Start of Something Great? Yet?

Hey hey! Everybody Hits today! Thirteen hits and 9 RBI for the Tribe today. Against the ROYALS, man! Wahoo!

This is the Tribe team that Sports Illustrated was talking about, by the way. Great hitting one through nine, a strong starter and competent relievers. This is the Tribe on paper, now realized.

If only, Dear Lord, we can have these guys more than once every 10 games. Is this possible???

Carrasco was the starter tonight, and he didn't have some amazing game but he did have a Quality Start. He went 7 innings giving up just 3 runs and striking out 6. Actually I couldn't believe he only struck out 6! I think they were saying he was getting over an illness too? (like Bauer) Anyway he was perfectly good and got his 4th win out of it. It was his longest start of the season. Against the Royals!

Zep and McAllister came in and did a fine, boring job of pitching the 8th and 9th inning. So boring - no hits, no runs, 3 strikeouts between them. Ho-hum. BALLGAME!

New lineup today - Kipnis, SANTANA, Brantley, Raburn, Moss, Swisher, Aviles, Chisenhall, Catcher (Hayes). No Bourn but he is available for pinch running and hitting, which he did today.

So, how did it go?

Well, they ran the starter out of the game after just one inning, 6 hits and 4 runs scored. Kipnis got 2 hits (including a double) and an RBI, while Santana got a hit, a walk and came in to score 2 runs. Brantley took forever to get himself a hit but finally did get one and came in to score a run. Raburn didn't get a homer but he got an RBI double. So yeah - that 1-through-4 works PRETTY WELL for me!!

Brandon Moss WHAAAAAAT?! Dude is really looking to being a producer for us. Nice to have him tucked in there behind Raburn. Tonight he went 2 for 5 with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. He got his 7th double, behind Raburn's 8th and his 5th homer. Sploosh! Right in to the fountain!  His average is way up to .241, which seems like nothing but he spent SEVERAL games with it at .000. So yeah - quite a recovery for him!

Handsome Mike Aviles had a nice game there, filling in at short. He went 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Nothing fancy with him - no extra bases or anything. But dude is still out there grinding away and he's got a .288 average to show for it!

Chisenhall and Hayes rounded out the bottom of the lineup, each with a hit and an RBI. Make Lonnie's a double!

I don't know what else to say other than...let's see more of this! We know they can play like this - but why not every night? Beating the previous-year's league champs and the second best team in the league really counts for something. Doing it two days in a row in their home stadium counts for a LOT!

Tomorrow is Kluber. Dude doesn't have any wins yet!! Someone pointed out on Twitter the other day that his April numbers were pretty much the same last year - if not identical. So he does have ample time to get back to Cy Young form. Of course you can't get a win if you have no run support. So let's hope they get some for the Klubot!

It's an afternoon game - 2:10 to be exact. So don't forget! Klubes goes against RHP 2.10. Nice little ERA dude but we like righties!

See you there!

Everybody's Back!

Don't get too excited - I don't mean Yan Gomes or Josh Tomlin. I mean *I* am back from a few days of craziness, and the Tribe is back from a long run in Loser Town. Here we are!

I was at the Tribe game last night representing #TribeLive. I kind of don't know what the deal was. I Tweeted like a maniac all night and used the hashtag with every Tweet and hung out in the little #TribeLive exclusive section but all I got was one RT by the Indians. Don't get me wrong - free tickets and Fun Money are way awesome. But I some how feel shafted...?

Anyway, all is forgiven. Tribe got a WIN today! BOOM!

Danny Salazar was the starter, and he did NOT have a quality start but he held those Royals to just 4 runs so that's something. He went 6 innings too, and struck out 7! This is all pretty good, considering that the Royals' team batting average is .302. Damn, that is scary! But Salazar kept it rollin, didn't walk anyone, only gave up one homer. Did everything he could to keep that lineup in check while, hopefully, his team rallied around him.

Zach McAllister came out for his "long relief" role and nailed it! He went 2 full innings with nary a peep from those Royals (well, one hit). He struck out 3! And to follow him up in the "opposite of last night" relief story, Cody Allen came in and got out with only one run scored! Hey buddy! He gave up a double and a single to right but I'll be damned if we didn't have a 3-run cushion for him to lean on. Winning!!

The big news of the night was offense! And Kipnis! And Robby Perez!!!!

Jason Kipnis had his biggest hit of the season thus far, with a 3-run homer in the 3rd. Three runs on one hit, guys! Do you remember that? Kind of funny because it was the Grand Slam Payoff inning and he was one short of a grand slam but I think we can all appreciate the sacrifice that the "loser" of that game made, eh? Kipnis also got an RBI infield ground-out to give him 4 RBI in the game. By the way - Kipnis hasn't had a homer since July 31 of 2014. Woah! Let's hope this is the first of many more!

So proud of my cousin!

Nobody else at the top of the lineup did anything today (NOT EVEN MICHAEL BRANTLEY) which sort of boggles my mind, considering we got so many runs. Carlos Santana walked 3 times, though! Last time he did that was Sept 24 of 2014 - against KC. Now you know.

Good Guy David Murphy got himself a hit today, because that is what he was designated to do.

Jerry Sands got designated for assignment today, by the way. As much as we loved him, turns out we didn't need him. I mean we did but he didn't fit in. Needed bullpen arms more.

Chisenhall got a hit. A double, even. That put him on base for when Roberto Perez got an RBI double. And then Perez was on base when Bourn doubled! It was SCHWEEEEEEET!!!

Perez wasn't done, though. He got himself a solo homer in the 8th. He also had a single in the 3rd and walked, so the kid catcher went 3 for 3 tonight with 2 RBI! Any thing to do with Yan Gomes showing up in the dugout for today's game? I still think Perez looks like a thug. And I love it.

Last but not least is Michael Bourn - our leadoff man who bats ninth! Dude had 3 hits in the last 3 series but has had 4 in these last 3 games! Today he went 2 for 4 with that RBI double, and came in two score twice because Jason Kipnis is so great. I don't know if you noticed but I am always trying to be up on Bourn, because he can really be consistent in the leadoff spot. Francona moving him to the end of the order was a nice kick in the pants, it seems. Even Bourn admitted he was "in a funk." If he's a good veteran ballplayer he will take this opportunity to turn himself around and it looks like he already is! Keep it up, Bourn!!

Tomorrow's game goes back to regular starting time at 7:10. What do you think about the 6:10 start? On one hand it's nice to get the game over with early enough for bed (for kids) but on the other hand it sure takes up your whole evening. With the 7:10 start I have 2 hours after work to get the dogs walked, go to the gym and scrounge up dinner before the game. Then again if I was going to the game and had a family with me, I wouldn't have to worry about dinner. I can see the reasoning behind the early start but all in all, I prefer 7:10.

