Draft Day!

Just kidding. My Twitter feed was seriously more NFL Draft yesterday than Tribe game, and I only follow people who tweet about the Tribe! Even today it was Draft-heavy despite it being the later rounds the big Tribe win.

Then again I do follow Bernie Kosar and he is clearly excited about everything related to football, every day. So I can't really complain when he is going on and on about the Draft.

But WOW! What a Tribe game! Soooo many hits and - so many RUNS! Runs, y'all! Like when someone is on base and someone else hits the ball and they come in to score. IT'S A THING!

First off is the pitchers, as per our usual. Carrasco was the man on the hill today, and to my dismay he didn't have a quality start. He went 6 innings and gave up 4 runs. But he can't be amazing every game, guys, which is why we will need people to SCORE RUNS from time to time. Which they did today. See how easy that is?! Carrasco did strike out 6.

Atchison, McAllister and Allen finished out the game with one inning a piece. No relief runs! No relief runs! Allen did give up a double in the 9th, but I'm beginning to think that that is how closers work. At least in Cleveland. It's like how cassata cake works differently in Cleveland.

Ok, maybe a bad analogy because Cleveland cassata cake is superior to other cassata cakes, while Cleveland-style closing (giving up hits, giving up runs, losing games) is clearly not the better option.

WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT IT IS DIFFERENT.

But whatever - they didn't give up any runs, and Carrasco's 4 runs allowed were already OLD NEWS by the 4th inning!

Oh yeah and it's our first EVERYBODY HITS game! And four guys got two hits. There were three home runs! And NINE RUNS SCORED!

Kipnis is still feeling good in the top spot, it seems, because today he led off the Indians' half of the first with a homer! He got another hit too, but no more RBI. Seems like he's been hitting a ton lately but no streak at the moment. But it does seem like when Kipnis is hot, the rest of the team follows behind him.

Aviles was in at short today and in true Goon fashion, he stepped up with 2 hits including an RBI double which was just a double on replay. But still a legit double that sent a man home! Aviles ended up scoring on both his hits. Once again - always a part of things!

Michael Brantley is still amazing and everyone should love him like they do Lebron. THEY HAVE THE SAME NUMBER, PEOPLE. Today he went 2 for 5 with his first homer of the year (a 2-run shot) and a single. No strikeouts. Fact: Brantley is the only player right now with more than 60 at-bats (64) and fewer than 4 strikeouts (3). His average is .341!

Carlos Santana didn't walk tonight. What's up with that?! Just one hit. He still leads the league in walks though. Ha!

Brandon Moss sure is on the team now, huh?! He started soooo painfully slow but now he's up to a respectable .238 and climbing every day! Today he had a huuuge 2-RBI double in the 3rd inning to bring the Tribe within one run of the Jays! That's 14 RBI for him in his last 10 games!

And Ryan Raburn? Sheeeeeet. He is so hot now that he was intentionally walked after Moss's double! He definitely has days where he gets no hitting done - alongside all his teammates - but dude had 2 more hits tonight giving him 11 hits in his last 10 games. He's batting .342! Not bad for the guy that no one really cared about having on our team this year.

Lonnie seems to be coming around! Both at the plate and in the field. Is May the month of Lonnie? No particular reason to feel that way - I always just feel like Lonnie is just about to crack it open! Today he went 1 for 3 with a single, an RBI and a run scored. And no errors! Golf clap.

Brett Hayes was not doing anything of note, other than being our third-string catcher. Then he snuck up on everyone and hit a goddamn 3-run homer today! BOOM!!! So that's two homers for Hayes, who hit a total of 2 homers from 2012-2014. Secret weapon!!

Bourn is still at the bottom of the lineup, working out whatever. Today he got on base with a single in the 4th, then tried to come home on Aviles' double and really almost got there, and slid on his face, and was called safe. Except the replay showed he was out. Sigh. Let's hope he didn't hurt his dang face! The good news was that in the next at-bat, Brantley hit a 2-run homer. HA HA BASEBALL!!!

The Tribe had 9 runs on 13 hits today! Great just like last Friday! Now let's hope we have a better Saturday and Sunday than last week...it could be our month, guys!!

Tomorrow it's a 4:10 game with Kluber going against an RHP. Kluber is going to be f'n mad at himself so he is going to throw everything fast and not give up any runs. So all our guys need to do at the plate is one or two runs. Got that?!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Carlos Carrasco has been on thin ice this inning, and finally the Blue Jays push him through that ice."
- Tom Hamilton

Some Hitting Hope

So for once it was one of our star starters that maybe cost the Tribe a win today. We maybe had better hitting than pitching today. Probably. We definitely had better hitting than pitching today.

It's not so bad.

Carrasco - no doubt still in a wonky situation after his stutter steps to starting (paternity leave, at the end of spring, throwing a game, getting hit in the fact, throwing a short game, today) - didn't do so hot. He only made it 4 1/3 innings before getting pulled. He was already up to 91 pitches, and had 5 earned runs. He still had 5 strikeouts! A bad start for sure but the last guy you want to give up on is Cookie Carrasco, I tell you what!

Scott Atchison was fine finishing the 5th inning but goddamnit, Miguel Cabrera! He got a 2-run homer off Atch to make it 7-2 in the 6th. Miggy's average against the Tribe this year is .632 and his slugging is 1.00. ACK!!!

Zep came in for a flawless 7th. Cody Allen "needed work" so even though there was no save anywhere on the horizon, he game in for the 8th and gave up a run. To Miguel Cabrera on a SAC FLY. MOTHER!!!!

So, pitching wasn't too good. But the highlight of the game for me was not only scoring 6 runs (double our average - and pizza discount eligible!) but also that 4 of those runs were scored in the late innings! Fantastic!

Brandon Moss got HOT again! Great balls of fire! No extra bases but he did go 2 for 3 with 2 RBI and a run scored. That's 9 RBI in this series - how many have you hit this week?

A bigger story might be Ryan Raburn, who got his 6th double and made it an RBI double. He was tagged out at third but at least he's trying to be aggressive. He got 2 hits today to give him 6 in the last 4 games. His average is .385!

Aviles and Brantley each got a hit today and scored a run, batting 2nd and 3rd. Brantley's average dropped .018 points from last night's hit-fest down to .341. Ha! Only .341! Chisenhall got a hit too, by the way.

How's this for a blast from the past? Good Guy David Murphy came off the bench and hit a homer in the 9th! GOON SQUAD!

So the Tribe actually came within striking distance, and sort of kept pace in the later innings. It didn't happen but there was a lot more bat activity - 10 hits and only 4 strikeouts - than we've consistently seen this season. Put together with all the other losses and the series so far it was just another loss. But as a regular baseball game - well it wasn't so bad!!!

Tomorrow Kluber tries to get his first win, versus the Royals at home and an LHP 6.75. Oh no, LHP! Well whatever, I can't even manage to be scared anymore. These guys gotta just go out there and GRIND.

This will be the debut of the 6:10 home games, so don't forget! I won't be around and probably won't get to hear the game at all, so cheer loud for me!!!

Radio Chatter:

"You're playing with fire when you put batters on base against this ballclub."
- Jim Rosenhaus

"The next time the Indians make Cabrera uncomfortable at the plate will be a first."
- Tom Hamilton

They Did It All For the Cookie

So a week after getting drilled in the face with a ricochet baseball, Carlos Carrasco is perfectly fine. Well, maybe his face feels like it got hit with a baseball and he's got a raging headache, but he PITCHES just fine! Great Scott - dude had 8 strikeouts in just 5 innings today!

His velocity was right there, and he wasn't struggling - he only had 60 pitches after the 5th. I guess they took him out to protect him, considering he was already supposed to be staying low before he got hit in the face. So it might be a start or two yet before he's allowed to go all-out. But MAN, what a tough guy! Gotta love that Carrasco!

After him it was time for the parade of relievers. Atchison, Zep, McAllister, Hagadone, Shaw, Allen. Sigh, I wish it was the end of the season and we could all know what that list even means!

Atchison continues to be flawless, with 4.1 innings under his belt he hasn't given up anything but a single walk. The old man is showing the way! (He did throw a wild pitch but you expect that once in a while from the senile)

Zep finished the 6th with a strikeout, and then came back for 2 more outs. Then ZMac came in to end the 7th with a groundout. The 8th was all sorts of white-knuckly, even with 2 quick outs. After that was a single, then another single, and then an RBI single, then Nick Hagadone *gasp* and then a throwing error, so bases loaded and the damn tying run is at the plate. Then Bryan Shaw came in to get that strikeout to end the inning. WHEW! ZMac and Hagadone - hide your wife, hide your kids - it's the 8th inning!

Before the game Tito was all "I hope Cody gets to pitch tonight because he's our man" and I'm like "errrrm...." and then what do you know, Cody comes in to pitch tonight. This is why we tune in night after night, because what happened last night is old news and tonight Cody Allen pitched a 1-2-3 inning, and the Tribe wins.

Yaaaaaay!

This is why you can never second-guess Terry Francona.

