WAHOO!!

WAHOO!! The chief is grinning!

FINALLY all of the pieces were in place! The pieces we all know we had showed up at Progressive field today and won them a good baseball game.

Starting pitching was there. Yes you knew we had it but it hasn't been here most of this year - only in little flashes, rarely two games in a row. Hitting was there. You know all these guys can hit. Even the guys who aren't known for their hitting (Lillibridge!) were hitting. Defense was there. Defense is the only thing we actually had around all year but when it failed it failed miserably. The defense was crack today, even guys who aren't known for their fielding (Lillibridge!) were making great plays! And most importantly they were all making the routine plays.

We had what seems like a perfect game, pitching-wise. Masterson went 7 and struck out 7, only giving up 2 runs on 3 hits. He gave up 22 runs in July and 7 runs last week. Just amazing he was able to turn that around today!

Vinnie came in for the 8th and did what Vinnie does. A whole line of goose eggs capped with a 1.26 ERA. We didn't need Perez today so Rogers came in to finish it off, giving up 1 hit but otherwise shutting them down. BALLGAME!

It seemed like all of the batters were really relaxed today. They built up hits and ran hard and scored their 6 runs over 3 innings. I'm sure them relaxing is a big part of scoring runs. We didn't have any homers today and it suits what we need. Don't swing for the fences, just swing for the ball.

Kipnis is still struggling at the plate but he is taking his role as leadoff man very seriously. Since August 3, in the 6 games he's hit first, he's gotten 4 hits, 3 walks and 1 HBP. Of those 7 times on base he's come around to score 6 times. He's also had a sac fly and a sac bunt, and today he had his first stolen base as leadoff. He may not be playing up to Kipnis-level greatness but the kid is clearly doing everything he can during this slump to make a difference.

Asdrubal was getting it done in the field again today, and he went 1 for 4 at the plate with an RBI. You can tell he is still trying to carry the weight of the team on his shoulders and get everything done for everyone at the plate. His at-bats were 1-, 2- and 3-pitch appearances. He wants his hits and is not waiting around. Still - a 2-out RBI, I won't complain.

Choo had some short at-bats too (his final at-bat was an 8-pitch) but he completely turned last night's performance on its head by going 4 for 4 instead of 0 for 4!  CHOOOOOOO! He didn't leave anyone on base (natch) and got 2 RBIs and one run out of it. He got his 34th double!

Santana and Brantley each went 1 for 4 today. I know I usually say that we need a multi-hit game from Santana to win, and look we finally win and he's got one hit and no walks. Well...it's turnaround time, right?!

Shelley has sealed a spot in the lineup now that Lopez is gone. He's gotten 3 hits in his last 3 games, yo! What's really neat is having Zeke around to pinch run for him and do stuff like come in to score a run.

Casey Kotchman, after thoroughly disappointing my friend last night AND making a critical error, came back swinging today (literally!) to go 2 for 3 with a walk, 2 runs and a RBI. Absolved!

Brent Lillibridge, waaaat? That was Hannahan of him! Not only that but he went 1 for 4 and scored a run! I still don't know what to make of him, whether or not I like him being here or what. I do like that he was a perfect replacement for Jack today so that gives him super extra points. Now, if only he didn't bring our team average down so low...

Couple quotes from Manny Acta on the post-game:

This is not college. You’re dealing with professionals, elite athletes that make more money than their boss.

When we’re winning, I’m labeled as calm, cool and collected. When we’re losing, I’m not showing enough fire and passion.  

Shelley Duncan, when asked if the Tribe would ever win during their losing streak:

Of course, we weren't going to lose 70 in a row.

Casey Kotchman on how to stop the losing streak:

We need to score more runs than the other team.

We can all laugh about this now, right? Ha ha! And the win couldn't have come soon enough, since not only is Chris Gocong hurt, now Trent Richardson is flying out of town to see a knee specialist and Joe Haden failed a drug test. Sad times ahead - brace yourselves.

Ok 1 win down and now 1 to go. Yes, just 1. Gotta win the next one we can, set your sites low. Next up is those creepy old guys, the Boston Red Sox. Prepare for a packed weekend of knuckleheads from Parma and Chardon with their BoSox hats and t-shirts. Whee!

Tomorrow is a 7:05 game, Jiminez versus LHP (4.56). We're totally on a roll! I feel it!

Can't wait for more baseball - see you there! (Except I totally won't be there because I can't stand the nasty Red Sox "fans" - I'll be at home.)

Radio Chatter:
"When you're going bad, even your best players make mistakes."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is like a Griswold vacation for Bob if he's gotta be with us."
- Tom Hamilton on the engineer missing a vacation to work the game

"This is the walk that says 'Guys in the bullpen, get loose.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Marson visiting the mound in the 5th

"'Why aren't you coming out here with a new second baseman? There's nothing wrong that I'm doing.'"
- Tom Hamilton on a coaching visit to the mound after a few bad plays by Nishioka

I Don't Care If I Never Get Back

So there was a lot of good stuff about this game and just enough bad stuff - or rather, such horrible bad stuff - that the evening turned out to be a wash for me.

The weather was great again. The crowd was sparse so parking in my favorite deck was a breeze. I got my ticket from my stupid Perfect 10 voucher and my Diet Dr Pepper With One Refill and was up in my seat at the top of the bleachers by the time the little kid said "Play Ball!"

