/A Pierzynski), S Duncan (1, 2nd base off J Quintana/A Pierzynski).
 Fielding
E - J Lopez (2, field).
DP - 1 (J Lopez-J Kipnis-C Kotchman).
 Chi White Sox
AB R H RBI HR BB K SB LOB Season Avg
A. De Aza cf 4 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 3 .288
G. Beckham 2b 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 .204
A. Dunn dh 4 1 1 2 1 1 3 0 1 .239
P. Konerko 1b 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 .381
    B. Lillibridge 1b 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 .186
A. Rios rf 5 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 4 .265
A.J. Pierzynski c 3 3 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 .309
D. Viciedo lf 3 2 2 2 1 1 0 0 0 .252
A. Ramirez ss 4 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 1 .202
O. Hudson 3b 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 .333
 Totals 34 9 10 9 3 7 6 0 18
 Batting
3B - A Pierzynski (2, J Asencio).
HR - A Dunn (15, 1st inning off J Gomez 1 on, 1 Out), A Pierzynski (8, 2nd inning off J Gomez 0 on, 0 Out), D Viciedo (9, 7th inning off J Asencio 1 on, 2 Out).
RBI - A De Aza 2 (19), A Dunn 2 (35), A Pierzynski 2 (31), D Viciedo 2 (18), A Ramirez (18).
2-out RBI - A De Aza 2, A Pierzynski, D Viciedo 2, A Ramirez.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out - G Beckham 2, A Rios 2.
GIDP - A Rios.
Team LOB - 8.
 Fielding
DP - 1 (G Beckham-A Ramirez-B Lillibridge).
 Cleveland
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Gomez (L, 3-3) 5.2 6 6 6 4 3 2 1.17 3.94
J. Asencio 1.1 3 3 0 1 2 1 1.23 4.18
J. Accardo 1.0 1 0 0 2 1 0 1.64 4.91
 Chi White Sox
IP H R ER BB K HR WHIP Season ERA
J. Quintana (W, 1-0) 6.0 4 2 2 3 4 0 0.86 1.54
H. Santiago 2.0 1 0 0 0 2 0 1.53 3.71
Z. Stewart 1.0 2 1 1 0 1 1 1.42 4.08

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White Sox 8 Indians 1: Just One Of Those Games

May 10, 2012 by 8 Comments

The old adage in baseball is momentum is the next day’s starting pitcher. The beauty of the game of baseball is the you can turn the page after a bad night. The season is a marathon, not a sprint. You can’t get too high or too low after one game.

Take last night for example.

The game between the Tribe and the Chicago White Sox was delayed by an hour thanks to a light rain storm. The umpires didnt want to start the game, get the pitchers all warmed up, and then have a delay. They would have been better off just calling the game for the Indians sake.

The White Sox abused Jeanmar Gomez during a six-run fourth inning which for all intents and purposes ended the game. Chicago would go on to take the final game of the series 8-1.

They got two in the first inning for the second straight night, this time thanks to an Adam Dunn homer. Interestingly in the last three games of the series, Dunn crushed a pitch in the first inning deep into the Cleveland skies. On Monday night, Michael Brantley reached up and stole a homer at the fence. An evening later, Brantley tracked the Dunn fly ball, but mis-timed his jump and watched as the ball bounced off of his glove for a double. Last night there was no catching that Dunn shot. [Read more...]

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White Sox 5, Indians 3: A Debate “Rages” On

May 9, 2012 by 13 Comments

The red hot Cleveland Indians seem to be doing no wrong these days. Every decision Manager Manny Acta has made seems to be the right one. The right strings are being pulled. However last night, after the Indians used a little Progressive Field magic eighth inning comeback, Acta made a decision that was scrutinzed after the White Sox took the game 5-3 in 10 innings.

The Tribe offense was completely shut down against another lefty John Danks, who they have had good success against during his career (4-8 with an ERA over five in 15 starts coming in). For seven innings, Danks was working on a three-hit shutout. On the other side was Justin Masterson who didn’t have his slider working, but managed to weave his way through six innings allowing just two earned runs on six hits.

The walks are still a serious problem for J Mast. In this start, he walked five White Sox. Over his last five starts, Masterson has given free passes 23 times in 29 innings pitched. That just isn’t going to cut it. [Read more...]