Now, if we're in a different time zone then I'd prefer their fans suffer with earlier start times to make my life easier, thanks! :)

Anyway, Thursday is 7:10 in Cleveland versus the Blue Jays. Man, I am jazzed to go to another game already! But not so fast...my parents are already sick of dog-sitting for me this week. I gotta space it out.

The dogs clearly can sit themselves.

Our starter will be TJ House. Keep your comments to yourself. Theirs will be a LHP 4.43, so at least we've got that going for us. Possible to win two in a row? You betcha!

See you there!

Sorry, no Radio Chatter tonight. Sometimes my head just isn't in it!!

We're Gonna Make It After All!

Tribe fans, unclench!! That team we read about in February has finally taken the field!

How excited are you about Indians baseball right now? As excited as you were when you saw the Sports Illustrated cover? (Before you thought "Oh no....") I'm not even 2 paragraphs into tonight's game and I can't wait for tomorrow's!

Sorry I missed covering the last 2 games. But there was no Positive to wring out of those. Wednesday was just vile wasn't it?

BUT ENOUGH OF THAT! Tonight is the first night of the rest of our season! Onward and upward!

Danny Salazar was sent to Columbus to get his shit together, so he did. And then he came here and was pretty great on the 18th for the win. Just two runs and 10 strikeouts in 6 innings. Today he kicked it up a notch - just 1 run and 11 strikeouts in 7 innings. He had his STUFF!

Tribe leads the league in strikeouts, by the way. Uh huh!

To round out the game they let ol' Atchison come in and keep his 0.00 ERA through another inning. Anthony Swarzak came in to finish the game in the 9th with a 12-run lead, and gave up two hits. But whatever - he also struck out 2 and ended the game on a soft popup. BALLGAME!

The kid who was starting for Detroit today had a .390 ERA coming in to the game and was the hottest pitcher in baseball. Tribe got 9 hits and 8 runs off him in 4 innings. His ERA is 3.00 now. SUCK IT, TIGERS!!!

Almost everybody hit tonight. Well, not Bourn or Perez. But seeing all those crooked numbers up and down the "hits" column is so so nice! And new!

Kipnis was batting second and he is rising from his slump nicely, now with a 3-game hitting streak. He had 2 hits tonight and oh yeah he was uh-mazing in the field!

Michael Brantley is a god among men. He just shows up and hits the ball. Hit, hit, hit is all he does. Today he went 3 for 4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. He did what he does best in the first inning - getting a hit with two outs, and then being on base when it's time to score. EPIC BRANTLEY!!

You know it was a good game for hitting because Santana walked twice and got a hit. Not just one walk, baby - TWO. And he came around to score all three times! Two doubles and two RBI, too.

Oh hey guess who showed up today? It was Brandon Moss! The Brandon Moss we've all been patiently waiting at the window for. Our big bat that was going to give us a run or two per game. Our homer guy. HE WAS HERE!

Right?!

Dude got 7 RBI tonight. SEVEN R-BEEE-I!!! A 2-run double, a 3-run homer and a 2-run homer. Still not half of the team's total RBI (crazy!) but more RBI than total runs scored by the Tribe in any prior game this season. THIS IS TRUE!!

Is this the end of his slump? Well, he does love to bat at Comerica Park. His average is around .500 there. So probably no slumping this weekend and hopefully a SPRINGBOARD to the rest of his season!!

David Murphy is keeping up with his promise to be a good hitter if designated so. He started off pretty horrible, but in the last 3 games he's stepped it up with 3 hits in the Chicago series, and 2 more tonight, including a double!

Murphy came in to score after Lonnie F'n Chisenhall came up after him and hit a 2-run homer! The Tribe didn't have any multi-run homers before tonight and suddenly it's the thing to do! Lonnie also got a double, just like Moss. It was his second double but his first homer. Yes - do it like that!

Jose Ramirez made his contribution today too - like Kipnis, both at the plate and on the field! He went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a run scored, holding down the 9-spot.

So everyone really was on point today - hitting with two outs, hitting with runners on base. Even Perez who didn't get a hit got a sac fly to advance the runners. Grinding away, leading to runs!

Like I said, I can't wait til the game tomorrow! Of course I have to wait because I have an event all day and then some stuff in the evening. So who knows when I can listen. Such a bummer because the momentum of tonight's game is STRONG! And it'll be one of our faves, Trevor Bauer, on the mound tomorrow afternoon.

It'll be a 1:08 PM start, and Bauer will be facing RHP 1.74. They killed a guy with a .39 ERA today, so we should score like 40 against this guy right?

Can't wait! See you there!

Sorry for the lack of Radio Chatter. I was wrapped up in other things today.

Radio Chatter:
"Brandon Moss not able to take the field in the 9th inning due to being battered and bruised by his teammates in the dugout."
- Tom Hamilton

Whew. A Win.

So, Danny Salazar has the stuff! He threw his first start today and was waaaay better than he had been showing all spring. It took a lot of work - 105 pitches in 6 innings - but he kept his head in the game and had a quality start. He went 6 innings only giving up 2 runs and struck out TEN!! He's back to being that young pitcher we're all excited about, I think...

The real excitement came from the guy who relieved Salazar - Nick Hagadone. AKA "Nick Haga-groan" or anything else you can come up with that expresses fan's fears when it's Nick's turn at the rubber. But guess what? Dude not only came in to have a 1-2-3 7th inning after Salazar gave up a homer, but he came back for a 1-2-3 8th! You cool now, bro? Let's hope.

Cody Allen came in for the 9th, and he hasn't been all that lights-out either. He got the first two outs via the strikeout, then gave up a walk and everyone was like "uh oh!" but before we knew what hit us, he struck out the next guy and it was BALLGAME!

Salazar got the win and Allen got a save. Noice!

Now, could the rest of the team bring the bats to match today's good pitching? Yep!

It was really the bottom of the order - Roberto Perez followed by Jose Ramirez - that clinched this game today. They combined for 5 of the team's 8 hits, 3 of its 4 runs crossing the plate, and 1 of its 4 RBI! Ramirez got a double and Perez got his second home run of this short season!

Jason Kipnis stopped a 0-for-16 skid at the plate and managed a hit today. Brantley totally did not get a hit though. Frownie face.

Carlos Santana went 1 for 4 and strangely enough, did not walk. Brandon Moss got a double! And came around to score.

The guys held themselves to just 4 strikeouts today! Yesterday and the game before they struck out 19 times. Maybe that's a trend that is going away?

The offense is still not impressive in the least (I mean, this was a rightie they faced today!) but they need to keep trying and eking out runs here. Pitching is giving everything they've got so if the rotation can keep it under 4 runs and the offense can get over 4 runs, well that is a winning season.