Tonight's game was the 4th time since 1914 the Indians did not walk a batter while recording at least 15 strikeouts, last coming in 2013
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) April 22, 2015

The boys still weren't "bats on fire" tonight but the guys who did get hits managed to string them together this time, which makes all the difference in the world!

Carlos Santana and David Murphy each homered today. Solo homers, of course. David Murphy's was his first and it was "A-WAAAAAAY OUT OF HERE!" Love it!

In the 6th inning, Kipnis and Brantley got back-to-back singles and Moss loaded the bases with a walk. And then Ryan Raburn, pinch hitting for Murphy, got a 2-RBI single! It was just about the most baseball thing this team has done all year. It was so Goon Squad I almost fainted!!

But wait - there's more! This kid Carlos Rodon was brought in in the 6th, and gave up that 2-run single. He was back for the 7th and the Tribe continued to jump all over his first-appearance nerves. And his leetle tiny mustache!

Carlos Rodon everyone. #CanklesRodent pic.twitter.com/LowSQWDFjP
— Cespedes Family BBQ (@CespedesBBQ) April 22, 2015

So Rondon walked Perez and Ramirez, and Bourn got them over on a bunt. Kipnis gets an RBI sac fly but Brantley does him one better by getting an RBI single!

So Brantley is 2 for 4 on the night because he's amazing, and Kipnis is right back out of his pre-Chicago slump because he's in Chicago now.

Murphy and Raburn got 3 hits and 3 RBI between them! That's half of the night's RBI!

Carlos Santana walked and homered because baseball.

So now that we've got that bad taste out of our mouths, there's one more chance for us in Chicago. Tomorrow it's our awesome guy versus their awesome guy - Kluber on RHP 4.29. Yay, rightie! Yay, Kluber! It's at 2:10 so don't forget!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"When you don't score runs...it's like this club is a high-wire act and there's no net below."
- Tom Hamilton

"Doesn't cost a nickel to be nice to people. Some people still haven't learned. That's tonight's sermon."
- Tom Hamilton

"Chris Sale, if he had been walking on Lakeside Drive today he would have been blown into Lake Michigan."
- Tom Hamilton

"Eric Cooper says 'Remember big boy, I'm leaning over your shoulder in the 9th inning...be nice.'"
- Tom Hamilton on the ability of catchers to complain when at bat

I Can't Even...

Boy, waiting a whole day and a half for more baseball, and then this? So early in the season. It is not very Positive at all.

This happened in the first inning:

cleveland.com

Carlos Carrasco got hit in the fact by a line-drive that deflected off his glove and then his throwing hand/wrist and then into his face. The "good" news is no concussion and nothing is broken. The bad news is that Carlos Carrasco got hit in the face with a ball.

So, Gomes, Brantley and Carrasco all out for now. Wahoo.

Poor Carrasco got the loss today, too. He gave up 2 runs (he left the game with 2 runners on, and they eventually scored) and we lost 4-1 so that's that.

ZMac came in for long relief (they just sent him to the bullpen instead of the starting rotation) and lasted 3 2/3 innings, letting Carrasco's runners score then one of his own. Then Hagadone came in and wasn't any better. Adams and Swarzak came in to throw the 8th and 9th, and held tight, but by then it was too late.

Yeah, a 3-run deficit was too late.

The offense got 3 hits and struck out 14 times. I won't even tell you what the opposing pitchers' ERAs are.

So I dunno what to say that's positive about today's game. Just thank the Lord that Cookie's face is still in-tact. You know he'll be back as soon as possible - let's hope he's still on the same trajectory!

Tomorrow ins a 12:10 nooner for the business people downtown. And they always sell a lot of tickets, somehow. It totally mystifies me, but I love it!

It'll be Trevor Bauer versus LHP 6.35. More Jer-ry! I hope to heck I remember to turn it on. Sometimes I forget these afternoon jobbies! Maybe somebody should Tweet me?

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"If Flowers steals we'll have a real scoop. Tyler Flowers hasn't stolen a base since 2012."
- Tom Hamilton

"So much for baseball speeding up the game. Nobody got the notice to Jose Quintana."
- Tom Hamilton

"This White Sox pitching staff has made it look easy tonight."
- Tom Hamilton

Welcome to Winning!

Carrasco's transformation last year was storybook. Cuz I'm sure we've all heard "stories" about how pitchers - or any player, really - starts doing bad and they promise to "work hard" and come back, better than ever. But no one ever does. They just take their millions and melt into obscurity.

Last year, Carrasco got seriously bad. And really it was all mental. So they put him in the bullpen and made him work for his starting spot. And they made him fix his head. I've heard Carrasco talk a few times this spring about how he is spending time in the bullpen watching how other guys (Kluber) pitch and trying to emulate them. Like, don't give up 4 runs just because you give up a double - that sort of zen you can learn from a Cy Young winner.

Anyway his comeback in 2014 was real, and it must have continued to impress because today he was signed on until 2020! Cleveland fans, can you even wrap your mind around the fact that we have TWO pitchers locked up, one of them being a Cy Young Award winner? And Michael Brantley. And Jason Kipnis. And Carlos Santana. Locked up, man! They will still be here next year, and the next and some of them even longer.

Everyone was super excited to see how our new purchase would look tonight. He didn't disappoint! In fact he did BETTER than Kluber, striking out 10 (Kluber: 7) and not giving up any runs. He only threw 88 pitches but he's not ready for a full slate just yet - he missed the end of Spring while on paternity leave. Carrasco's "game score" was a 76 to Kluber's 69.

Since Carrasco was out after 6 1/3, it was time to test out the bullpen. First up was good ol' Nick Hagadone who was haga-done (overplayed?) after two batters. A walk and a single. Next!

Secret weapon Marc Rzepczynski (copy-paste) showed everyone how it's done by throwing one pitch and getting a double play to end the inning. Scrabble-ca-dabra!

I guess everyone was worried about Bryan Shaw, because he had a shitty spring (16 hits and 12 runs in 8.2 innings. Damn, brah!) But how can you compare the dry heat of Arizona to the most humid city in America?? Shaw cut through that moisture with a knife and threw himself a 12-pitch inning with one walk, no hits and no runs. He's back, man!

Oh if you thought Carrasco and Shaw were impressive, wait til I tell you about Cody Allen! Dude threw 9 pitches for 3 outs and 2 strikeouts. Fast-fast-slow, fast-fast-slow, slow-slow-BALLGAME. Geez-o-pete, Cody Allen! If you are starting off like that I can't wait to see the rest of your season! Save #1 on the books.

The batters weren't as impressive as the pitchers, even though they were facing an old man RHP. But they still got the win and managed to go YARD twice!

Michael Bourn finally got a hit, in his final at-bat. He really impressed me after his return last season and he SUPER impressed me during the spring, so I am chompin' at the bit for him to start hitting regular-like. He did try to bunt today to get on base but it was slightly under-hit. Otherwise, he'd be making my heart jump with 2 hits instead of 1.

Jose Ramirez was batting second today. Michael Brantley is out with a sore back (NO!! N.O.) so they are messing with the lineup already. JoRa did nothing at the plate but he was fancy in the field.

Omg omg omg omg KIPNIS!! Two hits today, man!! He was shut out yesterday, and didn't have any sort of amazing spring, so it's a bit of a nail-biter to see how his season is going to go. Two hits is the bomb-diggity. Can't wait to see more!

Today was Carlos Santana's birthday, and dude ALWAYS seems to do well on his birthday. Weird thing, that! He didn't disappoint, and went YARD today to score the Tribe's first run of the season with a solo blast. Don't forget to follow him on Twitter - right after the game he was thanking fans for birthday wishes, being excited about the win and praising Tribe pitching:

Props to our pitchers tonight. How good was Carrasco wow !!! 💪@Indians
— Carlos Santana MLB (@TheRealSlamtana) April 9, 2015

Carlos Santana, while wearing bright blue-sequin Gucci shoes, said he tries to hit a HR on his birthday every year. And he usually does.
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) April 9, 2015

Moss, Gomes and Chisenhall had 5 strikeouts between them. Blerg. On a happy note - Lonnie had an error at third but it was not officially ruled an error so the Tribe remains error-free through two. Holla!

David Murphy, being that he is such a swell guy, got a hit because he is the designated hitter and it would be impolite not to. Tom Hamilton was saying how Murphy's dad was at the game and he is an even more swell guy.

Handsome Mike Aviles!!!!! How about that guy huh? Not only was he a trooper and played left field (he's really an infielder) but he got TWO hits - including a homer! What?? Aviles on track for big numbers this year maybe?? He is definitely breaking some Minor-League hearts right now with his amazing versatility and ability to bang hits off the bench. And randomly in the 9-hole to boot. What would we be without Handsome Mike?!

Lots of good stuff stirring today, ready to break out on to the surface at any time. Pitching has been scary good - like a dream almost! Bats just need to catch up and be where they are on paper. We know these guys got it in them!

