Tribe 1, Champs 0

What a fun game tonight! I don't know why but that was the best game I've seen on TV in a while. Maybe because most of the TV games are crappy Sunday games which we lose. Or because Busch Stadium is a really nice stadium and I totally fell in love with the arch in the outfield last October. And then the real Arch in the distance. Maybe it's because I finally got to see the Perez Progressive commercial (which, I am told, gets a lot of air time on cable.) Perhaps too it was that I got to see the new Chisen-mustache that I'd only heard about. Here's a picture of it:

Lonnie Chisenhall as The Beatles. George is sporting a Tomlin Plus.

I'm pretty sure the main reason I enjoyed today's game so much was that the team hit well, scored runs and Tomlin pitched like a sonofagun!

Would you believe if I told you Tomlin (and his facial hair) only struck out 1 tonight? In the 7 innings he pitched he did only strike out one. He actually gave up 8 hits too! But you'll have that against the best-hitting team (average and hits) in the NL. They only got 1 extra base off him, and one walk. He was in the groove tonight. With how fast him and Westbrook were pitching I was expecting the game to be over by 9 PM. And you know what? He only threw 76 pitches. I'm guessing they were all quality.

The bullpen was a treat again tonight! Smith gave up two hits to Molina and Craig but those dudes are hitting waaaaaay over .300. Remember that guy Freese who hit all of those homers in last year's post-season? Struck him out. Struck out Matt Holiday, too. Hagadone didn't give up any hits and struck out one, while Perez warmed up in the 'pen for no real reason than to let people know that he's returned, suckers.

Choo wasn't hitting tonight but he was leggin' it out there in the field. There's a lot of ground to cover out there!

Asdrubal and Kipnis picked up the slack by both going 2 for 5 tonight and both coming around to score. Kipnis got an RBI, too. That's two multi-hit games in a row for Kipnis and a 10-game hitting streak for Asdrubal! Once again, dazzling in the field too. Don't forget to vote for them to be in the All Star Game!

Kipnis hit himself in the knee/shin area with a foul ball early in the game. Made me sick - that's just about what happened to the 4-6-week Hafner. Hafner also finished his game like Kipnis did tonight. Kipnis is the LAST guy we need to lose, holy smokes...

Santana didn't disappoint today, going 1 for 4 with a RBI double. He also hit one that was a hit except for the awesome play on the other end. And he walked which they say "is a good sign" that he is on his way back. And he didn't strike out once!

Michael Brantley stretched his streak to 16 today :) :) Not only that but he got his first hit early and then got ANOTHER hit to go 2 for 4! WITH an RBI and a run. Here's a weird thing, tho - he struck out twice. And he struck out twice yesterday. Trying too hard? Maybe. Someone send him a memo to chill out. You know - be smooth.

Johnny Damon was a useful member of the team today and got a 2-run homer.

Kotchman was crazy good in the field today, as usual. And he proved himself reliable at the plate going 1 for 4, which is near what his .222 average lead you to expect. So, above-average hitting by Kotchman today - with a bonus RBI!

Lonnie Chisenhall was not Chisenhall-esque exciting today - no homers, no stolen bases - but he was Kotchmen-esque exciting also going 1 for 4, just like Casey. Unlike Casey, that is slightly under average for him.

Josh Tomlin! Yeah, not only did he pitch 7 but he also got himself a RBI single, stinging one to right field just like the "professional hitters" before him! What's not to like about Tomlin's performance tonight?!

Guess what - the game is on FOX tomorrow so I get to watch AGAIN! Happy days! Normally I love the radio and in fact I listen to the radio during TV broadcasts anyway. But the arches....and Tom Hamilton is away for the weekend so I'm happy having the TV for the missing color.

Tom's away because he's in Eugene, Oregon watching the Golden Flashes play in the NCAA baseball semi-finals. His son, Nick, is the team's DH. If you haven't already, read these articles about Nick Hamilton from The Plain Dealer and The Akron Beacon Journal. Amazing kid with an amazing family. If you are a fan of Hammy's - and if you read this blog I'm pretty sure you are - then you're going to be one huge fan of Nick's. I can't wait to see that kid in a Tribe uniform! What a great attitude!

Anyway, I'll stop gushing. Tomorrow night is another one against the 2011 World Champions of Baseball, in their beautiful arch-y stadium. And bonus for all of us without cable - it's on FOX! Two nights in a row! Nobody better call me to tell me they ripped out their bathroom and need a hand (that's what happened last time I meant to chill and watch a game on a Saturday night.)

I will see you there - and that's a promise!

Radio Chatter:

"I'd assumed the Indians retired my number when I left, but Tomlin's out there wearing it."

- Scott Bailes

"There's a league rule that there has to be 2 minutes 30 seconds between innings. Westbrook hates that rule. He is ready at a minute and a half and has to wait around"

- Jim Rosenhaus

"He's got a shutout going... I bet he's more proud of that [RBI single]."

