Hold Steady

Anthony Castrovince wrote a good article about feelings behind the Thome statue. He pretty much nails how I feel about the issue, so I'll just let you read it. Since I'm the Positive Tribe I'm not going to rain on today's parade with my feelings. And it doesn't matter anyway.

I will say that it's always nice to see a big crowd at the stadium, and always nice to see Indians fans cheer on Indians - old and new. So if nothing else, it was very nice to see all of the excitement for Thome today.

And then a win! They did a big win last night for Hammy day, a respectable win tonight for Thome day. Wonder what will happen tomorrow on Slider's birthday??

TJ House was our man today. Man - can you believe how young our rotation is? Or maybe not young, but green? It's almost amazing we've got this many wins, considering how much these kids don't get picked up by the offense. Hats off to the rotation!

Anyway, House did have his struggles today. He only lasted 5 innings because it took him that long to throw 97 pitches. But he struck out SEVEN in that time! Lookout!! No runs allowed by House, with just 3 hits and 2 walks. When he wasn't striking them out, he was getting ground outs.

Up next was Old Mat Atchison. According to Jim Rosenhaus he is a-ok with the ribbing he gets about his age. Some of the players have been Tweeting "Atchison is so old..." stuff lately and I guess he gets it in the dugout. Tonight everyone was like "WOW look at him go!" when he chased down Elvis Andrus during a rundown between third and home. After the game Francona quipped that Atchison might not be able to walk in the morning. Zing! Well, Atch got the win, you whippersnappers. He also stuck around for 1 2/3 innings.

Shaw had a 1-2-3 groundout inning in the 8th, and then Cody Allen came in to "close." But not officially still? I dunno, he's our closer. I think after making a big deal out of Perez and Axford, everyone is afraid to mentally knock a guy down by calling him a closer! Anyway, it was a little shaky going at the end there with a walk and a single. But In Cody We Trust. The game remained a shutout!

Good thing, too. Because the Tribe had a heck of a time figuring out this Mikolas fella who came in to the game with an 8+ ERA. He lasted 7 innings and struck out 6 Indians, only giving up 5 hits. But thankfully they put a couple of those hits together and scored 2 runs. With the good work of House and the 'pen, that was all they needed!

Kipnis is still making a go of it, now with hits in 3 games in a row. He even came around to score!

Michael Brantley (.322) is sloooowly creeping back up to my magic .330! He's hit in 3 games now, as well. Even though Kipnis has a respectable 4 hits in those 3 games, Brantley has SEVEN. Because, Brantley. Shameful he didn't get an RBI or score, or get any extra bases. But he'll keep grinding out those hits.

Santana went 0 for 2. Hey, turn that frown upside-down! Cuz you know what that means? Two walks, yo! On base, like a boss!

Chiz and Swisher both got 2-out RBI singles in the 6th, which is all there was of scoring today. Good to know that the team still has that 2-out run scoring ability. Nice to see it BEFORE the 7th inning, too.

Also, Chiz back on the hit-horse. Do you think we'll ever have a statue of him? I just advised my brother to pick up Lonnie for his fantasy team because I have an inkling that he'll be on an upswing the rest of the year. I hope I'm right!

Tomorrow is a 1:05 game, and it's Slider's birthday! I hope he has a bunch of mascot friends there. I always find that amusing. I like the Phanatic and Mr. Met. I noted last year that the Padres sent over some actual Catholic-looking guy and not the Chicken. What's up with that??

It'll be Bauer tomorrow versus RHP 2.90. Hmm, scary. But today we only scored 2 against a guy with an 8+ ERA so maybe tomorrow we'll bust it open against this guy? Stranger things have happened.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"It's like somebody there ticked off God."
"Or someone is there with a doll wearing a Texas jersey, sticking pins in it."
- Mike Hargrove and Jim Rosenhaus on Texas' fall from the top

"I'm glad they didn't ask me to talk, cuz I have a lot of stories."
- Mike Hargrove on the Tom Hamilton anniversary presentation

"If I really said how I feel, we'd both be fined by the FCC and we'd be doing something else."
- Mike Hargrove on Thome hayters

"I feel bad about this but my first thought was 'He'd better be dead.'"
- Mike Hargrove on Slider falling off the wall and interrupting play in the 1995 ALCS

"That's worth the ticket right there."
- Mike Hargrove on the interesting Thome-statue-related play by Mustard during the Hot Dog Derby

Happy Hammy Day!

It's Tom Hamilton's 25th anniversary as the voice of the Indians! Don't forget to treat yourself to a swell new tee for the occasion. I'm so old I remember when Hammy was "the new guy" but still he's been one of the voices of my Tribe since I was 10. I just loved him and Herb Score together. Herb was so...Herb and Tom was so radio. I love how Hammy's calls have become iconic. It always makes me laugh when Hammy is away and people complain about how bad Jim Rosenhaus is but in reality, Jim Rosenhaus is just fine. He sounds like everyone else in the league. His only "problem" is that everyone in Cleveland is used to Tom Hamilton!

I hope he's got 25 more years in him. If Cleveland can't have championships, at least we can have guys like Hammy who make every game seem like it's the most exciting game in the world!

Oh yeah so today on Hammy Day - Everybody Hits! I don't know how accurate my scale is over there on the right but if it is accurate then this is only the SECOND TIME this year that there's been a hit in every spot, 1-9! No foolin! And, get this - everybody SCORED too! Fun!

It was almost inconsequential that Danny Salazar had a great game, being that he could have given up 11 runs and we still would have been ok. But he didn't - he gave up just 1 run in his 6 full innings! Four strikeouts, 3 walks and just 4 hits.

Since it was 12-2 by the time Salazar was done, they tried out some new arms. The Boy Pitcher Kyle Crockett came in for 2/3 of an inning. He gave up 2 hits before Terry got bored with him and brought in the other new guy, Austin Adams. Adams finished up the 7th and pitched the 8th as well, giving up just one hit and striking out 1.

Carlos Carrasco finished it up and it wasn't his best showing. Once again, he had an 11-run lead but after ALL THAT it was kind of a bummer to see him give up a run on 2 hits to make it just a 10-run lead. Everyone was ready for the game to be OVER and for the party to begin!

David Murphy took the prize tonight for Pure Hitness! He went 4 for 4 against his former team/hometown team! He got 2 RBI and came in to score 2 runs, and 2 of hit hits were doubles. No LOB for him! I also hear tell that he went after a ball and ripped his pants - even though we were up 12-1. What a good guy! Six hits in the last 2 game for Murphy...locked in?

Next on tonight's awesome scale is, of course, Michael Brantley (.320). He went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Five hits for him in his last 2 games. What did I say about last night being the beginning of a new hit streak? WHAT DID I SAY?!

Next is Lonnie Chisenhall (.309) who just HAD to do something big in this game. He had to! It was his 10th homer in the 6th inning that pushed him over the edge! He went 2 for 5 on the night with "just" the one RBI. Lonnie got 11 homers last year in his 94 at-bats. He's got 10 now, and I believe 96 at-bats. That's kind of interesting considering how we are viewing this year as "his" year but it just goes to show that we're being wowed by his consistency (er, by what used to be his consistency) and not just by his power. Now, if only this were the start of a great month for him, too...

Mike Aviles also got 2 hits, and went 2 for 4. Actually, I might have put him ahead of Lonnie Baseball because he got THREE RBI. All 3 of them on singles! That's our Aviles, in there making things happen. After the game he was interviewed by Hammy and was asked "Do you like to play short stop?" or something and Aviles said "I like to play. Just stop at that much." Love that guy!!

Carlos SAAAAAANTANA! He only went 1 for 3 tonight, meaning of course he walked twice. Interesting fact: His batting average and slugging were higher in July than in June (and both months absolutely trounced April and May)...but his on-base percentage in June was slightly higher than July. He wasn't hitting as much yet in June but he got his "eyes" back and started walking more than he had in the spring. There you have it! He got an RBI and scored a run tonight, giving him 13 RBI in his last 10 games.

Kipnis, Swisher, Gomes and Raburn each got hits tonight as well. And, as mentioned before, they all came in to score at least once.

Jose Ramirez, Tyler Holt and Roberto Perez all came in to the game in position player relief once the win was secured. None of them got a hit. But that was 5 young boys on the team for the Tribe tonight. Wow it feels...interesting.

In other news, Asdrubal had a nice play tonight at second for the Nationals. And this happened:

Why baseball is best: 2nite in Phills-Nats game: Roberto Hernandez (aka Fausto Carmona) got Asdrubal Cabrera to line out to Grady Sizemore.
— Bob DiBiasio (@BDbaseball6) August 2, 2014

Some sort of Circle of Life, there.

Tomorrow is the Jim Thome Statue game. Meh. It'll be another young man, TJ House, up there against RHP 8.54. What? Wow, bring extra money for snacks it's going to be another long one! Do you think they can "Everybody Hits" two nights in a row after taking 3 months off? We'll see!

See you there!

I don't have any Radio Chatter tonight, but here's a celebration of Hammy's career that was compiled last year (and it's part 2!) Check out other videos by the guy who put this one up - he's Hammy's biggest fan!

BIGGER IN TEXAS!

YES! Yes, Lonnie Baseball! You dance the night away, son!