Tomorrow is a 2:10 game so don't forget! It'll be the Boy Bauer versus an RHP. Funny thing the guy's name is Asher Wojciechowski which blows my mind because I have a friend with a crazy long Polish last name and she named her son Asher. So there exists not one Asher-Polishinski but TWO! God bless America!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Chris Carter, who has the range of the Statue of Liberty, has a freak reach at first to rob Brandon Moss of a hit."
- Tom Hamilton

"I tell you what...Jose Ramirez is making you forget how hard some of these plays really are."
- Tom Hamilton


"For all you children who wonder what Santa Claus does in April...he is the official scorekeeper for the Houston Astros."
- Tom Hamilton on Rasmus getting a hit off an error

Satisfying Conclusion

Whew! A little reprieve with good baseball to finish out the weekend. How refreshing!

The Tribe followed a crummy 4-game losing streak that included bad pitching, bad fielding and bad hitting with two games that had none of that mess. It stands to reason that they would rise up behind Kluber but they also had it all locked up for our new after-Kluber starter - Carlos Carrasco!

In his last appearance, Carrasco went 4 innings after Tomlin's bad start and he gave up 3 earned runs on 6 hits. Today he buckled down and managed 5 AWESOME innings, only giving up 2 hits, no runs, no walks and striking out 4! We'll see how this pans out going forward, and if he can start giving some length but the initial trial looks promising. If you can, try to find some interviews with this guy. He seems to be a very hard worker, very eager to learn and to fix problems, and very much a team player. Also, he beaned one of the Royals in retaliation that one time, and got a 5-day suspension. Go Cookie!

No errors today or yesterday! Except we did lose David Murphy to injury at one point. And Nick Swisher, so...

Everyone seems very excited about Jose Ramirez's fielding at shortstop. I can't imagine that everyone has plain forgotten Asdrubal's majesty out there, for at least 4 or 5 years. I'm hoping they are just happy to see some talent out there after Asdrubal's talent wore out. I'm sort of guessing we won't see Omar-/Asdrubal-level talent until Lindor is here, but Ramirez does have plenty big shoes to fill...and a plenty big role to keep to himself as long as possible!

Jason Kipnis has found IT and now is as good a time as any! While he was shut out on Saturday, today he went 3 for 5 giving him 13 hits in his last 10 games. He also stole another base today and hustled home all 3 times he got on!

Jose Ramirez had himself a game yesterday, hitting in the #8 spot. He basically won the game for the Tribe, getting his first major league home run! He went 3 for 4 with 2 RBI - which is 2/3 of the total score. He also stole a base! Today he was up in the #2 spot and managed to go 1 for 3, but it was more of a defensive show for him today than yesterday.

Brantley (.324) had a game to match Ramirez yesterday! Or, er, was it the other way around? He also went 3 for 4 and also got a homer! His 17th, of course - not his first. Today he was "on rest" as DH (because this lineup cannot function without him) and went 1 for 3, but managed 2 RBI thanks to a sac fly. He also was intentionally walked, because they're not completely stupid in New York.

Carlos Santana was shut out yesterday and today. Rut ro...

Goooooomes! No homer for him today but he did go 2 for 3 with 2 RBI today! That's half the team's RBI! Unfortunately, his hitting streak ended at 13 yesterday. I am not positive but I think that's either the team's best this year or tied with it. But he was back on the hit horse today!

Chisenhall didn't hit today, but he did yesterday. And is still hovering around .300 at .292. Please, Lonnie, PLEEEEEASE get it figured out again!

Hey, welcome Zach Walters and Tyler Holt! Can't wait to make pictures for you!

Tyler Holt!

It excites me that you're here because Swisher is gone, but also I'm happy to see as soon as possible if our trades had any merit. Immediate payoff, please!

Speaking of immediate payoff, Chris Dickerson! Well uh, no exclamation point. After his hot start with us, he's fair-to-middlin' now, batting just .243 with only 4 hits in his last 10 games. Nevertheless, he is a handsome man.

Raburn came in for Swisher yesterday and will continue to act as right fielder, I guess, until Swisher gets back. It pains me to say it but his average is below Swisher's. However, he does have half the at-bats of Swisher so he's got that to cling on to. He can only get better from here!

Now that I look at it, we've got a pretty beat-up lineup. Lots of shuffling and substituting. We need Kipnis, Brantley, Santana and Gomes to SHINE right now and hope that everyone follows suit around them. If Chisenhall can also get on that track then this team is not going to be easy to beat! They need to get their heads together before we face Baltimore next weekend. Scary!

Ok so Monday is an off day (it's also Jack's birthday!) and after that there will be a 2-game series at home versus the DBacks. Which I think I might actually attend....hmm...

Tuesday will be House versus RHP 4.09. Definitely need to take advantage of these 2 games and the miserable year the DBacks are having. So - see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"I've never seen an umpire look up at the scoreboard operator with such disdain!"
- Tom Hamilton

"Not many cab drivers are sitting in those seats."
- Tom Hamilton on the atmosphere in New Yankee Stadium where lower seats are so expensive

"I bet someone in the marketing department is like 'Uh oh...well we've got to give away these suckers.'"
- Tom Hamilton on the non-Yankee-blue cowboy hat giveaway

"It's amazing how much better your club looks when you get good starting pitching."
- Tom Hamilton

Left Their Bats In Cleveland

Not much to say about this game. Carrasco still can't get a quality start, but he did show improvement. Still the same 4 runs as usual but this time he went a little longer. Yes?

Trevor Bauer is all like:

Please stop tagging me in negative posts about my teammates. We all do our absolute best for the team and fans. Please have some respect
— Trevor Bauer (@BauerOutage) April 26, 2014

Ha! Yeah guys, be cool! What about Tomlin?

Josh Outman gave up a run out of nowhere. He started the 7th, gave up a run, and that was it for him. Lee finished, and then Atchison finished it out. Neither of them gave up a run.

Hitting was dum today. Triple for Bourn, RBI single for Swisher and that's all for runs. Swisher got another hit, and Kipnis got 2 solo hits and that's all for hits.

Santana left 3 on base and Brantley - our clutch guy - left SIX on base. Holy Toledo, guys...

Santana got two walks off their starter, though - who prior to that, was the first guy since 1900 to go 30 walk-free innings. Science!

Elliot Johnson made an appearance, and nobody cares. Except I am going to do this before he gets sent down:

Elllllliot....

 Ugh, stupid wasted non-DH nonsense. (Yes, because we could have gotten 4 more runs with a DH...)

Tomorrow is 4:05, awesome McAllister versus greasy Timmy. Timmy without hair. But I guess it doesn't matte on the radio! Let's hope everyone is over their jet lag and can get some H-I-T-S tomorrow. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Sliding into third....that was not an earthquake! That was the Panda!"
- Tom Hamilton on Sandoval's triple

Beat The Sweep!

Welp, the Tribe hasn't swept anyone yet this year but so far they've avoided being swept! So they got that going for them.

Big win today! And a big game for Carlos Carrasco. It's been no secret that he is both the worst starter in the rotation and also the one that has not made any great improvements (they all seemed to start off poorly). He's also the one with Trevor Bauer breathing down his neck. It was kind of imperative for him to impress today.

Did he? Well he was off to a great start with THREE consecutive 1-2-3 innings. But he unraveled quickly in the 4th, giving up 4 hits and 3 runs. They gave him a chance to come back in the 5th but there were more hits and more runs. In the 6th, it was walks. He lasted 5 2/3. I don't know what this means for Carrasco going forward but from here this game clearly showed he is just fine for a couple innings but once he starts to unravel it happens quickly. And they can't say enough great stuff about Bauer this year. Let's make the move!

I'm sure there will be more info this week.

Outman finished the 6th with a single and a strikeout, and he got the win. Bryan Shaw looked good again and Cody Allen looked even better - keeping his 0.00 for another day, even though he didn't strike anyone out. He led with a walk but then got three balls in play for three outs.

John Axford seemed to struggle with finishing off the game, putting everyone on the edge of their seats while he loaded the dang bases!! Doesn't he realize we are all very sensitive to shaky saves? He ended up getting Edwin Encarnacion to hit into the shift. I ended up eating some Tums. And now the guy has 6 saves!

As for offense, I don't know how but the Tribe managed to get their 6 runs on just 5 hits and 6 walks.

Michael Brantley (.284) continues to just be amazing! He got a double and a homer today, with 2 RBI. He's second in the league with 16! And he had his second outfield assist today, this time to second not to home. We also learned in the post-game interview that he doesn't have much of a sweet tooth and doesn't eat much chocolate. Lolipops for him, please.

David Murphy, though, is the one to be pounding on the back today. He must have been filled to the brim with Easter Love (Murphy is very Christian) and delivered one of the biggest hits - if not THE biggest hit - of the season. A three-run bases-clearing single to right in the 7th inning, that brought the Indians into the lead 5-4. God bless us every one!!

Lonnie was in there today at 3rd, with Santana behind the plate. Lonnie only went 0 for 2 with a walk but he's still hitting over .400. Santana struck out 3 times and is batting just .145. Man-o-man-o-man. Do not want.

With all these blips of excitement I still find the lineup to be quite lacking. Maybe the re-injection of Giambi into the clubhouse will help pump things up again. It's probably pretty hard for a doofus like Swisher to pump anyone up when he's playing every day and only hitting .181. I wish I wish I wish...

DID SOMEBODY SAY WISH?

