He's Gone

Well, Asdrubal's gone. He got traded to the Nationals for an infielder named Zach Walters.

Asdrubal Cabrera sitting outside #Indians clubhouse after being traded to #Nationals. #MLB pic.twitter.com/SrwFVgpjmL
— Brian Dulik (@BrianDulik) July 31, 2014

I was upset with the loss of Masterson, as a Tribe fan. As the self-proclaimed #1 fan of Asdrubal, I'm pretty crushed.

But, my Tribe-fan-ness overcomes my Asdrubal-fan-ness and realizes that while he was full of the razzle-dazzle early on, he was streaky. And this year he was downright frustrating. In fact, he was bad. Even when he wasn't hitting, I still loved him as a SS. But 14 errors this year at SS and a lot of bad hitting?

Let me put it this way...I am most saddened by the circumstances that led to this being the reality. I wish Asdrubal well - I hope he finds his spark again and amazes a new set of fans.

Officially retired.

So after Asdrubal was traded away, there was a baseball game.

Zach McAllister was the starter. He's still not really that great. Pretty lucky that Kluber went the whole way last night because ZMac only managed 3 1/3 innings today and to try to win this series, Tito threw 6 more guys out there after him.

McAllister gave up 4 runs in his 3 1/3 innings and struck out none. Geez! Everyone but Carrasco and Allen showed up after that, and everyone did well with strikeouts here and there a couple hits. Until we were tied, and Bryan Shaw gave up a walk then a homer. What?? Does Bryan Shaw do that??

I guess he does now.

The offense made up one run, and got a hit in the 9th that looked promising...but it didn't happen.

It was nice to see the team batting and scoring behind their struggling starter, though! You don't HAVE to have 5 perfect starters if your offense can overcome any crap with runs. They almost did today but it just wasn't enough.

Kipnis had a rare great night tonight! He went 2 for 5 with a double and a 2-run homer! Cool! Kid has not been "on it" at all lately. Maybe this is a turn-around?

Jose Ramirez is taking over at short and in the 2nd spot in the order. He's definitely fast, that's for sure. Although he could steal on occasion, Asdrubal was never known for his speed. In the 7th inning, he got a single then scampered to 2nd on a passed ball. Then his speed let him score from second on a single by Santana. It'll be interesting to see what kind of difference his speed makes!

After being silenced this series so far, Michael Brantley (.316) had a nice night, going 2 for 3 with 2 hits and 2 walks. I'd say "of course he got a double" but in fact he got a triple! And an RBI, of course. Start of a new streak, we hope?

And, holy hot Carlos Santana! Before tonight he'd only gotten 1 hit in the series, then tonight he got 2 hits and 2 RBI! And what's kinda cool is that he didn't get any extra bases, and one of his RBI was a sac fly. Shows he's well-rounded, right?

Ugh, Lonnie Chisenhall. We are all waiting for your return, son. We're here.

After a pretty crummy June where he hit only .185, David Murphy is back "for sure" finishing off July with .280 worth of hitting under his belt. Tonight he went 2 for 4, but unfortunately had no one to hit in and no one to hit him in. Bummer!

Gomes cooled off a smidge and only went 1 for 4 himself. Dickerson left the game at some point, after a crazy throw. I don't remember the official line on his injury but dang - it is getting lethal out there in the Tribe outfield!

Good thing we have Aviles, who can and will play anywhere. He went 0 for 3 with a walk and a run scored. Because he's always in on things!

Crummy kind of game today. I was glad to see at least a couple Twerps sad to see Cabby go and hoping the team would win one for him. Didn't happen, though. It was a good start, but they just couldn't pull it out this time.

Tomorrow is Tom Hamilton's 25th anniversary celebration! Not sure if I'll be able to catch any of that. Well maybe they'll throw it up on line at some point.

The Tribe will be hosting the Rangers at 7:05. It'll be Salazar versus a RHP so new that his ERA is 1.50. The Mighty Rangers are awful this year, by the way. They are just under .400. They are worse than the Astros, who are just over .400.

So, maybe we can have a fun blowout win on Tom Hamilton day. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"If he's in long relief for the post season, Kate Upton will dump him like yesterday's garbage."
- Tom Hamilton on Kate Upton

To The Left, To The Left

Haaaay!

How fun was this game, boffins?? KC took the early lead but they didn't get too far ahead, as the Tribe was just down 1 run to start the 6th. Salazar was keeping things tight and soon after the Tribe exploded for 4 runs against Chen! The lefty, Bruce Chen!

Not only that, they turned it around and KEPT SCORING RUNS! Yessss!

We'll start off with Salazar, who is pretty much solidifying himself as a legit starter for us to go along with Kluber and Bauer. We know he had it in him right? Today he threw 112 pitches - 11 more than his previous high number - and went 7 solid innings only giving up 3 runs. Quality start! And since the rest of his team was HITTING today it was an easy win for the kid.

Shaw and the Boy Pitcher Crockett came out for the 8th and 9th and it was nothing, because as I mentioned, the Tribe KEPT HITTING.

It was a bit of a B-team today, with Kipnis out on rest. Dickerson (who is, when you think about it, our full-time guy) and Murphy cooling their jets too. Gomes in at DH and Swisher in right. Chisenhall was out with "intestinal troubles." And Asdrubal back from a 6-game sit-down after some back problems. But, since our team is actually a very deep and very talented bunch, who happen to continue to not play to their potential, it was no problem for these 9 to come together and take a win!

Since Jose Ramirez was free (Asdrubal), he was put in at 2nd base and also the leadoff hitter. Kipnis copy! He went 1 for 5 and came in to score a run.

Asdrubal, who was showing some promise before he got hurt, came right back today batting second, and went 2-5 with 2 runs scored an an RBI!

What'd I say about Brantley (.318) last night? That he was about to start a new streak after breaking a hittless streak last night? Well, I was right! Today he went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. And now that Carlos is hitting behind him, you gotta throw to him!

AND CARLOS IS INDEED HITTING BEHIND HIM!!

Thank you. thank you thank you.

Today Carlos went 3 for 3. He got 2 home runs and 4 RBI. He walked. He came in to score twice. In this 4-game stint against KC alone he has gotten 5 homers, 8 RBI and 5 walks. In 6 games, his average has risen .020. Woah.

Stay hot, 'Los!! You are our KEY!!!

And how about Yan Gomes? I mentioned last night too that he is quietly heating up. Today they put him in at the 5th spot, and HE got 3 hits as well! "Only" one homer, but he really tore it up in this series too. Seven hits and 3 RBI for the catcher. Awesome!

Poor ol' Ryan Raburn. He's really going down the tubes. But he homered today! A little glimpse of what we loved so much last year. Just his third homer this year but by-golly, off of a lefty.

Dickerson came in to hit for Raburn later and he got a hit! Because, Chris Dickerson.

Roberto Perez is still hangin' tough as the backup catcher. He poked out a hit today and came in to score a run. He's hitting .278!

Mike Aviles went 0 for 1 today. You heard me! He was in there getting stuff done, instead! He walked, he got hit by a pitch (on the hand. Ugh!) He stole a base, he had a sac bunt. All of the things one can do when not hitting!

Tom Hamilton mentioned that a lot of teams would like to nab Aviles during this trade time but it's very highly unlikely he could be bought. Unless you get a #1 starter. And Tampa Bay isn't dealing Price now so Aviles is here to stay. Our Puerto Rican bargining chip!

Tomorrow is an OFF DAY. Good for us, right? Ten days and 11 games. On Tuesday the guys will be back home, where they win a lot of games. It'll be versus Seattle, who we're chasing for the second Wild Card spot. Good series!

So Tuesday at 7:05, Trevor Bauer will face off against a RHP 3.05. Not a high ERA but Brantley, Gomes and Santana all hit this guy well. It could be the beginning of something great!

I don't have any Radio Chatter today. I was pulling weeds outside while listening to the game. It was awful. Weedding - not the game!

The First Day Of The Rest Of Our Season

Here's a song for you for tonight's big rivalry game post!


I just gotta laugh whenever it seems like there's a game where Everybody Hits, but not everybody hits, and instead of the odd-man-out being a lame-o like Swisher or a rando like Raburn, it's Chris Dickerson who is hitting .400 and has hit in every game he's played with us. Until tonight, of course.