I'll just gloss over the pitching because the batting was where it was at tonight. TJ House only lasted  1/3 innings and that kind of sucked because there are still 6 games to go on this road trip, but when they took him out it was still close enough to matter. And he was at 82 pitches anyway. Everyone Else came in to pitch and only one guy gave up a run - Carrasco. Even John Axford kept his nose clean over TWO innings. So that was cool. Sorry, TJ House - still more growing up to do I guess.

So, see any good offense lately??

Tonight, Michael Bourn and David Murphy were the LEAST impressive hitters on the team. When that happens, that is one crazy night!

So Bourn and Murphy both went 1 for 5 with a run scored. Bourn got a walk and Murphy a double. Neither of them stole a base.

Asdrubal, Brantley (.307) and Kipnis all got 3 hits. Droobs came in to score 3 times with some aggressive base running and a double. Brantley  went 3 for 3 because he walked twice. His other hits were singles - and a solo homer! He came in to score 5 times. All of those runs scored can be explained by Kipnis having 3 hits and 4 RBIs! He is BACK!!

George Kottaras was randomly in the game today and totally randomly hit ANOTHER home run! His stats as an Indian thus far are 8 at-bats, 4 RBI and 3 home runs. Opa!!

Kipnis' 4 RBI and Brantley going 3 for 3 and Kottaras' third home run in his 5th at-bat are pretty special stats, and any one of those in one game would have made for some pretty happy fans and a great baseball game. In fact, all of the runs scored today without the help of Lonnie Chisenhall would have been just enough runs to pull out a win over the Rangers tonight, even with House's unfortunate start.

But Lonnie Baseball still put on one HECK of a show!!!

He went 5 for 5 tonight, with THREE HOME RUNS. THREE HOME RUNS YOU GUYS. Last person to do that for the Tribe was Choo back in 2010. And he also got a double. And a single. All of that brought in 9 runs!! Oddly enough he only crossed the plate 3 times, thanks to himself. But they can't all be Lonnies, 1-9.

He's a great Lonnie-lovin' post that the TribeVibe blog folks threw together with the highlights of Lonnie's game, and also info on how his stats fit in with Indians and MLB history.

I once went to a Tribe/Reds game in Cleveland, in 2012 I think, and sat behind the plate next to this group from Cincinnati. The one kid was a real mouth, but he absolutely loved Lonnie Chisenhall. He said he just had to - his name was Lonnie too! At one point, Chiz got hurt (hit by pitch?) and Lonnie Soloff came to check him out. Three Lonnies in one 30' radius. It was unreal!

I have a ball with Lonnie Chisenhall's autograph on it. It looks like "Lon Chill." Ha!

In case you were wondering....Chiz is at 2.81 plate appearances per game right now, where he needs to be at 3.1 to become a qualifier. He does lead the league amongst players with 150+ plate appearances, but the "going rate" right now is more like 200 PAs. But soon....soon the rest of the world will know of our Lonnie. Just a few more games

I think I'm done gushing about Lonnie - for now! I hope that sports radio stops talking about Johnny Football and his swan for 2 seconds and gives some air time to talk of Lonnie Baseball tomorrow.

Isn't this precious?

Keep playin' that one-up game, boys!

The final score was 17-7, by the way. 50% off Papa John's on Tuesday. It only took them 18 hits to get those 17 runs!

Tomorrow the team waves good bye to Texas and happily trots over to Kansas City where they hope to clobber many more baseballs. It'll be an 8:10 start again, still in the Central Time Zone. Kluber versus a LHP who has nearly the same ERA as him. It can be done, you know. And even if they can't score 17 runs again, well, this is the Klubot we're talking about here. Consider it done.

Sorry no Radio Chatter today. Hammy did call George Kottaras "Babe Kottaras" after he hit his homer. And his home run calls are all epic (you know where to find them, tomorrow). And he did say that Lonnie never had a day this good even in Little League. And when the Texas pitcher got taken out after giving up 8 runs he quoted Rocky "Cut me, Mick!" But I didn't write anything down. I'm getting ready for a garage sale. Boy is that a lot of work!

Anyway, 8:10, Kansas City - see you there!

Messin' With Texas

Josh Tomlin!! Josh Tomlin's hair!!! Both had fantastic outings in Arlington this afternoon against the Rangers!

Flow it! Show it! Long as God can grow it!

Eight innings, 5 strikeouts, 7 hits and 3 runs. Only one extra base hit! He was getting through innings with ease, doing what the pitching coaches keep telling everyone to do - throw strikes. Guys were swinging away and getting out. It was awesome!

They put Tomlin in for the 9th, but he went up to 105 pitches and gave up a hit, so that was that. John Axford game in with a 5-run cushion, and I totally applaud this move because really how could he mess up a 5-run cushion?? He did give up one hit, as he will, but being so relaxed there were no runs scored.

More double digits in the hit column today for the Tribe (and more 50% off pizza for the fans at Papa John's!) Two doubles and two homers, and while there were 7 LOB the team still managed to score 8 runs.

Michael Bourn is starting his hitting streak back at ONE. He just went 1 for 5 today but he did steal a base.

Asdrubal wasn't feeling it today after last night's awesome game. No more homers today. No hits, actually. He was shut out AND he hit himself with a foul tip. Ouch!

Michael Brantley (.305) is never not hitting, so he went 1 for 5 with his 14th double.

Kipnis had a decent day - he went 1 for 3, but also had 2 walks and came in to score once. Much patience. Kiiiiinda wondering why he's batting 4th instead of Chiz. Maybe 4th is too heavy for the slightly younger Chisenhall?

Lonnie didn't get any extra base hits today either (he does lead the team in doubles, and has 1 more homer than Kipnis) but he went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. He got his THIRD RBI bloop single into left field in, I think, four games. I love it!

David Murphy, who is an ex-Ranger and from Texas and no doubt still has a home(s) in Texas didn't get any hits yesterday - no doubt in deference to his old fans who were there to cheer him on. Good guy. Today it was his new team's turn and he went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Interesting to see if he steps it up even more tomorrow!

Jason Giambi went 1 for 3 today with a long single that coulda been a double for maybe Michael Bourn. And everyone went "GROAN!" because on the play prior to that hit, Lonnie got caught hanging off the bag at third and it didn't produce a run. I wonder what kind of words of wisdom G imparted on him about that?!

Raburn came in to pinch hit for Giambi later and got an RBI and a run scored.

Carlos Santana! He went 2 for 2 today with a biiiiig game-clinching 2-run homer, a single and 2 walks. He came around to score twice. He was at first today and....well, he's hit in both of his games since he's been back. Did he get some skill knocked back into him when he got that concussion? Of course, two games does not make a trend. But that'd be pretty fun if true!!

Hey, did you hear they drafted Juan Gomes today? Here I was thinking that "Yan" was "John" in Portugese but it's not. It is "John" in Belarusian or something. And "Juan" is "John" Spanish. Anyway, both brothers are named "John" in different ways. And they are both Indians now. It will be just awesomely amazing when the Tribe with all of its Gomeses plays Tampa or Boston with their Gomes. What if one of those teams gets a Cabrera, too??

Anyway, Yan Gomes went 1 for 4 and it was a big, big one. It was a 3-run homer! That was all for Gomes for the day but that was all we needed from him.

Two more games in Texas yet, and I feel pretty good about them! I think the first game was decent enough and the second featured a lot of hits and matching runs. Nice weather for homers, I guess.

Tomorrow it'll be at 3:05 (for real this time. Yesterday I reported today's game was 3:05 when it was really 4:05). Masterson versus LHP 3.68. Hmm...LHP on the road. Everyone just start the game with rally caps, ok?

No Radio Chatter today - Hammy was out watching his son's graduation, and you're just not going to get quality quips from Mike Hargrove. He was trepidatious about taking questions from Twitter, though! I don't think he answered any haha

See you there!

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!

Two. Hit. Shut. Out.

Wow! So I just got over gushing about Masterson and here I go again - this time in the bag for Ubaldo! I can't say that he has bowled me over at every start this year but he's been consistently "decent" (however, consistently short) and when he "gets it" he really does great and has a spectacular game.

Today was his best game by far - only 2 hits over 8 innings! Whatever struggles he has that keep him from going more than 5 innings, or giving up fewer than 3 runs, were off the table today and it was smooth sailing. After the first, it was smooth sailing. He only got 6 strikeouts but in turn only walked 3. And did I mention it was a two hit shut out? It was!

Texas really helped Ubaldo out by swinging early, making contact and getting themselves out. Which is why Ubaldo needs to throw that delicious-looking fastball down there and let guys swing away. He also got some help in the field today! To which Ubaldo responds:

Vinnie Pestano came out for the 9th inning, which was perfect because he needed the work and we were up 6-0. He looked all right - struck out one, walked one and had a double play so he faced just 3 batters. He did it in 13 pitches, not bad.

A bunch more hits for the Tribe today - 13! I think that's over 10 hits per game for the last 4 or 5 games. Cool!

Michael Bourn is becoming our RBI guy, with 2 more today giving him 10 in his last 4 games. Ten RBI for the leadoff man?? IMHO he's been a consistently good hitter for us this year so I think his recent success is a bit of a tribute to the end of the lineup who obviously must be on base in order for him to knock them in! Bourn's only hit was a 2-run double he hit with 2 men aboard. He's got a 6-game hitting streak! Feels like we're going to make up on what we missed when Bourn had his month off in the beginning of the season.

