Losing the Battle for the Bottom

It was a fun game and there were 3 extra innings, but the boys couldn't get it done and now we're tied for last place (or 4th place!) with the Twins.

I'm sick and I'm working late and I don't feel like doing this right now so here's the quickest of quick rundowns.

Huff started instead of Jeanmar. He only did marginally better than Jeanmar would have - 3 earned runs in 4 2/3.

After him, the relief started. And we broke some sort of franchise record by using 9 relievers. Kind of sucks that we had to dig that deep in September, against the other worst team in baseball, and still not win, but there you go. Seddon, Herrmann, Allen, Barnes, Pestano, Perez, Smith, Rogers, Maine. Only 7 strikeouts between all of them.

Kipnis and Santana had good nights, each going 2 for 6. Santana had a homer in the 12th and it was too little too late. It made the score 6-5 Minnesota. Tom Hamilton could not have been more unimpressed. It was crazy scary how he called that homer...like if I was his kid I would be hiding under the covers right now waiting for dad to get home and break all my toys.

The Chiz Kid had a big big homer in the 2nd. His 5th in 32 games. Puts him on pace for 25 this year! If he played 162, that is.

Russ Canzler has 15 hits in 15 games this year. Pretty neat.

Matt LaPorta. People get really mad at him. He did this last year too - happy, game-changing stuff followed by a game or two of huge disappointments from his glove or bat. From what they say though, no one is more upset by this trend than Matt LaPorta.

Tomorrow's game is at 7:05, and it's McAllister versus RHP (6.14). This cat has ZERO WINS and 7 losses. OMG we must be winning tomorrow's game!

Also - I am going to batting practice, for the 5th time now. Actually I have anticipated going to batting practice 4 other times, and shown up for batting practice one time, but every time it has been rained out or cancelled. So now I feel like I am a batting practice pro and I go all the time so really no big deal. Of course when I get ON the field I will be nearly peeing myself with anticipation. I'll take my camera, hopefully get some good pics. Also taking some baseball cards and pens. I'm not taking OMG ASDRUBAL that'd be weird.But I hope I meet him! Should I wear my Kipnis t-shirt? Hmm...

Ok everybody dream about sunny skies and my nose clearing up. Won't it be awesome if I give Russ Canzler a cold? Yeah.

Radio Chatter:
"If this was Broadway, his show could close after opening night if he keeps pitching like this."
- Tom Hamilton on PJ Walters

"And the Twins will get another pinch runner. Well, when you have eighty thousand players on the rosters, you can make any kind of move."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is where Carlos Santana needs to realize that less is more. You don't need a home run here, just a routine fly ball will end this game."
- Tom Hamilton

"If you made it to the 10th, first and third with nobody out, and didn't score - then frankly you don't deserve to win."
- Tom Hamilton is talking about the Tribe

"Boy that loss to the Indians on Sunday may haunt Detroit deep into the winter months."
- Tom Hamilton

"No team in the American League gives up more runs on 2 outs than the Cleveland Indians."
- Tom Hamilton

Windians!

Man what a game today! It felt like baseball all day with the score see-sawing back and forth, with the teams scoring in multiple innings, with guys getting clutch hits, close calls going our way, with a WALK OFF WIN!

This is so 2011! Woohoo!

Ubaldo was the starter and he looked GOOD! Even though the team looked shaky behind him for a bit (but just a bit). He only gave up 2 earned runs (with 1 un-earned) and went 6 whole innings. He only struck out 2 but hey he didn't hit anyone and he only walked 3 in that time which is pretty good for him. Oh and going 6 innings is pretty good for him - pair that with his last 2 starts and he's got 6 innings each.

The guy who got most touched was actually Joe Smith! Old reliable Joe! That dude hadn't given up any runs since August 20 and today he lost it to Miguel Cabrera who got a 3-run homer off him. You expect stuff like that to happen to Cabrera but not to Smith. Oh well...had to be someon!

We were behind in the 8th, but Vinnie went out there and did his thing with a 1-2-3 inning. No hits, no runs, one strikeout. Vinnie!

Esmil Rogers was the final reliever and they keep trying to groom him to be a closer and I still don't see it. Today it was reeeeeeeally close - he gave up a double, then a walk and then a wild pitch. But then he struck out Miggy and got Prince to ground out! Wat! So that was pretty awesome and I swear I caught his eye as he swaggered off the mound after the strikeout (I was at the game, wandering around). He swaggered and winked!

Did you know Prince Fielder has 0 homers at Progressive Field this year? He's only hitting .179 here. Cool.

There were a lot of close plays at first that went our way today. Not sure if it was sloppy playing or sloppy umpiring but whatever. Our turn!

ALMOST everyone hit today but everyone did get on base. Brantley was the lone no-hitter but he walked twice - once intentional.