But everyone else - wow! Fourteen hits tonight and 9 runs in a spectacular turnaround game, where one minute Tom Hamilton was saying how Trevor Bauer lost the ability to throw strikes and the next minute it's 7-3 Indians. I love it!

Bauer was our man on the hill tonight against Anibal Sanchez. There were rumblings wishing it was Kluber going against Sanchez but I like when Bauer goes opposite these big important guys. I think a huge part of his game is his ego and his need to prove himself and I think matchups like this are totally in his favor. He had a quality start tonight, going 6 innings and only giving up 3 runs. He struck out 5 in that time and got his first win on the road! He's 4-4 with an ERA of 3.89.

Our favorite trio of Atchison, Shaw and Allen came to finish out the game. They each had 2 baserunners but nothing came of them. No homers, no errors, nothing exciting but a double in the 9th. SHUT DOWN.

Speaking of shut down, the Tribe was shut down for 6 innings. There was much gnashing of teeth and wringing of hands. "This team!!" "They are no better than the first half!"

Actual Tribe fan

Then it was the 7th inning and hit, walk, hit - the bases were loaded with no outs. Would Swisher hit into a double play? Nope! A two-run double!

Pitching change. Would Raburn pop out to shallow right? Nope! An RBI double!

Pitching change. Al Albequerque, who has an 8.10 ERA versus the Indians this year. Now's our chance! Strikeout. Strikeout. Oh no!

Three-run homer Kipnis! Solo homer Asdrubal! Albequerque's ERA is now 11.25 versus the Indians this year!

Sad Albequerque

Michael Brantley singles again before the inning is over. He was the one who led off the inning with a single, anyway.

The Tribe goes on to score 2 more in the game. Kipnis with 2 homers, Asdrubal with one. I observed that Kipnis had 4 days no doubt at home with his mom, and suggested that perhaps his mom needs to be installed with the team. He hasn't hit one out since April 21!!

Brantley had said in a pre-game interview that the team definitely did not play up to their potential, and everybody needed to do better. So what does he do? Well he raises his average by .07 as a result of getting 4 hits, something he hasn't done yet this year [in a 9-inning game]. He also stole a base, got his 23rd double and came in to score twice. He probably would have thrown some guys out at the plate if the situation presented itself, but then again he did need to keep some stuff in his pocket for being better tomorrow.

How about that Raburn, huh? He used to be our secret weapon and the first half he was kind of a dirty little secret. He did get that homer against the Dodgers and came back with a hit against the Royals but he's just not the sure thing at the plate anymore. Tonight he went 2 for 3 AS a pinch hitter! Things look very good for us if things go very well for him the rest of the way.

We'll talk more about Swisher once he's consistently doing this stuff he did tonight. I'm not going to bite this good-game-here-and-there baloney. Put up, put ALL the way up, and then we'll talk.

When we have games like this, I'm reminded that this is the team I was waiting for in March, and the team I was pretty sure we were getting. Yes they were stifled by the starter but they both got to the starter and then super-got-to the relievers. If you're not good enough to clobber a good pitcher, be good enough to get him out of the game!

I don't know what is up with the lack of consistency. But I do know that this is the real team. The team where no one hits and runs don't score...that's the Bizarro Tribe.

Tomorrow is TWO games!! Oh man oh man! I am totally going to clean the heck out of my house and my garage during my 6 hours of baseball. I wrote it down so I can hold myself to it.

We'll get to see Roberto Perez catching. He told me on Twitter.

@positivetribe yea
— Roberto Perez (@robebo23) July 19, 2014

It'll be Kluber against a newbie RHP at 1:08 and then McAllister's return against Scherzer at 7:08. Do we have the series won already?

Can't wait to see if they break the mold and come out swinging 3 games in a row! See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"If Max Scherzer had taken that contract they offered him last year, your Little Ceasar's Hot 'n Ready pizza would only have one pepperoni on it."
- Tom Hamilton on the owner of the Tigers also owning Little Ceasar's

"There's no way you're going to second guess him. You'd better swing the bat when Sanchez is on the hill."
- Tom Hamilton

"He went to the slider one time too many."
- Tom Hamilton on Kipnis' homer

"Dave Dombrowski's calling Texas right now saying 'Whatever you want for Soria, we'll pay it.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"That's a home run in every park in America, except Comerica."
- Tom Hamilton on a missed homer, by the Tigers

"Lance Diaz says 'Hey you haven't been up here long enough to point to any place on the plate and tell me what is low.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Eugenio Suarez

"Somewhere in the Tiger clubhouse, Anibal Sanchez is standing there with a beer in his hand, staring at the wall thinking 'What happened?'"
- Tom Hamilton

New Guys! Old Guys! Everybody Looks Good!

Whew! What a day! I literally spent 5 hours glued to Twitter tweeting about Corey Kluber. My bad, if anyone was offended by that. I at least tried to be fun. I am pretty sure my 270 followers are just looking for Tribe tweets so hopefully I was safe spamming about the Tribe.

Klubes totally didn't win, either. They kept saying he was in first place but I think by the end of it he was in second place. And that didn't even matter because he was 4th overall.

But, in the wake of all of this LeBron talk and constant yammering about Not Baseball, it was fun to turn our attentions to baseball for a whole day. Especially when, soon, we'll be 4 days without it. (In Cleveland. Of course we can watch the ASG and whatnot)

Everyone was blown away by the hands-on tweeting of starter TJ House, who spent a couple hours re-tweeting #VoteKluber tweets, and doing some of his own. I mean, Vinnie Pestano was in there with us too but it was super special to have House reaching out to fans like that on the day he was slated to start! Of course we were also worried that maybe he was going to affect his performance but really what you want out of your sports teams is reaching out to the fans, right? It's why we haven't run Swisher out of town yet.

Anyway, TJ House didn't fare as well on the mound as he did on Twitter. Whoops! He only lasted 4 2/3 innings. Not so much because he gave up 3 runs but because he threw 94 pitches in that time and despite his manly beard he is only a sprout. He gave up 8 hits and 2 walks, and found himself having to work out of a lot of jams. Still dig him, though. Not like he imploded or anything!

Here's his #VoteKluber Vine (with a little Vinnie Bomb):


It took 5 relievers to finish out the game, which is pretty rough because they had the extra innings yesterday. But they were pretty solid giving up just 3 hits between them and no runs. Back to no runs for that bullpen yaaaaaas!

Vinnie got to come in early instead of late, so that was nice. Little Kyle Crockett was in there too. Carrasco, Atchison and Hagadone followed. Hagadone had a nice 9th. After giving up a single the boys had a sweet double play behind him, and that final out was a strikeout whose final pitch seemed to go 4 different directions before landing in the catcher's glove. BALLGAME!

The offense kept trying to get going all through the game, but nothing happened for keeps until the 7th inning. They did get 5 hits and 3 walks in those first 6 innings but nothing came of it. Once again, not stringing things together.

However, in that 7th inning it was one string after another!

Kipnis was HAWT again today, this time going 3 for 4 with 2 more steals and 2 runs scored. That's 7 hits for him in the 3 games since Jason Kipnis Bobblehead Day! Also 5 stolen bases, woah. Seems like he's very focused/determined to start stealing more now. Dirtbag!

Asdrubal had a night!! He got 3 hits last night but tonight he got three RBI as in a 3-RBI triple! He also walked, got a single and came in to score a run. Only 2 LOB for him tonight. The people are singing his praises once again!

Michael Brantley (.327) is just amazing and we love him. He went 2 for 4 tonight, extending his hitting streak to 7. He's got 17 hits in the last 10 games, and has only had one 0-for game in the month of July. Also, he is featured in a science book:

Not really Brantley but....right??

Santana was almost left out of things today but in the 8th he let loose with a 2-run homer! That's 8 hits for his last 8 games, as well as 4 total RBI. Not really out there with a huge average like we like to see but boy isn't it nice to have him reliable again? Instead of reliably unreliable.

The Chiz Kid is kind of limping along lately, huh? His average has dipped 20 points in 10 games. Tonight he went 1 for 4 with a walk. HOWEVER - he finally is qualified! This means he's had at least 3.1 plate appearances for every game the team has played. With at least 4 or 5 PA each game he should be able to keep ahead of the qualification even if he has one day off a week.

Since he's qualified, he and Brantley are now both in the top 10 in the league for batting average. I saw a quick graphic today saying that it's the first time two Indians since blah blah blah but I totally didn't catch the statistic! If anyone knows, let me know! But check out this list of the top 10. Those are some BIG NAMES!! And our boys right in the middle. So proud!