Swisher had a good day, going 3 for 5, but never came around to score and didn't get any RBI.

Kipnis was back in his groove today, going 2 for 4 with an RBI. He's been on and off lately - getting 11 hits over 10 games, but 4 of those games saw him with no hits. I'm ready for him to be our hero every day now. Come on, Kip!

When it comes to heroes, both Asdrubal and Raburn were shut down today. Sigh. But - You saw Raburn's awesome catch linked up there, right?!

Michael Brantley continues to roll along! He's got a 6-game hitting streak with hits in 26 of the 21 games he's played so far in July. He's got 24 hits in those 21 games, too!

Santana went 2 for 4 today and came around to score both times. He was the DH...which we love, right? Very possibly that contributed to Ubaldo's success today and having him come around to score twice didn't hurt either! He's got 6 hits and 3 walks in his last 4 games. Let him DH more pleeeeease!

Chisenhall is cooling off a bit, after being consistent for a few games. He didn't do anything at the plate today, but then they brought in Aviles and he got himself a 2-run homer. Boom!

Can we gush over Yan Gomes today?

Dude went 3 for 4 with a run scored and an RBI. Plus he caught the game which you know must have been helpful to the cause. One of his hits was a two-out RBI single, and the other was his 8th double of the year. Only 8? Seems like he's hitting a double every time he hits. Hmm....His slugging is .510 but it's actually cooled off a lot from the beginning of the season. No doubt suffering from lack of playing time. More Gomes!!!!

So everything really fell into place today - great pitching, no need for the bullpen, hitting like we know they can. With all this trade deadline stuff being talked about, I don't know why anyone is even talking about Cliff Lee. Unless Cliff Lee is at a point in his career where he is ready to become an every day long reliever or something? Our starters are just fine. Our bullpen is awful. Our bats are just fine. Our bullpen is awful. Whoever can come in and give us a few shutout innings per week, THAT is the guy we need. If we can't get that then the Indians need to just stay with what they've got.

Tomorrow we face the White Sox at home, which is good because the White Sox are still awful. So if we can take 7 games from 2 awful teams it'll still be awesome! Then we go down to Miami to face the last-place Marlins so really it could be 10 "gimme" games and I am fine with that! We're just 2 games out of the wildcard and it's almost August!

It'll be Z-Mac against LHP 4.81. Oh man - it's gonna be sweet!

No radio chatter today because I was in front of my parents' TV. Although I did catch the beginning of the game on the radio, where Tom Hamilton declared both that "a meal that requires no utensils is where it's at" and that he is a farm boy and knows how to chow down on pig. See what you're missing by not watching?

7:05 tomorrow, see you there!

Justin Masterson Is Just So Good

That's all you can say about today's game. Justin Masterson is just so good. Not only is he good at striking guys out (a new trick this year - he's known as a ground ball pitcher), and good at not giving up runs. I can't really say he's good at getting out of jams because he doesn't get in to them (except for today, where he did get into one and he did get out of it)!

Tonight was his 3rd 1-0 win of the season (first since Swindell in the 80s). In a game where he was going up against an All-Star pitcher with an under-3 ERA (who was only going to give up 3 hits to the Tribe), Masterson needed to be solid as a rock - and he was! He got 8 strikeouts, which is totally normal for him anymore. He only gave up 5 hits, which were spread out over 4 different innings. Just one walk! No runs, don't forget. Once again, he gave up no runs.

The thing he is best at is going long! Which is as good as not giving up any runs, with the way our bullpen works. Do you follow me? Masterson went 8 2/3 today, and Joe Smith came in and Beltrae hit one to the wall but PHEW! It was an out!

Chris Perez matched himself up with Masterson, managing not to mar the beautiful performance. He did it - another 1-2-3 inning which is becoming way more normal for him these days. Oy, Perez! I still like that guy. He got his 14th save, which is cool - he should pull out 20 by the end of this rocky season.

I miss him talking on Twitter and to the media, tho. Glad he's getting his job done at least.

Take a moment to think about, again, how good Justin Masterson has been for us this year! I'll wait.

Masterson has always been a dude we could count on for a nice tight game, but he had problems with run support and last year he wasn't ace-level good. This year he's getting the run support he needs and when he doesn't get it, he doesn't need it!

Speaking of run support - only one guy got to Yu Darvish today. It was Michael Bourn, of all people, who hit a home run in his first (and the team's first) at-bat. That's two homers for Bourn in one week! (Recall his recent grand slam)

Bourn had a good game altogether, going 1 for 2 with that homer and 2 walks. Think Yu is a little scared of him or something?!

Asdrubal went 1 for 4 and stole 2 bases. Brantley went 1 for 4 and stole a base! SANTANA walked and stole his second base of the year. Ha!

Props to Jason Giambi who gave the ball a ride twice in the 6th - one just foul and one just in play. He was about to make the game 4-0.

Isn't it fun that we can look forward to Justin pitching again in 5 days? Woohoo!

Tomorrow the series wraps up at 1:05. It'll be Ubaldo versus RHP 3.13. The Tribe needs to get back on the hit horse tomorrow for sure. Ubaldo is doing well too but more like 2- or 3-run well and the guys need to make up the difference! I could really use a nice Sunday win....

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"I look like one of the guys from Dumb & Dumber when I wear my tux."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is like a little league game. The only guys for Texas involved are Yu Darvish and catcher Giovani Soto."
- Tom Hamilton

"This game has been everything it promised to be."
- Tom Hamilton

"Time for the keys to the game. There's one key - Justin Masterson."
- Tom Hamilton

If They Don't Win It's A Shame

I mean, come on already, bullpen! You are comically bad! And it's not just Oh No Not Rich Hill this time it is Cody Allen and Joe Smith. Joe Smith! SMH y'all.

But hey, the offense was totally on fire today and they didn't give up even after the bullpen gave up all their hard work. And all of Corey Kluber's hard work.

Ok maybe 3 runs in 6 innings isn't Kazmir-level hard work but he did ok. He had 2 errors behind him (well, one in front of him, as he was responsible for one). And he only gave up 1 earned run in the first 5 innings, then the other 2 in the 6th before he was canned.

Cody Allen, damn dude. That guy is one of our money men and he blew it today with 2 runs in 2/3 of an inning. Know who had to save him? Oh No Not Rich Hill! Luckilly he only needed 1 out and managed to do that without giving up any more runs. Well done, Rich Hill.

But then it was Joe Smith's turn, and he must have been doing nothing but eating Cheetohs and playing MLB 2013 since his last appearance on July 19, because he was totally not himself today. Well maybe he was 2013 Joe Smith but definitely not 2012. Two hits and a hit batsman equalled 2 runs for ol' Joe.

Then, get this - Chris Perez comes in and pitches not one but TWO 1-2-3 innings. In a row! Yeah in one game! Dude can't even do that over 4 nights most of the time. He must have been rarin' to go! The meat of the order, too. Outstanding!

Covering the 11th was Bryan Shaw, who got the win. He gave up a bunt single but that was it. So SOME guys in our bullpen really stepped up and looked great today. But half of them...yeesh. They let a 4-run lead go!

Never fear - our offense got even more hits than yesterday. Today they got 18 hits and 11 runs!

Michael Bourn  only got one hit today and it was a single, but it was damn good. Turned in to 2 RBI! He also got an RBI ground out earlier in the game, for a total of 3 RBI on the night. He did get caught stealing though. Is it because everyone expects him to steal??

Swisher is still in the 2-hole and he put his stupid self to use by getting a homer in the first. Go bro.

Kipnis got out of whatever funk he was in in Seattle (1 for 12) and kicked some butt today, with 2 hits including his 25th double! Oddly enough, he neither scored not got an RBI.

Asdrubal has warmed up to the cleanup spot, I think. Today he went 3 for 6 with a double, a run and an RBI! He is .500 over his last 3 games!

Santana was the last one to get a hit today and it was a big one! He helped keep the 11th alive, following up Asdrubal's single, and he was on base when the big magic occurred. Santana went 1 for 4 with 2 walks.

The big magic was Ryan Raburn! He's so good...

He's so good that people put up signs in their garages that say "Parking for [ethnicity] Only - And Ryan Raburn."

Comin' out of nowhere to get the walkoff 3-run homer in the 11th! Yeah buddy! I guess not out of nowher e- did you know he's got the 4th highest average on the team? He does. But he's not a qualifier, at only 58 games. But he was a pretty awesome choice for DH tonight!

Check out how happy this made Brad Mills:

Woohoo!

Raburn went 2 for 6 with 3 RBI.

Hey Cousin Michael, how you doin?

Hey.

How's the hittin? Oh - 3 for 4 tonight with 2 runs scored? Not bad, cuz! A 4-game hitting streak, too? Any outfield assists today? Two? Well one on the books and one that 'los dropped?

You're pretty awesome, Cousin Michael. Who's your awesome friend?

It's Mike Aviles! Today playing the role of 3rd baseman, and the guy batting 8th that nobody expects to do anything. Except people who know Mike Aviles! He went 3 for 5 today, his second 3-hit game in a month (ok it's been almost exactly a month but he got in under the wire!) He came around to score twice, too.