I've become fond of life at the top there. No one else was there except the occasional little kid who wanted to see what the view was. And patron saint of this blog John Adams of course. I had plenty of room for OMG ASDRUBAL!!! and my big pop and could put my feet up. And since I was there alone I could have the radio in my ear which was good because you can't hear the PA or see the scoreboard from up there.

That was all pretty fun. I did a lot of clapping and hollering and standing - which is good because I've foregone two days at the gym to go to two baseball games! There were a group of high school cheerleaders down below me in the bleachers, and I tell you what...when those kids put on those uniforms, nothing can stop the exuberance! And the game was going awesome and I had reason to throw up my sign and I was excited for everyone!

Here's me watching Shelley's homer:

Yaaaaaay!

Then I went down to meet two of my friends in their fancy borrowed season ticket seats, in the section behind the Tribe's dugout. It was actually kind of awful down there. It was crowded and the people behind us were racist and drunk while the people in front of us were foul-mouthed and drunk. Balls kept nearly taking our heads off. Kids kept running down to our section to get junk from the Fun Bunch. It was a totally different ballpark than the one I'd just left up top. Our team was winning when I was up top, too.

And then they weren't.

I don't know - do I have to go over the end of the game? This blog is just for positive stuff. So I'm pretty sure I should not go over the end of the game. Here's what Jason Kipnis has to say about it:

Today is when it really got frustrating. Yes, the other 10 losses have been frustrating as hell. But they generally were not a waste of good pitching. We generally did not get let down by our key guys in key places. Mostly they were all a general blah all around. Bad pitching, bad hitting. The extra-inning loss against the Tigers wasn't as bad as today because we came back in a surprising fashion. Plus the Tigers are good. The Twins aren't so good. We were leading after 7 by 4 runs. We had an unexpectedly amazing start from a new guy. We had hits, we had walks.

But then we had errors. Errors from not just Asdrubal (who now has 15 on the year) but then also Kotchman and Kipnis, neither of whom are butterfingers this year. We found a new way to lose today, and it sucked.

I'm not an idiot when I say I still support the team and still like baseball and still go to (and will go to) games. I totally know our season is over. But I don't understand all of the talk about how the owners suck and how we need to throw money at our problems. Ok yes it worked for Detroit but how many Miggys, Princes and Pujolses are out there? And Verlander didn't get plucked from the sky and signed for billions - he was drafted by the Tigers and he's been with them ever since.

If you watched this year and last year you'd know that there is a ton of talent on this team. That's the most frustrating part is that we have a bunch of dudes who can throw 2-hitters and a bunch of dudes who can hit .280-.300 and no one is doing anything. Huge talent pool that is not living up to its potential one bit.

What does that mean? Is it Manny Acta? Possibly. I have no idea how much direct influence a manager has over how well his pitchers pitch and how well his hitters hit. We did get a new pitching coach this year and pitching suffered. We did get a new batting coach towards the end of last year and batting has suffered ever since. People are calling for Acta to go and replace him with Alomar. While I love Sandy Alomar tons I don't know that he's the answer. Only because...he's there. He's already there and we're still not getting it done. Does moving him one slot down the bench suddenly change his influence? I doubt it.

If we want old Indians players to come help out what we need is Charlie Nagy in the bullpen, Jim Thome in the cages (as much as I hate him as a player, I think he can redeem himself by coaching) and Omar Vizquel chasing everyone around the infield. I don't really think our guys are going to learn much from occasional visits from Carlos Baerga and Kenny Lofton. Our current coaches aren't cutting it and I think they need to go.

Of course we can't get any of the above guys right now, so I guess we're stuck with the same dudes for now or whoever is sitting by the phone. Candy Maldonado.

Anyway I don't think it's the players' abilities and I don't think it's all Manny Acta. They can't all be that bad at one time for no reason. Someone needs to get in there and find the reason - and squash it.

In the meantime, jeez folks - quit your whining. Seriously it's time to just laugh it off. It's over, it's done and now we're starting to at least see some good baseball in between spectacular, soul-crushing losses.

Ok here's a rundown of the good bits of the game...

Corey Kluber totally redeemed himself and halved his ERA by going 6 full innings tonight and only giving up 1 earned run! Not big on the strikeouts (3) but he only walked 3. I'm stoked that his bad start seems to be behind him now and hopefully we can look forward to a solid rest of the season from him.

Speaking of new guys...Chris Seddon (tall, skinny, hair) who started on Sunday came in to pitch an inning of relief today. Why the hell not? He pitched one out and finished off the 7th.

VinnieP52 continues to rock. I think he's possibly the last man left on the team who has yet to disappoint us this year in a spectacular fashion. Well Choo and Brantley maybe, they've been solid - but they had slow starts. Vinnie has been up in this bitch since day one!

Hey! It's Frank Herrmann! The Herrmannator! The pride of Harvard! He was here to get the last out and save the day - hooray!

I was rockin' my We Are All Kipnises t-shirt again today, looking positively tomato-y up there in the bleachers with my matching red hat. I thought he looked good in the field, until he didn't. He also had a good leadoff night at the plate - he went 0 for 1 because he walked twice and got hit by a pitch. He came in to score two runs!

I swear to Og, Asdrubal saw my sign today. He ramped it up and went 2 for 3 with 2 walks and an RBI, and also looked good in the field, until he didn't. And he stole a base! I tried to catch his eye with the sign at the end of the game, when I was down sitting behind the Tribe dugout. Surely he saw it...