Choo only went 1 for 5 but his single was a 2-RBI single! CHOOOOOOOO!

Kipnis was 1 for 4 with a walk and a double. He also scored a run. He didn't steal any bases today, what's up with that?

Asdrubal is still in, which is good because I couldn't stand all the crummy short-stopping in his absence. And his wrist must be feeling good cuz he went 2 for 4 with a walk today. And he stole a base! And he scored 2 runs! I didn't even have my sign...but it worked out because he managed without it, and I would have had a hard time following the kid around the park with my sign (it's big).

Carlos Santana - once again let me reiterate how key his bat is!! Today he went 3 for 5 with his second triple of the year and uh his second triple IN TWO GAMES! How does that even happen?? He got 2 RBI on the day and his second tied the game. He also scored a run and it was the winning run in the 9th!

Brantley was all patience today and he walked once, and in the 9th with Santana at 3rd and 1 out the Tigers wisely wisely walked him. He's not the sort of guy to go 0 for 4 so statistics showed he was going to get a hit. Or heck, a sac fly. They didn't let him.

Russ Bus Canzler had a good night going 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run. And he only played half the game! Zeke came in for him later, and he was intentionally walked in the 9th after Brantley to load the bases. I have no idea why they'd walk a young guy who's batting .245 with 2 homers to face an equally young guy who's batting .275 but that's what they did.

Here's what Lonnie did!



Awesome job, Lonnie! He also had beaten out a throw at first that resulted in both an RBI and the tossing of Jim Leyland. I wonder if Jim Leyland would have made the call to pitch to Chiz instead of Zeke? Perhaps Lonnie was setting up his own fate!

Lonnie Baseball - You built this!

Casey Kotchman was out there doin' stuff today. He went 1 for 3 but nothing to show for it. However his departure gave a chance for 3 other dudes to play, including Matt LaPorta who tried desperately to commit suicide by wall and railing not once but TWICE in one inning. During one guy's at-bat. It was almost as bad as Alex Avila trying to commit suicide by Fielder. Ouch!

Let us not forget our man Hannahan, who had his at-bat music switched up slightly at least for his first at-bat. Instead of his usual Celtic jig it was some country song about being a dirty hillbilly or something. No joke! It went back to normal after that, and he went 2 for 3 on the day.

Thirteen hits and five walks and a walk-off win! And I was there! It was JW's first game. Get 'em JW!

Don't forget that if you have a tyke - or anyone, really - who is attending their first game that you can go to Fan Services (Sections 108, 153 or the secret one we found at 550) and get yourself a First Game Certificate. With your name on it and everything!

Since the kid is only 2 and not going to be sitting for any length of time, I got a chance to check out the whole kid's area in the middle concourse. Not bad...the Kids Clubhouse is extremely well-stocked with all the best from Step 2 including this blue climbing post thingy that kids can climb up like Spider Man. And they stick to it too. I can't find it anywhere online so I have determined it's a Step 2 prototype!

Anyway after we did all the kids' junk we wandered downstairs and towards the exit but luckilly the rest of my crew decided it'd be ok if we popped down into the 160s to catch the end of the game. JW had a good time playing with the seats and clapping along with John Adams so it worked out. Oh and then I got to see the big win from right up close! Ballgame!

Great game and great to see that we still "got it" when it comes to the Tigers. Nice to see we can still beat a team we've been beating all year and it was extra-special with the come-from-behind win!

Tomorrow is an OFF day and I couldn't be happier because I am worn out from a long weekend and also sick with The Crud. Not sure if I got it from being outdoors at night or being around a ton of children.

Tuesday is a 7:05 game, at home, against the Twins. David Huff (yay!) versus RHP (6.07) OH YEAH!!!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"This is going to be one of those one-sided conversations we all had when we were young, with mom or dad where you just stand there and go 'Yes sir, yes ma'am, yep, nope.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Acta's visit to the mound in the first inning with bases loaded

"This is the story of the year for Ubaldo Jiminez. He gave up a 30-foot single. Even when you make a good pitch, it doesn't seem that Jiminez gets rewarded."
- Tom Hamilton

"Lonnie Chisenhall has been one of the season's most pleasant surprises in the month of September, according to Manny Acta."
- Tom Hamilton

"Whatever Casey Kotchman gives you offensively is certainly a bonus."
- Tom Hamilton YES!

"Once again the schedule-maker did not major in geography."
- Tom Hamilton is not a fan of the MLB schedule-maker

"This is another thing you can file under 'That's baseball, don't try to figure it out.' If you do, get back to us."
- Tom Hamilton on how Jiminez could be doing better than Porcello

"Well if he isn't the best player in baseball, then go watch badminton."
- Tom Hamilton on Miggy's 3-run homer to take the lead

"LaPorta has played here in the 9th inning only and one batter, and has taken more shots than some NFL running backs."
- Tom Hamilton in the 9th

If It's Not One Thing...