- Jim Rosenhaus on Josh Tomlin's hit

"The Cardinals, maybe they used up all their runs last night."

- Jim Rosenhaus on the Cardinals' 14-run game

O Noes, Derek Lowe!

Oh boffins, I bet you thought I forgot about you. That I listened to the game this afternoon and buried myself in my work then came home and buried myself in a hot bath and did my best to wash off this loss. But, not so. I just got busy at work then after work stuff. I am here now!

You know who was most upset about this game? Derek Lowe. You can tell he's upset because he threw a cooler full of ice in the dugout and that's not something a seasoned veteran does that often. Lowe is from Detroit and he had some 30 family members in the stands today. Plus it was game 3 where we'd rolled over the Tigers twice already. Plus he fucking rocks and should not be giving up 7 runs in 5 innings. But that's what he did. For some reason I can excuse this more than any of our other starters when they suck. Lowe's done so well for us this year, it's just as hard for us to see him do bad as it is for him.

Scott Barnes came in for 2 and was lights out. His ERA is still 0. Jeremy Accardo did the same and is pitching 1.54. Nice stuff from the "low end" of our bullpen!

The offense actually almost came back. The Tigers defense tried to give it back. But we came so close and it slipped away. Sorry, Derek Lowe. It was just not your day.

Our man Choo is at it again - a SEVEN game hitting streak in which he has gotten 12 hits!! He went 2 for 5 today but neither of hit hits were doubles. Weird! He of course came around to score.

Asdrubal's still getting it done, at the plate and on the field. HE got a double, because he is awesome and it was a two-run double. He also walked and came around to score, because that's the kind of stand-up guy he is. You should take a moment and vote for him in the All Star Game. You know he would vote for you. Well not for shortstop, because he wants to be the all star shortstop, and play every day!

Hey, welcome back Jason Kipnis! The JK Kid woke up and went 2 for 4 today and of course he stole another base because that's what Kipnis does now. He also showed a little patience and walked, and turned two of his on-bases in to runs. We need that guy!

Everyone can take a breath now - Santana's back! Well, I dunno maybe I'm jumping the gun but dammit, I've been waiting patiently! He went 1 for 4 today with an RBI and a walk. That's one! Now he can just continue on getting hits every game! We won't mention how he tried to stretch a single in to a double and was out by a mile...wouldn't want to embarrass him on his first day "back."

LOPEZ! Rockin a 1 for 2 tonight with one walk, one double, one sac fly and 2 RBI! Maybe he is fighting for his job? It does not hurt us that we've got 3 awesome guys fighting for 3rd base. Well, until we send one of them to the Red Sox.

OMFG MICHAEL BRANTLEY WITH A 15 GAME HITTING STREAK!! He got on base earlier thanks to Prince Fielder being awful, but he was cutting it close hit-wise, not getting one until the 8th inning. If we ignore Santana, our top 6 (well, 5) hitters are batting a .282 average. That equals the average for all of the Rangers, the top team in the league for average.

Casey Kotchman! Slowly and quietly working his way up the average ladder. Tiny hitting streak at 3. Today he went a crazy 2 for 4. Unfortunately the guys around him weren't knocking the ball around at the same time so he didn't get any runs or RBI.

Did you know Marson has a 7-game hitting streak? Amazing what every day of play will do. Of course he's still scraping the bottom of the barrel average-wise but he's been consistent and useful. Today he went 1 for 4 with a run so he's doing the same stuff as Santana is.

Choices, choices!

Well, now we move on to the St. Louis Cardinals. All I know about the Cards is that I rooted for them in the World Series and they looked amazing and unstoppable. But that was last year and so far this year they're only playing .500 ball.

Oh yeah the pitcher we're facing tomorrow? Jake Westbrook. He was totes my faves when he was on our team and I was crushed to see him go. His stats this year look pretty much the same as always, around a 4 ERA. So we might not get too far with him.

Speaking of St. Louis pitching, there's some other Indians blog-like thing that is not TribeVibe or the Indians Tumblr or MLBlogs but something called Cut4 which has entries separated by city. To get around to the St. Louis pitching part, the latest entry has a video of Chris Perez doing his "You can't see me" thing, which I don't think was previously available. Chris Perez used to pitch for the Cardinals, you know. We win! But anyway, check out Cut4, whatever it is.

I also like the blog for Topps Bunt. Bunt is an iApp but apparently only for iPad. I couldn't find it for my iPod Touch. I am not even sure what I'm missing. But their little blog is pretty good, with weird little videos from around baseball and even non-MLB baseball. Scroll down past the app update posts for videos. There's a video of Charlie Manuel getting into an argument with an ump that just made me laugh. I can only imagine how it sounded. You've seen Waterboy? It sounded like that.