One more afternoon with Minnesota, Sunday at 2:10. It'll be House versus an RHP with an ERA near 9. That is 5x better than House's ERA. Let's hope Tiger Junior gets his shit in gear.

No Radio Chatter today - I was out doing yardwork! See you tomorrow!

Yan Gomes Hit A Home Run

And that's about all that happened in this game...

Well, ok - Gomes also got a double, and extended his hitting streak to 12. He's creeping towards .300, with a batting average of .286. His slugging for August so far is .727. Also:

Jason Kipnis went 3 for 4, which is weird because for most of the game we only had 3 hits total. But the team ended up with 7 hits, of which Kipnis had 3.

The team only scored 3 runs - and 2 of them belonged to Ryan Raburn! Who was in to pinch hit! For Brantley - nooooooooooooooooooo! He was limping a bit, I hear told. Say a little prayer.

Oh, David Murphy was up in the 2-spot, which is still up for grabs. Not a bad place for him, I say. And while he's warm, he'd be wasted down at the end of the lineup when the pitcher's gotta bat. Tonight he got a single. Didn't pay off or anything but he has a 4-game hitting streak and 12 hits in his last 10 games!

Whatever witchery they tried to pull on him last night didn't get Murphy down for long. AMEN!

Danny Salazar gave up two multi-run homers and that sucked and now he's in AAA. And Josh Tomlin is in the 'pen because he's still recuperating from Tommy John surgery. And Carlos Carrasco is probably going to be your next starter.

And the Tribe announced they are going to make a bunch of improvements to Progressive Field! I am down with it! I heard they're going to get rid of the right field upper deck and open up more of the skyline. And I heard Coors Field did something like that and turned the right field area into a party deck, which seems to be a popular way to watch the game nowadays. So that's cool! Anything to bring more fans out!

Tomorrow is the final game against the Reds. Maybe they won't have such a crazy good pitcher for once? Remember, we beat them 7-2 in the first game! It'll be our tiger TJ House versus RHP 3.89. Anything can happen!

No Radio Chatter. But Indians Twitter dude @CleRallyChicken and his wife had a baby during the game and they gave her this tiny foam finger and now I'm smitten.

Here's Chicken Little! Go @Indians! pic.twitter.com/cHPFs8pBqp
— Cody the Chicken (@CLERallyChicken) August 7, 2014

Happy Hammy Day!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Some sort of Circle of Life, there.

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

See you there!

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

To The Left, To The Left

Haaaay!

How fun was this game, boffins?? KC took the early lead but they didn't get too far ahead, as the Tribe was just down 1 run to start the 6th. Salazar was keeping things tight and soon after the Tribe exploded for 4 runs against Chen! The lefty, Bruce Chen!

Not only that, they turned it around and KEPT SCORING RUNS! Yessss!

We'll start off with Salazar, who is pretty much solidifying himself as a legit starter for us to go along with Kluber and Bauer. We know he had it in him right? Today he threw 112 pitches - 11 more than his previous high number - and went 7 solid innings only giving up 3 runs. Quality start! And since the rest of his team was HITTING today it was an easy win for the kid.

Shaw and the Boy Pitcher Crockett came out for the 8th and 9th and it was nothing, because as I mentioned, the Tribe KEPT HITTING.

It was a bit of a B-team today, with Kipnis out on rest. Dickerson (who is, when you think about it, our full-time guy) and Murphy cooling their jets too. Gomes in at DH and Swisher in right. Chisenhall was out with "intestinal troubles." And Asdrubal back from a 6-game sit-down after some back problems. But, since our team is actually a very deep and very talented bunch, who happen to continue to not play to their potential, it was no problem for these 9 to come together and take a win!

Since Jose Ramirez was free (Asdrubal), he was put in at 2nd base and also the leadoff hitter. Kipnis copy! He went 1 for 5 and came in to score a run.

Asdrubal, who was showing some promise before he got hurt, came right back today batting second, and went 2-5 with 2 runs scored an an RBI!

What'd I say about Brantley (.318) last night? That he was about to start a new streak after breaking a hittless streak last night? Well, I was right! Today he went 2 for 4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs scored. And now that Carlos is hitting behind him, you gotta throw to him!

AND CARLOS IS INDEED HITTING BEHIND HIM!!

Thank you. thank you thank you.

Today Carlos went 3 for 3. He got 2 home runs and 4 RBI. He walked. He came in to score twice. In this 4-game stint against KC alone he has gotten 5 homers, 8 RBI and 5 walks. In 6 games, his average has risen .020. Woah.

Stay hot, 'Los!! You are our KEY!!!

And how about Yan Gomes? I mentioned last night too that he is quietly heating up. Today they put him in at the 5th spot, and HE got 3 hits as well! "Only" one homer, but he really tore it up in this series too. Seven hits and 3 RBI for the catcher. Awesome!

Poor ol' Ryan Raburn. He's really going down the tubes. But he homered today! A little glimpse of what we loved so much last year. Just his third homer this year but by-golly, off of a lefty.

Dickerson came in to hit for Raburn later and he got a hit! Because, Chris Dickerson.

Roberto Perez is still hangin' tough as the backup catcher. He poked out a hit today and came in to score a run. He's hitting .278!

Mike Aviles went 0 for 1 today. You heard me! He was in there getting stuff done, instead! He walked, he got hit by a pitch (on the hand. Ugh!) He stole a base, he had a sac bunt. All of the things one can do when not hitting!

Tom Hamilton mentioned that a lot of teams would like to nab Aviles during this trade time but it's very highly unlikely he could be bought. Unless you get a #1 starter. And Tampa Bay isn't dealing Price now so Aviles is here to stay. Our Puerto Rican bargining chip!

Tomorrow is an OFF DAY. Good for us, right? Ten days and 11 games. On Tuesday the guys will be back home, where they win a lot of games. It'll be versus Seattle, who we're chasing for the second Wild Card spot. Good series!

So Tuesday at 7:05, Trevor Bauer will face off against a RHP 3.05. Not a high ERA but Brantley, Gomes and Santana all hit this guy well. It could be the beginning of something great!

I don't have any Radio Chatter today. I was pulling weeds outside while listening to the game. It was awful. Weedding - not the game!

The Way It Ought To Be

Finally! Back to the Tribe roundly beating the worst team in the division, after kicking butt against the best team over the weekend. I guess yesterday's game was a fluke.

Right handed pitcher, man. That's all we need.

Pitching for the good guys was Danny Salazar, back up from Columbus because I think Tito gets some kind of frequent-bussing points. Like the other kids this past week, he did ok but of course had a heart-stopping inning where he struck out one, walked the bases loaded, then struck out the next two. STOP THAT! He did get the win after pitching 5 innings and giving up 3 runs. He struck out 6 and only ended up walking those 3 in that one inning!