...then it's defense.

Pitching was pretty good today. Top-notch almost. Batting was so-so, considering Sanchez had a no-hitter going through the 7th and we still managed to score a few runs. Today's gaping hole was the defense, with 3 errors resulting in 2 un-earned runs. Sigh.

Masterson wasn't "OMG AWESOME!" today but he didn't stink up the place. He did strike out 8 in his 4 2/3 innings even if he gave up 4 - I mean 2 - runs. It's hard to tell on paper why they took him out so early, but he was giving up hits around those strikeouts and no doubt Manny is gunshy when it comes to letting his starters go. You know - this next batter could lead to 7 more runs.

Anyway he was out and Sipp was in and there was a weird-ass play at 3rd regarding not touching the base, trying to get yourself out, appealing a play yadda yadda only 1 run scored in the 5th not 2.

Sipp pitched the 6th and was plenty good but then there was Miguel Cabrera who just had to go and hit a homer in the 7th. Boo! At least it was a solo homer, and at least Fielder didn't follow it up with one of his own right?

Cody Allen came in next and there are no words to describe how he pitched other than he totally fucked Detroit's shit up. He faced 5 and struck out 5. That total includes Miguel Cabrera. Wow!

Scott Barnes was next and he was...fine. He had a 1-2-3 9th inning.

I think the batting was slightly more impressive tonight than it was last night, even though we did nothing for 7 innings tonight. Last night we had men on base a ton of times and nothing happened. At least tonight in the 2 innings we had hits they all counted. And counted for 3 runs!

Choo didn't get any hits tonight, but he did walk and was hit by a pitch (breaking up the perfect game). I also heard that our new Choo song, Gangnam Style, was heard on SNL tonight, was on MTV Video Awards and the next day on ABC News. He was also signed by Justin Bieber's manager. You heard it here first! And yes, I do listen to that song all the way through every time I link to it. Fighting!

Asdrubal was back today after some pain shots in his wrist. I hope he's like, a couple days off those pain shots because from what I've heard of pain shots the shots can hurt worse than the pain for a bit (and in your wrist? Owie!) He had a rough start, striking out 3 times then BOOM! RBI single! That was pretty exciting, I tell you what!

Carlos Santana is quietly playing the role of Michael Brantley while Cousin Michael is out with a sore pectoral. He went 1 for 4 tonight with a TRIPLE to break up the no-hitter, and came around to score. He's got a 4-game hitting streak.

Russ Bus Canzler is still keepin' it real. He went 1 for 4 tonight with an RBI double to follow up Santana's triple. He came around to score when our boy Lonnie followed his double up with an RBI single!

Cord Phelps was the only other guy to hit today. He went 1 for 3 with a single and he's the one who scored on Asdrubal's single. That was Cord's first hit this year, by the way.

Vinny Rottino came in to catch in the 9th, because that is an option. He is the very model of a modern utility man - He's played over 200 games at catcher, and over 100 at first, third and outfield. This must mean that he's not a very good catcher - but he owns the correct glove and keeps a cup in his locker.

Tomorrow is one more game against the Tigers and thank goodness I'm going with another little buddy, JW, because I don't know if I can take the heartbreak of being swept. Seeing the game with a kid who's going to his first game will definitely give it an air of excitement no matter who manages to lose (or win!) the game for us.

The game's at 3:05, which indeed interferes with football but rumor has it that football is much better on the DVR anyway. Games are only 45 minutes long!

The matchup is Ubaldo versus RHP (4.59). Our lineup actually is particularly good against this particular RHP so it might just be that JW comes home with a win! Hurray!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"A little bit like a Little League game here. The only people involved are Masterson and Marson."
- Tom Hamilton in the first

"I don't think anyone looks at Canzler and says 'this is your cleanup hitter of the future' but that's where he is right now."
- Tom Hamilton

"Masterson's problems with left-handed hitters is the inability to consistently get it up by their hands. It often leaks out over the plater. If he does that to left-handed hitters, he'll have no problem."
- Tom Hamilton

"The Indians have to get a hit this inning, let alone a grand slam."
- Tom Hamilton in the Grand Slam Bonus inning, in what was still a perfect game

"We just saw an instant replay, Rosie, and it was live!"
- Tom Hamilton on the weird play to end the top of the 5th

"A no-hitter wouldn't be all that shocking."
- Tom Hamilton

"That'll send some people home - they're not going to see history now."
- Tom Hamilton on the break-up of the no-hitter