Ok that's enough from me. Good try at a comeback today, bad job by Derek Lowe. He's sorry and he's sorry he threw that cooler.

It's another day tomorrow in St. Louis. An 8:05 start so I'll actually have time to fix dinner beforehand. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"You can watch all the video you want, but as a hitter there's nothing like seeing it in person."
- Tom Hamilton on the Indians facing Crosby for the first time

"Everyone wants to know 'Did your team have a good draft?' but how do you really know until 5 years later?"
- Jim Rosenhaus

"Where would this club be without Jose Lopez?"
- Tom Hamilton after Lopez's RBI double

"The Tigers are desperate for a win. They can't afford to lose this game today, not with a 7-1 lead."
- Tom Hamilton

"He comes charging to the mound like a bull running the streets in Spain. He almost bowled over Leland who is trying to give him the ball."
- Tom Hamilton on

"Rocker woulda decked the driver and driven the cart himself."
- Tom Hamilton on the idea of John Rocker being driven to the mound in a funny cart

"He can call home tonight and say 'Cabrera and Fielder, they're not that good.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Scott Barnes

Cousin Michael Goes Yard

Exciting game tonight! A little too much excitement on the Detroit side for my taste, but in the end the Good Guys triumphed - in no small part thanks to Michael Brantley!

Jeanmar only went 5 innings and he gave up 6 runs. But he got the win. he had a lot of help from the rest of the team both defensively and offensively that's for sure. It was like Justin Masterson's dream game! This was probably payback for Jeanmar "taking car of" the Royals earlier and then taking one horrible outing for the team back in early May.

Also paying tribute to Jeanmar tonight was the bullpen, who were PERFECT over 4 innings (except for a triple which wasn't Perez's fault, it was more Choo's fault.) This included Tony Sipp of all people! Sipp, Smith, Pestano and Perez. A lot hung on Sipp doing well and this time he DID. He gave up nothing and struck out one. Then it was no surprise what Smith et al were going to do. Vinnie leads the league in holds and Perez leads in saves. Mafia!

Two big things happened on the offensive side today: guys who should have had a multi-hit game had a multi-hit game and we got some home runs. Oh yeah, and our LOB was a low 5!

Choo went 3 for 5!!! He's one of the guys we need to get those multi-hit games. Of course one of his hits was a double, and he came in to score all 3 times!

Asdrubal is heating back up! He's got an 8-game hitting streak. Today he went 2 for 5 with a run and an RBI. He's another guy we need to have a multi-hit game. Of course, they all should. But I think he and Choo set the pace. By the way, Asdrubal was dazzling on the field tonight. So don't forget to vote for him for the All Star Game.

Kipnis finally had a hit after 2 games without one! He went 1 for 4 with a walk, a run and an RBI.

Santana still hasn't figured it out yet. He was back behind the plate today. He hasn't hit since May 22, then his last game was the 25th, and he hasn't hit in the 2 games he's been back. HOWEVER he did get on today due to an error so at least he put the ball in play and hustled. Better than a strikeout. In fact, he didn't strike out at all today and only once yesterday. More progress!

MICHAEL BRANTLEY HAS A 14 GAME HITTING STREAK! AND THEN HE HIT HIS FIRST HOME RUN!! He is HOT STUFF, I tell you what! He's creeping up on Asdrubal with a .282 average (Asdrubal .297) He got 3 RBI out of that homer, giving him 14 RBI over his 14-game streak. Uh-huh.

Ok so Johnny Damon is back from paternity leave. He's got new twin baby girls. Remember when Choo came back from paternity leave and was crazy good for a minute? That's what Johnny did today. He took away a home run from Prince Fielder, went 1 for 2 at the plate, walked twice, stole a base and got 2 RBI. So, well done New Damons 4 and 5, you have inspired a very old man to play baseball well.

Casey Kotchman! HE got a homer tonight, yes he did! My friends would like me to submit "The Krotch" as a nickname for him. But uhm...I don't think I agree. Does he even need a nickname? I bet you usually forget he's on the team. Until someone muffs a ball at first 'cuz he's not in, that is. He had at least one good dig-out today, and was part of a few nice plays from Asdrubal. Long live KOTCHman!

Awww, Matt LaPorta and Lonnie Chisenhall did nothing today. Not cool, fellas. Kind of amazing we did so well without the DH and the "hot new guy" doing anything but nobody expects the Brantley or Kotchman!

We'd better complete the sweep tomorrow. How fucking AWESOME would that be? There's no Verlander in sight so we've got a huge possibility of going 6-0 against the Tigers this year. *BOGGLE*

Questions for tomorrow: Is Derek Lowe firmly back on track? Since Damon had twins, will he be good two days in a row? Can Brantley make it 15 games? Will LaPorta and Lonnie do anything worth mentioning? Is Kipnis going to start being on a tear soon? Can we go 6-0 against the Tigers? If Chicago loses tonight and tomorrow, will be alone in first place? (Math!)