Drew Stubbs was getting in to the RBI act today too, with 2 RBI of his own. He had a bases-loaded single. He was also at the plate when there was a wild pitch to score a run in the 2nd, so let's give him that too!

 So the Tribe has scored 21 runs in their last two games, and even though they only scored 3 runs in the game before that they did get 11 hits. They had 13 hits yesterday and 18 more today. Wow. Glad we have some recourse against the awful, awful bullpen.

CC Lee was sent down, by the way. We're back to Oh No Not Rich Hill, Good Job Cody Allen, Vinnie Cringe Pestano, Uh Albers? Shaw?, What Happened Joe Smith? and Chris Perez. Lord help us!

Tomorrow is another 7:05 game - gonna be crazy cool with Justin Masterson versus special guest star RHP 2.86. Will he put an end to our current bat-crazy? Will Masterson have another ace-ly game? We gotta tune in to find out!

No Radio Chatter today, even though Tom Hamilton was back. I was outside enjoying the weather with my dog, listening to the radio. It was crazy nice out!

Another good one tomorrow - see you there!

Down With The Sickness

It kind of feels like the team was sick for a while, and now they're getting better and getting on their feet and getting back to their old selves. Right? I told you this wasn't a bad team!

I mean, I'm not going to scream "We're back!" just yet. You know how it is after an illness - one Happy Hour after work and you're down for the rest of the weekend. So let's just watch as the fellas get themselves back in gear, and hope they don't get re-infected on their way.

I couldn't get a read on Ubaldo Jiminez from Tom Hamilton today. Hammy's pretty good at describing whether or not we can trust a starter's outing, but since the team has been doing bad he doesn't seem to have faith in anyone. Well except Kluber last night - Hamilton was pretty convinced by the 6th. He didn't really sell Jiminez tonight, although Jiminez didn't really sell himself. He lasted just 5 innings before leaving with 101 pitches. He just had to work too hard, I guess. He only gave up 1 run and struck out 4, so all in all it was a good performance. Just too short. He got the win, tho!

Ubaldo gave up a walk and a hit in the 6th, so they took him out. Then we had to deal with Hill on the hill (I can't believe I haven't said that yet!) He only had to pitch to Pierzynski and he got AJ to fly out, then they sent him to sit back down. Good riddance.

Then Shaw got the next 2 guys out, and got 2 outs in the 7th. They took him out for Hagadone who got one out. Tired yet? Still two more innings to go!

Smith had a good inning - he took 22 pitches to strike out 3 guys and walk one. Then came Vinnie to work the 9th, just to get some work and in true Tribe Closer fashion he gave up a run because he had a run to give up. Tom Hamilton has been pointing out the last 2 days how you can't trust any sort of lead in the ballpark at Arlington, so he had me nervous when there was a runner on and a run scored with 2 outs in the 9th. I mean, if we can score so many runs after 2 outs and this is a run-producing park, why can't they?? It ended, though. Whew!

The top of the order started really getting their stuff together today. Bourn - a Texas boy - was back today and he started the game off with a single! He didn't make it home that time but he led off the 3rd with a single and got to come home. Later on he walked, so he went 2 for 4 on the night. Juuuuust a hair under .300 at .299!

Kipnis kicked it up a notch finally, after sticking out a 7-game hitting streak now he's putting more hits up in one game, going 3 for 5 tonight with a double and a HOMER! Quite a power day for the Kid! I wouldn't mind to see a big long hitting streak from him, that's for sure. How many games are left in the season? How about a streak that long?! Yeah!

Nick Swisher AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGGGHH!

Michael Brantley was up in cleanup today. The 4th spot is where he's been for the third-most at-bats. First is uh...first with 88 at-bats. Then seventh with 35, and then 4th, 5th and 8th are about the same in the 20s. Versatility! He actually does best in the fifth spot.

Sorry, that was boring. Cousin Michael went 2 for 4 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored! He's got a 3-game hitting streak.

Santana went 1 for 4, with a big RBI double. He has a little 5-game streak going. I guess they are trying to move him around more, not have him catch as much. Oh, what do we do with Carlos? He needs to have multi-hit games tho, that's for sure.

Mike Aviles was in it to win it tonight, going just 1 for 4 but his was a 2-run homer! He did have to give back one of those runs today after he committed  an error that allowed a run to score in the 9th. But that's ok - we don't want him getting TO Asdrubally (albeit Asdrubal sure does have a lot of errors this season....) Him and his buddies also turned two today TWICE!

I guess Drew Stubbs' parents have been in town for this Texas series. He's from Alabama and it's a 2.5 hour drive in to Arlington. Tom Hamilton is a big fan of theirs (probably because he travels to see his son play now too!) Anyway, Stubbs got a hit tonight too (got one last night) but that was about it. Hey - he got on, not his fault the guys couldn't drive him in!

Tomorrow's an off day, then back home to host the Nationals on Friday. The Nats are a .500 club who play better at home than on the road. We've got a team that just won 2 after losing 8, and had BEST be back on a roll! Also - Dollar Dogs and fireworks! w00t!

Friday it'll be our hero Justin Masterson versus LHP 3.59. Are you stoked? It's gonna be fun (thank goodness)!

See you there!

[No Radio Chatter tonight, sorry. I was too busy doing stuff to write stuff down. Oops!]

"We Played A Nice Ballgame Today"

Everybody hits today!! Yaaaay!

Not only did Corey Kluber melt some faces off with his pitching performance tonight, the Tribe was also out there HITTING the ball! Hitting it to where Rangers were not! Waaaahoo!

So Kluber pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball and didn't give up a run until there were 2 outs in the 8th. He only threw 3 strikeouts, most of his outs were pop-ups. Whatever works, bro! Pretty amazing outing from the kid considering his last outing was sort of awful, and the one before that was aborted by rain. Nice to see our starters keep it together while the team burns down around them.

Did you know the Indians lead the league in throwing shutouts at 8? Wow, me neither. Forgot we were good for a while there!

Joe Smith came in for the 9th and he gave up a home run! No kidding! I was complaining about our starters giving up homers in the beginning of the season and now our relievers are catching up. Eek? As groups, they're both at about 1 homer per 7 innings pitched. Tonight was Smith's second homer in 21 innings (Perez has 4 in 16 - wow!) Then he couldn't get it over the plate on the next guy. But after a quick visit from Mickey Callaway, he got the next two guys out and that was the game!

Speaking of coaches...do you know anything about hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo? No? Neither did I. Turns out the guy has had 38 major league at bats, but played in Japan for 3 years, one of which he was player of the year. He coached for the Angels, A's and Mariners. Not sure why he was brought here by Terry Francona but here he is. Francona must really see something in this guy.

Aside from all that, there's this article that explains how Van Burkleo built his family a 5000-square-foot cabin in the wood. He and his wife raise a 6 year old with Downs syndrome and autism. He once owned a pizza restaurant and he knows how to surf. I wonder how the hell this guy likes Cleveland, you know?

If anyone can light a fire under the asses of this super-talented lineup, I suspect it would be Wild Man Van Burkleo!

Bourn had the day off, but you know if he was in he woulda been out there doing some good. Instead Drew Stubbs (of Texas, by God) was our leadoff man. He only went 1 for 5 but his one hit was a big one - a 2-RBI single! Never give up, Drew Stubbs!

Jason Kipnis went 1 for 3 with a walk. He's got a 6-game hitting streak. Huh! I had no idea anyone had gotten any hits over the past 6 games but there you have it - Kipnis. He also stole a base and is up to 14 now, tied for 4th in the league. Also huh!

Nick Swisher and his stupid face got another hit today. That's 3 hits in the last 3 games. Well...yeah. Ok. Also, 11 strikeouts in his last 9 games so - DO BETTER, SWISHER!

Our man Ryan Raburn was back in for the 4th game in a row, hitting cleanup today. He is the only guy to get extra bases, with a double to lead off the 4th. Then he came around to score the game's first run.

Mark Reynolds broke a long hitless streak and went 2 for 4 today with an RBI. Perhaps he's all pumped now that he's playing some pretty good 3rd base? Him and Brantley went halfsies on this awesome, awesome play - an outfield assist!

Brantley has 6 outfield assists now. Or maybe 7, I'm not sure how their stats are set up. Anyway, he's either tied for 2nd or 3rd in the league. Cool!

Once we were up 5-1, they brought in John McDonald for the 9th to play 3rd. Very interesting to see how he'll fit in here, in play. He said he's excited to teach young kids about baseball - with Giambi and Swisher and now McDonald giving out lessons, I hope the young guys don't start getting a chip on their shoulders about always being the young guys!

Did you know Brantley hasn't been hitting much lately? Yuck. He did steal a base, though. He actually stole it twice because he was successful but Gomes hit a foul ball, so he had to go back to first. But he stole the base again, this time for real. Today Brantley went 1 for 3. Santana went 1 for 3. Gomes also went 1 for 3, and apparently all of his outs were big strong hits. Of course - he is Gooooooooomes!