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Tribe Grit: Indians Take Two From the White Sox and Keep Rolling

May 8, 2012 by 19 Comments

It was quite the double dip yesterday down at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. The weather was dicey. The fact that they were able to get two games in was a borderline miracle. At noon, it was dark and a torrential downpour at Progressive Field. Yet at 1:05, the sun was out and the tarp was lifted. The first pitch came at 1:30.

The afternoon tilt was literally a tale of two games. The Indians offense absolutely erupted against Phil Humber, he of the recent perfect game. Travis Hafner got things started with a solo blast to the right field seats to tie the game at one. Carlos Santana followed with a double into the right field corner. Shin-Soo Choo then singled to shallow right and stole second, putting two runners in scoring position for Michael Brantley. Brantley, who has looked more comfortable at the plate of late, delivered in a big way, singled in both Santana to put the Tribe on top. Casey Kotchman’s fielder’s choice  — which should have been a double play but was thrown away by shortstop Alexei Ramirez – scored Choo.

But they were far from done. [Read more...]

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Indians’ Enthusiasm and Chemistry Irking AL Central Opponents

May 4, 2012 by 38 Comments

The Cleveland Indians are making very few friends among the AL Central. Currently leading the division, the 2012 Wahoos are showing levels of passion that have drawn the ire of their opponents on multiple occasions. And if anyone wants to say or do anything about it, there are countless teammates waiting in the wings to defend.

While the Browns have been known more for not retaliating while their quarterbacks are being decapitated ad nauseum, and the Cavaliers’ lasting visual of the last two seasons is LeBron James heckling the bench (with nary an act of retribution) during his return to Cleveland, this current crop of Indians are showing chemistry and epitomizing “team” every time they take the field.

Thursday night provided a high-leverage situation. After walking Chicago White Sox slugger Paul Konerko, Indians closer Chris Perez, having been rushed on to the mound after reliever Dan Wheeler decided that the evening needed a little added suspense, struck out veteran catcher AJ Pierzynski and induced a ground out from the bat of overpaid outfielder Alex Rios. Both men represented the game-tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning. [Read more...]

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Indians 7, White Sox 5: Kipnis Owns His Hometown

May 4, 2012 by 35 Comments

In case you have been living under a rock and didn’t know, Jason Kipnis is from Chicago. He’s a North Side kid from the suburb of Northbrook, which is Cubs country. He never had an affinity for the White Sox growing up, and it seems that he has kept that same attitude towards them as an adult.

The 25-year-old second baseman has been on an absolute tear of late, and he took out any frustrations from a slow start on the South Side nine, leading the Indians to a 7-5 win while taking yet another road series against a division opponent. Overall, it was the Tribe’s fourth consecutive series win away from home, the first time the team has done so to start a season since 1961.

Kipnis owned the series with six hits and five RBI. But it was last night’s game where he truly took command.  [Read more...]

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Indians 6, White Sox 3: The Bases Loaded Hex, Jackie, and General Cramping

May 3, 2012 by 39 Comments

What a crazy day in sports.

NFL legend Junior Seau dies of an apparent suicide. Four current or former New Orleans Saints players were suspended for their roles in the NFL bounty scandal. The New York Rangers beat the Washington Capitals in a triple overtime classic in the NHL Playoffs. There were three walk-off home run winners in Major League Baseball, and Jered Weaver of the Angels tosses a no-hitter against the Minnesota Twins. The Indians did their part on the local side of things, with a thrilling 6-3 win in Chicago to even the series with the Chicago White Sox.

The big story coming into this one was the debut of Johnny Damon, the man who the fans and the front office are looking to to provide a charge to the sagging offense. Johnny made four plate appearances, going 0-3 with a walk, and then had to be taken out of the game after six innings due to a new phrase that was running wild on twitter last night: “General Cramping.”

“I felt it in my hands, the back, the calves,” Damon said. “I was like, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’ Sometimes I guess when you get jacked up and ready to go, this kind of stuff can happen. I plan to be ready tomorrow.”

As it turns out, they wouldn’t need Damon in this one to pull out the W. It was the long ball and a big time clutch hit that did it.

From the start however, it looked as if we were heading down the same road we’ve seen offensively during the last homestand. In the first inning, Jason Kipnis walked and Asdrubal Cabrera followed with a ground-rule double which forced Kipnis to stay at third. Shin-Soo Choo and Travis Hafner then failed to come through in a strikeout sandwich with a Carlos Santana walk as the middle against Sox righty Phil Humber.