Tomorrow the team goes on a grueling 3-day stint of 7:05 games, something we have yet to see this year! And I say grueling because I haven't gotten myself accustomed to being back in my seat at 7:05 yet, as it happens so sporadically. It will be a test for me!

It'll be Zach McAllister versus RHP 4.34. Zach's down around 2.00 still and is our best starter, and Giambi should be back, so hopefully it'll be a treat of a game! See you there!

Sorry, no Radio Chatter. I was having a nice time lounging around during the game, going in and out of sleep, in a bit of a sugar coma. Thank you, Jesus!

Winning Battles, Losing Wars

It didn't really feel like the Tribe managed 10 hits tonight, did it? Probably because every time they put some hits together and scored, the White Sox came back and did the same. They also had 9 walks to our 5. But you know what? Neither team got a home run so HA!

Pitching was abysmal today. Carrasco was kind of up and down but he seemed to favor down. Five strikeouts in 4 2/3 inning but also 5 earned runs. And only 4 2/3 innings. Way too few innings by all of our starters this year.

I guess I jinxed the bullpen by pondering who would crack their 0.00 ERA, after noting there were 6 pitchers with no runs scored yet after the San Diego series. Two games later and we're down to 3 guys already. Zep was the only reliever of 4 to come out not having given up a run and it's not like he didn't try. He came in for the final out of the 5th and walked 2, and walked in a run - that was charged to Carrasco. Zep was lucky.

Shaw, Lee and Wood pitched the next 3 innings and gave up 4 runs between them. I remember Blake Wood being good for a minute. But since that minute, his ERA has gotten over 9.

Almost everybody hit tonight, except Carlos Santana. Santana did get on base (natch) with his second-in-the-league 12th walk but that was that. His average is .194 right now. He did look good at third...

Asdrubal got his 4th double! So that's awesome. He left 5 men on, though. Opposite.

Brantley got a hit (.286), extending his streak to 2 again!

I'm tired. I didn't even collect Radio Chatter today because I didn't feel like typing during the game. Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful weather - let's hope some sunshine brings out some Masterson and some #BatMagic and we'll all have a good day!

It'll be a 2:10 game with Masty facing some schmo, RHP 6.35. It's got to be good, right?

See you there!

Cookie Cookie Cookie

Anyone remember that Carlos Carrasco's nickname was somehow "Cookie" at one point? It's time to bring that back.

Today was Carrasco's first appearance. I wasn't too excited about him making the team over Josh Tomlin. But the reality of it is that they still see something in Carrasco and he is totally out of options. So the team's only choice is to throw him out there in the Bigs and get his bugs worked out, because there's no more messing around in Columbus. Tomlin, I guess, has some time.

So, we get Carrasco. I think he's got a lot of work ahead of him, and you can't really judge the rest of his season based on his first start on a cold day. We'll revisit my feelings in May!

Carrasco had one heck of a rough first inning. Gave up a homer on the second pitch, then a double, a walk and two RBI singles. The second was tidy but the third saw a hit batter, an RBI double, two passed balls (nobody told the scorer that Yan Gomes doesn't pass balls) which resulted in a run.

Carrasco actually ended up striking out 7 in his 5 2/3 innings which was more than Masterson struck out on Monday! And really, he just had 2 bad innings out of nearly 6. So he's got the stuff to strike guys out, and he's able to reel himself back in after bad innings. It's a good start (but today wasn't a good "start"). I have confidence we'll see some better stuff in his next few outings.

Atchison and Outman came in to finish the 6th through the 8th, and struck out 3 between them with no walks and no hits, so that's pretty awesome. But Vinnie....Vinnie, my Vinnie! Poor guy just cannot right his ship. I don't know if we can give HIM til May to get himself together. Seems like we've given him since last August. As much as we're all dying for the team to sign Masterson long-term, I think we're all dying for Vinnie to get back to his 2012 self. Please!!

The offense, though - what was up with that? The last-minute stuff is fun, but only sometimes. We don't REQUIRE them to have silent bats through to the 7th inning so that we get the exciting conclusions. I'm sure we'd all be happy with, say, scoring in the first inning. Or being ahead after the third inning.

They actually almost pulled out a 9th inning comeback today, or close to it. They scored two runs and if it weren't for the wind, Gomes would have gotten a 3-run dinger and made it 5-7.

Nyjer Morgan, still leading off in Bourn's stead, is looking good and putting up Bourn-like numbers. He's getting on base but not stealing yet - which Bourn didn't do much of either. He's the only Indian with 2 hits today, and he also walked twice, but he was left out there all 4 times.

Happy hero Swisher did jack at the plate today.

Our boy Kipnis went 0 for 1 today but bless him, he walked 3 times! No strikeouts at least.

Santana and Brantley (.316) both got on base once today, as they do. Santana with a walk and Brantley with a single, both in their final at-bats in the 9th. Whew!

Also hitting in their final at-bat in the 9th was Asdrubal, who got a bloop...double! Finally put one where someone wasn't waiting for it. Possibly helped by the wind. Not picky.

David Murphy was there too, I guess. Didn't notice until he was substituted with Raburn! Unfortunately Ryan Raburn was just as not good.

Our powerhouse 8 and 9 guys were still getting work done, though. Gomes got a near-homer sac fly in the 9th. He also had 2 passed balls and according to his stats he had 4 all of last year. So, I'm not buying it! Wild pitches!

Lonnie Chisenhall is in a friggin' groove, man. He's batting .500 with 4 hits. That's as many hits as Swisher who's had 3x the at-bats. That's as many hits as Santana who's had 2x. And that's more hits than Yan Gomes. Wow! Oh yeah - two of his 4 hits have been doubles already.

Anyway, crummy game today. The weather was dry and sunny but it was pretty cold. They still have a winning record. We've still got 157 to go.

Back at it tomorrow! It's 1:05, with Masterson facing RHP 7.50 - lots of hope. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Tom covered the Winter Olympics in Russia, and he said it was warmer there than it is here at Progressive Field."
- Tom Hamilton

"The thing about this team is that no matter what the score is in the 9th inning, they have great at-bats."
- Tom Hamilton

C-a-r-r-a-s-c-o Spells Relief

Oh, starters! Why have you forsaken us? The only way this team can beat good pitching is if we have good great pitching ourselves. Because it stands to reason that the offense isn't going to help you that much when the opposing pitcher is throwing under 3.00.

As is common lately, our starter only had one bad inning. The first inning, even. But that was enough to keep the other team on top and the right team from winning. Kazmir started the game off loading the bases, then gave up a 2-run single. He managed to get one out, but then came a 3-run homer.

Ooooh...

So once he got out of the first with no more runs (past the 5 original runs...) he stuck around for 2 more 1-2-3 innings. As soon as he gave up a single in the 4th it was like "Ok! No more!" and they sat him down.

Out came Albers, who - as Tom Hamilton pointed out - is pretty good at being our any-time guy and pitching whenever and wherever needed. He came in to have a 1-2-3 4th.

Next up was ... Carlos Carrasco! He just, appeared today. I can't even follow the ball anymore as to who goes up and who goes down. Heck I knew that Adam Dunn was DFA before I knew Carrasco was here!

But, who better to have in your bullpen when you need super-long relief than a former starter? Those guys can go forever! (Allegedly) He had a 1-2-3 5th, then in the 6th gave up a walk but a double play. The 7th was similar, and he was still there in the 8th AND the 9th! He ended up going 5 innings (2 more than Kazmir, the starter) and only gave up 1 hit. He did give up 3 walks but with those double plays he only ended up facing 17 batters.

That's great! Nice to see we have a long reliever while our starters get their stuff together. Basically like having a backup starter every night. And boy did we need it today because the bullpen is hella spent, and there's no off day til next Thursday.

The team hit a lot better than the score would suggest today. Lots of guys got on base - 7 hits and and 1 walk. But all around them guys were hitting big long flies that were caught, or lasers that got caught. Nothing was dropping!

The only balls that didn't get caught were Brantley's homer (6-game hitting streak!) and Asdrubal's homer (OMG!!! $144 off tires, tomorrow only!) Well and Kipnis's double dropped and so did 4 other singles but still ... it seemed like there were a ton that ALMOST made it but didn't!

Ok 7 made it, 4 outs were strikeouts, one GIDP so that leaves 22 potential almost-made-its.Yuck - remind me never to conjure up that statistic again!

I bought some hot dogs at the store today (actually, I bought some hot dogs while the Angels were scoring 5 runs!!) and am all ready for tomorrow's game. I don't know if you knew this but I was sad about the lack of hot dogs in my house. All Beef Hebrew National, buddy.

Hey also good news is that tonight and tomorrow night is Rock-N-Blast fireworks! Good times!

I don't know why but I am strangely energized by the games of late. We're losing but stuff is going good, or interesting stuff is happening. I don't know if the feeling in my gut is "Relax, we're totally out of the race now, let's just have fun!" or "Relax, this team is totally good enough to stay in the race, let's just have fun!" Perhaps it's remembering that there's less than 2 months to go so I'd better enjoy it while I can.

Or maybe it's just that the weather has been so nice and that just makes everything nice. And, hot dogs.

