Houston, YOU Have A Problem

I totally, totally stole today's blog title from @PureRage_Perez

Houston, YOU have a problem. Crank it Jerry. #Indians
— Pure Rage Perez (@PureRage_Perez) April 21, 2013

But, that guy stole Chris Perez's identity so what goes around comes around. Besides, you all subscribe to his Twitter feed already anyway, don't you?

Exciting game today, lots of stuff going on! Home runs! Triples! Stunning plays! A cow in the outfield!

Ubaldo pitched today and I still don't really want to talk about him. I hope this helped "get his mind right" blah blah blah. We'll see you in 5 days.

Nick Hagadone and Cody Allen collaborated for the 6th inning and didn't give up any runs, but Hagadone walked two. Allen actually ended up with the win even though he only threw one out. Hagadone had come in and gave up a sacrifice run in the form of Jiminez's base runners, and then walked two, so Allen did do a huge service to the team by coming in and getting that elusive third out without giving up any more runs (especially since we ended up winning by one).

Everyone was excited that in the 7th inning we were in a Smith-Pestano-Perez situation! Except Joe Smith was shaky shaky and gave up 2 hits before getting 2 strikeouts and a groundout. Whew!

Vinnie P came in and gave up a single but he got the next 3 out. Good ol' boring Vinnie. Chris Perez, on the other hand - not so boring! Usually he gives up one hit and gets a strikeout or two then gets the last guy to pop out. Tonight he gave up a double then hit a guy (no warning), then a guy who totally botched a bunt in his last at-bat laid down a good one and was almost safe but he did get the sacrifice done. Then he intentionally walks a guy and the bases are loaded and it's like "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!"

The next guy hit a sharp grounder to Mark Reynolds...who was playing third...who fielded it with aplomb and tossed it over to first and that was the end. Are you kidding me?!

Nobody seemed to notice that Reynolds just saved Perez's ass, either. After he made the play he just sort of wandered the middle of the infield by himself.

Did anyone see that? No?

Reynolds wasn't the only one saving pitchers today. Mike Aviles helped out Jiminez with this Asdrubal-like play (he's still out with a wrist contusion). And Drew Stubbs, filling in in center, got a double play by catching a towering fly ball at the wall, with his back to home, and getting it back to first just before the runner. He's been chasing them down left and right this year. What do you think of that, Surprised Shelley Duncan?

Drew Stubbs is good!

Compared to yesterday, the team wasn't on fire at the plate. However they did rack up 4 homers, 2 doubles and a triple and came away with 11 hits. Almost everyone hit!

Michael Brantley only went 1 for 5 today, and Kipnis only went 1 for 4. Neither of them walked or got any runs.

Carlos Santana was the only other multi-year Indian in the lineup today and he was representin'! He went 2 for 5 with a capital-H Homer to Oklahoma and also a double. He's batting .380 and it's legit, with 13 hits in his last 10 games. I am guessing his bruised thumb is all fixed!

Nick Swisher only got one measly hit today, a single in 5 tries. But he was literally the most excited guy in the dugout each time a guy hit a home run! Go team!

 Mark Reynolds continues to be a stud at the plate (as well as in the field, as you saw. Third base?) getting his tied-for-league-leading 7th home run today. He's also nowhere near the top of the league in strikeouts, unlike Chris Davis (BAL) who leads the league in both! He's also tied for 4th in RBI. Reynolds went 1 for 3 today, he also had a walk.

Ryan Raburn is slowly simmering...today he went 2 for 4 with a double. He is batting .241 and while he has yet to match his regular season to his spring in terms of home runs (so far, none) three of his seven hits have been doubles. He doesn't have that many at-bats yet - he's got fewer than Aviles but more than Giambi.

Aviles wasn't feeling it at the plate today. But his play in the field was worth the spot in the lineup!

Yan Gomes, native Brazillian and good guy, is definitely beating Raburn in the homers-to-at-bats department. Today he got his second homer in just 19 at-bats. He also got a big-ass triple! Oh dear, Sweet Lou...oh dear...

Drew Stubbs - who I was just describing to my dad as "mediocre" - not only had his fancy-pants play but he got his first home run of the season today! He went 1 for 3 with a walk and is hitting a very respectable .259. Dig that Stubbs!

I dig him!

I do want to discuss something really quick here, after all this excitement - it was the most exciting, even game we've played this year (the high scorers were exciting but not even) but...should a team like this be playing games like this against a team like that? I'm appreciative of all the fun today but should we really have a while-knuckler against the Astros? Hopefully we can blame the close score on Ubaldo (oh look - we can!) and injuries but I know and I know you know that we can't play like this against anyone else. Well, maybe the Cubs. We can play like this against the Cubs. Putting two wins together and getting the bats going yesterday hopefully is a huge morale booster, and the team is ready to bust out now!

Anyway, we won the last two games after Smilin' Meryl and her cookie showed up, so here she is again JUST IN CASE. And...cookies.

Tomorrow we're right back in it in Chicago (according to @TheJK_Kid they've been there since 10:30 Sunday night) at 8:10. It'll be Justin "No Problem" Masterson versus RHP 4.70. On paper, that should be an awesome game - I like our odds!

I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"For Ubaldo Jiminez, eventually he'll run out of time and his contract will expire."
- Tom Hamilton said, hopefully

"I wonder if today's code is 'WALK' because Ubaldo Jiminez and Eric Bedard are on the mound."
- Tom Hamilton on the season ticket holder special code

"The Indians would love to add some starting pitching, but nobody's going to trade you starting pitching in April."
- Tom Hamilton

"I think the FCC is closed on Sundays."
- Jim Rosenhaus fuels Tom Hamilton's dislike of station identification

"They will lead the league in Tommy John surgeries by the time the year is over."
- Tom Hamilton on the overuse of the Houston bullpen

"It went right over the head of the cow with the Houston cap on. You shoulda seen the cow roll his eyes upward."
- Tom Hamilton on the long foul ball in the 9th

"You don't get style points in this game, just be one run better."
- Tom Hamilton