Poor David Murphy. The Lord did not want him hitting again today. He was the only Indian not to hit. But he did make a topical Kluber Vine:



So check it out - Chris Dickerson is on his 4th game with us and he went 3 for 4 tonight, giving him a total of 7 hits in 4 games! Woah nelly! It seems like we got ourselves another "washed up" gem from the minors! He had some kind of injury that sent him there and he just never came back to the Pirates, until they traded him to us for cash. And geez - SO FAR SO GOOD!!! We seriously have a glut of outfielders this year. Blessed!

Speaking of blessed, today was the first Major League game for catcher Roberto Perez. He's come up through our minors system, from Kinston to Akron to Columbus where he's been hitting .305. According to Jim Rosenhaus, they swapped out George Kottaras for him because he's much better at throwing guys out. Ah well, Kottaras, we hardly knew ye.

Here's Perez:

He's from Puerto Rico. He doesn't really look like a Roberto, does he? Looks more like a Robby. In fact he looks a lot like the one kid I grew up with named Robby. A bit of a badass in him for sure. Exhibit B:

Superman shirt pic.twitter.com/MDT2OTFD0A
— Roberto Perez (@robebo23) April 7, 2014

But whatever he goes by,  hopefully it's always followed by "Cleveland Indians"! Perez not only got his first hit tonight, he also got his first home run! He's only got 8 in the minors so it's not like he's a big hitter but right now he is! Unfortunately for him, I guess, his homer was the result of a review and a reversal. So all he got was a call of an RBI double from Tom Hamilton, and then several minutes later "It's a home run!" (Which interrupted Rosie and caught me by surprise!) He'll have to have an asterisk next to it in his mind - first home run, first home run with proper radio call.

If he does well and Santana keeps doing well at first, well then we might have things all figured out for the Indians! With as little Swisher as possible!

So, split series with Yankees! Still a little bit under .500 but I think we're primed and ready to face those White Sox (stupid Chris Sale and his stupid Twitter fans!) and end up in a good spot going in to the ASG.

Tomorrow is a 7:05 game with everyone's favorite person at the moment, Corey Kluber, versus RHP 4.31. Wow, it could be another blowout! Would be great if Klubes could give us a 7- or 8-inning start (or 9, NOT PICKY) and save that bullpen that's seen a lot of innings these past couple days. He owes us all now!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Tito says players don't seem to be so strong anymore..."
- Tom Hamilton on Tito's interpretation of the inconsistent play in the MLB lately

"When was the last time you saw a major league pitcher catch a popup? Usually the infielders are in there screaming 'get out of the way!' But Pestano says 'Hey, I'm an athlete.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"Are you here all week? Should we tip our waitstaff on our way out?"
- Jim Rosenhaus thinks Tom Hamilton is a real comedian

"That's one of those games - you didn't get beat, you lost it."
- Tom Hamilton on Wednesday's game

"Boy that was like he took an uppercut from Mike Tyson."
- Tom Hamilton on the umpire being hit in the 8th

"Joe Girardi is saying to Miller 'Well, you're going to have to take one for the team.'"
- Tom Hamilton on the Yankees leaving their reliever in

Ugh - Yankees

Well, they tried to get back to .500 today! They fought hard for 14 innings and in the end, it just didn't happen.

Stupid Mark Teixeira. Stupid Jacoby Ellsbury. Stupid DEREK JETER.

Josh Tomlin and his hair put up 7 innings, which rocks, but he let 4 runs go in that time. Two homers to Teixeira! He struck out 5, and kept the hits down to 8 - with no walks! But 4 was enough to tie it and wear us down over 5 extra innings.

They had to use 6 relievers tonight over 7 innings (5 extra). Atchison, Shaw, Allen, Axford, Zep, Pestano. They combined for EIGHT strikeouts! Ichiro struck out 3 times on the night, and their shortstop Ryan struck out 4. Golden Sombrero! They gave up 4 hits and 3 walks but kept getting out of it. Solid as usual.

In the end, it was Vinnie who gave up the homer to stupid Ellsbury, and that was enough to win. Oh Vinnie!!

The offense wasn't very helpful tonight, though. Twelve hits and 11 LOB! Wat?! At one point they had the bases loaded after 3 walks, with 1 out and...well, we didn't win.

Both Kipnis and Cabrera were UP tonight! Two more hits for Kipnis at leadoff, and Cabrera followed up with 3 hits of his own! Both came around to score once. Unfortunately, no RBI for those guys.

I'm totally diggin' Brantley-Santana-Chisenhall. Aren't you? Feels like a super power trio! And when Kipnis and Cabrera are on their upswings that is one HOT half of the order!

Erm, well, except today when Kipnis and Cabrera got 5 hits and Brantley-Santana-Chisenhall left 4-3-5 on base. Oops!

Brantley and Santana did have the patience today. They each got a hit, but they also each walked. Santana twice. Chisenhall didn't get a hit but a FC or something drove in a run.

Brantley totally almost won the game, along with some aggressive baserunning by Kipnis but...well, Cleveland. Someone made a spectacular catch.

Nick Swisher still plays for the Indians.

David Murphy got a hit, and had a nice play in the outfield. Yan Gomes didn't hit but he also didn't error so that's good.

Chris Dickerson! He's played 3 games with us now and is batting .364 - that's even better than Kottaras numbers! Dickerson went 2 for 6 tonight but it was a bummer that he didn't get an RBI and no one hit him in.

Despite the loss after all that time, it was a fun game with all those extra innings. It's fun to be on the edge of your seat - sometimes!

Tomorrow is one more game against these Stankees, and TOMORROW is Jeter Day. For some reason I thought it was today. A 7:05 start, TJ House versus RHP 4.01. Not a problem, right?

I'll actually be missing my first game of the season tomorrow! A friend has extra tickets to a thing. Tomorrow woulda been a good day for extra innings! But oh well...at least it's the end of the Yankee fan infestation.

See you there! (After the show)

Omar Day!

Hey fan! Sorry I haven't been around much. Going through stressful stuff at home and just not feeling like taking the time to blog after games. I have been glued to the radio (and TV!) for the games of course but afterwards....on to other more serious stuff.

I hope you took in tonight's game! There were 40,000 of you at the game, plus it was on Baseball Night In America on Fox so really there was room for everyone in Cleveland to see it with their own two eyes. On Friday the game was on WKYC so that was pretty special - to see two games in a row on TV!

Today was the day they inducted Omar Vizquel into the Indians hall of fame. He's the 40th Indian to be inducted and of course the greatest short stop. And aside from Bob Feller...the greatest Indian? How about greatest since 1950? I like it.

Omar's with the Tigers now. Not sure how that came about. I'm hoping it's due to iron-clad contracts and no room for him where he needs to be. Because...Detroit? Oh, Omar!

The team has been on their BEST behavior in the field while Omar is around. How could you not? No errors and a few pretty, pretty plays so far.

Unfortunately for the Tribe, the Tigers also have our Victor Martinez and he's hitting over .400 against us and it just really. really. hurts. Especially when he gets a home run (which seems like every game) and the Tribe loses by 1. I guess we made him cry, he'll make us cry now. Argh - he's so good! Not fair that the stupid Tigers get to have him and Miggy AND Torii Hunter. For Pete's sake!

Trevor Bauer was our man today, and he still is not scared. He is also not untouchable - three homers for 4 earned runs. He did go 6 1/3 innings on 100 pitches, and only walked 2 and struck out 5. It was the long ball that got him. And you could say "Well, the Tigers, man - you'll get that" but one of his homers was to leadoff man and speedster Rajai Davis so...fail.

Old Man Atchison mopped up after the kid and finished the 7th for him as well as completed the 8th. No hits for him. Kyle Crockett pitched to one guy in the 9th and that was a success, then it was Vinnie's turn to get that hold in the 9th. Yeah you heard me - Vinnie! They took the rotation down to 4 and brought up Vinnie who was throwing a .48 ERA in Columbus. He threw the final 2 outs in the 9th and nothing bad happened so that was awesome!

Cody Allen came in with the game tied in the 10th and wouldn't you know it - he un-Allenlike gave up a run. Nuts! After all that work to tie it up, in front of all those people, on Omar Day! But really if anyone was going to be out there we wanted Cody, right? I mean, who else? Is Shaw even here? Anyway, we got what we wanted and it didn't work out so oh well.