Choo was having a rough night. He ended up 0 for 5, but he did get a sac fly RBI.

Santana got his extra base hit - a 2-out RBI double! He also got his walk. He might be out of the .230s soon!

Brantley did not have any extra base hits today. Hard to imagine! However he did go 2 for 4 with a walk, and then he stole a base and came in to score a run. Because it's what he does!

My friend was wondering who Kotchman was and why he made her so sad when he came to the plate. I explained that he's not paid to be great at the plate but...really? He's not bad at all. Especially considering Choo went 0 for 5 before him and he at least went 1 for 5. And she apparently totally missed his two awesome plays at first he had before he had a bad one. Luckilly I had pointed out how awesome he was at first before he wasn't.

Hey did you see Shelley Duncan? Yeah he's in, cuz Lopez (LOPEZ!) is gone. Yeah man...they got rid of the dude who's hitting .249 and covering 3rd for Old Man Hannahan. I guess he had to be let go so Herrmann could come up but uh...I dunno, Brent Lillibridge? One more LOPEZ! to grow on, though:

Anyway back to Shelley Duncan, who now has to fight for DH but I guess Hafner doesn't put up much of a fight. He did the DH-y thing and got himself a 2-run homer to put the team safely in the lead! He went 1 for 3 on the night with a walk too.

Hannahan also went 1 for 3 with a walk but he did leave 4 on base, ouch!

Ezequiel Carrera's bat seems to have cooled off - he only went 1 for 4 tonight with 2 strikeouts. However he totally blows away Damon and even Duncan in left field. One did drop in front of him today but I can attest to it being un-catchable. Yesterday he let one go but I am faulting Damon - Asdrubal went back to get it, not being used to having a competent left fielder behind him, and Carrera couldn't get the momentum to get the ball and also not run Asdrubal over, so nobody got the ball. That was all Johnny Damon's fault - still making problems from his couch in Tampa!

Anyway Zeke looked good in the field and also running the bases. He ran out a bunt down the first-base line tonight. I think he meant to hit it down the third-base line. But he ended up pulling it off anyway - just like when we first met. Awww!

So good stuff did happen today but ultimately the bad stuff won out. You just gotta let it go, folks. Don't let bad baseball ruin your life or make you sad for too long - otherwise you're going to have a really hard time living in Cleveland.

Tomorrow is a noontime game at 12:05, Justin Masterson versus LHP (3.49). Surely you will tune in because surely you are guaranteed one of two things: A) We can't possibly lose 12 in a row or B) We can lose 12 in a row and break a franchise record and you'll be there to hear/see it!

Oh yeah, I finally did my temporary tattoo. We'll see how long it lasts. I'm surprised it still looks this good after an evening of veracious clapping! You like?

Dangit - I'm supposed to give blood Friday and this is my good vein arm!

I'll be listening from work - see you there!

Radio Chatter:

"Jack Hannahan will never use that bat again but it went for a good cause."

- Tom Hamilton on Hannahan's broken-bat single

"Oh that got him on a tough spot..."

- Jim Rosenhaus on Mauer being hit with a pitch playing behind the plate (HIS NUTS)

"What's important is that they've got stuff. They are throwing in the 90s and tricking guys."

- Tom Hamilton on Kluber and McAllister

"If the Indians lose this game all they have to do is look in the mirror. They have no one to to blame but themselves. They have no business losing this game."

- Tom Hamilton in the 7th

It Is Now the 80s and Frankie Says Relax

I was at the game tonight. At around the 7 inning mark I was standing there watching people stream out of the stadium from my perch at the very top of the bleachers. John Adams was banging away on his drum, for no particular reason as no one was in scoring position and nothing exciting was about to happen. I was clapping loudly and cheering for whomever was up. A cold calm came over me when I, at that moment, realized that we were not going to the playoffs. There was no pressure to win anymore. I was just there to enjoy baseball on a Monday night. The weather was beautiful, I had my humongous Diet Dr Pepper. Perhaps someone might throw a t-shirt at me. I could scream all I wanted and clap all I wanted and we'd still be singing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" at the half.

I turned to my friends and told them that this is exactly how the 80s were. It's how it was for all Tribe fans in the 80s but especially kids because we didn't know of playoffs or trade deadlines or wild cards. We just got taken to the stadium - the big, empty stadium - on beautiful summer days, and we had pop and hot dogs and yelled and cheered and John Adams was there and we would all sing "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."

So that is where we are right now, guys. It's the 80s again and those of us who care can  just go watch some baseball and yell and scream and drink our big pops. And some people who don't care can still come and tsk in disgust and leave early, or bring your kids because what do they know? The weather is nice again, too.

Ok I'm done waxing poetic about Indians baseball. Let's go over some good stuff that happened in this game.

For one thing, Zach McAllister only gave up 2 earned runs. I am not kidding - since the 3rd out was an error (throwing error in Kipnis, who hasn't had an error in 56 games) none of the rest of the inning counted against him. NONE. So he gave up 2 home runs according to his ERA, which remains under 4. He also struck out 3 in his 1 2/3 innings. Huh.

Josh Tomlin pitched 3 1/3 and until he left, he had only given up 1 run. But he left with 2 guys on base and Sipp came in and gave up a homer so Tomlin got 2 of those runs and Sipp got the other.

Cody Allen has now pitched 9 innings and has given up 1 hit and 0 runs. His ERA is 0.00. Still.

Esmil Rogers didn't want to be left out so he gave up 1 run in the 8th. Argh. Smith came in to finish it and was good and Smithy and didn't give up any more.

