Life's A Happy Song

Life's a Happy Song on Disney Video
With someone to pitch strikes and someone to bash the ball over the fence and also just get the ball in play with RISP, you know?! That doesn't rhyme at all but when you match our now-dominant starting rotation with some guys whose bats are hot, it sure makes things look like sunshine and happiness on the road ahead. You know, when you have your pals to back you up and stuff. If you're not backing up the Klubot, your heart is not really in it.

Tribe's won FOUR in a row! Wahooooo!

Corey Kluber gave up 9 hits. What?? Wow....9 hits! But 9 strikeouts, NO walks and just 2 earned runs! It was big big big that Kluber didn't allow but 2 runs to cross because it took until the 6th inning for the Tribe to score. Leave it to Kluber to carry the team on his back for 6 innings. He can handle it!

Zep and Shaw came in for the remainder of the 7th and the 8th, doing what they do best. Which is not letting anyone score. One hit and 2 strikeouts between them.

John Axford, I am very done with. He gave up 2 hits and 2 walks and a run. Then he loaded the bases and the winning run came up to the plate with 2 outs. And I still feel very wobbly from this experience. I hate the idea of making light of PTSD, so I need a different term for how I feel about unreliable closers. Or rather, a term for how we feel when things are the same-ol-same-ol as they have been in the recent past for Cleveland fans.

Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus are SO over Axford. I've never heard them be so down on an Indians player as they were today with Axford. And also Carlos Santana. I think being in Florida makes people do and say things more freely. But when Hammy gives up on you...woah man, you are way doing it wrong.

Cody Allen came in to get the third out in the 9th to end the game. Because you can ALWAYS count on Cody Allen! End of story.

So Michael Bourn got a triple today. That's pretty cool. But he also went 1 for 5, striking out 3 times. It's really hard to watch that sort of thing when you know Nyjer Morgan is 30 feet away...

Swisher actually went 2 for 5 today. So yay for him. I just had an idea, though....Aviles at first when Kipnis comes back. Do you love it?!

Michael Brantley (.286) actually only went 1 for 5 today but check it out, fools: 1) He doesn't get paid $15mm a year and 2) His one hit was a HOME RUN, man! It was his 7th of the year and 31st RBI and he didn't hit that level until July in 2013. Go on with your bad self!

Carlos Santana walked twice, and came in to score once. Classic 2014 Santana....but how long do we have to put up with him at clean-up? Tom Hamilton was just murderous on him today!

David Murphy did nothing today. Nothing. What's up with that?

On the other hand...OMG ASDRUBAL!!!! You shoulda seen how the Twitter was burning up with praise for our Cabby! Tom Hamilton was blown away by his turnaround! @sportsyelling was confused at all the good! Everyone was putting up stats about how good Asdrubal has been lately! He hit his second home run in 2 games (third of the year) and got the team's first run in the 6th. He went 3 for 4 today with no strikeouts, giving him NINE hits in his last 3 games. He raised his average from .205 on the 6th to .254 today. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!!

Now, please, MLBJesus, let this be the new trend and not just a temporary breaking of a season-long slump. Amen.

Yan Gomes, who has yet to thrill me with his post-paternity-leave explosion, at least has a 3-game hitting streak and today he went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored. Oh, and he caught a guy stealing and once again didn't throw it in to the outfield! Maybe this weekend he'll show off his dad muscles. His folks were there watching the game tonight. Adorbs.

Lonnie Baseball was just 1 for 3 today but once again making things happen - he got hit by a pitch. Never a dull moment!

Holy cats - MIKE AVILES!! He is hanging tough with Asdrubal and Brantley and getting all of the excitement for this team! Jason Kipnis is actually afraid for his job! (Although I know Aviles can play first or third if needed....) Tonight he had just one hit and it was the big hit that I don't think ANYONE has been able to get so far this year. That is, the game-winning homer that brought in all of the RISP. He had struck out his first 2 times up but after Brantley homered in the inning and Gomes got his RBI single, Aviles LAUNCHED one to give us 3 more runs, making the score 6-2. BOOM!

After all that, the Tribe still left 10 guys on base. Imagine if they were hitting with men on. I guess baby steps...now at least they're hitting at all? Can't believe we won 4 in a row, though!

Tomorrow is an evening game, at 7:10. ZMac versus LHP 4.35. Their pitcher looks just no good, so it's going to be hard for the team to avoid hitting him. How about ZMac with a complete game now? Sounds like fun!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Tampa doesn't have a weather issue, they just have a lack of fans interested in coming to see the team play."
- Tom Hamilton

"Odorizzi is going to make sure that the folks selling beer here at Tropicana Field are going to have a long time to sell it. [...] He lulls everybody to sleep, including his defense."
- Tom Hamilton

"Holy cow! How do you get that hot in two games? Asdrubal Cabrera is scorching!"
- Tom Hamilton

"It's like he's made up his mind to swing the bat when the ball is halfway to the plate."
- Tom Hamilton on Carlos Santana

"It doesn't matter how you get that run in from third, as long as you get it in."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way he's swinging that bat, he's never leaving this lineup!"
- Tom Hamilton on Mike Aviles

"I told you it was a goofy night, folks! You can't have Tom Jones and 80-yr-old men dancing!"
- Tom Hamilton on the between-inning entertainment

"Wow. Wow wow wow."
- Tom Hamilton on Axford's performance in the 9th

"The Indians are going to feel like they plowed the back 40 the way this game is going."
- Tom Hamilton is tired and wants to go home

"Bottom line this game should not have come down to this in the 9th inning."
- Tom Hamilton

"They were cruising until John Axford literally had this Tropicana roof fall in on him."
- Tom Hamilton employs hyperbole

"If this whole year is going to be like this, none of us is going to have a heartbeat by October."
- Tom Hamilton