The Tribe got its offense in some interesting ways today. Not from Nick Swisher, of course. But from his pals at the bottom of the order. And Brantley and Kipnis BOTH were shut out! I am not kidding you! Brantley did get a pinch hit on Friday when he came in late after being on the concussion DL, but it just wasn't happening for him today. And not sure what Kipnis' deal was. You don't really want him flubbing while the whole town is watching but it wasn't going his way today.

Michael Bourn had a great night, going 1 for 4 with an AWESOME clutch hit in the 9th to tie the game! It was fall-outta-you-chair-worthy, man! That guys waxes and wanes on the excitement meter but since he got revved up he's been pretty steady on the reliability meter.

Speaking of unreliable, poor old Good Guy David Murphy had been 0 for 25 when he broke that streak to get on base so he could come around to score later on Bourn's single. Talk about a nice surprise!! He really reached back and dug around for his clutch-ness and brought it back at just the right time today.

Asdrubal had a night! He went 3 for 5 with a double and a HUGE RBI. It was his 18th double, which is tied with Chisenhall (who also got his 18th double tonight) which leads the team. They are better than Michael Brantley in a category! Woah!

Carlos Santana!! He's up over .200 now with a .201 average! Check him out! He's like, the hottest player in June or something. He's batting .340 with 5 home runs and 12 RBI in 53 at-bats. Did you know this??? It's almost insane that his average can still be so low but he's raised it 39 points since June 6th. Looking pretty decent at 1st base, too. He's back, man!!

Gomes had a solid hit today too but he ended up not coming around. He also threw out a guy trying to steal, which makes it 6 in a row. And people still do not seem to know not to run on Gomes (or Brantley). Bwahahahaha!

Ok I'm fading fast and have to get to sleep. Tomorrow's game is more Tigers and they gotta win to avoid the sweep! It'll be Tomlin and his hair versus Scherzer and his eyes. They have the exact same ERA! This should be interesting...

See you there!

Everybody Have Fun Tonight!

Man, I have been so STOKED for this homestand. I suppose it has to do with how much better the Tribe does at home than on the road this year. But the weather has been nice and the Central is a tight race and football & basketball & hockey are over now for a minute (except there is always, always Manziel) and it's BASEBALL time now in Cleveland and I'm ready to watch the people watch the Tribe.

Every day I am finding myself totally excited for the upcoming game. And that's the way it should be!

Anyway, today it was Trevor Bauer time. I love that this kid comes off as so cocky. For some reason I think his sideburns and and his high socks make him look cocky hahaha I mean he's not killing it on the mound, but he does have some stuff to back up that cockiness. Part of being cocky is not being afraid and that means that you can tell Terry Francona "hey man, I'm going to go back out there for the 7th, all right?" and Terry Francona does it even though it means you throw 120 pitches.

Do these pants make my butt look self-assured?

It was the first time in 8 games that a Tribe starter made it that far into the game. Actually all he really ended up with was the far end of a quality start. Six and 2/3 innings, 6 strikeouts, 3 runs and 8 hits. Not one 1-2-3 inning but he kept going! And 3 runs is just fine, as long as your offense shows up. And today they did, bless 'em.

As if Bauer's performance wasn't cool enough, Carlos Carrasco came out to be the unlikely hero, pitching 2 1/3 innings to get the save! I really dig him out of the pen because he's just got length to spare in really weird situations. I mean, 7 outs - that could have been 3 relievers! But he came in to finish the 7th with a strikeout. In the 8th he walked a guy then had a strike-em-out-throw-em-out. He gave up a single but got the final strikeout to end the inning. And then a magical 1-2-3 9th! I mean, a Trout-Pujols-Hamilton 9th - woah!

Carrasco gave a post-game interview to Hammy and Rosie. Tonight was his first save in 11 years. No matter how much he ends up disappointing us as a starter, he always seems like a good, humble guy. Remember when he totally beaned that KC player in retaliation for something and got suspended for 5 games? Team player! He says he is just going to work real hard at any position he's in, and now he's in the bullpen so he'll work hard at being a great reliever. He's asking questions and learning every day. Much love, Cookie!

On the offensive side...The team only had 4 LOB today! They got 4 runs off of 6 hits. Low on hits and no 50% off at Papa John's, but at least dudes weren't being stranded!

Michael Bourn is glad to be back at home, yeesh! Dude went like 1-19 in Boston and came home and went 2-5, just like there was no slump at all.

OMG ASDRUBAL!!! Home run #7 wahoo! And suddenly he's found the patience, because other than the homer he walked twice and I can't remember the last time he walked! (8 days ago) His homer was a 2-run job.

Michael Brantley (.323) is the MLB player of the week! Because while his team was busy figuring out ways to lose miserably and win barely, Brantley has raised his already-high average 25 points with 15 hits in the week, including 3 doubles and a homer.

Then, because Cleveland can't have nice things, Michael Brantley didn't show up in left field. Mike Aviles did. There was a mild panic, and finally we found out that Brantley got a knee to the head when sliding into second. Hopefully his head is as strong as his will. BE OK, BRANTLEY!!!

Kipnis was shut down tonight, which makes me shudder.

But Carlos Santana! Whoop whoop! Dude got a home run, which turned out to be the game-winner! Still hitting under .200 but they say he has "quieted down" since his stint on the DL. Cool stuff but uhm...do you really want a guy to come off of a concussion so relaxed?? Once again I heard him on the radio, and once again I was surprised that he has a Dominican accent and is not in fact a kid from Oakland. It gets me every time!

Anyway, Santana has almost as many hits as Brantley in the last 10 games (ok just 10 but still - how many you got??) and 9 RBI. On your way up, Like a boss!

Lonnie has been shut down for 4 games now, and I think it's giving me a rash on the back of my hand. But Jim Rosenhaus pointed out - while talking about Mike Trout, actually - that there's 162 games and even amazing players can't be amazing for all of them. So if Mike Trout is going to be slumpy, so can Lonnie. Just...not too much longer, ok?

Nick Swisher is still on our team. He hit a $15mm home run the other night. Whee.

David Murphy tried his hardest, but only got a walk tonight.

It was George Kottaras day! He went 1 for 3 with a bunt single, and threw a guy out at second, thus proving that he is a well-rounded player and a great Indian. For now. Opa!

Tomorrow is MORE BASEBALL!! It's Tomlin time! Has he straightened himself back out? It'll be Tomlin's mane versus RHP 4.19 and his beard. We love RHPs at home! And it's Puppypalooza, I believe.

The fun starts at 7:05, and I forsee a lot more runs in this game so start picking out your pizza. See you there!

Sorry, no Radio Chatter today. I don't even know what I was doing to miss any potential quips. I think it was just a lack of quips. Not me, man.

What Went Wrong

One bad inning for Bauer, one bad outing for Zep, and too many guys left on base.

The pitching unfortunates could have been overcome by batting, and they did get 10 hits today, but they didn't get them at the right time - and struck out 11 times - so the unusually-bad pitching couldn't be overcome.

Although, no one thought the Tribe would score any off of Yu Darvish, so to get 4 off him and for Bauer to be right up there with him - well that's not too shabby.

Trevor Bauer was the man today, having an OK outing. Except for the time when he gave up 4 hits and 4 runs in an inning. That was the 2nd. He had a 1-2-3 first and a 1-2-3 third, and pitched 3 more scoreless innings, and one more out until he was at his 100 and done for the night. In 6 1/3 innings, Bauer struck out 6 and only walked 2. As someone on Twitter said:

The flashes of brilliance from Bauer are starting to become a more constant beam.
— Kevin Dean (@kevnbaseball) June 7, 2014

Nice!

Zep was the next reliever, and apparently I have not been paying close enough attention to relievers. I just thought they were all equally good, less Ax and Carrasco. But people were like "nooooo!" and then when Zep gave up a homer they were like "Seeeeee?" So that happened.

Then for the 8th it was Atchison, who got the first out then Elvis Andrus got on base for the 38th consecutive game versus the Indians. Then it was Hagadone's turn and he gave up a walk, so he was gone. ? Then Axford who Axforded a run home on a sac fly. They only let 2 runs score between all of them, but that was 2 too many.