Aviles was the only guy left to hit in the 9-hole today. He's actually doing kind of well, with 11 hits in his last 10 games. Today he went 2 for 4 and stole a base as well. We all run off AJ Pierzynski! (And then he hits a homer off us)

So is this the first game of many? Are we crawling up from the pits of hell in to a respectable baseball season? What do you think Terry Francona told them to finally get them up and out? I think he told them that Cleveland's median income is $25,000 a year and they make $73.7 million a year so maybe they need to get their heads out of their butts and realize they are millionaires playing a child's game and it is time to play good! JUST PLAY GOOD!

Terry Francona said in his press conference today that "We played a nice ballgame today" so maybe that's all he asked of them. Just play a nice goddamn ballgame. Or something.

Tomorrow is our last night in Texas before a day off. It's another 8:05 game, where we roll out Ubaldo to face RHP 3.92. The team has 47 homers off RHP versus just 28 off lefties. Maybe next it's time for one of THOSE kinds of games...

I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
 "He gets an A for hustle but an F for baserunning."
- Tom Hamilton on Santana's out in the first

"Chris Spielman was a great football player. Brian Bosworth pretended he was a football player."
- Tom Hamilton

"Garcia was like in a little league game. I'm just going to run until somebody tags me out! Ron Washington has strapped Garcia to the bat rack."
- Tom Hamilton

"Corey Kluber is a strike pitching machine today."
- Tom Hamilton

Fought The Law And The Law Won

Scott Kazmir looked ok. Just one run shy of a quality start (a run that Hagadone gave up for him). I mean the way the whole team is playing, he could have looked worse.

For example he could have looked like Hagadone or Allen who both gave up runs in the 7th inning.What the...?

Vinnie Pestano at least had an uneventful 8th. Kind of creepy how we're not really missing our closer right now, huh? I guess if nothing else, all of this is good for Chris Perez who's not going to lose his job any time soon because there's no chance for anyone to go out there and show everyone they're better at closing than Perez.

Jumping on the mug shot bandwagon yo!

Nobody on the team is hitting over .300 right now. Granted, .300 is a tall order the longer the season wears on but dammit I liked looking at those.

Swisher got a hit today but he's got to be batting at like .280 for me to get over it.

Santana - he made me happy today. Well when he wasn't making me upset, being bad at playing first base. But it was really really cool for him to get a 2-out, bases-loaded double. That was, like, one of the biggest highlights of the past 8 games. Didn't win the game or anything but it was sweet as heck.

Mark Reynolds muffed a play, and made Tom Hamilton super mad. Then later he had a play that made Tom Hamilton sound like he was going to declare Reynolds the best third baseman ever. It was pretty sweet, he was hopping around like a circus flea! No hits for Reynolds, tho.

The Tribe had an awesome and weird double play that did get two outs (as opposed to the previously mentioned Reynolds play that didn't).

Sigh.

Hey, they signed John MacDonald today. Not sure why, since we've got a great utility infielder and some dudes who should come up to play SS while Asdrubal's out, and an every day 2nd baseman but...Johnny Mac! He hasn't played with us since 2004?? Seems like we traded him 3 years ago! His batting average is slightly above average but his fielding is around 100%. Huh.

They're talking on Extra Innings now about whether or not this is a slump or this is a bad team. This is not a bad team. No way is this a bad team. This is a good team playing extremely poorly right now and it's frustrating as heck. Are they going to be playing this poorly all season? They might. Because this is Cleveland, they might.

But hey, at least there's over 3 months of baseball left. Whatever that means, it definitely means we've got a lot more baseball to listen to and really that's what it's all about.

I'm rambling. It's bedtime. Tomorrow is at 8:05 again, Kluber versus LHP 2.82. It's raining cats and dogs outside.

See you there.

Radio Chatter:
"The fastball is still the best pitch there is."
- Tom Hamilton

"Carlos Santana is a great hitter but boy, where do you play him? Really, Santana is a DH."
- Tom Hamilton

"Can you imagine what the inside of those heads smells like in a month or so?"
- Tom Hamilton on the racing Texas icons

"No wonder the Rangers do so well in this ballpark, when Santa Claus is the scorekeeper."
- Tom Hamilton on an error going as a single

"You can't win in this park scoring only 3 runs. Not going to happen. You score 5 runs in this ballpark and you're going to be on the edge of your seat thinking that's enough."
- Tom Hamilton

Watch Out Behind You - It's The Tribe!

What a game, boffins! And what a surprise, after proclaiming yesterday that the Tribe didn't "have the ability" to win today's game. Well, between all 20 players Manny Acta threw on the field today we pulled out a WIN in TEXAS!

The sweetest part? The loss went to Joe Nathan! (Yeah, he plays for Texas now)

Oh wait no, also pretty sweet was the fact that before today the Indians were 1-75 this year when trailing in the 8th. AGAINST ALL ODDS!

Zach McAllister was murdered last time he pitched against Texas. Absolutely murdered, folks (7 runs in 5 innings) - then put away and re-animated for another turn, this time in their home park where they hit a lot of homers. Well re-animated Zach McAllister had NO problem with these Rangers here today and only gave up 1 run in 6 innings, striking out 6. I'm serious! A quality start! Looks like the kid is making his way back to the top of the pitching heap for Cleveland.

It took 4 more arms to get through 3 more innings against Texas but Manny seemed pretty hungry to end this road trip on a high note. The game was tied at 2 when Esmil Rogers came in for the 7th. He is so much more comfortable in that early relief spot than the later ones, it's not even funny. He had a 1-2-3 inning, striking out 2. Of course it was the chaff of the Rangers' order but whatever, he did it with no runs.

Next was Joe Smith, who has been truly a gem in this snowstorm of a season (?). His infield let him the fuck down - both Lillibridge and Hannahan had errors which resulted in 2 runs. Yeep! Joe only lasted one out.

Scott Maine came in next, cuz, why not? He gave up a hit and everyone said "here it goes again" and then he got a guy to ground into a double play and NO ONE errored and that was that. Maine ended up with the win, too!

Chris Perez - FUCK YEAH! So awesome to see him without the qualifier "...needs work." We needed him this time instead! He blew through the first two batters in the 9th inning and then Elvis Andrus was up. Andrus has hit safely in all of the 31 games he's played against the Tribe in his career, but hadn't hit one tonight. But Chris Perez always gives up a hit and in his last at-bat, Andrus pulled out a triple. So....cool? It's cool. Interesting baseball stat. Especially cool because the next guy struck out and BALLGAME! (Still beardless. Still excited by winning. Still awesome.)

Crazy f'n lineup today, with tons of substitutions too.Carrera, Lillibridge, Kipnis, Santana, Rottino, LaPorta, Neal, Marson, Hannahan. That is not the lineup of a team that was poised to win today but there they were!

Zeke had a Choo-like night in the top spot, going 2 for 4 with a run and a RBI. Oh yeah those both came on a home run! I mentioned yesterday that hopefully Zeke has forgotten that when he first got here for a few minutes he had some power and then he goes and does this. Well, Zeke, you did strike out twice tonight trying to hit homers in your other at-bats so don't get too smug just yet!

Brent Lillibridge...oh man, that guy is just so bad at short. He just can't do it - two errors today and at least one previous in 13 games at short. He IS a utility guy but he doesn't really have much of a history at short. Asdrubal, come back! (He is going to see someone about his wrist but he actually came into the game for the 9th because there was nobody left!)

Lillibridge went 0 for 3 and had his 2 errors so it was nice to see him come out and Canzler come in to get some real man work done. He got a single and then a pinch runner in Jason Donald, who came around to score!

Kipnis! Homer! Ah, the JK Kid started off September with a bang then quickly turned down the "fizzle" road halfway through the Minnesota series. Last night he was shut out but tonight he hit the game-winning 2-run homer in the 9th! I'm serious baby - it was as dramatic as you think!

¡Mira!

Sad Joe Nathan

 Carlos Santana was the DH tonight. Then he was the catcher which meant we had to give up the DH spot which meant all of our pitchers technically got put into the lineup in the existing catcher's spot but none of them had to bat. It makes sense somehow but whatever. Carlos didn't care - he needed to stay in, he was hot hot hot going 3 for 5! I get to apply my "When Carlos Santana has a multi-hit game, we win" theory here yay! After all that, though, he didn't score any runs or get any RBI. Huh.

The Other Vinny Rottino was in at left today, cuz whatever. He got a single in 3 tries and then in the 8th there was a weird thing with a bat and a ball and a bunt and the foul line and ... sacrifice bunt. An "excuse me bunt" I guess you'd say. He did get the runner over but that inning was a bunch of August Sadness because the bases got loaded and nobody scored.

Matt LaPorta showed up BIG TIME tonight! He went 3 for 5 with his first homer of the year, and it was a 2-run jobby because Vinny Rottino was on base! It tied the game! Way to go Vinny! Haha just kidding, way to go Matt! LaPorta also had a coupla singles to go along with that homer. He's a guy that definitely needs to step it up this September if he wants to come back and play in the bigs next year. Everyone in the organization seems to love him - I hope it works out!

Hey what's up Thomas Neal? Inglewood always up to no good! I keep bringing up Neal's hometown like I might say "I've got a black friend!" What a loser. Thomas Neal, on the other hand, is no loser! Today he went 1 for 3 getting his second MLB hit! Nothing came of it but, hey man, keep it real.

We started against a lefty today so you know it was Lou Marson's turn. He went a respectable 1 for 3, then got pulled for Chisenhall from whom we all expected great things and...nothing happened. I bit my hat, I did! 