Kipnis felt my good vibes today, I know it! He got on in the first by beating out an error, and then came around to score. In the 6th he had a nice single, once again by running hard, and came around to score again! Of course, he had a throwing error that resulted in 7 runs but that's an issue for some other blog.

I did get to wield OMG ASDRUBAL!!! tonight, as he also got a hit in that first inning. He ultimately went 1 for 3 and was pulled in late innings for Hannahan. But actually it was Lillibridge who batted for him but he played left. Hannahan came to bat for Brantley and Carrera went to center. You wouldn't believe how confusing this all was when you're in the few seats in the stadium that have zero view of the scoreboard.

Choo, Brantley and Duncan each got one hit. Brantley still leads the team in average and is tied with Choo again for the league's second place in doubles with 33!

In between all them was Santana who got his 12th homer! He's tied with Asdrubal for 2nd on the team (Choo 13) and is 2nd in RBI behind Kipnis. He might be quietly coming up behind everyone in stats, but not sure if that average is really going to go anywhere. It's been in the 230's since the end of July.

Lopez had a decent night, going 2 for 4 and looking sort of OK at 3rd. He's actually doing pretty well average-wise - he's at .249 right now. If he can be a 250s hitter for us I think we'll have gotten our money's worth (I think he's playing for a free uniform?)

Oh hey, only 6 LOB today! We also didn't get shut out! And the weather - I swear, this was the best weather of the summer. I didn't have to wear a hat to keep my hair off my neck and in fact I didn't break a sweat at the game. At the same time I was comfortable in a t-shirt, shorts and sandals! It made me forget how much I hate summer weather!

Tomorrow is Kluber versus RHP. That game can't be any worse than this game and surely it can't be worse than Kluber's last game - right? I think I might go to the game if the weather stays good. It was fun, I swear! Plus, like I said, there's just no pressure any more. It's just about baseball.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"If you're getting outscored 26-6 in the first two innings, and you've got an offense that is middle-of-the-pack at best - not built to be a high-scoring offense - it's pretty easy to see why this losing streak has gotten to the point that it has."
- Tom Hamilton

"If we all thought yesterday was rock bottom after that stunning setback in Detroit, what in the world do we make of this second inning?"
- Tom Hamilton

"...I'm sure he'll agree that if the Indians hit 2 grand slams this inning, he'll give away a whole fleet of Nissan Rogues."
- Tom Hamilton in the 3rd

"If you're wondering who the third voice is on our broadcast tonight, it's home plate umpire Jim Joyce who barks out the balls and strikes as loud as they come."
- Tom Hamilton

"This might be the nicest night of the summer."
- Tom Hamilton may be right

"If you are left handed, you want to face the Indians."
- Tom Hamilton

"You really can't play any worse than the Indians have played in this 10-game stretch."
- Tom Hamilton

"The Twins hierarchy has forgotten more baseball than I'll ever know, but how in the world did Nishioka get called up from Rochester?"
- Tom Hamilton

No Alarms and No Surprises, Please

I can't believe I did it. I came home and I read the box score and even after that I flipped to the audio archive and sat here and listened to today's game. I had to, though. I had to hear how that 4 hours and 10 minutes of baseball went down. Because really, it was pretty much the best baseball we've played on this road trip. It was a great game. It was full of surprises!

Surprise 1: The new guy, Chris Seddon, could have been much worse. Yes 4 runs in 4 innings but he was better out of the gate than Corey Kluber.

Surprise 2: Christ on a cracker - Ezequiel Carrera! I was saying yesterday how it was fun to watch him go but I didn't think it would last. But here he is continuing on - 3 for 5 with a HOMER.

Surprise 3: Josh Tomlin just killing the 9th inning. The game was supposed to be over after Jackson's lead-off triple. No. Josh Tomlin said no.

Surprise 4: Travis Hafner hitting a home run. Yeah I know technically that's what we pay him to do but he doesn't lead the team in homers. And this team doesn't do comeback wins anymore. And he was hurt just yesterday. Him getting a 2-run bomb to un-tie it in the 10th is a total, TOTAL surprise.

Surprise 5: Chris Perez spectacularly blowing everything at the end. If you've been around past the 1st game of the season you know that doesn't happen. You know that after Vinnie Pestano, Chris Perez is the most sure thing on this team. Giving up one run when we've got a 2+ run lead? Always. Giving up 5 to lose a game in the 10th? Ne.ver. I'll guarantee you no one is more surprised than Chris Perez. I would hate to be a wall fixture in the visitor's clubhouse tonight.

The surprises were all good, except for the one that was really, really bad. You can't even imagine how hard it was to get to that 10th inning for me, listening to the archive. Like waiting for "that moment" in Old Yeller.

Anyway, on to the game.

Seddon started. Here's a picture of him pitching:

I happened to catch some of the game on TV today and I was all "wow we got our own Lincecum!" You know - tall, skinny, hair. Turns out he's 5" taller than Tim and not nearly as stupid looking - he just happens to have long hair. I don't get out much.

He gave up 4 runs to a team that had 3 starters batting over .300. So far he's just as good or better than the dude he replaced (Lowe). Hopefully every start is a little better. His line was 7 hits and 4 runs in 4 1/3, 2 strikeouts and 3 walks. Only one home run.