Such an exciting game tomorrow, I might burst! Seriously, how can people say baseball is boring?

So I'll see you then, at 1:05. Don't forget to take your radio to work!

Radio Chatter:
"It's almost as if the Indians are putting on a defensive clinic to show the Tigers what can happen when you have bad defence like they did in the first inning."
- Tom Hamilton

"Wow. If Jim Leyland was provoked last night what is there going to be to yell about tonight?"
- Tom Hamilton

"Holsday is going 'I'm just up from Toledo, I don't know if I should go talk to this big league pitcher .'"
- Tom Hamilton on the Tigers' rookie catcher

"It has to be raining somewhere, just looking at the clouds. It's like a scene from Ghostbusters."
- Tom Hamilton

"They're having fun out there tonight, aren't they?"
"Isn't it amazing what winning does?"
- Jim Rosenhaus and Tom Hamilton

"The Big Potato. Isn't that what they were calling him last year?"
"To his face?"
"Probably not."
- Jim Rosenhaus and Tom Hamilton on Jose Valverde

I Like Those Tigers!

So, how did you think this game was going to go when Detroit's rookie pitcher struck out our first three batters, and Ubaldo hit their first batter? Did you think he would go 6 2/3 innings? Did you think we'd get 3 RBI triples?

Me neither!

There's something about the Tigers this year that brings out the best in our team. Our pitchers haven't looked outstanding since we played them at home at the end of May. Prince Fielder has gone 3 for 16 against us this year. Miggy has gone 5 for 15.

How did you think Ubaldo would do today? Who knows anymore, right? He did as expected - and I don't mean as expected by you and me, but as expected by the people who hired him. Hooray! He only walked 1 in his 6 2/3 innings which is the fewest he's walked this year. He only gave up 2 runs which is the fewest he's given up on the road since April. And he got his first win in Comerica Park!

I don't know what this means for the future of Ubaldo but I've come to learn that you can't speculate on that guy, only do a happy dance when he does good. He done good!

Hagadone finished the 7th inning with aplomb, then the Tigers fans got treated to our 1-2 punch of Pestano and Perez. You know Pestano rocked it, striking out 2. Perez gave up 2 hits and a run and I was all "WHAT?" but I shoulda known better...he came down from the drama to finish it off and get save number 18. Rage!

CHOOOOOOOO! Rockin' a 5-game hit streak. Did you vote for him in the All Star Game? Cuz you know he's not only a first-rate hitter but also a first-rate fielder (see also: final play of the game). He is trying to learn how to be a first-rate baserunner too but that is coming slowly.

Asdrubal was back at #2, so they can flippy-flop the lefties. He got an RBI triple!! As soon as anyone gets a triple I'm all looking for the cycle. Of course that was all the hits he got but he did have another bomb to center but unfortunately someone was waiting underneath it that time. He did save Perez's ass in the 9th with an a-mazing play in the 9th but MLB has not seen fit to post it online so you're going to have to imagine it, just like I did. In the meantime you can vote for Asdrubal to go to the All Star Game.

Not sure what's up with Kipnis. Not like he's in a slump or anything, or that he's all of a sudden bad. Just two games without any Kipnising is surprising!! While we're waiting you should for him to be in the All Star Game.

Santana is back! He didn't do anything, tho. Not even a walk.

Duncan was our man in left today. I guess Damon is hurt. No comment. Shelley went 0 for 3 with a walk, and turned that walk in to a run!

COUSIN MICHAEL BRANTLEY HAS A 13 GAME HITTING STREAK! :) He got himself a triple today, too! An RBI triple, and then two walks. Fact: Michael Brantley has only walked a total of 12 times this season - twice tonight. Are they starting to put him on??

Hey Matt LaPorta! What's up? He went 1 for 3 today then was pulled in favor of Kotchman. I don't know why, I guess for a pitcher flippy-flop. Kotchman then went 1 for 1! Old man likes his rest!

Lonnie Chisenhall didn't get a hit but that's ok, he got on base then came around to score.

Who DID get a hit - two hits! - was Lou Marson! Guy's got a 5-game hitting streak now and Hamilton was pontificating about him staying behind the plate while Santana is DH or first. I like that plan, if Lou's going to hit. Oh did you know one of his hits was a RBI triple? His batting average went up by 30 points!

So what do you think? Easy peasy sweep of the Kitties? Perhaps all our pitchers got the nasties out of their system and they're pumped enough to really stick it to these guys. The White Sox are losing at the moment so that's good. One down and 8 to go on this road trip - let's keep it going!

Another one at 7:05 tomorrow in Detroit. So excited. See you there!

Oh and check out the goodies from Hamilton today! So much Radio Chatter, glad he is back! AND the Golden Flashes won so yay Flashes! Boo missing Hammy next weekend but whatever, we'll manage...