Anyway, we get another chance to listen to grown men play baseball tomorrow! It'll be Ubaldo versus LHP 3.49. It's time for wins again - let's do this!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"...I thought it was the 6th inning. Bye! I'll go get more food."
- Tom Hamilton comes in an inning too early

"He will be going to sit in the opposite end of the dugout from manager Mike Sciocia."
- Tom Hamilton on JB Schuck's horrible bunt attempt then GIDP

"Welp, there are nights like this when the baseball gods work against you."
- Tom Hamilton on the Angels always catching the ball

I Swear There Is a Silver Lining

The silver lining to this dark cloud is that the Indians didn't look horrible. One guy - Carrasco - looked horrible. A couple guys - Albers, Giambi, Reynolds - looked disappointing. A couple guys - Kipnis, Cabrera, Santana - were "off." But there were 11 Indians that were working hard and getting results. And they scored 2 runs in the 9th, down 7 runs, because that's how they do.

The bullpen was decent today. And by decent I mean not incredibly awful. They didn't need to help Carrasco lose the game. Even Oh No Not Rich Hill managed to not let anyone score when he came in with 2 on and 1 out in the 4th. Albers couldn't manage his 2 innings, giving up 2 runs, but Shaw, Pestano and Perez had a handle on things by the time they came in. None of them had 1-2-3 innings but the key here is that none of them gave up any runs.

It was so weird listening to the game on the radio archive tonight, after having caught the end of the game on TV. Because Hammy and Rosie were PUMPED at the beginning of the game, and they were all about Carrasco and how good he looked until...he didn't. Creepy to know the future sometimes.

Michael Bourn made some things happen with his speed today, beating out a throw at first while a run scored. He ended up going 1 for 3. He also had an outfield assist! HOLLA!


They eventually had Raburn pinch hit for Bourn and dude had a huge 2-run homer in the 9th. I was watching the game on TV and distracted from the other room, and I had to do a double-take to make sure that wasn't a Reynolds ball, it was so big! And of course since he is the former whipping boy of the Tigers, he was quite pleased with himself!

Asdrubal, Aviles (pinch for Asdrubal) and Kipnis were all shut down today and that means that Kipnis ended his hitting streak at 16. The highest streaks in the AL were 18 this year, so not bad for the Kid I say. Oh ALSO today he got put on the All Star roster! Well-deserved I think. He's the hardest working man in The Show right now, Manny's little dirtbag. Now, everyone say their prayers and ask God to make sure our Kipnis does not get injured at the All Star Game.

Masterson also made it in. He might not me Max Scherzer but he is looking good in the league right now.

Swisher had a nice day, going 2 for 3 with a nice 2-out homer. He also got hit by a pitch and singled. Unfortunately, no one was able to get him in. Sigh.

Chiz and Stubbs had nice days, both going 2 for 3 with doubles and singles. They both came around to score. And, since Stubbs is such a stud, he stole 3rd in the 9th (down 7 runs) because the third eye wasn't going to give up! Drew's got a little 3-game hitting streak going on now where he's gotten 5 hits and 4 RBI. Come to think of it, he's gotten all of those hits since being hit in the head. Hmmm...

Tomorrow is the 3rd - but not final - game against these Tigers. Let us win just one, huh? They're usually pretty crappy on Sundays (I've always sort of felt this, and some random caller on the post-game show brought it up the other day too) but it's not like they lose EVERY Sunday.

Perhaps the great push they had at the end of the game today will carry over to tomorrow and we'll get some runs in before the Tigers and give ourselves a chance to win?

Tomorrow it'll be  Kluber versus RHP 3.80. Kluber was the guy who stopped our slide last time, I can see him doing it again. The game's at 1:05 - see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Did you ever think you'd have a bobblehead giveaway?"
"Well yes, I have 5 already."
- Tom Hamilton and Omar Vizquel

"Sometimes he acts like he's 10 years old."
- Tom Hamilton on Miguel Cabrera

"He came on and told Putkonen 'Look do you realize how close Toledo is to Cleveland?'"
- Tom Hamilton on the Tigers pitching coach's threats

"You can tell how this game is going by how excited we get by a 80-foot nubber down the third base line, looking to see if it goes foul."
- Tom Hamilton

That...Was A Lot Of Baseball!

So are you still awake? Did you catch it all? About 9 hours of Indians baseball today. It was completely different than our last traditional double header, which was about 6 hours long. Oh yeah and in the last double header we scored just one run in those 18 innings. Know how many we scored today? 28. Twenty eight runs.

The first game almost seemed like batting practice! Especially in the first inning where the White Sox were just smacking Trevor Bauer all over the diamond. He gave up 6 hits and one walk, resulting in 5 runs, in just 2/3 of an inning. Notice he only walked one. Uh...go you?

Francona made the call - the very difficult call - to take Bauer out and start bringing out the bullpen guys. Hard call because A) You don't want to start using them in the first inning of the first game of a double header, yowza! and B) They kind of suck. He had to decide if Bauer was going to suck more than the bullpen. Turns out he made the right call. The bullpen did suck, but technically they did suck less because although they also gave up 5 runs, they did it over more innings.

Bauer did face the press like a man after the game, and gave a very mature (or egotistical) interview.

Matt Albers actually was pretty good. He went the longest, finishing out the first then pitching the second and third. He only gave up 2 hits and no runs.

Bryan Shaw, who used to have a reputation for not sucking, came in for the 5th and gave up 3 runs. Of course, the Indians already had scored 14 of their own runs by now, so it wasn't that big of a deal - THIS TIME.

Cody Allen, who hasn't given up a run in a while, gave up a homer to score one of Shaw's guys and one of his own. Then he came back for the 6th and gave up another one. No!

Thankfully the Tribe got some more insurance runs in the 7th and 8th, giving Smith, Pestano and Perez a lead they couldn't blow. Not having any pressure to do well - they all did well. Smith gave up a walk and Pestano 2 hits, but that was it for the three of them.

And Chris Perez, back from the DL, had a 1-2-3 inning. I kid you not - Chris Perez had a 1-2-3 inning. When was the last time he did that? Well it was only May 17, 4 appearances ago, but he's only done it 5 times in 18 appearances this year. Here's to many more!

So everybody hit today in the first game! It's kind of inevitable when you get 19 runs. The team amassed 21 hits and 9 walks. They had 8 doubles, a triple and a homer. There were 12 2-out RBIs. Only one guy had a single-hit game, and only one guy didn't get any RBI.

The White Sox brought in a position player, Casper Wells, to pitch in the 9th. He's the only pitcher who didn't give up a run. Ha!

Reynolds was the only guy with one hit, but he did walk twice and come around to score twice. Asdrubal, back for his second game, didn't get any RBI but he did go 3 for 7!

Ryan Raburn made an appearance and got 4 RBI. Nick Swisher and Lonnie Chisenhall each got 2 hits. Drew Stubbs was batting leadoff and got 2 hits AND an outfield assist!

I'm not going to go over everyone's stuff - there's so many hits, it'd be boring! But I am going to talk about Jason Kipnis now.

He went 3 for 4 with 3 walks. His 3 hits were doubles and he got 2 RBI and 4 runs scored.

• Leads the team in runs
• Leads the team in hits
• Leads the team in doubles
• Leads the team in triples
• Leads the team in RBI
• Leads the team in stolen bases
• Leads the team in average (qualifiers)
• Leads the team in slugging (qualifiers)
• Leads the team in OBPS (qualifiers)

In the last 30 days, he's:

• Third in the league in hits
• Second in the league in doubles
• Tied for first in the league in RBI
• Tied for third in the league in stolen bases
• Second in the league in average
• Second in the league in OBP
• Second in the league in slugging
• Second in the league in OBPS

He also ripped his pants today and had a big Band-Aid on his arm, because he plays so darn hard. I've been waiting all year for the Kid to get good and he has not disappointed us! It is going to be SO exciting to watch him the rest of this season!!

That was a FUN 4 hours of baseball! Did anyone see all that coming after we were down 5-0 in the first? Not me! I thought it'd end up like 7-5 Indians or something. Not 19-10!!

After that was a rain delay I think. I honestly don't know, I fell asleep when there were 17 runs (it's been a long week). Good thing I got a nap in, though, because there was a lot more baseball to go!

The second game was crazy as well but in a totally different way. Carlos Carrasco was hot and cold, with a couple of 1-2-3 innings but ultimately he gave up 6 runs in just under 6 innings. But, he was totally a trooper about it, realizing that he absolutely had to stay as long as possible being that Bauer totally burnt through the bullpen. Six runs was enough, though - I'm glad they took him out when they did - even though it meant Oh No Not Rich Hill.

Carrasco actually only gave up 4 runs, and Hill gave up 2 more for him, because that's the kind of guy Rich Hill is. I wonder what his ERA would be if they gave him all of the earned runs that scored while he was on the mound? His ERA actually went DOWN today even though the score went UP by 2 when he was on the mount. Yes it did.

Matt Langwell came in and coughed and sputtered his way through the 8th. Baptism by fire, I guess. He gave up 2 more runs and generally didn't look good, having to throw 31 pitches.