Manny threw the entire contents of the bullpen up there today. Here's another small surprise: the only guy other than Perez to give up a run was SMITH. Not Sipp, not Accardo, not even Tomlin. Joe Smith, I'm sure, is equally surprised.

The arms we saw were Allen (still pitching 0.00!), Sipp (still under 5!), Smith, Pestano (still calls your mom!), Tomlin and Perez. Pestano went 2 innings and struck out 3 because he is a man.

I don't have to go over Perez's inning. You got the gist.

Here's another surprise (THEY DON'T STOP!) - on a day when everyone was getting in to the act, and a day when he got 6 at-bats, Jason Kipnis did nothing. No walk, no sac fly, no nothing. He struck out twice and otherwise hit in to outs. I am totally wearing my We Are All Kipnises t-shirt to the game tomorrow because clearly the JK Kid needs some inspiration.You should tweet him.

Nice game for Asdrubal who went 2 for 6 and came in to score 2 runs. One of his hits was a double, his 24th. He also stole 2 bases which give him only his 3rd and 4th for the season. Ever since he pulled a little trick some time just before the break by dancing around at 3rd and coming home to score, he seems to be concentrating a little more on his running game. He's scheming to try to make it work. I think he's been caught stealing and caught trying to stretch out a single a couple times since then but perhaps today he's broken through a barrier of some sort.

Choo wasn't seeing it today, going 1 for 5 with 2 strikeouts. But when he DID see it was when he Scherzer deep in the 3rd for a solo homer! I seen it on TV! They took him out in the 9th during that Tomlin madness to put in Lopez to have a 5-man infield. I am pretty sure that was a good decision because the batter ended up grounding in to an inning-ending double play. You never like to lose your Choo but this time - what fun!

After being shut down last night, Santana was back in full force today going 2 for 4 with 2 runs and an RBI. He also walked. He's walked in 6 of his last 8 games and gotten 7 hits. Keep going!

Brantley was smoothin' it out today, going 3 for 4 with his 31st and 32nd doubles. Still not ahead of Choo but still squarely in 3rd place! He also got an RBI and a walk. Finally his average is moving again, up to .293. He now leads the team! (Leads amongst qualifying players. Zeke's average is .583 but that's just over 3 games!)

Once gain with the baby power is Travis Hafner (see Hannahan, Choo, Damon, Duncan) who went 3 for 5 today after coming off baby leave and then a day of a sore back. Before he got his homer to crush Detroit in the 10th he got a RBI single in the first and one in the seventh. He also struck out twice. But all of that together is exactly what every team wants their DH to do. Fan-friggin-tastic day for Pronk!

You don't expect your fast little rookie outfielder to do the same. He also went 3 for 5 with a homer and 2 strikeouts today. And he stole a base. How does this happen?? He's now 7 for 12 since he got here. Way!

Brent Lillibridge was in for Hannahan and struck out 3 times before Manny realized we were still in this game, so he put Jack in for the 7th and Jack ended up going 1 for 2 with a run scored. That's nice to see - being able to make effective changes in a lineup like that.

Laser Lou was back today. Not only did he go 2 for 5 but he caught a guy stealing and presumably shut down their base-stealing game because nobody else tried. Marson's only caught 6 this year and has let 42 go. It's crazy because he got 30 of the buggers last year! Ah well - nice to see him snag one today, hopefully it will be a trend! His last hit was an RBI double that put us up 3 runs in the 10th, so he was just contributing all over today!

So yeah it ended in deafening heartache. We've lost a team-record-setting 9 games on the road and a season-high 9 games in a row. But what are you going to do? Not tune in tomorrow? There are 54 games left - 1/3 of the season. We've got new players to watch develop and original players pledging to only do better. Yeah, we're probably out of the playoffs but it's Cleveland, bitches. It's not within your idiom to get what you desire.

Just remember to love baseball, because when it's cold and dark and the Browns are doing no better than the Tribe is now due to a complete lack of linebackers, you will miss it.

I'm off to the game tomorrow (7:05, McAllister versus Twins LHP) so post will be late. Gonna be rockin' the top of the bleachers I hope. Anyone else going? I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Marson was out by anywhere from 15 to 20 feet."
- Tom Hamilton on Marson trying to be a hero in the 2nd

"If either team was going to be on edge this weekend you'd think it'd be the Indians."
- Tom Hamilton on Jim Leyland getting tossed in the 2nd

"You don't get a really good feeling watching Chris Seddon today, from the standpoint of the Tigers are having really good at-bats."
- Tom Hamilton

"After he hit it he thought it may go out but then he remembered where he was and took off."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Fielder's long fly out in the 5th

"If you're hitting .179 you'd better be able to get a bunt down."
- Tom Hamilton on Brent Lillibridge

"One win could change everything."
- Tom Hamilton

"Talk about inheriting an explosive situation."
- Tom Hamilton on Vinnie being brought in with 2 on and no out

"Is this how Russell Crowe felt in the final scene of Gladiator?"
- Tom Hamilton on Tomlin's 9th inning

"It's as if that home run by Hafner lifted a weight off the club mentally."
- Jim Rosenhaus

"I mean if you gave this script to Hollywood they'd say 'Nah, sorry - we don't deal in make-believe.'"
- Tom Hamilton when the game is tied in the 10th

"How about all of those people who left the ballpark early now probably pounding their dashboards, driving to the suburbs of Detroit? Indians fans have probably driven off the road."
- Tom Hamilton

"There's gotta be another word other than 'unbelievable.'"
- Tom Hamilton's last word

Meryl Masterson's Home Plate Cookies

Thought we'd keep the mood light today and start off with a little home-baked cookie goodness from Mrs. Masterson. I'd never heard of this Indian wife venture until tonight but it's been a thing for a year or so. If you go on the site there's a video clip from Fox News from 2011. The clip is crazy - Meryl is wearing like a 50s housewife dress and holding their flowery-dressed baby while gleefully pulling just-finished cookies out of their double oven. It's super sweet or super funny or whatever you want it to be but I guarantee you it's better than tonight's baseball game. And hey - maybe you will buy some cookies! Oh and according to the news report, Masterson himself designed the site. As a professional Web designer it's cool to see that I do one thing better than Justin Masteron. Maybe two, but I haven't pitched in years. Ba-dum-bum!