Radio Chatter:
"For Jiminez, Comerica park is like Nightmare on Elm Street."
- Tom Hamilton on Jiminez's 0-4 record in Detroit

"Young had too much happy juice at 2 in the morning."
- Tom Hamilton on Delmon Young's suspension

"Drew Smyly is only a rookie but he's already heard. 'Don't throw Santana a fastball, he'll chase a changeup.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Santana's debut strikeout

"Some of the Tiger people were saying tonight that Prince Fielder is the worst first baseman they've ever seen."
- Tom Hamilton

"Just enough time to do the laundry and pack 'em up again."
"I bet you'll make Carol do that too..."
- Jim Rosenhaus and Tom Hamilton on the Indians' road trips in June

"Wow. Outside of Yellowstone, this is the only park that's not a home run in."
- Tom Hamilton on Asdrubal's caught bomb in the 5th

"It was a great story, except it wasn't factual. But it's radio so that means we can get away with a few things."
- Tom Hamilton on his long story about draft picks signing deadlines and Smyly being signed late

"Well you give Cabrera four strikes and he'll come through."
- Tom Hamilton thought that was strike 3

"You can put the house on a fourth strikeout right here. [...] Evidently Manny Gonzalez not a betting man."
- Tom Hamilton on a ball during Matt Young's fourth at-bat

"Let me tell you, there were no Pilgrims here at that game..."
- Tom Hamilton on angry Lions fans at the Thanksgiving football game

"Do you think Prince thinks the umpire will say 'You know what? Let's call him out.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Fielder tagging Brantley repeatedly while he's safe at first

"For a guy batting .198, he always seems to be a thorn in the Indians side, for whatever reason..."
- Tom Hamilton on Ramon Santiago

Sunday's Got Our Number!

Man, they tried to mix it up and confuse the team in to thinking it was some other time zone by scheduling them for a 3:05 Sunday start and they STILL couldn't pull it out. Last year we went 9-14 on Sundays. This year we're actually split 5-5 right now (after today's game) but last year we came out of the gate good on Sundays and then lost a ton in a row. We've lost our last 4 Sunday games.

I don't know why this bugs me so much, but it does. Perhaps it's because Sunday is the one day I can schedule my day around the game, and usually catch it on TV. It's the one day I regularly have "alone" with the game so it's just extra disappointing when they don't give me a win. When they don't win I have to rely on Mad Med to perk me up for Monday morning, and lord knows that Mad Men does nothing to perk one up.

Masterson was on the hill today and he did pretty decent for himself. Only 3 earned runs over 6 innings. He only struck out 3 but he only walked 3 too. There were just a lot of stupid, messy hits. The Twins realized that we had Lopez and LaPorta (!) in there instead of Hannahan and Kotchman so they just kept hitting everything in to the infield and managed to get on base. They also kept hitting the ball at Masterson. All in all he gave us 6 good innings but the bullpen and the batters let him down. What else is new?

Hagadone, who was briefly our new hero, had a bad day today and it cost us the game. In just 2/3 of an inning he gave up 2 runs off 3 hits (more messy stuff). His buddy Accardo followed up and gave up one more. Perez came in for a non-save and did his job but I'm sure he was thoroughly disinterested because there was no chance of another S. The fans did get to see Firestarter so that made for a good Sunday for them!

The team was trying to hit today but they weren't getting multiple hits, or if they did they didn't stack up. And they did get extra base hits unlike last night, but they still didn't stack up for runs. And worst of all, there were NO WALKS. We still lead the league in walks and we were playing against young pitcher, not like it was a strikeout king (only struck out twice).

Balls...did you know we're last in ALL OF BASEBALL against lefties? A .212 batting average, that's scary...

Choo has had crazy bad skill against lefties this year but guess what? He went 2 for 4 today! CHOOOO!!! One of those hits was a double, natch.

The only guy in the top of the lineup not to get a hit was Kipnis. I'm not kidding! He did reach on a throwing error and turned that in to a run so that's pretty cool.

Droobs is still plugging along with a 6-game hitting streak, and went 1 for 4 today with a run scored.

Lopez was pretty sad at 3rd base, but was in there for the lefty/righty situation instead of Chisenhall. He did go 1 for 3 with an RBI on a sac fly.

Michael Brantley doesn't seem to be affected by any of this nonsense! He not only went 2 for 4 but he extended his hitting streak to 12! Do you like Choo up top and Brantley hitting fifth? Yes please! Although, our top 5 are hitting .279 now while the bottom 4 are a roving band of excitement and disappointment. I wonder if someone with a better average shouldn't be plugged in at #7 or something while we work out just how good Chisenhall is, what to do with Damon and while Lou Marson gets his swagger back.

Duncan started today, as a right handed DH, and went 1 for 4 with an RBI. In your face, Damon!