However - the White Sox closer, who is very good, came in for the 9th and we had him throw 33 pitches, of which we scored 4 runs! That was just enough to win the game!

The Tribe had started off hot, no doubt carrying over the batting from the first game. They scored 4 runs in the first. But - that was it until the 6th, where they managed to score just one more. They finally got their second wind in that 9th and pulled it out. UNBELIEVEABLE!

They had just two prior 9th-inning wins this year, the second one coming just the other day in Baltimore. Now it seems to be becoming a "thing."

Michael Bourn had been sitting out the first game, and that was a good move because in the second game he was running his ass off out there in center. He caught a lot of stuff that regular-speed guys might have missed. Not only that but he went 3 for 5 on the night, scoring 2 runs and with 1 RBI.

Mark Reynolds was both a hero and a hindrance tonight. Hero because he hit a loooooong solo homer in the 6th to actually put us within 1 run. It was his first homer since June 15, by the way. But he also was a hindrance because in the 8th he got picked off when he shouldn't have and most likely would have scored the tying run. I dunno, he was trying too hard or something. Try less hard next time!

So, kind of ironically, I spent the morning reading 3 blog posts about how frustrating Nick Swisher is. My favorite, just for the title, was Red Right 88's "You're From Ohio? Don't Care!" Man, I wish I came up with that line hahaha There was also the more pleasant post on Waiting For Next Year, and one by England Tribe who doesn't have to see Swisher's face as much since he's not here.

Anyway I was all hot and bothered and commenting and Tweeting "Yeah! Eff Swisher!" and what does he do today? He goes 2 for 4 in the first game, then in the second game he flashes some leather and ultimately wins the dang thing on a 9th inning homer. I hope he was at least as surprised as we were!

The comeback does owe a lot to the whole lineup. Seven guys batted in that 9th inning, and they got 3 runs to tie it before Swisher sealed the deal. Raburn led it off with a single, then Asdrubal - pinch hitting for Stubbs - followed it up with a right-field single, advancing Raburn to third. Bourn got an RBI and moved Asdrubal to third, and then he scored on a wild pitch! Giambi - pinch hitting for Aviles, in his first appearance on the day - got Bourn to third and then Kipnis sacrificed him home. All that set up, and ready to go to the 9th inning all tied up after Swisher struck out and -

Come on, now...

Hey! He didn't strike out! Nor did he pop out, ground out or anything. Home run. Yay Swisher. Now, do that more.

Pretty good stuff to start off a road trip 5-1, wouldn't you say? We're already halfway done and are guaranteed to be .500 or better!

Tomorrow (uh, well in 12.5 hours) we face the White Sox again and I can't wait to bang those guys around some more. It'll be Ubaldo versus RHP 4.57 which is almost exactly the same ERA as Ubaldo's. Hopefully the White Sox are just as tired as our team is and it'll be another fun matchup where we score a ton of runs.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"This game so far has been like your neighborhood little league game. No one is involved but the pitcher and the batters."
- Tom Hamilton

"If Trevor Bauer can't learn to control his fastball he'll never pitch at the big league level."
- Tom Hamilton

"well if there was a nightmarish scenario going in to this double header - this is it."
- Tom Hamilton on the first inning

"If Bauer makes another mistake here it'll be 8-nothing and you can go cut the grass."
- Tom Hamilton

"Viciedo looked like he was carrying the Stanley Cup under one arm as he chugged towards the line in left."
- Tom Hamilton

"On the day when they score 5 runs in the first inning, the best pitching staff in the American League at home gives it up in the second inning."
- Tom Hamilton

"Those who are not wearing shirts have Stanley Cups painted on their chests, and can hardly stand."
- Tom Hamilton on spotting the Stanley Cup parade revelers

"Wherever the Indians play nowadays, rain is falling."
- Tom Hamilton

"When you have 28 hits and 12 walks all of a sudden you have a ballgame that's a marathon."
- Tom Hamilton

Jason Kipnis - Daaaaaaaaaang!

Could the Kid be any better right now? He's hitting .400 in the month of June (28 for 70) with 8 doubles and 15 RBI. In this series alone he's gone 7 for 11, with 6 RBI and 3 doubles. June is not even over yet!

It took him what seemed like FOREVER to heat up but the wait was well worth it - he's so locked in.

Today Kipnis went 3 for 4, with just 1 RBI but ZERO left on base. He got a double and two singles.

Michael Bourn is also kind of keeping pace with Kipinis, with 25 hits in his 78 at-bats in June (a paltry .357). He was right up there with Kipnis in the Minnesota series going 8 for 13, going 3 for 5 today. How he managed to leave 2 men on base, I don't know (well uh, yeah it was those 2 unproductive at-bats, dummy).

Since Bourn was on the DL for a month, and also never really needed time to heat up, his batting average is way higher than Kipnis - .310 to Kipnis' .283. Don't worry, Kip - all that matters is how you play today!

The only other guys who got hits today were Brantley in a pinch hit (heat up! Pleeeeeeease heat up!) and Drew Stubbs who rocked a solo homer in the 7th. And yet, the poor guy's average is just perpetually around .240. His slugging did jump 10 points today, though! Let's not forget to admire his defense, too.

I don't really feel like talking about pitching today, because I'm sick of our stupid bullpen. How is Rich Hill still up here?! Seven earned runs in 4.2 innings (his last 10 appearances)? Is there seriously no other left hander ready to go? What about Scott Barnes? His AAA ERA is 6.48 now but guess what? That's 1.10 better than Oh No Not Rich Hill. Argh!

Carlos Carrasco had his second start since he got back and it was nowhere near as good as the first (7.1 IP, 1 ER). Today he only lasted 4 2/3 and gave up 3 runs. He struck 3 guys out though, that's not too bad. I'm not ready (or qualified?) to make a call on him right now. And there was some sort of scuffle regarding the trainer and Carrasco's leg. He went on to pitch after the visit from the trainer but there may be some news within the next 5 days.

So we didn't sweep the series but oh well, we won the series anyway. Tom Hamilton had the series off from the booth, and it was weird. I know we had a lot of practice with Hammy being gone last year but it's always, always jarring. Today Mike Hargrove was Jim Rosenhaus's partner and he's pretty funny - he's more snide than Tom Hamilton, that's for sure! I definitely would love to hear a Hammy/Rosie/Grover setup on the radio, like we previously had Mike Hegan but I think Grover both enjoys having the luxury of not showing up if he doesn't want to and also not having his job in jeopardy because he wants to be snarky on the radio. So I don't know - I don't see Mike Hargrove joining the broadcast team any time soon.

Tomorrow Tom Hamilton is back and the boys will all be in Baltimore to face the Orioles who are faring pretty well in the East. In fact they're in second place. But they're coming off a 3-game winning streak so I wonder if this is their fall? We'll be happy to assist with that! Not looking forward to seeing that Chris Davis dude. He hasn't gotten a home run in 2 games so he's sure to hit about 3 during our series. Dude's got 7 more homers than Miguel Cabrera - unreal!

It'll be Ubaldo versus RHP 5.56. Sounds easy, right?  Should be a fun game, and we've got a lot of stuff on our side. Let's just hope our bats wake up after their Sunday nap.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"I bet both those guys were sweatin' it trying to get the triple."
- Mike Hargrove on Travis Hafner and Andre Thornton going for the cycle

"It's gonna be a little bitty one."
- Mike Hargrove on the Omar Vizquel bobblehead

"None of them spoke English!"
"Did they speak Texan?"
"Yeah, sometimes they did."
- Mike Hargrove and Jim Rosenhaus on talking to a multi-cultural battery

"He said 'Carlos go out there and make an out so I can get up there with 2 outs, please.'"
- Jim Rosenhaus on Raburn's 2-out prowess

"Can Toronto make it 11 straight? I'm going to say yes. [...] In the bottom of the 4th it's Toronto 9, Baltimire nothing."
"Boy you really went out on a limb there."
- Jim Rosenhaus and Mike Hargrove

"Do you think we need to apologize to the umpire about that play at first base? No...no, it's against my principles."
- Mike Hargrove

"They'll be getting the aspirin out for him later on, holy smokes."
- Jim Rosenhaus on the Twins' catcher getting popped 3 times today

Bullpen Woes

It was a rough, rough battle. The guy who came out on top was Carlos Carrasco. Unfortunately the rest of his team - especially the bullpen - totally brought him crashing down.

Carrasco was done with his suspension (did you miss him?) and his main issue was being afraid to pitch inside. You gotta pitch inside if you're going to pitch more than an inning. Otherwise, everyone would get bored. Oh, and get hits too. Could he do it? He also had a problem with being easily flustered. Could he get out of jams?

Yes and yes!

Carrasco ended up going 7 1/3 innings with just 4 hits and ONE walk. Not sure why they pulled him after just 90 pitches - either they thought he'd lose his cool, or they're taking it easy since he technically was on the DL - but they did pull him with a runner on. And then Carrasco ended up having an earned run because some doofus from the bullpen gave up a double. Boo!

But Carrasco really looked good and confident, which is in line with how he was throwing in the minors before he came back up. He almost halved his ERA with this outing. He gave up just as many hits and earned runs as superstar pitcher James Shields, who didn't make it as many innings as Carrasco did.