Then it was the boy pitcher Crockett who had a nice clean inning, juxtaposed the next inning with the old man Atchison (15 years his senior) who made a point to pitch 1 2/3 innings I think. Trying to show up the kid didn't work too well for him - he did give up a run on 2 hits. A homer to Dozier, who at least has 19 homers so it wasn't such a surprise.

He was followed by Zep who apparently can't pitch to right handers? What the heck is all this nonsense?? His ERA is 1.29 versus left, 6.93 right. The fuck??

Allen had to come in early, to finish the 8th since Zep couldn't, but it was ok because he wasn't needed for a save in the 9th, as it was 8-2 by then. Carrasco took care of it.

The Tribe was 5-12 with RISP! And also looked good in the field. And touched a couple different pitchers. All sorts of winning!

Kipnis wasn't on his hitting game today, after being named last week's Player of the Week. But in the 9th he did get put on intentionally (no doubt they heard about the POTW thing) and then stole a base and then came around to score on a single, sliding around the tag and all that jazz. BEHOLD! So yeah, that kid's a TEAM PLAYER.

Speaking of team - Brantley and Chisenhall were also hitless tonight. Our three best guys, shut out! (Well Brantley got a walk too) But the rest of the TEAM stepped up and got RUNS - so that's pretty awesome!

And, Chris Dickerson?

Yes?

Keep doing whatever you've been doing, because it's just so right! Another hit, another TWO RBI, even though he countered it with 3 strikeouts. Just keep getting those hits when it matters, yo.

And Carlos Santana! Caaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarlos Santanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! He went 4 for 5 tonight including a homer, a double and two singles. No-go on the triple, of course. It was the anniversary of the last Tribe cycle, though. And it happened in Minnesota! How weird is that? I guess his homer went pretty far, too. A no-doubt-about-it job. Later on, his double in the 9th brought in the 8th run.

Yan Gomes is still hot. He's got 12 hits and 6 RBI in his last 8 games! Tonight he went 2 for 4 tonight, and knocked in Nick Swisher for a RBI.

Everybody's favorite clutch hitter, David Murphy (actually I think he leads the league), was up with the bases loaded, and guess what happened. Guess! Guess! Two-run single!

Mike Aviles didn't get any hits, batting ninth, but he did follow up Murphy's single with a sac fly and an RBI. And he looked good at short.

Lots of nice stuff from the top and bottom of the order tho, huh?

Tomorrow's game is the big boy Bauer versus another RHP with an ERA over 4. Easy peasy, right?? I'm looking forward to it. As long as I can remember to tune in at 1:10 PM. Man, I can hardly remember to eat lunch these days.

But I think it's going to be a fun, high-scoring game with lots of hits for the good guys. So I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"When it comes to an up-and-down season, Santana's would resemble one of those roller coasters at Cedar Point."
- Tom Hamilton

"Oh it looked like he blew a tire going into second!"
- Tom Hamilton on a slide by Kendrys Morales

"Give it up, the Twins are not going to rally, LAY OFF THE ORGAN!"
- Tom Hamilton

"Is that the job description? 'Eternal optimist'"
- Jim Rosenhaus on the upbeat Twins' organist

Have You Met Handsome Mike?

Mike Aviles is a great Indians player, and we're lucky to have him. No joke! I saw him before the 2013 season at the Fan Fest and he was as happy to be an Indian and excited to play baseball as Jason Kipnis. He was super serious about his job, too, not like Nick Swisher who thinks his job is just to hop up and down and spit out nonsense platitudes. Aviles is a hard-core baseball player. He's not just our backup infielder now, he's our backup everything including outfield. Right now he's our backup Kipnis!

Via Facebook/GV Artwork

Rewind, though, to Danny Salazar. I don't know why but I heard a lot of Danny hate today. How do you hate this guy? I mean he's no ace but he's like what, 20 years old? He's not perfect but he looked better than Masterson at some points this year!

Salazar did just fine, and although he gave up TWO runs instead of the usual ONE run that starters have been allowed this year, he still had a quality start. Very nice line with 6 1/3 innings and 7 strikeouts. One of his 3 runs was let across by a reliever, so there's that. While he did give up 3 doubles, there were no home runs and just one walk. Danny Salazar, you are safe and make it to the next round!

Bryan Shaw looked a little rickety today - he gave up 2 hits and let Salazar's runner score. He's pitched a lot lately, so he's probably out for a bit now.

Cody Allen doe - wow! Twenty strikeouts in 13 innings. He got 2 more today. I can't tell you how fast he was pitching because the Indians' web site is broken, but Tom Hamilton says it was darn fast. "What a find he was," said Hamilton. No kidding!

John Axford was just...ugh. Why? He finished all right, yes, but with 26 pitches and a double. Ugh.

Hey how about that Indians defense today?? Yes yes, Yan Gones had ANOTHER error but Nyjer Morgan was leaping around the field, pulling down balls. Brantley with the outfield assist. Carlos Santana - the worst hitter on the team - was on FIRE at third, even going in to the stands to snag a foul. And even Handsome Mike got dirty flying after a shot down the middle, and taking it to the bag himself.

So proud! So pants!

 While the defense was a million times better than usual, the offense was fair-to-middlin. They got 9 hits but only between 5 guys. The guys who were hitting were hot stuff!

Morgan went 1 for 3. Not sure why he's not stealing much yet. I think he keeps turning the pitcher's head with those pants. Check out his post-game interview - love that laugh!

Brantley (.276) is sticking with the 3-spot, and he went 2 for 4 with a biiiiig 2-RBI double in the 3rd. His slide in to 2nd was challenged - just like his outfield assist to 2nd was challenged - but no matter what the ruling was (he was safe) it still scored 2.

Carlos Santana...what do...I mean how....when is.... sigh....He went 0 for 4 tonight with 2 strikeouts.

Asdrubal was hitting 6th and even though all you're going to hear about for the next week is his error YESTERDAY, at least TODAY he went 2 for 4 with a big ol' DOUBLE in the 9th with the score tied, and he made it over to 3rd on a bunt then came home to score when Handsome Mike hit him in to win the game!


The Chiz Kid was not at his best at the plate today, and Gomes was not the best behind the plate but he did get another homer which is why we love him so. Is this the apex of his paternity comeback or is there more? Maybe an errorless game AND a homer?

That leaves us with our man Mike Aviles, from the beginning of this post. You've heard of his defense, and you've heard that he won the game. But don't forget his double and his other single and his run scored. Or his .302 batting average. He'll be in for a while as Kipnis is on that 15-day DL for like 12 more days. And we should all be thankful that he is here for us.

Aviles is sexy and he knows it.