Michael Bourn was shut out tonight! After an amazing 8-game run with 11 hits and 5 RBI, today he went 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts. He only had 6 strikeouts total in his 8 games.

Asdrubal on the other hand was having a great night! Perhaps it was due to the company of his fellow countryman Rougned Odor? Cabby went 3 for 5 with a double, single and homer! It was his 6th homer of the year, his second in 2 games, and third in just 7 games. I think he's found his power - lookout!

Michael Brantley (.307) didn't have all that good of a night, but he tried to be the hero in the 9th, and got his one and only hit to hopefully be part of the tying runs scored. Not so much.

Kipnis tried to be that guy who hit in the tying runs but that didn't happen either. He went 1 for 5 on the night as well, with his single coming in the third.

He was on base when Lonnie Baseball went yard, though! And it was a 3-run thingie so it brought the Tribe back from an 0-4 deficit! It was his only hit for the night, but he did walk. He has had TWELVE RBI in the last 7 games!!!

David Murphy had nothin' going on tonight. But Yan Gomes did! He's been a little feast-or-famine lately getting 2 hits, then none, then 2 hits, then none. Today he had 3 hits! Shockingly....no RBI and no runs on those. Oof! He did have an awesome play where he lept like 3' into the air to get a ball for a play at the plate, and after all that the guy was safe.

Santana was back from concussion leave. Kind of a bummer because they put him down there at 8th and that's sort of why Gomes had 3 hits and nothing to show for it. Then again...what have Raburn and Giambi been doing lately? Santana did get a single, though. But he left 3 on base.

Mike Aviles is also feast-or-famine lately and since he's getting more playing time, the famine is starting to show. He went 0 for 4 today, and apparently was Slowy McRunnerson on a hit today that ended up being a GIDP. The people called for his head. He says he hurt his toe. I tend to believe Aviles, because everyone believes a handsome man.

So our first loss after a 6-game streak.Tribe not so good on the road but scoring 4 on their first night out, versus Darvish, is nothing to sneeze at. They need to rub their bellies and come out swingin' tomorrow. It's all do-able!

Tomorrow is Josh Tomlin versus RHP 4.43! That's our favorite kind of pitcher! It'll be at 3:05 and broadcast on FS1.

See you there!

No Radio Chatter today. But here's a clip of Hammy and Rosie re-visiting the idea of motor oil in the 1800s. They did a big thing about this earlier in the season when they realized that cars weren't around when Valvoline first became a company, but they're at it again!

How Bout Them Apples?!

I think I mentioned on Tuesday that I was a little bummed that the game was so short (2.5 hrs), so I got my comeuppance today with an extra 3 innings and an extra 90 minutes. And a win! And a walkoff! And Asdrubal! And a sweep!

Quick recap:
+ 5th #WalkOff
+ 3rd series sweep
+ 6 straight
+ 9 straight @ home
+ At .500 for 1st time since 4/24
+ 3.5 GB of DET

#WalkOff
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) June 5, 2014

Right?! Also don't forget we swept the Red Sox who are just a bunch of stupid rich dummies and their fans are all morons. Especially the ones from Cleveland. Harumph!

Eleven more hits for the team today, and 14 more strikeouts!! You know who the worst pitcher of the game was? Corey Kluber! And he wasn't really all that bad - he didn't give up any runs until the 6th when he gave up a 2-run homer to Ortiz. Everyone gives up 2-run homers to Ortiz, all the time. He didn't make it out of the 7th, though, when he gave up 2 more runs on a little small ball by Boston. Hey, he's human. It was late and wet!

The relievers cruised through 5 more innings, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 10!  Nick Hagadone was back for 2/3 of an inning to face Ortiz. No prob! He got Poopi to ground out and then the next guy struck out. Nice, Nick! Cody Allen didn't have to pitch, finally. Bryan Shaw struck out 2 in the 10th. And you know who got the win? Carlos Carrasco! He threw both the 11th AND the 12th, with 4 strikeouts! Secret late-inning long reliever!

Also, John Axford pitched 2 outs, getting 2 strikeouts. But in the middle of the game. Nice.

It took Michael Bourn for-ever to get a hit, but he doesn't not hit anymore so he got his in the 12th inning to continue his hitting streak at 8. Whew!

Asdrubal had a night tonight!! Back up the upswing! He got a single in the first, stole second and then came around to score the first run. Then he had a bit of a lull for 10 innings, but in the 12th there was THIS!!!

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!

Brantley (.308) had some kind of night tonight, going 3 for 5 with an RBI and  run scored. Two! Hitting streak at two! Also, he is an amazing outfielder.

Jason Kipnis went 1 for 4 with an RBI single, plus a walk and a run scored. He also did this fancy-pants play in which he totally impressed himself - and us!

Lonnie Chisenhall switched up his game today and got a bunt single. Then he successfully bunted again later. The first bunt, at least, led to a run in the next at-bat! No stats for moxy, I'm afraid.

David Murphy got dat run doe! In fact he got 2 runs on his single after Chiz's bunt single. Made it work out for the kid - what a good guy!

Man, Jason Giambi had a double with a head-first slide. And there's no video of it!! Unfortunately when that happens, no more Jason Giambi. For the game, at least - I hope he didn't hurt himself too!

Mike Aviles went 1 for 5, with his hit coming in the 12th. He scored the winning run!

Everyone is very very lucky to have a day off tomorrow, from the players down to the fans. And especially John Adams who must be exhausted after this homestand! He said on Twitter that his day started at 3 AM and might as well end at 3 AM. That guy is the BEST!!

Friday we're back to business at 8:05 in Texas against Choo and the Rangers. The pitching will be a little tricky with Bauer versus RHP 2.08 but you never know what can happen. I'm not nervous - cuz I know Trevor Bauer isn't nervous.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Jhonny Peralta was doing really well for Detroit until he got caught taking the wrong vitamin."
- Tom Hamilton

"Ortiz is just now getting to home plate, and going through his usual histrionics."
- Tom Hamilton

"That's Padre baseball...catch the fever!"
- Tom Hamilton on the Padres winning a game with one hit

"The more beers you had, the more you thought you were good at everything."
- Tom Hamilton on whether or not he was good at dancing the hustle

"Late in games, walks are mortal sins."
- Tom Hamilton

"The fans that didn't have 33 dollar dogs are on their feet."
- Tom Hamilton

"Ross is going to have to hit a home run to get Ortiz in from first. Not a triple."
- Tom Hamilton

"Forget the weather. It's dark out, it'll be sunny in the morning and it'll be warmer tomorrow than it is right now."
- Tom Hamilton gives the weather report

A Handful of Hits and a Whole Lot of #Whiffs!

The game was on TV today! Very cool - and this time, for the first time in a long time, nobody stole my attention at all during the game. I saw it all!

Man, watching baseball on TV gives me the munchies, though. I had a bunch of snacks, and I don't even have snack food here! Did anyone else watch with the radio on? The synching was fantastic! Previously it's been double-digit seconds different. Tonight it was maybe 1 second off. Fun!

Speaking of fun, I was having a little fun with the #HeyGirlGrady meme on Twitter tonight. Found a bunch of new followers so that's cool. Check it out, see what Grady had to say!

After declaring last night that our hitting needed to be back up to par today because Justin Masterson wasn't going to take the team very far without giving up some runs, I am TOTALLY gonna eat my hat! After a shaky start in the first inning, he slammed the door shut on the Red Sox with bases loaded and did not look back from there. It was a thing of beauty to see! By the 6th inning I was lamenting that at some point, this game had to be over! And Justin would have to sit down! But for those 7 innings it was just a sight to behold!

At one point, he threw 25 straight strikes. Swinging strikes, looking strikes, foul ball strikes. Total legit strikes too, all of them. During that time, he threw a 9-pitch, 3-strikeout perfect inning- An Immaculate inning! He is the 27th American League pitcher to do so...oddly enough, the second one already this year.

He was followed in the 8th by the only guy worthy to follow that performance, who is Bryan Shaw. But Shaw is totally over-worked and not himself so he gave up a 2-run dinger. Dangit! But the Tribe had already scored 3 at this point so it was still ok. Zep got Big Papi to fly out for the third out, and that was that.