I really look forward to Carrasco proving himself again (and again!) After Kluber's and Masterson's performances lately - wow, we could have a pretty scary rotation!

Except we've got dudes like Bryan Shaw and Rich Hill, who have not been consistent for us. Well Shaw has been inconsistent (usually good but losing his stuff lately). Hill has been evenly bad all season. It's a crying shame that you can't use Allen, Smith and Pestano every day!

Shaw came in and gave up that double that scored Carrasco's guy, tying the game at 1. Then he came in for the 9th and got 2 guys on base. So Rich Hill came in. I swear, that must have been the only guy remotely available for miles around, because...Rich Hill? Not the guy you want with 2 on and no outs and tied at one. David Lough hit a bunt to the mound and Rich Hill fell over trying to get it. Bases loaded. Yeah.

Then Matt Albers came in, and he's all right I guess. Better than Hill, that's for sure. He's only given up 2 runs in his last 10 appearances. Today, though, he threw a wild pitch with the bases loaded and scored one of Hill's guys. Aye caramba!

Even though our guys only mustered to score 1 run today, and left a whole heap of guys on base, it's still a game that was lost by the bullpen. There were two tough starters and an even tougher KC bullpen. It was our bullpen's game to give up - and they did.

Bourn managed to get a hit today - a big double off the wall in the 9th. He also walked twice - but oddly enough did not steal anything.

Aviles was up batting second today (I thought Francona was a guy who never messed with lineups?) and he got a hit. However, moving to third must have blown Kipnis' mind because not only did he end his hitting streak today (stopped at 10) but he choked and died with runners in scoring position - twice! And left 7 guys on base. Holy COW!!! The Kid sure has taken a huge fall.

Maybe it's got something to do with this weird article from the Akron Beacon Journal today. Is it just me or is that a poorly-written article? Perhaps I've forgotten how to read.

Kipnis is lucky we can blame the loss on the bullpen, otherwise it'd be all on his shoulders!

Santana was lookin' good, though. He got his second home run in 3 games, and it was the team's only run scored! Not for lack of trying but it was the only one.

A little glimmer of hope today from Mark Reynolds? He went 2 for 4 - and stole a base! And as usual, we say it's always nice when Reynolds gets little hits. That means he's not swinging for the fences every time, and can help out the team by just being on base.

The Tribe's in 3rd place now but whatever, it is STILL still only June. Although I heard today that Max Scherzer won his 10th game and Chris Davis hit his howevermany-th home run. Yeesh.

Tomorrow is more of the same, with Ubaldo facing RHP 2.74. Can Ubaldo go the distance, to keep us from having to see the bullpen at all? Is that asking too much? I'm not sure what's going on with this team anymore so something like that could totally happen, much to our surprise!

No Radio Chatter tonight, again. Wow, I'm slipping. But I'm trying to earn money so I'm doing all sort of hustling on the side while I listen to the game. No time to stop and write stuff down!

You'll just have to tune in to hear stuff yourself! ;)

I'm Pretty Tired, Guys...

Thursday night I didn't go to bed at all. Friday night I fell asleep listening to the game. I was in fact woken up in the exciting 9th when Hammy was calling homers. Unfortunately I knew, even in my sleep, that they weren't enough to win.

This morning I was up at 4:30 AM getting ready for The Color Run. Don't worry, I didn't run. I walked the 3.1 miles and you better believe I was happy to see the overcast skies.

I caught the first two innings of the game at my dad's house on the 46" television. I don't know why but the picture just looked amazing today. I don't think I've ever seen a ballgame on his 46" TV (it's new). I've seen one on my 40" television and it's perfectly good but DAMN - 46" is just super big and beautiful. I don't even think dad's TV has best resolution. But sitting in dad's chair, it looks pretty awesome.

It sort of almost makes me want to buy a bigger TV and pay for cable. But not really.

Random note: The BROHIO shirt is still not showing itself. I keep checking all of the usual suspects - Fresh Brewed Tees, CLE Clothing, GV Art and Design, even shop.mlb.com who sometimes puts up cool '47 brand tees like this (it's $3 less at the team shop BTW). Nobody has it. When they do it's going to be a big seller!!

Also random: Chris Perez and his wife are being charged with misdemeanor drug abuse. They received a package at their home that was addressed to Brody Braum - their dog's name and Melanie Perez's maiden name. The cops asked Perez if he had anything to show them before they executed a search warrant. He showed them his personal stash and bong. Lulz! They are pleading not guilty to the charges. I'm still hoping Perez isn't stupid enough to send himself drugs in the mail. Here's a good wrap-up of things so far. It includes mug shots! Also, I coulda swore I saw a pic of Perez's dad once. I know I did. I want to make a joke about how his dad looks like Cheech Marin, cuz he does. Except the photo is completely gone from the Internet as is the article it was posted with. Check it out - this article references the original article and hotlinks to the photo. The photo and the article (linked at the bottom of this linked page) are gone. CONSPIRACY!

Anyway, whatever, I am totally babbling. I am extremely exhausted. I don't know why but I've been listening to the game since I got home at 11. I'm going to do another stupid list because I can't hardly keep my eyes open. Also, because you know how they've been playing lately.

1. I was going to be all sad that Stubbs was out, but Raburn is our man in Detroit. He gets booed there because he wasn't Mike Trout or something. I don't know what those folks want with him. But today he had some nice catches in right field and had a big fat 2-run homer. He did not end up saving the game when he had the chance, but he did get 3 of the team's 4 runs so - Suck it, Detroit!

2. Matt Langwell pitched 2 innings and struck out 3 and walked none. No runs or anything. Sweet!

3. They booed Valverde when he came in.

4. Francona got thrown out. Again. Ha!

5. Right now all I have to say about Nick Swisher (other than "Where'd you get that shirt, Bro?") is "Fuck Nick Swisher."

6. How is Yan Gomes hitting under .300 (.294)? Feels like he bats .500! Well, his slugging is .600 and OPS is .911. That's more like it!

7. Kipnis way leads the team in SB with 13. That's 7 more than the next guy, the speedy mofo Michael Bourn. Atta boy Kip!

8. I forgot but Carrasco's nickname, at least from Manny Acta, was Cookie. Don't let me forget again.

9. Aviles, Asdrubally.

10. There is no 10. I am going to bed.

Radio Chatter:
"If they smell blood in the water, they are like a shark the way they will attack a pitcher."
- Tom Hamilton on the Tigers

"If you put 'em side-by-side, you'd say they HAVE to be brothers, he and Miguel Cabrera."
- Tom Hamilton on Avisail Garcia

"I just read 'em folks. I didn't pull the beefy crunch burrito. But it sounds like you'd better hurry if you want to get one."
- Tom Hamilton's commentary on his Taco Bell ad read

"Carlos Carrasco must feel like a guy climbing a mountain today. And every couple of steps he falls down the mountain and is finally able to grab a ledge on the way down."
- Tom Hamilton

"That had to be a fun run around the bases for Ryan Raburn!"
- Tom Hamilton

"If they could win a game late it just feels like it could change everything."
- Tom Hamilton

"It's kind of like asking out 20 girls at a time and getting shot down. But they get nicer every time. But you just need one of them to say yes!"
"You talked to my brother when we were in New York, didn't you?"
"Close doesn't count. You're still going to the movies by yourself!"
- Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus on the Indians almost coming back every night

"Valverde wears a jersey top that you would swear some way, somehow the equipment manager got the wrong size, because 'snug' would be a polite way to describe how it fits Valverde, who at this stage in his career doesn't care how he looks."
- Tom Hamilton

Carlos Carrasco, Your Reputation Precedes You

Boy what a bummer of a game! A score of 14 to 1? I would wager to guess that not even the Yankees saw this one coming in what is considered by many to be an "off year" for them.

We'd like to blame all this on Carrasco and Myers' pitching but no way...I mean, the 14 runs and 5 home runs were all them, no doubt but it's not like the other side of the equation was the Tribe hitting for 13 runs. They didn't even get 10 hits.

It's pretty weird that the Indians are hitting and scoring in spurts. I don't know how much it has to do with the strength of opposing pitchers (no problem with David Price) or the weakness of our bats. But our bats aren't weak...all the time.

I just don't know.

First off though, Carlos Carrasco is back! In case you forgot, in 2011 he gave up a homer then threw at Billy Butler and was ejected. Then he went on the DL and had surgery so he didn't qualify to serve his suspension until he was healthy. He took those 5 days at the beginning of this season. I'm not exactly sure if he was to be part of the opening rotation or if he just happens to be part of it now because Kazmir is hurt but he is here now.

Except today he gave up a home run then threw at Kevin Youklis, at which point we all went "Heh..." and the umpire said "Yer outta here!" and Terry Francona said "Really?" and the umpire said "SRSLY!"

Carrasco had given up 7 runs by then, in the middle of the 4th inning.

For some reason 4th starter Brett Myers was hanging around the bullpen, sort of suspicious-like. Speculation is that they think he might miss his chance to pitch tomorrow if the weather is bad so they planned to throw him out there in relief anyway, since Carrasco clearly was not having an easy time anyway, and also since we seem to need relievers as our starters are uh...ineffective.