Also way better than tonight's game is this documentary I watched on Netflix today called 4192: The Crowning of the Hit King. It's about Pete Rose's career, up to and ending with his 4192nd hit. No mention of gambling other than a bet he made with Tony Perez on being the first player to use the new Riverfront bathrooms. The movie showcases Rose's incredible and un-apologetic winning spirit and is basically a reminder to a new generation of fans that he needs to be in the HOF. And also a reminder to a new generation of players to put themselves out there and get it done. I just tweeted Manny Acta and suggested he gather the boys around the Playstation and check that movie out. You should too, really, because it's 2 hours of nothing but exceptional baseball. It's been at least a week since we've seen that.

Hmm so other than cookies and Pete Rose, what else good happened today? Oh! Ezequiel Carrera went 2 for 3 with TWO TRIPLES! The first one spoiled a perfect game, even. I think the spoiler was mightily helped along by Tom Hamilton who talked constantly about it for 5 minutes before Austin Jackson mis-read the ball and Zeke raced on to third. Well done, Hammy and Zeke! That kid can fly though huh? He didn't really embarrass himself in the field today so that's improvement. He's 4 for 7 over his last 2 games. Not saying he's the second coming of Trout or anything but at least we have someone fun to watch right now. At the plate, I mean - don't watch him in the field. Your opinion may sour.

Tomorrow's another day, and we won't be facing Verlander, just Scherzer (RHP). Also it'll be the debut of Chris Seddon so that'll be interesting. And by "interesting" I mean "actually interesting." I'll be late with the post because presumably I'm taking my niece swimming and much like cookies and Pete Rose, that pretty much beats out a Tribe game right now (of course I'm going to the game Monday anyway).

So eventually I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"The way this offense is going right now, a no-hitter or a perfect game would not surprise you."
- Tom Hamilton

"The Indians are closing in on history, and not the kind of history you want to make."
- Tom Hamilton says the Indians have never gone 0-9 on a road trip

"Miguel Cabrera gives you very little effort on any ball he feels he doesn't have a chance to beat out. You can kick a ball around 2 or 3 times and still get him out."
- Tom Hamilton

"Austin Jackson is out there in left field probably pleading that somebody on the Indians get a legitimate hit. Otherwise he spoiled a perfect game."
- Tom Hamilton

Damon Designated for Assignment

I knew that would make you smile! And we all sure could use a smile right now. Forgetting the miserable loss today, the news of today is that we are free FREEEEEEEEEEEE of Johnny Damon!

What sort of sucks about the situation is that in the "Ask The Manager" show on WTAM today, Manny Acta indicated that not only was Damon bad but since he was bad he was absolutely no help in the clubhouse. So he was even more of a waste of money than I thought he was. What a dingleberry.

So Damon's gone and our old pal Zeke is back. Ezequiel Carrera was in playing left today - why it wasn't Shelley I DON'T KNOW. I don't think I'll ever understand the Indians' left field. I guess it's not for me to know.

In case you were wondering, Chris Seddon (who has some Major League games under his belt) is coming up to replace Lowe on Sunday. He's 4-0 in July. Ace!

Ok so speaking of our ace...Justin Masterson did not do it today. He gave up 7 over 4 innings. He actually struck out 4 over those innings but that was inbetween 10 hits and 4 walks. I dunno what to say about that. What can you say?

Accardo did his thing, and by that I mean he gave up 3 runs in middle relief. Shoulda been Rogers but he was used yesterday. Accardo pitched the 6th and 7th and gave up 6 hits and struck out none.

Cody Allen! Now there's a pitcher! He's throwing 0.00 over 5 appearances. Tonight he took the 8th and 9th with no hits, no runs, 1 walk and 3 strikeouts. Secret weapon?!

Bad pitching but also our old friend Useless Hitting is back as well. Yesterday's stellar 4 LOB was obliterated by today's 8 LOB and 10 strikeouts. Pants!

Acta mixed it up today and put Kipnis in the leadoff spot. Not a bad move, since he wasn't getting Choo in while at 2 or 3, and Choo wasn't hitting the non-existant 8 and 9 guys in. It also took some pressure off Kipnis (they say that Pestano is his best friend on the team and he was all "Kipnis sucks hitting 3rd and is very sad" or something) and if he got on someone was behind him to hit him in. This worked in theory as he went 2 for 5 with a double, and it's the first time he's had a multi-hit game since July 23. He even happened to get an RBI because the #9 guy happened to go 2 for 4 as well.

But that was it. Choo left 4 on base and Cabrera 3. Oh, both got hits of course (yay!) but just...no one was synched up to score runs.

Santana was nearly shut down but he did manage to get his walk on. He did strike out twice which is actually unusual for him.