Hey, Matt LaPorta! He's no Kotchman at the bag that's for sure, but he's not Kotchman at the plate hopefully. Today he went 1 for 4 so he's already hitting above Kotchman's average. Not sure what to make of LaPorta yet so I won't say anything. I do know that he shouldn't have much trouble transitioning since he has played so much in the Bigs over the last 2 years, so I expect to have an opinion by the end of the week!

They gave Cunningham a chance out in left today because - why not? He ended up not doing anything at the plate, and to add insult to injury they pinch hit him with Kotchman later on...so yeah we definitely have some holes in our lineup.

Sweet Lou had a good game at the plate, going 1 for 3. He's actually got a 5-game streak! Still not hitting over .200, though...

Lonnie came in to hit for him in the 9th, much to my excitement, but nothing came of it.

So today was a bummer. I was really looking forward to sweeping the Twins, because we've got an un-favorable schedule coming up. Huge road trip coming up - 19 of the next 25 games away.

We've got tomorrow off, which makes me sad because I've been dreaming about baseball a lot lately and waking up every day ready for a game. I'll have to power through it and be ready for the big Tigers game on Tuesday. Ubaldo versus Drew Smyly. Wow neat name! I wonder if he's Welsh. We won't be facing Verlander this time out so it's a series to look forward to. Yeah!

See you Tuesday!

Sorry about the poor Radio Chatter today. Hammy's still out because the Golden Flashes keep rolling through the playoffs. You can't complain about that!

Radio Chatter:
"You got a couple of veteran catchers out there, you let them put their fingers down and that's what you do."
- Mike Hegan on Twins pitcher Scott Diamond

"The Twins lead the league in hitting in to double plays, but also lead the league in making double plays. Surely something is cancelled out?"
- Jim Rosenhaus

"The Indians keep trying to give it away but the Twins keep trying to give it back."
- Mike Hegan on the sloppy plays

Aw, Naw...

A heartbreaker tonight. Scratched and clawed our way back from a 4-0 deficit only to lose it later on. From home runs. By the worst home-run-hitting team in the AL. Sigh.

Was it me or did it seem like the Twins had pretty awesome defense tonight? It felt like there was a lot of "robbing" going on. Of course I refer to Ben Revere but even before that there were some gems. On our side, too. Listening to the game made me think "ooh, wish I'd seen that on TV..." a lot.

I didn't see it on TV, even though it was on FOX. It's cool tho, I was at Brasa stuffing myself with meats then at the Ohio Theater to see the All-City Musical put on by the best of the best from Cleveland schools. Footloose. It was a crummy, crummy musical written from a crummy movie, but the kids were great. I mean really, they had so much fun and were very talented, so A+ to them! Eric Carmen was there of course because he wrote "Almost Paradise" for the movie and he is from Cleveland. He also went on stage and I wondered "who is that creepy old lady?" but then I saw him in the lobby afterwards and put two and two together.

Anyway so I was all pumped for this game and then got in the car to go home after the musical and found out we'd lost so I was sad. I did listen to the whole thing, though, so here we go.

Tomlin, who has thus far given up a predictable 4 runs most games, now has an ERA of over 5 runs so that is what he gave up today in 6 innings. Ten hits, good gravy! He woulda been ok if he hadn't given up that last hit, a homer in the 6th. Tipped him over to 5-run side of the 5 ERA. He only struck out 3 which is on the low side for him.

The game was lost by the time Sipp came in, and you know he lost it some more. Two hits, two earned runs - a big homer for f'n Joe Mauer. So there was that. After him was Joe Smith, who had an "up" day (no hits, no runs) and our new favorite Scott Barnes who has kept his 0.00 ERA over two games now. Hurrah!

Our guys had a lot of strikeouts tonight. Eight total, Choo with two. I hadn't noticed this at all since he became out awesome leadoff guy, but he's got a 6-game strikeout streak going, with 10 strikeouts in those 6 games! It just never occurred to me that he was racking up the K's but there you have it. I guess I was blinded by him racking up the hits too, although tonight he was just 1 for 5. He did turn that hit into a run, though!

Kipnis is still going gonzo, again with the multi-hit game going 2 for 5 tonight. Yes he stole a base and he even helped turn two double plays! He didn't get any extra bases and in fact nobody did.

Asdrubal tried to get a double but it didn't happen. He got a long RBI single in the 3rd then tried to hoof it over to second to no avail. Looks like the team has been really trying to ramp up their running game lately and it's working out only about half of the time. I don't know that it worked out for them at all tonight but in other games it has. I guess if we can't even be near the top of the league in any extra-bases category, we can lead the league in stolen bases. Did you know we lead the league in stolen bases? We do. We still lead the league in walks too in case you forgot.

Boston is at the bottom of the stolen bases list with 17 to our 46 because they are very old. And fat. HAHAHA!