So Myers came in and he gave up 7 more runs. The end. At least we didn't use up any relievers?

Hmm what else happened? Oh yeah - we've got a glut of catchers overnight. Lou Marson must not have felt as good as he let on yesterday and he's on the 15-Day DL. Santana is day-to-day with his thumb contusion. Ryan Raburn I guess is not really our 3rd string catcher, so they brought up Yan Gomes and Omir Santos until further notice. They actually both played today - Gomes can play first base. And we saw a lot of both of them in spring training being that Santana was at the WBC.

Neither of them got a hit.

Drew Stubbs was leadoff tonight, with Michael Bourn having his first night off of the season. Stubbs picked up where Bourn left off and went 2 for 4 with a double!

Asdrubal still isn't doing much but he did pop his second homer off the season off Andy Pettitte! The batting average climbed 30 points!

Chisenhall came in to bat for Asdrubal, which we can do now because of good ol' Mike Aviles who moved from 3rd to SS. The Chiz Kid went 1 for 1 but...yeah.

Swisher was looking good tonight, going 2 for 3. Is this the start of something for the top of the order? That'd be nice - and needed!

No one else hit today except Mike Aviles. So, good job Mike Aviles? He also got an error, though. His second on the year! But I won't mention it since A-Cab got his second of the year yesterday and I failed to mention that.

Tomorrow's another day, y'all. We've still got 154 games left! I have no idea who's starting tomorrow. I guess McAllister against RHP (7.71). Looks like we can score some mad runs off that guy, right? No sweep!

I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Believe it or not it wasn't CB Bucknor who had that blown call last night..."
- Tom Hamilton

"Then again, people who write about football are voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame, so who knows."
- Tom Hamilton on Andy Pettite's chances for the HOF

"Not a good sign when Lyle Overbay is hitting a home run off you, because he's not a home run hitter."
- Tom Hamilton

"Omir Santos must be saying 'I can't believe I'm in Cleveland!' He was signed February 9th to a minor league contract."
- Tom Hamilton

"Welp, these guys in the Yankee gray might not be paid as much as Jeter, Granderson, Teixeira and A-Rod, but they sure are swinging the bats like that quartet."
- Tom Hamilton

More Sweet Stuff from the Sprouts

So the Tribe is .500 right now for the first time since April 5. We're 4 games out of first place. Last night, Bob Frantz was pondering whether or not "this is it."

GROAN! First off, no this isn't it. There are 2 more months left. We've got three more players left (Sizemore, Choo, Jiminez) an the possibility of signing someone off waivers.

All that AND our new guys are kicking ass!

Kipnis tonight with his 4th home run in as many games!

Lonnie with a big double late in the game, coming in to score when...

Zeke batting leadoff (love him but BOY did we need Brantley tonight!!) gets a ground-rule double and RBI to tie the game in the 8th.

The only other producers tonight were our steadfast Asdrubal and Hafner, who followed up Kipnis's solo shot with a single and an RBI double.

No help from any other guys. I heard someone say earlier, I think on the radio, that Santana was going to strike out and hit a home run. Well the guy was half right - 4 times!

Now that some of the chaff has been cleared from our lineup (Orlando, Buck - sorry guys!) Austin Kearns sort of sticks out like a sore thumb of badness, doesn't he? Swell guy and his kid is getting good treatment at the Autism Center but...well maybe he can just retire and stay in Cleveland?

If we're going to have guys suck in our lineup let it be the fresh new Fukudome, the wishy-washy LaPorta or Carlos "For fuck's sake stop wiggling your foot at the plate!" Santana. Kearns just isn't doing it for us anymore.

Carlos Carrasco composed himself today and only gave up 2 earned runs. He went as far as the bottom of the 8th, too. Not bad at all - someone must have had quite a talk with him. He definitely had opportunity to melt down, especially after Kearns' run-scoring error in the 1st, but he did just fine. That coolness we saw all through June that had completely evaded him through July.

Our man Sipp looked good in the 8th, striking out 2. Not sure how Smith let the game go but ... well I know how and the answer is FUCK BOSTON ARGH!!

Turns out the game wasn't on WKYC today but it is tomorrow! Not bad because I forgot to tune in until halfway through today anyway.

Still have a chance to split the series. Tomorrow's gonna be a great game between Masterson and Boston's new stud Erik Bedard. Well it'll be awesome as long as Ellsbury doesn't bat in the 9th - amirite?

Only 2 more days until Ubaldo!

See you tomorrow at 7:10!

Radio Chatter:
"Boy oh boy - with Gonzalez at the plate, not quite sure where Pedroia was going."
- Tom Hamilton on Pedroia getting picked off

"He forgot his pre-game plan against the knuckeballer was to hit from the left hand side."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Carlos Santana switching from a right-handed batting helmet to left-handed

"You are living a charmed life in this ballpark when you have 2 runners on in almost every inning."
- Tom Hamilton

"It used to be 'Jim Wisenhaus' when he was in Buffalo but now it's 'Rosenhaus' since he's in the big leagues."
- Tom Hamilton mocking the change in the pronounciation of Marco Scutaro's name when he left Cleveland

"Neil Diamond recorded that song when he had his own hair, and it's become a Fenway tradition."
- Tom Hamilton on "Sweet Caroline"

"You come to Fenway Park and you'd better not go into the 9th tied with the Red Sox coming to bat."
- Tom Hamilton

Well, Fukudome

Ha! Too early? Too softball?

Shitty game tonight, Indians. I was stoked to see our new guy tho, Kosuke Fukedome from the Cubs. Here to play right field while Choo is away (Choo says he'll be back August 15!) and while he didn't hit (which was why we got him) at least he played a little right field. Dear God, I hope he doesn't think we play like this every night...

So Carrasco was bad, which is not cool because in June he was our best pitcher. Now he's giving up tons of runs, home runs, and then throwing at Billy Butler's head. Which got him ejected and cleared the benches. But it wasn't very cool of him because...well, Travis Buck and Lonnie Chisenhall can tell you about being hit in the head.


Makes me sad that Carrasco is completely off the rails, because if you recall I was really psyched about him just a month ago. He's gone all Carmona in the head.

Durbin and Hermann had to come in to save him after he gave up 7-yeah-7 runs in 3.1 innings. Then Durbin gave up 1 run and Herman FOUR runs. So that wasn't too good.

Uhm, oh, Chad Durbin threw inside to Melky Cabrera who was crowding the plate (he had hit a grand slam off Carrasco) and then Melky grounded out. Ha ha. Much better than throwing at a guy's head when you're angry at yourself.

Brantley, Asdrubal, Santana and Orlando hit today. Brantley and Santana with doubles even.

Our LOB is out of sight! HAHAHAHA....heh...These pretzels are making me thirsty.

Lou Marson caught tonight. We want to see more of that.

We're still only 2.5 games out of first place, you know. And it's July. So everyone keep moving forward.

We'll see you tomorrow at 7:05, on TV even on WKYC!

Radio Chatter:
"The media thinks that if Boston wants to trade for you, you should automatically go to Boston."
- Tom Hamilton on Hiroki Kuroda turning down Boston's offer

"Fukudome hasn't seen a fastball that slow since he was 12."
- Tom Hamilton

"You gotta make him throw you a strike. He doesn't want to, but you gotta make him."
- Mike Hegan on Royals pitcher Jeff Francis

"If Brantley, Cabrera and Hafner don't hit this team doesn't score any runs."
- Tom Hamilton

Thanks for Listening!

Whew! Luis Valbuena is gone! Someone out there was thinking the same thing I was because they didn't replace him with a AAA outfielder, but another infielder, Jason Kipnis. Of course, Michael Brantley was feeling all better and back in the outfield and Travis Buck also felt good enough to come in for the 9th. So we didn't need another outfielder - we just needed to get rid of Valbuena.

Aaaand...that's pretty much it for the news for this game! Ha!

Ok, Carrasco pitched well enough. It's hard to tell if a guy pitches well enough for his team if his team can't score ANY runs. We had the right lineup today. Only 5 LOB. Raffy, Smith and Hermann were tight in their innings.

Uhm...Lonnie was looking good. He got 2 hits, including a double and made a nice stop at 3rd.

Brantley is glad to be back and scratched out a single.

Kipnis didn't get a hit but he did get hit by a pitch and made a nice play at 2nd.

Nobody walked. Huh.

No errors. That's nice, eh?

Tom Hamilton wasn't in today. He must have the weekend off. It's going to be a looooong weekend if that's the case. I could barely take THIS broadcast seriously.

Look, hardly no radio chatter.

David Huff tomorrow, with his 0.00 ERA! Who's exciiiiiited?! I am! I feel like I have had 3 days without baseball. Yech.

7:05 PM, see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Tell you what if you're a hitter you better not dig a hole out there tonight."
- Mike Hegan on Carrasco's control

"They could do a 5-6-3 double play right now and it'd be anything but around the horn."
- Jim Rosenhaus on the Indians' shift for Adam Dunn

"Always nice when the pitcher has concern for his infielders."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Hermann asking if Chisenhall was ok after a hard grounder