Jack Hannahan did not get a hit today. His was the only slot in the lineup without a hit. Curses! He also had an error today which ended up in an un-earned run. Nobody likes to be disappointed in Jack Hannahan, yet here we are...

Brent Lillibridge, the other guy who gave up an error run and who didn't get a hit tonight (although someone else did in his spot) has already apologized. Warm fuzzies!

Now, go out and beat those Tigers for me tomorrow!!

So tomorrow it's Corey Kluber versus a certain RHP (2.91). But we have the secret element - surprise. Surprise and fear. Two elements, surprise, fear and the craziest unknown lineup in baseball at the moment. I mean, who would be more afraid to lose to the worst team in baseball than Justin Verlander? It looks bad, man!Better not choke!

Tomorrow I get to go to the game with my little buddy SMac and I think it's gonna be a pretty rockin' time. There will be fireworks! Provided the weather holds up, of course, but Weather.com was right on the money for me last week so let's hope it's on the money this week too. Storms over at 7 PM. Fireworks after a win! 

Can't wait - See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Texas looks like a softball team here with these red jerseys. They crush the ball like a softball team too."
- Tom Hamilton

"It's a moral victory, keeping Texas off the board for two innings."
- Tom Hamilton

"Nobody wants to hold off on their swings with 2 strikes."
- Tom Hamilton is not happy with all our utility guys and their penchant for striking out

"It's frustrating to watch a team like Texas say 'Here, we'll give you the run' and watch guys swing away like it's the Little League home run derby."
- Tom Hamilton is catty meow!

"The door man has better teeth than anyone I've ever seen."
- Tom Hamilton is extremely impressed with the hotel

"When I grow up, I want to towel off the forehead of Jessica Simpson."
- Tom Hamilton

"Is there anybody, Rosie, that you root for more than Matt LaPorta?"
- Tom Hamilton is a believer

"This is as drastic an outfield shift as you have ever seen on a lefthanded batter!"
- Tom Hamilton on Carrera's at-bat in the 6th

"Hey I got a seven dollar baseball, but I lost a tooth!"
- Tom Hamilton on Ranger fans scrambling for foul balls

"One thing we have found out about the base lines here in Tezas - they are slanted to favor the hitter."
- Tom Hamilton in the 8th

"Well Rosie, I bet you didn't know that when you jumped into that pool this morning, full of senior citizens in their water aerobics class, that was as good as it was going to get today."
- Tom Hamilton

"These fans are like the Romans awaiting the Christians at the Coliseum. Let the tigers loose! We want more blood!"
- Tom Hamilton

Still In Texas...

Hey, the 2013 schedule is up! You'll be pleased to know that next year we're not stuck playing the Rangers in September. In fact we're slated to play the Astros and the Twins. Yay! Who knows what baseball will be like next year, though. I for one am excited to find out.

But first - the rest of this year!

Jeanmar Gomez...let's be done with him now. He was slightly impressive at the beginning of the year but quickly lost his luster. Tonight he went 4 innings and gave up 5 earned runs with 3 of them coming via the homer. He only struck out 1.

David Huff came in for relief and we hope to see him in 5 days starting instead of Gomez, don't we? He threw 2 2/3 and struck out 4 with no runs scored. Esmil Rogers came in for that final out and he got it via the strikeout.

Chris Perez! Forgot about him! He came in for the 8th and gave up his requisite 1 hit and that was the end of that. Do you think he could get 5 more saves in 18 more games? I am guessing probably not...

The lineup was a little "older" today (no Neal, no Phelps) and 8 out of 9 dudes got on base, but they had a hard time converting hits into runs. What else is new, eh?

Choo is still on an on-base tear. His average is up to .281 now after going 2 for 4 tonight. He's got 11 hits and 9 walks in September!

Kipnis, on the other hand, not so much. The JK Kid did nothing but strike out tonight.

Santana finally did something, getting his first hit since his 3-hit run on Sunday. He went 1 for 3 tonight with a run and an RBI!

Cousin Michael trudges along. I am repeating myself but he got another hit tonight - 9 hits and 5 walks in 10 games in September. His average is .284. Still not the .330 I had promised when Grady got back but Grady ain't back so we've got forever!

Russ Canzler had a bad night for Russ Canzler. He didn't get a hit although at least he got on base with a walk. No errors either so better than last night.

Where we don't have Canzler, we have The Chiz! Lonnie was in today at third which implies no errors at third. Also he went 1 for 4. No extra bases or runs or RBI or anything but hey, no one else got extra bases either.

Casey Kotchman was up again today in another crucial spot for the Tribe and he delivered again! He got another RBI today. It wasn't a beautiful 2-RBI single with bases loaded - more like a fielder's choice infield hit that almost was a double play but whatever. He did it!

Brent Lillibridge had a bad night. At least he didn't screw up at short. But he went 0 for 4 with 2 strikeouts and 4 left on base. He could not handle the heat today that's for sure.

Zeke had a good night, though! He went 1 for 3 with a run scored and a stolen base! He's not a super top-notch performer just yet - he's not reliable. But he's kept his average up over .250 and hasn't been completely inconsequential to the team. You can tell they are working on his batting and trying to get him to forget his few fat hits earlier in the season and just concentrate on getting on base.

Tomorrow is ONE MORE DAY against the Rangers. It sort of sucks listening to games I know we can't win. But then again I listen to games on the archive that I know we actually haven't won so who am I to complain?

It's Zach McAllister versus LHP (4.59) and I am pretty sure we don't have the ability to win tomorrow. Then again, I gotta tune in to see if I am wrong!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"He made the Indians look foolish."
- Tom Hamilton after the top of the first

"For the Indians, they'd better get great pitching because they aren't going to win a slugfest against this ballclub."
- Tom Hamilton

"You could hear the baseball screaming 'ouch' from up here."
- Tom Hamilton after Beltre's homer in the first

"Nelson Cruz is in a slump but does it matter?"
- Tom Hamilton

"Literally Madonna would love Dallas - the Material Girl in a material city. [...] There's a reason the television show is called 'Dallas' and not 'Fort Worth.'"
- Tom Hamilton is filling the air

"Nobody tried to catch it in the upper deck - they ran away from it, it was a missle!"
- Tom Hamilton on Josh Hamilton's homer

"Let's break for a station ID. Or maybe not...I don't think the FCC is listening."
- Tom Hamilton is getting restless

"So, Santa Claus makes a stop in Arlington on September 12."
- Tom Hamilton after Kipnis' error is called a triple for David Murphy

"The only way the Indians can beat Texas is if Texas has a bad night."
- Tom Hamilton

Manny Takes The Kids to Texas

It was actually a pretty good game today, with the Tribe coming back to get within 2 runs in the 8th. And Jiminez not totally breaking down. And Justin Morneau not being there.

Ubaldo went 5 innings and only gave up 2 runs, striking out 4. Unfortunately for him (and all of us, really), there were 2 errors behind him that resulted in 2 runs and oh yeah, a wild pitch for a run too. He actually just had that one bad inning where 4 scored. He didn't give up any in the first inning, or any more until the 5th when Beltre squeaked a solo homer over the wall.

Cody Allen came in for the 6th and his magic is gone - he gave up a run in the 6th and then left 2 on for Barnes in the 7th. Barnes got the last 2 outs, and then Joe Smith came in to seal the deal in the 8th.

The lineup definitely tried its hardest, but it couldn't overcome the two runs it had given up on errors. Choo, Kipnis and Santana led off and the rest of the card were kids from Columbus (and Brent Lillibridge, who is just the new guy). Manny did use everyone, though - Brantley came in for his first pinch hitting of the year, Hannahan and Kotchman made appearances as did Chisenhall, Cord Phelps and Vinny Rottino!

Choo led the boys off going 0 for 3 but with 2 walks and a run scored. That's 5 runs scored in September for him with 11 hits and 8 walks in his 8 games in September!

Kipnis had a great night going 2 for 3 with a walk. He didn't leave any guys on base but unfortunately no one was around for him to bat in! He's also got 11 hits in September (in 9 games) with 5 walks, and has been on base every day this month!

Asdrubal is still out with a sore hand, so Santana was 3rd. He was SHUT DOWN today though, yeesh. Dude left 5 on base.

Russ Canzler was back to hitting every day, after missing just one day by being shut out yesterday. Today he went 1 for 4 with a RBI and 2 runs scored! Except he totally fucked up a play at first and a run scored so that sucked big time.

Matt LaPorta was finally a difference-maker today! He went 1 for 3 with a huuuge RBI double. They also remarked that he had a lot of really good at-bats. Go Matt - do it again tomorrow!

He was pinch hit by Lonnie in the 8th, who got a big walk to keep the inning going.

Lillibridge went 0 for 2 but he did walk and came around to score. The oldest of old men, Kotchman (actually, younger than Choo) batted for Brent in the 8th and got an RBI single! Very exciting, the most exciting moment in Indians' baseball since like June.

Jason Donald was in at 3rd, because I guess maybe Lonnie isn't fully recovered. Bad move...he had 2 errors. He's a scrappy guy but sometimes his head is just not in the game and he is sloppy as hell. Sometimes, very tight. Today was not one of those times. He did go 1 for 3 but no runs and no RBI. Brantley came in to bat for him and it almost, almost seemed like a sure thing. But it was not to be.