Cody Allen - who has red hair, or at least a red beard, and I did not know this - was there for the save at the end. He got them 1-2-3, with Grady Sizemore as the last out. This will make a few of you feel really old:

Allen, on Sizemore's out in 9th: "I was a kid when he was here at his peak. ... To be able to get him out for the 27th out was pretty cool."
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) June 3, 2014

On the offensive side, Michael Bourn is still RED HOT! Today he was 2 for 3 with his 5th triple! He also walked and stole a base, and came in to score twice. I saw someone else on Twitter today saying that they were also getting over Nyjer Morgan. Too bad - he was quite a personality. But Bourn is all over the place now too, they like to interview him and stuff. Also, tomorrow is his bobblehead day so - good thing his hamstring is all healed!

Asdrubal was on the downward end of his current progression, with a strikeout in the first. But then he started shooting upwards when he got a nice RBI single in the 3rd to score Bourn after that triple. He also took part in 2 double plays.

Brantley (.302) went 0 for 3 today with a walk and it made me very sad. I mean...we won, great pitching, some great hits. But no Brantley. Sigh.

Kipnis got a hit, though! They are few and far between yet. He then went on to steal second by getting his hand around the glove. Nice!

Lonnie Baseball was the big winner today. Surprised?? Yeah he totally got a bloop single in to left field with men on 2nd and 3rd. So it was a 2-run bloop single. HE CAN DO NO WROOOOOOONG!!!

Giambi and Gomes were shut out. Mike Aviles was almost shut out but he got on with a fielder's choice, then stole second, then the Red Sox appealed the call and it was upheld. But then the next play was an out.

David Murphy tried with all his might to get more runs for the Tribe - he got 3 hits in 3 at-bats. But no one around him took notice, and no runs were scored.

So really, not to impressive at the plate today but in a twist of fate all of the magic was on the mound!

Tomorrow is Michael Bourn Bobblehead day and it'll be another 7:05 start. It'll be our new friend TJ House versus RHP 4.50. Yes! Bring it on!

Hope the weather is nice and you're all there!

Radio Chatter:
"You can have a lot of energy but if you're hitting 180 people tell you 'shut up!'"
- Tom Hamilton on Mike Availed and his energy (and putting it to good use)

"John Lackey is one of those guys who probably would not be a very good poker player."
- Tom Hamilton

"The Indians are like 'you wanna bunt? Go ahead big guy.'"
- Tom Hamilton on David Ortiz in the 9th

All Caught Up!

I don't know what happened but I kept running in to roadblocks from being able to listen to Friday's and Saturday's game. I mean, I know what happened - I was out - but what happened that suddenly made me so popular?

Friday was Eddie Izzard at the Palace and man - if you haven't been out to Playhouse Square lately, go there! You can actually get dinner beforehand and drinks after at a variety of places. And there's an outdoor chandelier!

I tried to listen to Friday's game on Saturday but I got halfway through and it was time for Saturday's game. Then I fell asleep. Then I went to my friend's birthday cookout. Life is so complicated!

But I did get Saturday's game listened to, and half of Friday's and it's pretty cool - they didn't need me to win!

Friday was Kluber's game, and anyone can tell you that he doesn't need any help. He keeps slowly and quietly matching and breaking pitching records. According to Jordan Bastian:

Kluber's name now resides alongside some of the all-time great arms in Cleveland's long and storied history. With his 12 strikeouts on Friday, Kluber joined Dennis Eckersley (1976), Bob Feller (eight times), Sam McDowell (eight times) and Herb Score (1956) as the only pitchers over the past 100 years to strike out at least 60 batters in a single calendar month.

So there's that - 12 strikeouts, and a record alongside 4 of the biggest names in Tribe pitching history. How's that make you feel, Klube?

He pitched 7 1/3 on Friday so he just needed a little tidying afterwards from Zep (1 strikeout) and Cody Allen (2 strikeouts). They made it look easy!

Saturday was Trevor Bauer and he is proving to be the real deal now. He had a quality start with 6 innings, 2 earned runs and 8 strikeouts.

The Indians struck out the Rockies 26 times on Friday and Saturday, while the Rockies only struck out the Indians 10 times. Are the Rockies a high strike-out team? Actually, no - they are last in the NL for strikeouts (meaning they have the fewest). The Indians are third last in the AL for strikeouts, but 28th overall. Now you know.

Anyway, so, Scott Atchison - something happened cuz he gave up a homer then 2 guys got on so he left with 1/3 of an inning and 1 run scored. But then Josh Outman came in and on one pitch gave up a 3-run homer so Atchison got 2 more runs tacked on and Outman one. They had to bring in Bryan Shaw to save that mess, and then also pitch the 8th. And he did and it was good.

Cody Allen was all fancy closer today, coming in with just a 1-run lead. He walked one guy but the other 3 went quietly. Ballgame!

The offense was back to doing their thing, getting 21 hits and 12 runs (half price pizza RIGHT NOW!! And tomorrow) in these two games! After going a bunch of games without extra-base hits, the team had 3 doubles and a homer Friday night, and 2 more homers on Saturday! Even with all of those hits, neither game was an "everybody hits" game. Ha!

Michael Bourn had ended his little hitting streak the other day in Chicago, but he's back hitting again and put up 3 hits in these 2 games. He's got 16 hits over his last 10 games, in fact! No stolen bases, but he is hitting .288 so that's cool. Stay healthy, man!

OMG ASDRUBAL!!! I think I have missed all but one of Asdrubal's homers this year. Weird, right? I mean, he only has 4....but still, I think I missed 3 of them. Friday he got a 2-run jobby, and went 1 for 4 on the night. He's batting second right now, for what it's worth. Also coming out of a bit of a slump - we hope! Saturday he got a hit also, but he had 4 LOB...which sadly is what he's known for these days.

Michael Brantley (.303) is also getting in to the record books, by having the longest home hitting streak at Progressive/Jacobs field. His ended at 19 (he didn't get a hit Saturday) after breaking the 18-game record held by Kenny Lofton and Robby Alomar. The Municipal Stadium record is a bit higher, at 27 and the team record (I suspect spanning a couple stadiums) is 30. He got his 12th double on Friday and that was his only hit. He did come around to score twice!

Jason Kipnis is back in the lineup, batting 4th and he wasted no time getting hits, going 2 for 4! No runs or RBI but what are you gonna do? He came in to pinch hit on Saturday, got a walk and hustled in to score the winning run in the 8th!

Raburn was DH on Saturday and he is not doing well at all. Oh Raburn...we all have so much hope for you!

Gomes was moved up to 5th on Saturday, after an unproductive Friday, and he went 2 for 4 with a run scored!

Lonnie Chisenhall...

...Yes, him. He is just f'n amazing! He went 2 for 4 with a double (his team-leading 15th) and 2 RBI. Then Saturday he went 2 for 3 with a homer (his 3rd of the season and 3rd in 10 games), 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Saturday he was batting 8th because, why not? Why not score a ton of runs at the end of the lineup?! Oh yeah and he got his homer off a lefty today. He has only had like 14 at-bats against lefties this year but he's batting over .500 against him.

Lonnie every day, y'all!! People like to point out that he's not the best 3rd baseman, but neither is Santana and he is hitting like .200 higher Santana. And if we look at errors this year, Nick Swisher is not the best 1st baseman and Asdrubal is not the best shortstop but there they are. Every day. EVERY DAY!!!

Jesus Aguilar has been playing 1st while Swisher is out being old. Aguilar is humongous which is what you like in a first baseman (at least that's why they told me I was on first). He's still getting his shit together when it comes to the plate, but he's not much worse than Swisher right now. A few points worse, but I think the more he plays and the more he sees MLB pitching he'll fit in fine. He didn't get a hit Friday, but Saturday he went 1 for 2 before getting Kipnis as a PH.

David Murphy, good guy that he is, got hits both Friday and Saturday including a double. He came in to score both nights!

Mike Aviles didn't play Friday but Saturday he was back to being awesome! He seems kind of streaky - kind of like Matt LaPorta (which you will have from a bench player). But unlike LaPorta he is definitely more "on" than "off." In Saturday's game he got a 3-run homer in the 2nd, got a single in the 6th, and it was Aviles who got the winning RBI in the 8th when he got a single through the right side to score Lonnie from second. Viva Aviles!

All of Saturday's 7 runs came from the guys batting 8th and 9th. Cool!

Sunday is going to be a 1:05 start, Tomlin versus RHP 5.20. Wow, the scales are tipped HEAVILY in our favor on this one - now let's just hope that the whole team is on board with keeping up this hitting.