Jose Lopez was representin' at DH again today. Remember when I said I was happy with Hafner's performance even though he was just walking and getting singles? Because he was on base LIKE A BOSS! Well, Lopez is sort of settling into that groove now. He's got a 6-game hitting streak and tonight went 1 for 3 with a walk.  Hafner's OBP was still .380 when he left (albeit dwindling) and Lopez is merely .305 but he's working his way up there. He's got 4-6 weeks to try.

Holla at your boy Michael Brantley! He's got an 11-game hitting streak! He went 1 for 4 with 2 RBI, giving him 10 RBI in his last 10 games, making him 2nd on the team (but dayum, still 10 behind TheJK_Kid). How do you like the top 5 in our lineup? They have a combined average of .277. That is pretty nice right there... Asdrubal is sort of sliding away from .300 but Kipnis and Brantley are keeping the dream alive!

Kotchman was "red hot" for a bit there but he's cooled way off. He hasn't hit in his last two games. He's still hitting better than Damon, who continues to play left field for the Indians.

Speaking of the .300 dream, how about Lonnie Chisenhall? Oh my Maude is he bringing the excitement or what?! Dude went 1 for 4 today and of course he stole a base because Kipnis stole a base. He almost had a 2 for 4 night had Ben Revere not done those acrobatics in the 9th. One of those "We know you've got the stuff, kid" sort of plays. I look forward to seeing what he'll do next, every game! (Lonnie, not Revere. I would not mind if it Revere stayed on the ground from now on.)

Good ol' mortar mouth Lou Marson was back in tonight and he continued his 4-game hitting streak going 1 for 3. Yes he's only hitting .175 but that makes his "streak" especially good. They brought Shelley in to pinch hit for Lou in the 9th and he got a single, which is one more hit than Damon got so why are we not replacing him? Blargh.

There were 25.5k folks out there tonight! That's pretty cool! Good job filling up 2/3 of the stadium for national television! Sunday is your last chance to see them in town until the 15th. It's also Carlos Baerga's mustache bobblehead day and "kids fun day" and a weirdo 3:05 game so hopefully there will be a nice crowd on hand to see the guys take the series. I feel a Vinne and Rage afternoon coming on so you're in for a treat if you go!

Ok the game is now in 12 hours, I gotta go to bed. See you there!

Oh yeah - congrats to the Golden Flashes for taking care of Kentucky in round 1 and Purdue on round 3. They're now on to the regional final in Indiana on Sunday. Which means no Tom Hamilton for us but could mean a trip to the College World Series for them. Go Flashes!!

Radio Chatter:
"Shin-soo Choo saying 'do not do that to me, do not take that big turn of I will throw it right behind you.'"
- Mike Hegan on Choo's attempted throw-out of Span

"Kipnis was sliding in to second when the ball was halfway to home plate!"
- Jim Rosenhaus on Kipnis' stolen base

"The official scorer and I agree. After further review, the play does not stand."
- Mike Hegan agrees with the reversal of a play to give Kipnis a base hit

"He's made that full mental change to leadoff hitter. I think Manny would rather see him hit the ball out of here with 2 outs."
- Mike Hegan on Choo

The Kids Are All Right

We are all Kipnises!

What a game! I'm a little peeved I didn't end up going...I was going to go with a friend, then he flaked and I was going to go by myself. But then I saw there'd be fireworks and a promotional giveaway and thought "nah, they don't need my ass in the seats today." But my other friend was there and she said it was sparse so I don't know (it was actually 19k so that's "good" for the Tribe this year). I know I missed a bomb by Lonnie and the season's first grand slam!

But instead I stayed home and got to not only hear Candy Maldonado (!!) and Carlos Baerga chat with the radio guys, but also none other than Albert Belle who drank a cup of Grown Up Juice and is now a swell guy with lots of things to say. It was pretty much a life-changing radio event for those of us who were around in the 90s! It almost made me want to take up golf so I can spend a day on the links with Belle and Maldonado and Rosie. But not really, because ugh -golf.

One thing I did do today is sign me and my friends up for Cleveland Indians Photo Day on June 18. We already have 4 sweet behind-the-plate tickets for that day that I got at auction, and 4 batting practice tickets that I got at a different auction. And it's Asdrubal bobblehead day, and now we're going to get our photo taken with one of the players. How cool is that? I had no idea it existed and all you have to do is sign up to get in. I signed up and got a confirmation of my registration right away! I wonder who the player will be? I'll pretty much take anyone! Hmm except the two guys with the initials JD, how about that? Sandy or Manny would be cool too.

Jeez, I don't think I'm going to sleep until June 18 now. This will be almost as cool as our game at the Hargrove Suite. But really nothing can be as cool as the Hargrove Suite.