They loaded the bases again in the third with one out on a Kipnis single, a Cabrera walk, and Hafner being drilled in the knee with a pitch. Once again, nothing came of it after Santana and Choo both struck out.  After these two fiascos where the Tribe stranded six runners, the numbers with the bases loaded moved to a putrid 3-26  (.115) overall and 0-14 with two out.

Here we go again? Not so fast.

Josh Tomlin, Manny Acta’s “Little Cowboy” made quick work of the Sox in the first three innings but was touched up for an Adam Dunn solo homer in the fourth. With Chicago ahead 1-0, the Tribe attack finally struck back with some two out lightning. With nobody on Cabrera walked a second time and Hafner singled, bringing Santana to the plate with another RBI chance. He took full advantage by absolutely tattooing a Humber pitch deep into the right field seats to put the Tribe on top 3-1.

The lead was short lived as Tomlin struggled in the bottom half of the frame.

The Sox had two on with two out and Tomlin had a chance to get out of the jam, but he walked Alejandro De Aza on four pitches to load the bases.  The then .202 Alexei Ramirez singled to left, scoring two to tie things at three. We got our first taste of the Johnny Damon arm experience on the Ramirez hit. His throw to third was Aaron Cunningham-esque; a grounder. As long as Damon hits, we won’t care about his defense, but just prepare yourself for the fact that everyone will be running on him on any hit to left field.

After Tomlin and Humber both got through the sixth unscathed, the game turned into the battle of the bullpens. Advantage: Bullpen Mafia.

Sox lefty Will Ohman and Tribe side-arm special Joe Smith traded scoreless frames in the seventh, moving things forward. Ohman got the first two Indians in the eighth before Michael Brantley singled. Casey Kotchman, in a 2-30 skid and hitting .143 on the season, actually worked a walk, putting the go-ahead run in scoring position for Mr. Clutch himself, Jack Hannahan.

“I love coming up with guys in scoring position,” Hannahan said.

Interestingly, White Sox rookie manager Robin Ventura decided to pull the lefty Ohman for hard throwing rookie right-hander Addison Reed. Lefty, righty, knucker-baller, side-armer, it just doesn’t seem to matter to Hannahan in big spots. Jackie laced a double down the left field line scoring Brantley and putting the Indians in the lead.

It never gets old looking at these stats: Hannahan is now hitting .500 (9-18) with 15 RBIs with runners in scoring position, 8-13 (.615) with 12 RBIs with two outs and runners in scoring position!

Incredible.

“Jack Hannahan is a two-out, RBI machine,” said Joe Smith, who thanks to Hannahan was the winning pitcher for the first time this season.

“Early on in my career, when I’ve had guys in scoring position, I was trying to do too much,” Hannahan explained.  ”I was trying to hit that home run instead of just hitting the ball the other way or hitting a ground ball up the middle. I’ve found out this year that less is more. I’m just trying to put the bat on the ball.”

The Tribe wasn’t done though.  They got two huge insurance runs in the ninth thanks to a Hafner two-run blast off of lefty Matt Thornton. Hafner limped around the bases, still feeling the soreness of being hit in the knee by a a Humber pitch earlier in the game. But I will say this, Pronk looks like he is back. When he has been healthy the past year-plus, his batting eye is there. He is stinging the ball off the bat and looks closer to the man who was so good during the middle part of the last decade.

With a three-run cushion, closer Chris Perez settled in and got the Sox 1-2-3 for his eighth save. It was a gritty win for this group, who now sit alone in first place in the AL Central. They go for another series win tonight with ace Justin Masterson (0-2, 5.40 ERA) taking the hill. Its May 3rd and he is still looking for his first win of the season. The Sox counter with lefty John Danks (2-3, 6.23 ERA) who beat the Tribe on April 11th, but was shaky going just five and two-thirds and allowing four runs on seven hits.

(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Video: Indians Fall Victim to Chicago Home Run Smoke

May 2, 2012 by 2 Comments

We discussed it here, but in the event you missed it live, MLB.com allows fans to see the miscue for themselves.

Notice the completely different, and expected, reactions from the two broadcasting crews.

[Related: Matt LaPorta: We Won’t Get Fooled Again…Will We?]

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