See you there!

Sorry for the slim pickin's on the Radio Chatter. I didn't hear anything that great! But the one quote I got was pretty good, I thought.

Radio Chatter:
"Something's gotta give this weekend. Will it be the Indians' strikeout staff or will it be the Rockies offense putting the ball in play?"
- Tom Hamilton

Left Behind

Missed last night's game, as I was down taking care of water in the basement. I bet a lot of you did! Or you missed Wednesday's game because the weather was worse, but that's a shame because the game was much better.

I decided to listen to this game at work today just for kicks and boy did it take forever. And I didn't really get interrupted much, it was just a long damn game - 3:23. And not because everyone was scoring so much. I guess maybe it was slow pitching, long at-bats, lots of personnel changes and also a review.

Lots of relievers on our side (6) because Salazar had another one of those bad outings. He just went 4 innings and gave up 2 runs and only struck out 3. He only gave up 2 runs yes but he threw 98 pitches in just that time!!

They brought in CC Lee for the 5th and he promptly gave up 2 runs (single, homer) so his ass was grass.

Everyone but Shaw was there to finish the game. No more runs scored, just a couple hits and some walks. But 4 runs was more than enough for the Blue Jays to persevere this time.

'Cuz the Tribe just can't hit lefties, it would seem. After coming off a 15-run game today they only managed to score 2. They actually got a lot of hits! Nine hits! And also 3 walks. But those lefties just stunned everyone into silence when it counted and 9 men were left on base.

Today was Jesus Agular's first MLB game. Tom Hamilton had a lot of nice stuff to say about him and his plate discipline. Didn't get a hit but he did walk. And his mama is very proud. I've heard a lot of great stuff about him as a minor-leaguer so I'm excited to see what he can do up here!

Bourn was keeping up a hitting streak, now at 5 games. Ryan Raburn, who hasn't played since the 10th, was in at left (Brantley's birthday is today! Also, he is sitting with a sore back) and got a hit. In fact, it was a double!

Santana got a hit. No kidding! And Asdrubal got TWO hits! How does it work when both of these guys are hitting that the team isn't winning? Well...I guess the 7 LOB between them says a lot...They are not hitting when needed.

The 8th inning got slightly exciting when there was a new pitcher and 3 men got on base and Raburn hit that double. But all that came of it was one run, a RBI courtesy of Yan Gomes.

David Murphy is actual hot! Just not fake one-game hot. He's gone 3 games in a row now, first with 1 hit then 5 hits, then 2 more hits last night including a solo homer! Woah, I just got some deja-vu. Does this sound familiar? Maybe Mark Reynolds this time last year, I dunno. Anyway, at least Murphy can hit lefties!

Handsome Mike isn't faring as well - after 3 games of solid hitting, for this game his bat went cold. Poor fella, his average is under .300 now.

Tonight the team is back from the Great White North, and it's Dollar Dog Night and Fireworks too! Unfortunately it'll be hella cold. But I hope a ton of people show up anyway! I was supposed to go but things happened and I'm staying at home. Where it's warm. Wet, but warm.

It'll be ZMac versus RHP (whew) 2.71. Sounds like they will need a lot of help from the fans to get through this one. Go get 'em!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Juan Francisco went after that ball, toward the thrid base line, like he was Sean Penn in 'Dead Man Walking.' Not much of an effort."
- Tom Hamilton

"Lawrie is hitting .234, 7 homers, 24 RBIs and 53 tattoos."
- Tom Hamilton

"Northwestern's [baseball] park looks like a bad high-school field. That recruiter must be a whiz."
- Tom Hamilton

"Adam Lind had a goatee that would make Burl Ives proud."
- Tom Hamilton

"This game's been about as riveting as a piano recital."
- Tom Hamilton

See Any Good Baseball Today?

Wooooooooah! Look at all those numbers! "Crooked numbers" as they say. Woooooah!

Today we'll go over the game in order of awesome. Starting with:

Corey Kluber! The Klubot! Totally stoked to have gone 7 innings, only giving up 2 runs and getting a huge win. Nine strikeouts and just 4 hits for the fourth-highest scoring team in the league!

Yeah you are!

Now for the hit parade!

David Murphy: Came back from wherever his head was and not only got 5 hits today (praise the Lord!), and not only were 3 of those hits doubles, but he also got 5 RBI! It's not too terribly strange for Murph to get that many hits in a game (May 19 and May 30, 2013) but he didn't get 5 RBI in any game in the past 4 years that I can see. He only got 15 total in 2012! Now, let's just hope that this is the start of something awesome - again - for our new friend David Murphy.

Lonnie Baseball: Be still my beating heart! The Chiz Kid's first 5-hit game. And to be honest it nearly was a 6-hit game had that outfielder not made a good guess as to where to position himself. One of Lonnie's hits was a double (his 9th) and curiously, he only had one RBI and no runs scored.

Yanimal: Yan Gomes "only" got 2 hits tonight but his final hit was just a thing of beauty. With the Tribe already up 12-2, he let loose with a big bomb out to right field for THREE runs to make it 15-2! Also - No errors!

OMG ASDRUBAL!!!: Everyone was riled up about him GIDP with the bases loaded in the third, but hey - how many hits do you have this year? And he stole a base and there was a review that stood, then 2 seconds later he was out at third. Again - how many have you stole?? He did end up going 3 for 5 with a walk. He got his 10th double. He came around to score 3 times. He got an RBI. His average went up 13 points and is now 60 points higher than Dick Swisher. So nonny nonny to you!!

Handsome Mike: Actually not as on fire as he's been lately ("Mister May" so to say) but of course he contributed tonight! He went 2 for 6 with both a run scored and an RBI. Unfortunately for Lonnie and his 5 hits, Aviles left 7 men on base. Yeowch!

The Other Michael: Bourn - still hangin' tough out there. Still not bench-able. Today he went 2 for 6 with a run scored and an RBI. It's sort of miraculous that 5 games on the turf seems to have taken out both Brantley and Morgan (back and knee - we'll know more tomorrow) but the guy with the bad hamstring - who is doing a lot of running due to hits - is still standing upright. Not only that but he totally chugged it out for a triple, his 4th so far this year! Hope he stays healthy (and learns to hit better against lefties) because he is IT for now!

Carlos: Heck yeah, Carlos Santana got a hit today! And remember all that stuff I said about catchers yesterday? And how he didn't score from second yesterday? Well today he totally scored from second AND he also stole a base. Shut me up!

Brantley/Morgan/Ramirez: Brantley's out with some back trouble. Precautionary. Morgan came in for him and banged his knee on a play and left the field today wearing a soft cast. Jose Ramirez came in to play second and they sent Handsome Mike out to left to cover all the injuries. And Jose Ramirez got an RBI single! He also came around to score twice. Ole!

Nick Swisher: Can go suck an egg.

I can't wait to go see those Jays one more time! Their bullpen seems to be pretty tapped, with 3 guys going longer than an inning each. Then there was the fun times of a position player coming in to pitch (and Lonnie getting a hit off him!)

Tomorrow will be another 7:07 start with another fair-to-middlin' starter for the opposition. LHP 4.63. The guy's last start only went 2 innings so we might wear him down early. Good times!

Now, let's hope Cousin Michael is there to join us. Say a little prayer and see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"...Rosie walked in with one of those holster sets...from Toy Story..."
- Tom Hamilton telling some weird story about Rosie and the engineer and Buzz Lightyear

"If you thought the strike zone was small before, Esmil Rogers, he has now got a thimble-sized home plate to throw to."
- Tom Hamilton

"On the wrap-up show we'll share with you the game highlights. That should take you to morning rush-hour."
- Tom Hamilton

"This looks like a Little League scorecard."
- Tom Hamilton

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

What Snowmen Do In Summer

Today's temperature at game time was 20 degrees above what it was at the beginning of Monday's game. By the end of today's game, there was nearly a 40-degree spread from the temp at the end of Monday's game. Is warm weather and sun what it takes to get these guys hitting where we expect?

Some guys didn't live up to expectations* but the guys who did step up stepped up BIG. In fact this is the first time since 2009 that the team has had 4 players with 3 hits or more in a game. There were 15 hits! Nine extra-base hits! Nine runs scored! And over 13,000 fans there - what an afternoon!