Brantley went 1 for 3 and his average stays locked in at .288.

Lopez and Hannahan both went 1 for 4, but both also struck out once. And neither got a run or a RBI. Hannahan did have a fancy play, worthy of Jack Hannahan!

Zeke, Zeke, Zeke...he did go 2 for 4 and scored a run. He didn't leave anyone on base or anything. He didn't even technically score an error. But boy did he look like shit out in left. He delayed the first inning getting sunglasses and then lost a ball in the sun in the 2nd. He did a "No you got it!" in the 6th. But then he threw a guy out at the plate! Seems like hitting-wise he's a step up from Damon (for now) but defense-wise it was a lateral move.

I don't know what to tell you boffins. Just keep on going, because it's still summer and we've still got baseball. Things have been shaken up with FIVE new faces in the clubhouse (Zeke, New Vinnie (Rottino), Lillibridge, Kluber and the upcoming Seddon) and Johnny Damon is gone. Don't forget your curiosity about what Roberto Hernandez will do.

I met a British guy today who says he likes baseball, he recognizes Chief Wahoo, and is going to try to hit up the team shop tomorrow. He also says that cricket is shit. I suggested he take home some Stadium Mustard. If you're curious, check out Richard Walters. Maybe he'll have some special contingency of fans in Cleveland.

Tomorrow is Ubaldo versus RHP. Hopefully everyone is all settled down and ready to play some ball. Like really, for real this time guys.

I know I'll be tuning in at 7:05. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"This guy, with men in scoring position, is like a mountain lion when he sees an antelope."
- Tom Hamilton on Miguel Cabrera

"This is a losing streak that's not going to end until the Indians get a starting pitcher that steps up and says 'Enough.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"At some point you would think a Tribe pitcher would get tired of getting their brains beaten in and move a hitter's feet."
- Tom Hamilton thinks guys are getting too comfortable in the box

"If everybody has his attitude and how he plays the game, the Indians would be in first place. We need about 12 more Kipnises."
- Tom Hamilton

"I tell you what - Ezequiel Carrera supposed to help the Indians? He is having an awful night in left field..."
- Tom Hamilton is not amused

"The Indians LOOK like a team that got to bed at 4 o'clock in the morning."
- Tom Hamilton said the team got in at 4 AM

"Not much you can say right now except 'You're going to be out here for a while,' not going to blow up our bullpen because this game is over."
- Tom Hamilton on Scott Radinsky visiting Accardo on the mound

"This is like a softball game. Austin Jackson has hit in 5 of the 6 innings."
- Tom Hamilton

"Fans here are just waiting around for the fireworks now. They know the outcome of this game."
- Tom Hamilton

"At some point an Indian's pitcher is going to say 'You're up 8 runs and you're trying to hit a ball to Toledo? Hit this!'"
- Tom Hamilton really wants someone to get beaned (Rick Sutcliffe wouldn't put up with this)

"That's now the new signal for a foul ball. We don't point fair or foul we just raise our hands up and go 'howdy!'"
- Tom Hamilton doesn't like the way the ump calls foul balls

"Can you imagine Larry Bird and Magic Johnson saying 'Let's become teammates - we're not good enough on our own.'?"
- Tom Hamilton thinks the NBA has changed

'Twas a Good Game

If you didn't tune in until the 4th inning, you wouldn't even have known that this game started off in a black hole of first-day jitters. Corey Kluber was hmm....he was miserable. And he made us all miserable. He probably made Josh Tomlin laugh, though.

The Royals, who are suddenly good (within the last 3 days) showed Kluber no mercy scoring 6 runs in the 1st. It started with a home run from the first batter then two singles and a stolen base. Then Kluber got 2 outs but could not get out of it without a walk, a single, a triple, a 3-run homer, another stolen base and a passed ball.

But after that - smooth sailing! Kluber actually struck out 2 guys in the first inning and went on to strike out 2 more and not walk any more in the total 4 1/3 innings he pitched. His start is not much different than Fausto's 2011 start - recall?

It took a village to finish the game, though, as we had to fill up 11 innings with arms. Sipp came in to finish the 5th and complete the 6th, striking out 2 and giving up no hits. His ERA is under 5 now!

Smith rocked the 7th with 1 hit and 1 strikeout, then The Original Vinnie was there for both the 8th and the 9th completely shutting the Royals down, because that's the sort of Vinnie he is. Esmil Rogers was tasked with finishing it off but he couldn't hold it long enough. He gave up a couple of hits in the 10th, and then a hit and a wild pitch and a walk in the 11 put a guy on 3rd for Perez, who gave up a hit and the game was over.

Naturally, Perez avoided both the blown save and the loss. I'm sure that's why he agreed to come in. Heyooo!

Anyway it was definitely lost by our pitchers because our batters came alive today. But all-in-all, excluding the first inning, we had a great game as a team!

But, it's a game of 9 innings - or more. We gotta take that first inning.

The top of our lineup was top-notch today EVEN WITHOUT KIPNIS. And when I say "even without Kipnis" I mean EVEN WITH LILLIBRIDGE! Seriously, 1 through 4 each went 2 for 5. Number 5 got a hit and 6 got 2. Between them they got 6 RBI to tie the game! And - get this! - they only had 4 LOB! WAHOO!

Choo started it off with a single out of the gate. Then he stole second after almost getting picked off first. So then he tried to grab third too and DENIED. You can only imagine the eye rolling by Tom Hamilton as Asdrubal got a single on the next pitch. Choo went on to get another single in the 3rd and come around to score.