Thomas Neal was back, this time playing left. He got on base by fielder's choice! Cord Phelps pinch hit for him and he was shut down too.

Zeke was batting 9th, as he is the experienced newbie, and he ended up going 1 for 4 with an RBI!

All these dozens of guys (ok, a dozen) got together to get 4 runs but it wasn't enough to overcome the 6 that Texas got. Josh Hamilton was 0 for 4 though, cool!

Tomorrow is more Texas, more Central Time and hopefully more Tom Hamilton (he was out today!) It's Jeanmar versus RHP (4.36) but that is a very deceptive 4.36 and we'll really be lucky to get 4 runs is what I think. But hey, baseball!

No Radio Chatter tonight because there wasn't much to write down as Hamilton was out (they didn't specify). HOWEVER, he has made it to the second round of voting for the 2013 Ford C. Frick awards given by the Baseball HOF. You gotta go to the Baseball HOF Voting Page on Facebook and Like the HOF (which, come on, you know you do!) and then you can vote for Hammy to make it through to the top 10 and the final ballot.

Do it!

Welcome Freshmen

Today's lineup was super interesting. Even the pitchers. Even the Rangers!

Our starting pitcher was Zach McAllister who actually made his debut last year but didn't solidify himself a place in the rotation until this year. He wasn't as hot today as he's usually been for us (a surprise to everyone that he was overall better than Masterson, Jiminez and Lowe) but really, it was the Rangers. It was bound to happen. There was no way we were going to hold them to under 5 runs a game all weekend. So McAllister gave up 7 runs in 5 innings including 4 home runs. They were of course to Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre, and this dude David Murphy who appears to love to hit against the Tribe.

The other home run was to Jurickson Profar. He is 19 and today was hist first Major League game after coming up from AA. He is the third teenager to hit a homer in his first at-bat, the first since 1950 (prior to that, 1945). It was very lucky for him that we were giving away home runs today and he was in line! He then also got a double. Put your feelers out for Profar baseball cards today!

Scott Barnes came in for middle relief. I think this is his third invite up this year after his debut in May. He went 2 innings and did not give up any home runs to the Texas Rangers, nor did they score any runs off him, so I'd call that an extremely successful outing for Barnes!

The finisher was Frank Herrmann, who was a big part of the bullpen last year but apparently didn't have the stuff this year (but Jeremy Accardo did...?) Well I guess he doesn't because this is his 5th appearance and he gave up 1 run today, giving him 4 overall for the season. Although I see that last year in 40 games he gave up 32 runs so he is obviously not as memorable as I make him out to be. I think really he made more of an impact in the #BullpenMafia movie, O'Hara's 6.

The pitching was all guys who at least started the season in Columbus, and 5 of the guys in the lineup had started in Columbus (Donald, Canzler, Neal, LaPorta, Carrera). One guy was traded in to the team (Lillibridge) and then Kipnis is having his rookie year. The Indians veterans on the diamond today were Santana and Marson. Lookout!

Jason Donald led off and it did not suit him whatsoever! He went 0 for 5.

Kipnis, on the other hand, is enjoying being out of the one-spot and went 2 for 4 today. He has hit in 5 of his lat 8 games and gotten 9 hits in those 5 games. I really hope September is his month because August very much wasn't (he batted .180 in August).

I sent him a link to the Society for the Abolition of the Month of August. I wonder if he'll find it a worthwhile cause?

Carlos Santana, lookin' good in the 3-hole! He had one hell of a weekend. No doubt inspired by the heavy hitting Rangers. In awe of the 2011 American League Champs. Or something. He went 5 for 12 in the series with 5 RBI and 4 runs. That's half of our 10 runs batted in and scoring 3 on top of that (1 was a home run so that's an RBI and a run all at once - dig?) Today he went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs! He got a 2-run homer in the 3rd and then double in the 8th. It actually seems like he is being a leader out there! Huh!

Welcome Russ Canzler! Yesterday he went 2 for 4 with 2 singles, and today he wrapped it up in a neat package with a double. Unfortunately there was nobody to hit in and no one to hit him in so his line ended there.

Welcome Thomas Neal! He followed up Santana's double with an RBI double of his own for his first Major League hit, after just being called up from AA Akron on Friday night and flying in from the playoffs in Virginia. And - AND! - while he was at bat a plane from the Air Show flew over and you could barely hear anything but the plane. But it made for a heck of a background for Thomas Neal's first hit and first RBI!

Here's the video, it's pretty neat. Here's an article on Neal (with the video) and it seems like he's a pretty cool guy. He's from Inglewood California - cred!

The old men - Lillibridge, LaPorta and Marson - each went 1 for 3 with a walk, but no runs and no RBI, so no stacking of those hits. Zeke was batting 9th and he went 0 for 4.

Here's a link to Matt LaPorta's spot for the National MS Society, if you're interested.

Fun times against the Rangers and fun to see new faces. Even though I missed the game being on WKYC and didn't see anyone at all. Most fun is to be done with the Rangers for a couple weeks and move on to a less hitting-y team!

On to Detroit where we'll spend our Labor Day with all the union workers. Who are retired or laid off. I wonder if there will be any mention? Surely there will, Detroit!

Tomorrow is Kluber versus RHP (5.29). Wow! Could be a win for Kluber!

I might try to catch the game on TV at my dad's tomorrow (at 1:05) so don't hold your breath for Radio Chatter. But otherwise - see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Texas, they have a chance to have a big inning every inning."
- Tom Hamilton

"They always have a big Labor Day parade in Detroit. It's when all the union people are mad at the non-union people."
- Tom Hamilton

"Anywhere else in America, when a manager goes to two World Series with a team that hadn't been there for eons, he would have a job for life. Not in Boston."
- Tom Hamilton

"Nelson Cruz, it's not hard to tell what sort of mood he's in. He hasn't been in a good mood all weekend."
- Tom Hamilton on Nelson Cruz still being a baby

Epic First

Wow, 4 runs in the first inning and they were all scored by the Indians! And not in answer to 4 runs by the other team!

WINNING! Yeah, the Tribe is 1-0 in September. We can rejoice for a few, minutes, I'm down with that!

Jeanmar wasn't too bad if you consider giving up fewer than 4 runs in 5 innings not bad for an Indians pitcher (I do.)  But he did give up 2 homers in those 5 2/3 innings, and he gave up 10 homers in the 15 other games he pitched this season, so I would say he's got a problem with giving up homers. THEN AGAIN...if a dude who has a problem giving up homers only gives up 2 homers to the Texas Rangers, who am I to complain? We'll give Jeanmar the nod as being welcome back to try to wow us again. And good thing I approve because he's already scheduled to cover for Hernandez's next start.

Joe Smith came in to finish the 6th and then the entire 7th. And it was good.

Just so you know, Chris Perez isn't missing or dead or in trouble. He was out because his wife had a baby girl today (Saturday) and he was on paternity leave. It has been pretty well-known over the past year or so when a guy was on paternity leave so I don't know why everyone was kept in the dark about Perez, but there it was.

Being that Perez was away, Acta had to switch up his setup-closer strategy. Sucks, because when was the last time we were ahead by 1 in the 8th and needed the services of PestanoPerez? It's been a while!

So they had Esmil Rogers come in for the 8th (not Cody Allen?) and he gave up a hit but got 2 out, including Josh Hamilton. Then it was time for Vinnie to mop up, which he did, holding Beltre to just a single and then getting Nelson Cruz to fly out.

The 9th inning seemed to take forever for Vinnie. He threw 24 pitches. But he is not known as a 1-2-3 guy so he took it in stride and got 2 ground outs and a strikeout around the one single he gave up.

Great team effort from the staff to hold on to this one! I mean, this is the friggin Rangers! I mentioned yesterday they average 5 runs per game so holding them to 3 is great!

The offense...I dunno. They seemed kind of lucky today. Lucky that the pitchers were all over it, because while they put on a great show in the first inning with 4 hits and a walk, over the next 8 innings they managed only 3 more hits and no walks, no hit-by-pitches even.

They did manage to finish the game in 2 hours and 38 minutes!

Choo is still in the leadoff spot and he's sort of making Kipnis look like a fool right now - his 2 games back now he's gone 4 for 7 with a walk. Obviously that lineup spot was meant to be for Choo and it couldn't turn Kipnis around like it did him. On his hit in the 5th, Choo stole 2nd but nothing came of it. Ho-hum.

Kipnis was hitting second, though, and he did get a double and score a run, The whole top of the order was where it was at, today, which isn't too bad. You of course want your top of the order to be the better half as that's where you put your good guys! Lately it's been sparse - a mix of top and bottom - or even just the bottom.

Carlos Santana was moved up to the third spot (Asdrubal is out while they bring new guys in, and also I think he's got a wrist thing going on) and why not? He has been hotter than Asdrubal but not as hot as Brantley so that's a good place for him. And he delivered today with a 2-run single in the first after Choo's walk and Kipnis's double. That was it, though - he went 1 for 4 on the night. But he has gotten 3 RBI over his last 2 games!

Brantley also went 1 for 4, with a single in the epic first inning, and he came around to score.

Big Russ Canzler was DH today. He's pretty much Hafner-sized. He proved himself by going 2 for 4, also getting a hit in said epic first and also coming around to score!