The numbers to focus on for Justin Masterson are of course are equally as important. Six and 1/3 innings, 7 strikeouts, only 2 earned runs. He walked 4, hit a guy and committed an error but even through all that, there was just the 2 runs. And even though there were 4 runs total on his watch - this lineup was FINALLY able to overcome whatever deficit the pitcher (and the defense) put up.

Scott Atchison - who "Can't help that he has gray hair and looks like the groundkeeper for the Red Sox" according to Francona - came in to finish the 7th and also throw the entire 8th. He did let one of Masty's runners score to start off with, but then he had a 1-2-3 8th inning. A 1.88 ERA!

Carlos Carrasco pitched the 9th, which is fine. He had a 5-run lead. It was fine.

Nyjer Morgan wasn't in today, but he was reportedly in the dugout being an awesome cheerleader! Keep it up, Tony Plush!

The first two batters were crummy so we won't mention them. It's never a bad thing to leapfrog to Michael Brantley, anyway!

Brantley (.289) went 3 for 5 today, a triple away from the cycle! Three hits, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI. No strikeouts for cousin Michael, natch. He is second in the league in RBI now with 29, just behind Colabello's 30.

Santana had a hit and a walk! He hustled it to first for his single. Unfortunately none of this translated in to runs.

They're still working on Murphy and Cabrera as 5 and 6 hitters. They're perfect for that spot if they can get going - and today they did!

Murphy went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a walk! He came in to score twice and got an RBI. And he stranded no one! What a good fella.

Asdrubal had some kind of day today! Of course I missed his first hit - a home run in the 2nd inning because of work stuff. Grr. But I was there for the rest of the excitement. Just like I was there - literally, in the park - for his two 5-hit games in 2012. Just sayin'... Anyway, he also totally flubbed a ball which let 2 runs score but he wasn't charged with an error. In exchange for that, his RBI hit in the 8th inning where he made it to third base was not counted as a triple, it was a double and uhm...not an error. Not sure how it was a double. But it was and he didn't get the cycle. But hey! A 4-hit game with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Chiz Kid got no hits today but as I like to point out, he was still in the middle of things. He ended up going 0 for 3 but came in to score twice. He got on base from catcher interference in the 6th, and in the  7th he grounded in to a force out but reached first and then came around to score. Stay in it, Lonnie Baseball!

Good thing everyone got acquainted with Handsome Mike last night, because he was back again being a big player today! He had another 3-hit game with 2 doubles. Although he didn't leave any men on base, he somehow managed to not get any runs scored or any RBI. That's kind of weird right? But hey - hits is hits and now his average is a crazy .328!

Fun time today interacting with the Indians' Twerps on Twitter. Wondering what people who go to day games do for a living. Someone is very excited because they took a picture of Terry Francona driving his scooter on the bridge, and the Tribe is 3-0 since he posted the pic.

Oh and now that that's all over, I guess the next 29 hours will be spent talking about the NFL draft. Sigh.

While the all-important Draft is going on, the Tribe will be traveling to Florida - where it is ALWAYS warm! - to take on the Rays for 3 games. The Rays' record is as bad as ours so that's good. And it'll be Kluber (again? Already? Yay!) versus RHP 6.83. I look forward to more hits upon hits upon hits!

*Other than Chisenhall, the guys who didn't live up to expectations were Bourn and Swisher, neither of whom got a hit and who are the two highest-paid players on our team by miles. Not very positive thoughts about these guys so they go as a footnote.

Radio Chatter:
"Kevin Correia, in no hurry to get to Detroit."
- Tom Hamilton on the hesitation of the Twins pitcher

"The way Masterson looks today, one run might be enough."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way the pitching has been, they have a chance to win every night if they get the bats going."
- Tom Hamilton says the truth

"Doink!"
- Tom Hamilton describes a foul ball hitting the Terrace Club

"Number thirteen looks like he's back!"
- Tom Hamilton

"Horses used motor oil in 1866?"
- Tom Hamilton is pissing off the sponsor

Have You Met Handsome Mike?

Mike Aviles is a great Indians player, and we're lucky to have him. No joke! I saw him before the 2013 season at the Fan Fest and he was as happy to be an Indian and excited to play baseball as Jason Kipnis. He was super serious about his job, too, not like Nick Swisher who thinks his job is just to hop up and down and spit out nonsense platitudes. Aviles is a hard-core baseball player. He's not just our backup infielder now, he's our backup everything including outfield. Right now he's our backup Kipnis!

Via Facebook/GV Artwork

Rewind, though, to Danny Salazar. I don't know why but I heard a lot of Danny hate today. How do you hate this guy? I mean he's no ace but he's like what, 20 years old? He's not perfect but he looked better than Masterson at some points this year!

Salazar did just fine, and although he gave up TWO runs instead of the usual ONE run that starters have been allowed this year, he still had a quality start. Very nice line with 6 1/3 innings and 7 strikeouts. One of his 3 runs was let across by a reliever, so there's that. While he did give up 3 doubles, there were no home runs and just one walk. Danny Salazar, you are safe and make it to the next round!

Bryan Shaw looked a little rickety today - he gave up 2 hits and let Salazar's runner score. He's pitched a lot lately, so he's probably out for a bit now.

Cody Allen doe - wow! Twenty strikeouts in 13 innings. He got 2 more today. I can't tell you how fast he was pitching because the Indians' web site is broken, but Tom Hamilton says it was darn fast. "What a find he was," said Hamilton. No kidding!

John Axford was just...ugh. Why? He finished all right, yes, but with 26 pitches and a double. Ugh.

Hey how about that Indians defense today?? Yes yes, Yan Gones had ANOTHER error but Nyjer Morgan was leaping around the field, pulling down balls. Brantley with the outfield assist. Carlos Santana - the worst hitter on the team - was on FIRE at third, even going in to the stands to snag a foul. And even Handsome Mike got dirty flying after a shot down the middle, and taking it to the bag himself.

So proud! So pants!

 While the defense was a million times better than usual, the offense was fair-to-middlin. They got 9 hits but only between 5 guys. The guys who were hitting were hot stuff!

Morgan went 1 for 3. Not sure why he's not stealing much yet. I think he keeps turning the pitcher's head with those pants. Check out his post-game interview - love that laugh!

Brantley (.276) is sticking with the 3-spot, and he went 2 for 4 with a biiiiig 2-RBI double in the 3rd. His slide in to 2nd was challenged - just like his outfield assist to 2nd was challenged - but no matter what the ruling was (he was safe) it still scored 2.

Carlos Santana...what do...I mean how....when is.... sigh....He went 0 for 4 tonight with 2 strikeouts.

Asdrubal was hitting 6th and even though all you're going to hear about for the next week is his error YESTERDAY, at least TODAY he went 2 for 4 with a big ol' DOUBLE in the 9th with the score tied, and he made it over to 3rd on a bunt then came home to score when Handsome Mike hit him in to win the game!


The Chiz Kid was not at his best at the plate today, and Gomes was not the best behind the plate but he did get another homer which is why we love him so. Is this the apex of his paternity comeback or is there more? Maybe an errorless game AND a homer?

That leaves us with our man Mike Aviles, from the beginning of this post. You've heard of his defense, and you've heard that he won the game. But don't forget his double and his other single and his run scored. Or his .302 batting average. He'll be in for a while as Kipnis is on that 15-day DL for like 12 more days. And we should all be thankful that he is here for us.

Aviles is sexy and he knows it.

Ok so I spent all day today thinking it was Thursday. I got ready to post my brother's "happy birthday" Facebook post. I turned on the radio at noon, looking for the game. I was ready to go for my Thursday swim. I even was surprised to see the garbage trucks go by a day late. Anyway that's why I told you that today's game was at noon.

But since nobody is paying attention, nobody was mis-directed. Well done! TOMORROW'S game is at noon though so don't be late!

It'll be Masterson versus the RHP 6.09 I promised for today's game. No rubber match, since this series has expanded to 4. But it'll be a good game for us to win anyway!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"When you walk the number nine hitter, who is batting .109, it's a disaster in the making."
- Tom Hamilton

"Well [umpire] Doug Eddings is not getting invited to the Twins team party if they are having one tonight."
- Tom Hamilton doesn't think the Twins like the calls

"The life of a closer is like being one of they flying Wallendas without a net."
- Tom Hamilton gives an excuse

"It's not his fault. The baseball gods will find that player..."
- Tom Hamilton on rookie shortstop Escobar missing a catch while playing in left field