"That's strike three on any hitter not named Miguel Cabrera or Derek Jeter."
- Tom Hamilton on a pitch from Herrmann to Cabrera

"These are the kind of people you build your club around."
- Tom Hamilton is a Kipnis

"You don't hire Scott Boras if you want to stay in the city you're playing in."
- Tom Hamilton on Choo's future here

"Scott Boras is the sort of guy who thinks 8th graders should pack up and move to a boarding school 2000 miles away from mom and dad. Because they've got better meals."
"And he'll bring a thousand-page transcript to mom and dad to show them why."
- Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus

"He looks like he's an 80 year old getting out of bed the way he stretches on the mound there. [...] Then he throws a fastball past you."
- Tom Hamilton on Valverde

"Before he broke his wrist, this at-bat would have been over 5 pitches ago."
- Tom Hamilton on Chisenhall's new-found penchant for walking since he came back

At Least We Had Fireworks!

Today's game was Kluber versus Verlander and to be honest I wasn't feeling all "Ooooh, Verlander! No chance to win against him!" because that's baloney - we win against that chump all the time!

But, not this particular team. Not the team without Asdrubal or Brantley. The team from Columbus. They actually did sort of look like they might pull it off a few times but it wasn't meant to be.

I tell you what though - Corey Kluber, he didn't do too bad. Yeah 4 runs in 5 innings but they were runs given up to a team in the playoff hunt where the top 4 guys hit over .300. As you've seen with all of our starters, it could have been worse. Much worse! So I give Kluber a gold star for his effort tonight. He struck out 5 in his 5 innings and only walked too.

Frankly I think the defense was fairly weak during his innings, too. Maybe they were weak the whole game but the first two innings just seemed like the guys were asleep out there. Absolutely no hustle. It felt like Kluber wasn't giving up hits, the infield was.

Chris Seddon came in for long relief in the 6th. He had two solid innings (after 3 solid scoreless innings by Kluber) with 3 strikeouts and no hits! Frank Herrmann came in and did the same (well, 2 strikeouts) and closed out the game. He's given up 9 runs in 8 games since he's been back so clearly that was a fantastic outing by Herrmann!

We only had 6 hits tonight and 2 walks (same number of walks our guys gave up, ha!) Choo, Santana, Kotchman and LaPorta all got hits. Lonnie Chisenhall got TWO hits because he's just a stud!

Santana and Chiz got doubles.

Nothing really to write home about when it comes to our hitting tonight. It was no good - we had 8 left on base. Three times we had men in scoring position and couldn't score. Ouch ouch ouch ouch!

BUT! I finally got to go to a game with my little dude SMac. He was so excited! So was I!

Poor kid was really just there to sing The Baseball Song ("Take Me Out To The Ballgame") and see fireworks. The baseball he had to sit through was sort of incidental to his enjoyment. Thank goodness he's only 2.5 years old and isn't capable of feeling sadness with regards to a sports team. Can you imagine having to take on the knowledge of what this team has become this year when you can barely grasp the alphabet? Inconceivable!

He did get some good snacks and I gave him one of those "It's Tribe Time Now" towels. And we accidentally caught a shirt from the Fun Bunch. And his dad made a swell sign about "Chief Woo-Hoo" which is what SMac calls the mascot. He didn't cry once, and neither did I!

The people behind us were sort of hinky and obnoxious. The kids had too much sugar and the adults seemed to be under the impression that we were in a trailer park and not a baseball stadium. But, whatever - it takes all kinds! The funny part is that for however much we were annoyed with the folks behind us, the folks in front of us were just as annoyed by us. It's a tight fit up there in the upper deck, is what I'm saying.

And then afterwards, the fireworks.

All in all an enjoyable experience and I highly recommend taking the opportunity to take a kid to the ballpark these remaining few weeks. It's not too crowded, it's not too hot and it makes the experience of the loss much more palatable when you know that at least your little buddy had a good time!

Tomorrow is more Tigers. Justin Masterson versus RHP (4.40). We actually have a chance to win this one, in my opinion, if Masterson can keep his shit together. Also, my brother just added RHP 4.40 to his fantasy team and plans to start him so it stands to reason that he's going to have an awful, awful game. Don't you think?

I'll be late tomorrow as I've got a date at the Little Gym during the game. But I'll catch it on the late-late.

See you there!

(No Radio Chatter, if you couldn't tell - I was at the game not listening to the radio!)

Oh, by the way, today I found out that Choo's new intro music is Gangnam Style, the Korean dance sensation that I suggested back on August 9. I don't know when he changed it - I haven't been able to tell from the radio, plus they've been out of town for a while. But well done, Choo! I even saw a guy doing "the dance" in the stands - not sure if it was live or taped at a previous game but WELL DONE to that guy, too! Heeeeeey sexy lady!

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!