Ok so I spent all day today thinking it was Thursday. I got ready to post my brother's "happy birthday" Facebook post. I turned on the radio at noon, looking for the game. I was ready to go for my Thursday swim. I even was surprised to see the garbage trucks go by a day late. Anyway that's why I told you that today's game was at noon.

But since nobody is paying attention, nobody was mis-directed. Well done! TOMORROW'S game is at noon though so don't be late!

It'll be Masterson versus the RHP 6.09 I promised for today's game. No rubber match, since this series has expanded to 4. But it'll be a good game for us to win anyway!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"When you walk the number nine hitter, who is batting .109, it's a disaster in the making."
- Tom Hamilton

"Well [umpire] Doug Eddings is not getting invited to the Twins team party if they are having one tonight."
- Tom Hamilton doesn't think the Twins like the calls

"The life of a closer is like being one of they flying Wallendas without a net."
- Tom Hamilton gives an excuse

"It's not his fault. The baseball gods will find that player..."
- Tom Hamilton on rookie shortstop Escobar missing a catch while playing in left field

A Run and A Run and A Run and A Run!

Woooow! Twelve runs! Twelve runs in just one night! One run fewer than we got versus San Francisco and Anaheim! Oh, how we've missed you, runs!

Check out that tiny LOB, too - just 7, with 13 hits and 6 walks. Boo-ya!

The offense was The Thing today but pitching was all right. Five runs and all right? Well no - just 3 earned runs. And they were all from Salazar. Five innings and all right? Well that was after 2 errors so who knows how many extra pitches were thrown? And how about when Salazar had bases loaded with no outs and doesn't implode? How about the 1-2-3 inning against Abreu-Dunn-Viciedo? Not a quality start, no, but a nice game for the kid.

The bullpen all trundled out on to the field but they were able to relax a bit. They gave up a lot of hits (3) and only struck out a few (3) but still no one scored. They preserved the Tribe's 7-run lead!

7-run lead!

The first inning was super fun to watch. Yeah, WATCH! I was at my parents' house and flipped on the game to catch that amazing first inning. I hadn't seen anything like that all year! Everything was dropping in that outfield. Everything!

Michael Bourn - who has actually been quite good once he got back, while everyone else was quite not - was a bit of a weak link today. He started and ended that 5-run first inning with a pop up and a fly out. Dude! He did end up going 1 for 5 and scoring once.

Mike Aviles - aka "Handsome Mike" - was in batting second for the injured Jason Kipnis. Awwwwww....15 day disabled list! But Aviles and Kipnis share a lot of the same excitement, so Mike was able to go in there and get a couple of hits and score a couple of runs for his buddy Kip. The same cannot be said for poor ol' Elliot Johnson who was filling in for Kipnis in the field, and was the only guy on the team not to get a hit. He also made 2 errors which contributed to 2 un-earned runs. Oh, Elliot!

For real...

Even Nick Swisher was down with the patience today, going 2 for 3 with 2 walks and 2 runs scored. No strikeouts for the bro.

Everything kind of belongs to Carlos Santana right now, as we're all running backwards covering our tracks about how utterly disappointed we are in him. Disappointment - gone! Tonight 'Los went 2 for 4. Those 2 were a double and a HOMER. He had 2 RBI and came in to score 3 runs!!! When Carlos hits, we all hits man!

Ryan Raburn was oddly bunched in there in the 5th spot today. He got a bigbig 2-RBI single in that awesome first inning, and came around to score once. David Murphy came in to pinch hit for him later on, and went 0 for 1 with a walk and a run scored. Interesting choice for 5th!

Brantley (.272) then was 6th, which is fine for him because he can hit anywhere. His production had been so THIN lately (if not non-existent!) but tonight he was back doing the Brantley thang going 3 for 5 with a HOMER and 3 RBI! Wow, how about this guy and his homers huh?

It's cool.

Asdrubal only got 1 hit today, but he also got a walk and he also didn't strike out. They did mention something about him appearing to "pull up lame" as it were, later in the game. They took him out for Jose Ramirez so...we'll see?

Gomes cranked it back up tonight with two really sweet doubles, reaching out and golfing them in to right. That accounted for 2 RBI and one run scored!

So it was all offense, all game long. From everyone (everyone but Elliot!) If this is the new trend I LOVE IT! I think it'll take a few games for us to confirm that this is a trend, but at least we know they've got it in them. Well, we've always known they had it in them - that's what was so frustrating.

Tomorrow is a 6:05 PM start because ...? Does it have to do with the NFL Draft? Everything has to do with the NFL Draft, even a week before the NFL Draft. It'll be Masterson versus a new guy who has a little 1.23 ERA but possibly is no match for our Real Men at the plate.

Let's hope they all show up again tomorrow. This is fun! See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"There were a lot of denture makers and chiropractors."
- Tom Hamilton says there are no Jack Bauers in Winterhaven

"Oh, he looked like Minnesota Fats with a pool cue!"
- Tom Hamilton on Yan Gomes' double in the third

"Well it was nine miles up and about 330 feet out, and that's all it took."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Abreau's homer

"That 'Hokey Pokey' got a little rated-R."
- Tom Hamilton on a very exciting wedding he went to

"Some folks are waddling out of the park early."
- Tom Hamilton on Dollar Dog Night

Can We Trust Today?

I missed the game today because I was busy holding a Wiffle ball game in my backyard with a bunch of toddlers. Also we built a tower out of blocks.

I got done with that and I read the box score and I saw the final and I still decided I would listen to this game's radio archive. Because erm....I dunno, I like baseball a lot.

Nothing happened in this game. Nothing but Danny Salazar throwing 7 innings with just one earned run. He only walked 1 and struck out 8. Finally! FINALLY!!! His length has been atrocious and he was giving up runs right and left. Ok so now we know he can do it. Can he repeat it?

It was a weird day, though. I don't know if I can count on Salazar's performance. You know why? Because Cody Allen had a bad outing today. Cody, Mister Oh-Point-Oh-Oh. He gave up a 3-run homer in the 9th. All three runs were his batters, too. His ERA jumped to 2.35.

So can you trust Danny Salazar's 7-inning one-hit game on a day when Cody Allen gives up 3 runs? I just don't know.

Michael Bourn got 2 hits and Yan Gomes hit a solo home run. That is IT, man. One run on 3 hits.

After the game Terry Francona said "We have to stop letting guys get us out." LOLOLOLOL Can you trust a day when Terry Francona sounds like a doofus?

Tomorrow's my birthday. They'll be playing the Angels, Justin Masterson versus LHP 3.21.

No Radio Chatter today but funny thing...Tom Hamilton is so bored, that he told pretty much all of the same anecdotes and gave the same color about San Francisco as he did on Saturday. Perhaps he was a recording??