Anyway, also exciting today was that it was Derek's Lowe's 39th birthday and he got his 7th win and went 6 2/3 innings to boot! This is the team he pitched a shutout to last time around. He actually struck 2 out this time (NONE last time!) and "only" had 9 groundball outs. Just 5 hits and 1 walk, and he only gave up 1 earned run. He's got the Lowe-st (HA!) ERA on the team now, 3.06 and he's tied for wins in the AL with 7. He did get hit by a ball in the calf early on and damn right we all went "EEP!" but he shook it off - literally - and told everyone he was fine. And he was.

Hagadone and Accardo came in to finish it up and did just fine. They gave up 1 hit between them and struck out 2. Glad I didn't miss the Firestarter tonight.

Choo was out there Choo-in it up, finally with his first multi-hit game in a week. And of course he turned those 2 hits into 2 runs!

Yeah, I'm pretty sold on the Kipnis. I just remembered the other day that he signed my ball this winter, along with Shelley Duncan and the other Jason guy. I've got the Shelley side face up on my display...maybe it's time to show that I am a Kipnis?

Anyway, @TheJK_Kid went 2 for 5 today and got himself the team's first GRAND SLAM of the season! So he ended up with 4 RBI and a run, and his 12th stolen base. And he got plonked in the head with a ball while on the bases, but apparently since he's a "dirtbag" his head was all right. Carlos Baerga was in the booth for the grand slam and he was just beside himself. Kipnis is Baerga's dude. If Kipnis wasn't convincing you on his own, well now you've heard it from Baerga. Believe!

Asdrubal wasn't totally on fire tonight (no doubt he was missing me and OMG ASDRUBAL!!!), only going 1 for 5. But he's only been back a short while. I expect him to rock out this weekend.

LOPEZ! I don't know what I was talking about Wednesday saying his welcome is wearing out. Cuz he's working his way back up to deserving DH status by going 2 for 5 tonight.

Don't forget Cousin Michael, tho! He's got a TEN GAME HITTING STREAK. His average is painstakingly moving towards .300. Just 60 points to go before he's where I told you he'd be!

Casey Kotchman is the only guy who didn't get a hit today, and yes, that is surprising. Because Old Man Whatshisface went 2 for 4 and scored a run. You wouldn't believe how hard it is to dislike an Indians player while loving the Indians team. It's like having to hate one of your own children. Except not because this is just a game.

The other "kid" who knocked our collective socks off tonight is Lonnie Chisenhall who got his 2nd home run in 4 games right there in the 2nd. A "no doubt about it" homer, even. He ended up going 3 for 4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI!!! Not to be outdone by Kipnis, he also stole a base. FUCKIN' A, LONNIE! I wonder if Hannahan comes back they'll put Lonnie in at DH? If he came back tomorrow I'd totally do that (sorry Lopez).

Tough Guy Lou Marson was back today after getting beaned in his beautiful mouth on Sunday. They said Lonnie Soloff had to "take him to the dentist" which just sounds so weird cuz they're both grown men. But to the dentist he went and his mouth was all stitched up and they joked that they weren't sure if the ball was ok yuk yuk. The stitches came out and Sweet Lou geared up and ended up going 1 for 3 tonight with a walk. That does in fact make a 3-game hitting streak for Lou, which is notable when you're hitting .185.

Still shiny!

In the middle of all this, KSU is playing Kentucky in the NCAA Div I baseball playoffs. It's in the 21st inning right now. That's pretty wild, considering our game only went 2:30. Also going on tonight is Johan Santana threw the first no-hitter for the Mets. Seriously, Mets? I guess you'll have that with those "expansion teams" heh.

Anyway, if you were thinking about going to a game, you should go tomorrow because it's gonna be on Fox and we don't want it to look sparse. Of course, once again, I am being dragged out to do things out of the house and I'll miss the entire damn thing and have to catch it on the radio. Not that I don't love radio but seeing a game on TV is a rare treat for me and missing it makes me grrrr...

Maybe I'll go to the game Sunday, then.

Tomorrow's game is 7:15 against the Twins again. And we gotta mop up these Twins because they suck. Boston sucks too and they mopped US up so we've got to keep this shit going so we can swing in to Detroit on Tuesday and kick some more kitty ass.

I'll be late, of course, but I hope you enjoy the game. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Mike, I'd say the chances of Tom, Wendy and the kids listening to us right now is slim-to-none. [...] Their son is in a nail-biter against one of the top teams in the country. This game is of no consequence to them right now."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Tom Hamilton's family watching his son Nick and the Golden Flashes play in the NCAA tournament

"I know it's gonna be a bullet. He's gonna hit a line drive. [...] I called it! This guy's gonna be a big guy!"
- Carlos Baerga on Jason Kipnis before he hit a grand slam

"Jim Rosenhaus has a smile like a cheshire cat right now..."
- Mike Hegan brings up golf, which leads in to the story of Rosie's 65 foot putt

"That's why you can never count on spring training. They always say 'Barring injury...'"
- Mike Hegan