Brent Lillibridge was in the 2-hole and you know what? He hasn't been too bad since he got here. He didn't do squat in his first 2 at-bats with us but in the last 3 games he's gone 4 for 12. That's .300. Way better than Johnny Damon was doing after his 5th game with us that's for sure. If Lillibridge can overcome his sub-.200 batting average by keeping up this page, it might be the pickup of the year! Today he went 2 for 5 and came in to score 2 runs. He did strike out twice but so did Choo...

Asdrubal has it turned back on. Six hits in his last 4 games, 2 of them coming tonight. He didn't get any RBI but he did score a run.

Carlos Santana is the name to remember for this week though - 10 hits in his last 10 games, and 10 RBI, 4 homers and 4 walks. Tonight he went 2 for 5 with 4 RBI including a 2-run homer. He also had the most amazing pre-game interview with Jim Rosenhaus. Santana had no idea what Rosie was asking and also had no idea how to express himself in English. But you should know that he is very happy to play and he is very excited to be at this position [catcher]. Whatever - you don't gotta speak the good English to hit like that!

Although to be honest his homer last night and the one tonight were less than spectacular. Both times the poor guy had to stop at second and wait for someone to tell him he could go home, he got a homer. That really will take the wind out of a guy's sails! He's sneaking up on the team home run ladder, though - tied for 3rd with Kipnis at 11. One more makes it a 3-way tie for first. Race, boys - race!

Cousin Michael was representin', cuz you can't really have a well-hit game without him. He went 1 for 4 with a double (him, Choo and KC's Alex Gordon lead the league), an RBI and a run. He's up to .288...think he'll crack .300? A few more points and he'll be the highest on the team. Of course, that is unless all the guys keep hitting like they were hitting tonight. Race some more!

Lopez was getting in on the act as well, going 2 for 4 with a walk. Unfortunately there was no one behind him to hit him in, and no one ahead of him that wasn't already hit in. But he did what he could!

Today was the debut of The Other Vinnie, Vinnie Rottino. He's up from the minors, via the Mets' minors, to fill in for Hafner who's on baby leave. Rottino actually did a thing today! He got an RBI on a sac fly! I thought maybe his average would be .000 but it's .162 - he comes to us with 33 at-bats with the Mets. So no fresh slate for us but at least we've got a guy who's been around a bit.

Speaking of Vinnie, The Original Vinnie had something to say on Twitter tonight:

"Never have I been more proud of my team, could have folded but came back and battled. No one is more aware about the past 6 than us

This isnt a test you can study for or a hobby it is and has been our lives, lives forged with blood, sweat and balls from young ages

Losing sucks and trying harder or wanting it more isnt the answer, sometimes you just cant find it and it takes hell to get it.

Believe it or not our clubhouse is more frustrated than anyone could possibly comprehend without being in it. Gonna quote a favorite of mine

“The night is always darkest just before the dawn.” Take it or leave it, love it or hate it, we battle for you everyday. "
- @VinneP52

And of course a tweet from a loving fan:

"@VinnieP52 you guys are sucking dick get off your twitters and start focusing on winning games man. Tell your owners that they suck too"
- @kidnamed_matty

Vinne's response:

"Even when you come to people in humility they still spit in your face, all it take is one…Peace"
- @VinneP52

Personally, I eat that kind of stuff up - what Vinnie said. As long as guys are playing their hardest, etc etc. I mean - yay! Baseball!  It just blows my mind that people can be all up in the jocks of our super-losing (but loveable) football team and at the same time "demand" something from our baseball team. This is Cleveland, baby - you get nothing!

I'm not sure how I feel about this new one from The Famous Mike Polk Jr. I agree with most of the stuff he says but the whole "we need a winning team in order to come see baseball." Well fuck off with that attitude. You know who packs them in every day? The Royals. The Cubs. The Twins. The Marlins. People need to fucking relax and learn how to enjoy baseball and not be so angry about the record. There is exciting stuff going on with this team almost every day. There are more hours of excitement in a Tribe season than there are minutes existing in a Browns season. No more whining! NO CRYING IN BASEBALL!

Anyway, we've got a good jump on what could be a really great weekend. Our guys love to play and beat these Tigers! They're in it mentally again and they know where to put the bats (HA!) After they roll over Detroit this weekend I hope they come home to a hero's welcome!

Tomorrow is Masterson versus RHP with a high ERA. Masterson may have bombed his last start but he knows how to pitch the Tigers. So be looking for that.

I unfortunately will have to meet you later as I'm going to a show at the HOB but I'll be thinking of you and wishing I were listening along. So albeit late - I will see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"If you don't know the meaning of deja vu, look it up. This is it."
- Tom Hamilton on the bad first inning

"The world lost a pharmacist but gained a major league baseball player."
- Tom Hamilton on Vinnie Rattino

"I'm not trying to be Polyanna here, but you really get the feeling that the Indians are going to make a game of it here."
- Tom Hamilton in the 3rd

"Lopez swings and misses as he tries to hit it to the Harry S. Truman Memorial Library."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is like looking at a NASCAR vehicle."
- Tom Hamilton on the wall at Kauffman Stadium

"The good news is Choo does not play badminton. Why that's an Olympic sport, I do not know."
"Has something to do with picnics doesn't it?"
"If you're bored."
- Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus need to reel it in