Yesterday Squirrel, Today Moose

Mike "Moose" Moustakas, that is. He came out of his season-long-slump to hit his first homer, a 3-run jobby in the 4th, which is all the Royals needed to win. They made sure to get some more, though.

The man they call Moose.

Tribe actually got 9 hits today, and a walk. Ten men left on base, man.

Didn't help that Salazar still couldn't manage a quality start. A quality start is 6 innings and 3 or fewer runs. Our man can't seem to get out with 5 innings or under 4 runs.

The bullpen was strangely bad. Possibly burnt out? They gave up 3. Luckilly none of them were Cody Allen who hangs on to his 0, nor did we see Zep who has his 1.

When Mickey Callaway came out to talk to Scott Atchison in the 9th, after he gave up 2 runs to make it 8-2, the "organist" at Progressive Field played the theme from M*A*S*H. If you recall, the name of that song is "Suicide is Painless." Ouch.

Michael Brantley got 2 hits! He's at .293, and he stole his 3rd base. Neither Chisenhall or Santana got hits, though.

Michael Bourn finally had a multi-hit game with 2 singles, and one of them resulting in a RBI! More?

Gomes had a single and a double. But would you believe - he also had his 6th error!

Asdrubal struck out twice. Sigh.

Good thing there's always tomorrow. And May.Tomorrow is another 7:05 start, with Masterson facing a LHP, 2.48. Tribe has not been good against LHP at all this year. Hoping they'll surprise us

It was almost hard to get Radio Chatter today because Hammy and Rosie seemed like they were calling a golf match by the time it got to the 8th inning. Yikes! They also had a long somber discussion about Pujols' 500th homer. If you didn't know, Hammy is not a fan of the steroids one bit.

Radio Chatter:
"He looks like he's about to sit on a stool and milk a cow."
- Tom Hamilton on Aoki's batting stance

"We might as well just tell you when there ISN'T a defensive shift on..."
- Tom Hamilton thinks there are a lot of shifts

"If you were here right now you could have a four dollar beer that becomes a four dollar beer Popsicle."
- Tom Hamilton

"I don't think you can pitch for Kansas City unless you pitch in the mid-90s. Unless you're Bruce Chen but that's it."
- Tom Hamilton

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Kneecapped Lamb

Tonight Danny Salazar set a record. The first pitcher in the modern area (since 1900) to throw 10 strikeouts in fewer than 4 innings. Of course since this is Cleveland there gets to be a zinger in the end - He gave up 5 runs and didn't make it out of the 4th inning, having to be replaced after 2 outs.

Oh, Cleveland! You can't have anything nice!

Also not nice was that the stupid White Sox finally beat us after our 14-game run over them in 2013. They had a productive off-season. Bah.

So that was Salazar's night. He didn't get taken out solely because he gave up 5 runs, by the way. No - he was at 93 pitches by the time he was removed. There were 6 hits, 2 homers and 2 walks inbetween all of those strikeouts.

It took 4 relievers to finish the game, but at least we've got 4 relievers worth throwing out there. Except they put Blake Wood amongst them and he wasn't all that good. He was one of two relievers with any ERA and he lived up to his reputation, giving up a run on 2 hits.

The third reliever to lose his 0.00 ERA happened today. Josh Outman gave up a homer in the 5th and that was that for him. Only 5 remain! CC Lee (in exchange for Pestano) and Scott Atchison are hanging tough with 0.00 still!

Although the Tribe came busting out of the gate to score 3 runs early, after Asdrubal's solo blast in the second, (OMG!!!!!) that was it. In fact, they only got one more hit in the rest of the game - Raburn had a single to lead off the 4th.

Lonnie wasn't there tonight, and will be gone for the rest of the series I guess. Know why? Paternity leave! I didn't even think he was old enough to be a dad huh.

Speaking of awesome hitters, Asdrubal was the leadoff man and went 2 for 4 tonight, his other hit being a leadoff double that was inches from homer #1. I like it a lot - he's had 4 hits in his last 2 games, and only had 3 hits in his first 9 games!! He's ready!!

Kipnis got a hit tonight and didn't strike out. Not the same as "Kipnis always does well in Chicago," I don't think. But it was cold? (Remember, he ditched Chicago for Arizona eventually!)

Raburn had a nice night. He got the first RBI, on a sac fly. And that single in the fourth. He went 2 for 4.

Michael Brantley (.289) is back to working towards another hitting streak. One down!

That's about it for tonight. In like a lion, out like a kneecapped lamb.

They've still got a chance to win another series of course, so tune in tomorrow for the beginning of that!

It'll be another 8:10 start tomorrow. Plenty of time to get your fish fry on. It'll be Carrasco (hopefully trying to keep his job) versus Chris Sale who is totally scared of Cleveland.

If you want something alternate, and more southernly - Giambi and Bourn are playing for the Rubber Ducks this week! The Akron Rubber Ducks, if you didn't know.

I bet you didn't know that a Jason Giambi Rubber Duckie is a thing, either. It is.

Rub-a-dub-dubby

More baseball tomorrow night and every night! See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"I wonder if Fidel Castro has a high-rise on the Michigan [sic] Mile somewhere, to keep watch over his countrymen."
- Tom Hamilton commenting on the 4 Cuban White Sox

"That's the dichotomy of Danny Salazar - he has given up 3 runs but he's struck out 7 so far in the 3rd."
- Tom Hamilton

"I've seen stories already about people not coming to major league parks...obviously written by people who aren't sitting in the stands in 35 degree weather."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way this game started, you thought the Indians would have one of those 10-run nights."
- Tom Hamilton

Cold Start For a Hot Finish!

Home opener! Wahoo! Everyone was so relieved that it wasn't going to be a snow-out that we all forgot that it rains in the Spring, too. It was gloomy in NEO all day today until about game time when it was sunny. But the weather mavens said "wait" and pitching coaches said "wait" so the umpires said "wait" and good thing they did cuz a monsoon passed through here around 4 PM. That would have meant a short start for both starters and that's no fun on Home Opener Day.

It worked out well for people who worked until 5 that the game didn't start until 5. But a bunch of people who excitedly showed up for the home opener left early as the warm, blustery day turned chilly and wet. Sucks. But at least there were fewer people around to boo the Twins as their lineup was announced (Seriously, people? This is a gentleman's game, not Browns/Steelers.)

The bleak weather was not made any more comfortable by the bleak start by our batters, and a bleak first by Danny Salazar. I'm guessing a few more people were on their way to the Winking Lizard by the time the second inning rolled around (don't let the door hit ya!)

But as always, props to the people who showed up and stayed! They eventually were in for a treat!

Did you know we haven't won a home opener since 2008? Huh. 

Salazar ended up straightening himself out. He did give up 7 hits in his 5 2/3 innings but didn't give up any more runs after 2 in the first (thanks in part to Michael Brantley being awesome). He did throw a lot of pitches in that time but he never completely lost it like, say, how the Twins' starter did.