After that, tho, that's it. Kotchman and Hannahan DID manage to get sac flies to score Brantley and Canzler in that first inning, so they played a role. But that's it. Only 3 other hits and no more runs.

Tomorrow has got to be better at the plate. Hoping that a Sunday game at home after beating the best team in the league will be a nice shot in the arm. Also I think we'll see another new guy as well as Canzler. It could be epic again!

Tomorrow is McAllister versus LHP (4.90). I don't know what to think anymore, really, so I'll just say the game is at 1:05 and I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"The month of August was historical for the Indians, and not in the way you want it to be."
- Tom Hamilton

"If Beltre doesn't get it, it's a hit."
- Tom Hamilton on Beltre's error

"When you have lost 6 in a row and 15 out of 16, you're going to manage a little differently."
- Tom Hamilton on Acta bringing in Smith

Goodbye, Awful August!

Did we really have a chance today? I mean the Rangers are batting .278 as a team, and that's only because their catcher is only batting .209. Get rid of him and it's .289. They have 156 homers, we have 116. Their pitching isn't that amazing but what they lack in run preventing they make up for in run getting.

The Rangers average over 5 runs per game (the Indians, somehow, a smidge over 4) and Ubaldo held them to just 4, albeit in 5 2/3 innings. So, yay? He struck out 7. Also the team wasn't exactly sharp behind him, even though they didn't get any official errors. It was a little whacky out there. All-in-all, Ubaldo had a decent outing. Not the kind of outing you expect from someone who's super awesome (the guy we thought we were buying) but a good outing if you're going to take into consideration how he has pitched this year.

Esmil Rogers struck out 3 again, over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out 4 his last game, in 2 innings. Good with the strikeouts, pretty decent on keeping runs from scoring. Not today, of course. Today he gave up 1 run. But at least it wasn't the winning run.  He also made Nelson Cruz throw a little temper tantrum. It must suck to be the lowest-average guy even when your average is .262.

Cody Allen pitched 2 innings. Two whole innings, no runs. We'd better be signing that kid up for a few years. Not being facetious - he does 1 and 2 innings with no runs all the time. KEEPER!

Hits were few and far between today, so it was pretty miraculous that we managed to score THREE WHOLE RUNS! Only 5 hits for 3 guys. We did walk 4 times, though.

Choo was back in the leadoff, and apparently this mental break of not having to kill the ball, just hit it, put him back in his happy place. Because he went 2 for 4 with his 36th double! Absolutely nothing came of that, though - no runs, no RBI.

The order then went Kipnis, Cabrera and Brantley. None of those guys hit but they all walked once. Asdrubal came around to score!

Not sure what got in to Santana but he was swingin' away tonight and also went 2 for 4 with a double! He got an RBI and he came around to score. These things happened in two different innings, even!

And still here and still making things happen is Casey Kotchman! He got a 2-run homer in the 9th! It was the most excited I've heard Tom Hamilton in a long while. Because who doesn't love it when Casey Kotchman is good at the plate?!

So that was it, yo. No more hits down the line, no more runs. Hannahan walked once and was replaced by Lillibridge. Zeke played center as Brantley was DH, and Zeke didn't look so hot. Donald had a nice sliding catch in left but still...did we need to get rid of Shelley?

More Rangers tomorrow at 7:05, and it's the return of Jeanmar Gomez! If he could keep the Rangers in check (uh...) then we might have a chance against RHP (4.95). But there's a reason we sent Jeanmar down in the first place so don't hold your breath.

I'll be at the Nerf War with my sweet modded Nerf Big Bad Bow (explanation) so I don't know when I'll get to the game. But you know I'll get to it...see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"They'll always be second place behind those clowns across the parking lot."
- Tom Hamilton on the Rangers versus the Cowboys

"[Josh] Hamilton doesn't think much when he's up at the plate. He's up there with one thought in mind - see the ball, crush the ball."
- Tom Hamilton

"Sometimes 110 pitches seems easy. On a night like tonight it feels like 150."
- Tom Hamilton

"Even with two strikes...Carlos Santana seeing if there is a chance he could hit that ball to Pepper Pike. And he didn't."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is not the time of the year to be playing the Texas Rangers."
- Tom Hamilton

"Now that's a strikeout to remember!"
- Tom Hamilton on Nelson Cruz throwing a hissy fit after being struck out

"Wouldn't that be something if the Yankees didn't make the playoffs? Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus. [...] Two-hundred-ten million just doesn't buy you what it used to."
- Tom Hamilton

Our 'U' Beats Their Yu For His First W!

It almost seems like we did the impossible. Ubaldo Jiminez got his shit together and we beat one of the league's best pitchers off whom we scored 4 runs.

It was really an amazing way to cap off an amazing series. If you've been scratching your head about this Trbe team wondering if they were for real or just lucky or or what, you probably got sold today. Like the last two games, everyone played a part in the wins (and even in the loss) and played it well. Now, let's hope we do this for the next 5 months!

I was ready to be done with Jiminez after his last start. I was over waiting for "just one more start" for him to remember how to pitch. But if you think about it, he kind of hit bottom. There was no place for him to go but up. It seems like maybe someone finally told him "Dude, you suck" and he said "Someone help me" and some work was done and the pitcher we paid for showed up. Two hits, 6 strikeouts, 7 innings. Against Texas, the top-hitting team in the league.

I hope this means Jiminez has turned a corner. We can't compete this season without him. Let's hope today was the first of many amazing games to come!

Tony Sipp, on the other hand - he needs to have that same "someone help me" talk with the staff because he is just not getting it done. He is not SIPP! from last year he's "well I guess if everyone else is used up we'll throw in Tony for an inning, or at least as many outs as he can muster before the other team ties the game." He gave up two runs in 2/3 of an inning and was like a lost duckling out there until Pestano could come out and show him how shit gets done.

Chris Perez had me on the edge of my seat, but I was really excited that I had the game on TV today because he's great to watch. He's got confidence out the yin-yang. After the first batter got a hit between a lackadaisical Asdrubal and Kipnis, Perez turned around and asked his infielders "what the hell was that?" What the hell, indeed! And then he got Napoli to pop out and Beltre to fly out (on a titillating catch by Choo) then struck out the third guy LIKE HE DOES IT EVERY DAY. Very cool - are you as pumped as I am?! He is Kenny Powers!

Johnny Damon came through in a big way today. He was back in the leadoff spot. He started the game off with a single and in the 3rd he put one INSIDE THE SUN where Ian Kinsler couldn't find it. He then came around to score.

Kipnis had another amazing day, extending his hitting streak to 10 games, with 16 hits in those 10 games. Don't forget his 5 walks, 6 runs and 6 RBI in that time! Today he went 1 for 2 with two walks and a homer! For his efforts, he's now batting .300 and leads the team in RBI!

Asdrubal is still extremely relevant up there at #3. He's got 14 hits in the last 10 games, and got 2 more RBI today going 1 for 3. He leads our team with a .333 batting average and a .958 OPS (on-base plus slugging) which is towards the top of the league!

Something's up with Hafner. His batting average went from .327 to .253 in the last 10 games, where he's hit .147 over those games. He's not even hardly walking. What's up with that? Everyone remembers when he was On Base, Like a Boss just about a week ago, right? Please don't let it be the weather. It's fun to think that his North Dakota roots kept him supple during our cold April but that does not turn into an excuse for batting poorly in nice weather!

Santana's being choppy too. He didn't do anything today. Actually, he did catch Ubaldo pretty well. Seemed like at one point he talked the big guy off a ledge and guided him out of the inning. Do you think Latino players just speak to each other in Spanish or do they make an effort to speak English? I suspect the details are better told in Spanish.

Choo got a hit. Eh. He did have yet another great play in the outfield today, making that 4 great plays (three fantastic catches and a put-out) in one 3-game series. I won't complain about that! But I will be a little pouty over his lack of bat.

Brantley and Hannahan were silenced today. Maybe Brantley does need to be up top? I don't know. I'm glad I'm not the person who has to decide. Hannahan is hitting .600-something with men in scoring position. Not today tho.

Casey Kotchman! He did a thing today! Not only did he get a hit but he also stole a base. Because nobody expects Kotchman to steal a base. But look out, he's 3 for 3!

Very nice team effort today, and all weekend. I hope it carries us far because we've got a heavy schedule coming up - 16 games in the next 15 days. We've got TWO tomorrow, at 1:05 and 7:05. That'll be something else. A whole day of baseball! I'm getting all my chores done today so I can listen to baseball all day, unencumbered. Except of course for my job. I gotta work during the first game. Of course.

Anyway, see you tomorrow - twice! Roll tribe!

Radio Chatter:
"Hamilton is looking for one he can hammer to Pennsylvania."
- Tom Hamilton

"UC Santa Barbara. That's another school where if you get on the dean's list you have incredible focus. If you've seen the students at UC Santa Barbara you know what I'm talking about."
- Tom Hamilton wishes they all could be California girls

"It's gotta be some kind of happy hour they put on when they put this thing together."
- Tom Hamilton on the MLB schedule

"Clouds are starting to roll in and Ian Kinsler is like 'Where were you 2 hours ago?'"
- Tom Hamilton on Kinsler losing the ball in the sun