Just goes to show...

Lefty Josh Outman came in to finish up the 6th and start the 7th, and he's the guy who ended up with the win. It only took him 5 pitches to get 2 outs. Bryan Shaw - who was turning my head a bit in 2013 - came in to finish the 7th by striking out two. Sweet!

The 8th belonged to Cody Allen, who struggled a bit to finish but he did end up striking out 2 inbetween giving up 2 hits. Since we didn't need a closer, John Axford didn't get to show off his cool walk-in music. Instead we got to see Blake Wood come in and not actually "mow down" the side but after a lot of work, he did strike them out. It was pretty sweet because after a dozen pitches in the high 90s, he came at the last guy with a 91-mph and 94-mph then BLOOP finished him off on 84-mph. Ha!

The Tribe got 10 hits today! That should be enough to warm the toes of the fans that stayed on. Not only that but TWO home runs - stats that were nearly missing from the Oakland series. And finally, a bunch of runs! Of course we had to wait 6 innings for any of this to happen but as I told my friend who was frustrated by the lack of hits in the first inning...sometimes you gotta wait.

Nyjer Morgan showed up today in an oversized uniform. With all the wind, he looked absolutely ridiculous during the player introduction, as all his teammates stood around him not being whipped by their pants. I couldn't tell if it was a tribute to 20s baseball, or to his Bay-area brother MC Hammer.

However, Morgan finished the game covered in dirt and having 2 hits and an RBI, so weird pants or no, he came through for the team!

So Swisher got a 2-run homer, which included the winning run, so that's nice. And it's nice that if the Indians are going to pimp this guy out as the face of the Indians that he actually did something good while all the fans were there to see him. And he did make 2 nice catches on put-out-at-first attempts from Gomes. So that was nice.

Poor 'ol Kipnis, who signed a 6-year extension today (YEAH!) did not bat like a man who "can now stop worrying about it." But our Kip is a worrier, so if he wasn't worrying about money he was worrying about the game, which was to his detriment. He struck out twice again and got no hits. He did do fine in the field with lots of assists and no flubs, so that was good. He was halfway there.

Carlos Santana was all over the bases today, LIKE A BOSS! He was 1 for 2 with 2 walks, and his second double of the season already. He did get caught in a rundown but it wasn't too off-base (HA!) that he got stuck there. It was a comebacker to the mound that he took a chance on. He also managed to get the batter (Brantley) over to 2nd during said rundown, so at least he kept his head in it.

Michael Brantley (.333) didn't get any extra bases but of COURSE he got a hit. That's a 4-game hitting streak if you're following along. He also had an outfield assist which was the highlight of the first half of the game.

Asdrubal went all Asdrubal on us and left 5 men on base. Not striking out, at least, but hitting balls right to whatever guy was standing around waiting for him. Hoping his problem is like Kipnis - he cares too much. Terry needs to get into his head.

David Murphy played right field.

Forget Nick Swisher, Cleveland - Yan Gomes is your man! He got the team's second hit and first run by bashing a homer to center in the 6th. Just nailed it out on that center field walk! And of course he caught a guy stealing, by like 5 feet, because he rocks. He got a single later on and came in to score, too. Yan does it all!

Look out, y'all - it's Lonnie Chisenhall! You gotta like Lonnie, cuz he came up through our system and he keeps trying but is always just short. So far he's been good - with 3 hits in 5 at-bats total, tonight going 2 for 3! He walked once and came in to score twice. I LOVE it when I can get excited about the end of our order!

So the boys made us wait, again, for our win. But it ain't over til it's over so however we get that W works for me! It was really cool to see them pounce on that pitcher that totally had them locked up for 5 innings. Haha!

Tomorrow's a 1 PM game and back to plain ol' radio for me. Today I had the radio/TV combo (thanks WKYC!) and the lag was very minimal. Best I've ever seen it! But sigh...I won't have to worry about it again until June.

It'll be Carrasco facing RHP in his first full season. The weather should be better (but still cold) and hopefully our team is back in to getting those hits!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Maybe Arica should take off the parka and snow gear, because he completely missed that ball. ... He looks like he's out there in snow shoes."
- Tom Hamilton

"I tell you what this is like a scene from the wizard if oz, the way things are blowing around here. Now a horse just flew by."
- Tom Hamilton

Own It, Cleveland!

The video above is a sweet compilation someone put together of the 2013 season up to about the end of August. Watch it, enjoy it, remember it! Own this season, Cleveland - all we have left now are memories of the fun!

If you were following this season closely, you will be satisfied with its outcome. The 2013 Indians were a team that were probably going to the playoffs in March. Then the Tigers became the team that were definitely going, by the end of April. The Indians, probably not...definitely not in August. But wait...maybe by September? Holy cow, they are in!

It was waaaaaay fun to watch them get in to the wildcard and pretty neat to have the top wildcard spot sewn up for a few days. The final game was kind of heart-wrenching but eh, you saw it coming right?

So very awesome to see the crowds at the Prog both on Wildcard night and the weeks leading up to it! Great to see GV Artwork's "Goon Squad" tees selling out day after day. Awesome to see some Tribe trends on Twitter! It was even cool when Chris Perez said to Terry Francona "Hey, I kind of suck right now" (paraphrase)

But speaking of that game, Giambi's [second!] walk-off homer against Chicago was probably the absolute highlight of the season - a season filled with walk-off highlights! Fitting that the last one would be so money.

My second favorite moment of the season was probably when Ryan Reynolds (remember him?) blasted a big fat homer off some dude who had, in Reynolds' previous at-bat, beaned him around the head. It was such an awesome revenge homer! And the pitcher looked to SAD!

And of course there was the Rally Chicken:

And most of April spent with Meryl and her cookies:

Drew Stubbs being hit in the head and then having a several-game hitting streak:

still not a real photo, sorry.

Anything Yan Gomes did, at all:

Asdrubal at the water park:

Tom Hamilton extremely disturbed by the "water park" in Miami:

 Michael Bourn face-plant (sung to the tune of "Rock and Roll McDonalds"):

Sad Angel who lost his glove:

Bourn on the heels of Stubbs:

Tripping Miggy:

Spider Vinnie:

And this:

That is just a SMALL representation of the fun we had this year!!!

I am really excited to see this WHOLE TEAM and staff back next year. Whoever turned around the bullpen needs to come back and turn them some more, enough to fit Vinnie and Tomlin in there somewhere. Maybe maybe a new hitting coach, perhaps someone that knows a good yogi.

Now that Reynolds (God bless) and Meyers are gone, I can't think of any more fat to trim. Well I have an idea but I'm going to end on a positive note and not talk badly about Nick Swisher er...people.

It was different doing the blog this year than previous years, because it felt more like judging what was expected instead of finding joy in the unexpected. Much harder to be all positive and stuff when guys you were told would be good weren't playing so well. Hence a handful of games I completely didn't comment on at all!

But, I'll always love baseball, win or lose, and since I love Cleveland baseball I've got no choice but to be able to roll with the punches. I hope you're the same way, boffins!

See you in 6 months!! WAHOOO!!!

Radio Chatter:
"The right side of the field is like the Ponderosa."
- Tom Hamilton on the shift

"The crowd here is deafening. The tribe scores a run, lookout."
- Tom Hamilton

"The credit goes to Alex Cobb."
- Tom Hamilton

"For as good as Peralta and Rodney are, maybe the answer for the Indians is anyone but Cobb."
- Tom Hamilton

"Molina held it there, but Jerry Davis said 'that's ok Jose I'm not changing my mind.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"Molina, one of the best defensive catchers. He'll never be part of a relay race."
- Tom Hamilton

"Rodney looking at home plate umpire Jerry Davis as if he's from Mars."
- Tom Hamilton

Goodnight Field

Goodnight field,
goodnight fans.
Goodnight footlong hot dog man.

Goodnight drummer,
goodnight cheers.
Goodnight Pepsi, goodnight beer.

Goodnight scoreboard,
goodnight hot dog race.
Goodnight to the best and worst seats in the place.

Goodnight Tribe -
what fun you did bring!
Goodnight field - we'll see you next Spring.

Fun time at the Prog tonight! Me and 30,945 of my closest friends! The place was "packed" for the final home game of the season - I think this is about my 5th year of going to the final home game. My friend was smart and bought our tickets early this year, so instead of whatever it would have cost for this playoff-like game, we paid like $60 for two great seats down by the tarp. Forethought FTW!!

Did you like it? I did! The crowd was way cool - they've been cool at all 3 games I've been to in the past week. These were the true fans showing up! Lots of cheers for anything remotely good or interesting happening. Giambi with 3 standing ovations. Salazar got a standing ovation when he exited in the 6th. The place went bananas when Masterson came in for the 9th. Every second strike - by every pitcher - set off more loud cheers and chants. I LOVE IT!!!

By the way - if you're wondering why I'm giving a melancholy goodbye to the park when there is still a very real chance that there will be more games played there this year...don't worry! I haven't given up on the season! I'm just not the class of people who gets to go to playoff games. Doesn't bother me - I love all the games on the radio anyway! So I'm cool with saying goodbye to the field now, and it doesn't mean I'm saying goodbye to baseball!

They had the whole crew out pitching again tonight, which was undoubtedly the plan since not only is Salazar on a low pitch count but it's crucial now to save him for playoffs. And to get innings for our 'pen to see who's coming with us in October.

So Salazar went 5 1/3, eight strikeouts and 6 hits. He ended up giving up 2 runs - one in the form of a solo homer and the other in the form of Bryan Shaw letting one of his guys score. But he was throwing that heat and for the most part keeping those Sox at bay!

You guys bring adrenaline to keep us positive all the time, it was a pleasure for me throw the last game home of the regular season
— Danny Salazar (@DannySalazar67) September 26, 2013

The bullpen followed Salazar's 8 strikeouts with 8 more of their own. Not sure if you're familiar, but at the park they have a Circle K strikeout tracker thingy and it's only set up for 14 K's at a time. For the first time ever I saw the sign "turn over" - where they put up a "14" and took down all the K's, only to re-add them again when more strikeouts were thrown. I'm glad the Circle K Strikeout Dancer was properly trained for this situation!

Masterson came out to throw the 9th and he totally put on a show! The people, they were excited. And Masterson was all "Wut? I can throw all day!" He did give up a hit but otherwise struck out 2 and got a ground ball out. BALLGAME!

Like the last game I went to, it SEEMED like everybody hit because so many runs scored, but in reality there were some holes in the lineup. But dudes who didn't get hits were getting sacrifices - Aviles with a sac bunt and Stubbs with a sac fly RBI.

Since Bourn has an injured hand (which led to Giambi being in the game last night!) they had him sit out and put Brantley in at the top spot, which he did last time Bourn had an injured hand, earlier this season. Brantley is still ON FIRE and got 2 singles and a double, going 3 for 5 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored. So that's 17 hits and 8 RBI in his last 9 games.

Imagine if he and Raburn were both playing all the time right now! It'd be a hit fiesta!

Swisher got a big honkin' hit in the form of a 2-run homer in the 5th, with Brantley on base. It added a ton of padding and let everyone really relax!

Kipnis is getting his stuff together again, now with a modest 3-game hitting streak. Tonight he went 1 for 2 with a walk and a run scored, and he got hit by a pitch. Oh and he stole a base. He had a rough night in the field, but somehow didn't get charged with an error. My friend says he needs to shave!

Santana didn't get on base his first two trips to the plate, but as soon as I mentioned to my friend that he rarely doesn't get on base - boom, a single! He also walked and they put in Carson to run for him, and Carson came around to score.

Gomes, man...didn't do a dang thing today. Ouch.

Asdrubal was looking good today, going 2 for 4 with a big 2-RBI, 2-out hit in the 7th to put us up 7-2. He TOTALLY saw my sign today! Totally! He's seen it before and he was probably like "Hmm...I've seen that before, haven't I?" But in Spanish, because he probably talks to himself in Spanish. Anyway, I'm sure he was very proud to play for his fan!

I think I am going to retire my sign this fall, perhaps in a fire if I have another one. I'll make a new one, of course! But this one is so ratty....it's been through 3 seasons, probably 30 games or so. I need to make a new one!

Giambi was the man of the day today! He didn't do too bad, either, with his .187 batting average - he went 1 for 2 with a single and a walk. I wonder how much last night influenced Francona's decision to start him today? The fans wanted it and we got it!

Chiz and Aviles platooned in the 8 spot and at 3rd. Chiz got on on a fielder's choice then came around to score. Aviles had a great sac bunt that eventually led to scoring, and he also had a couple nice plays at third!

You can all thank me but the Tribe's last two biggest wins (9-2, 7-2) were while I was in attendance! Of course, we were 20,000+ strong those days too. But surely I helped!

Now the team is off to Target Field in Minneapolis for a 4-game series. Michael Brantley's proposed (by me) 13-game hitting streak is on the line. Texas is relentlessly winning and so is Tampa Bay, so the Tribe really can't lose anymore. Like, for real.

It's making me pretty stressed out. But these wins SURE ARE FUN!!

Tomorrow will beZMac versus LHP 3.98. It's in the Central Time Zone, so 8:10. See you there!


No Radio Chatter tonight but here are rookies in costumes (they'll probably be in TribeVibe soon, with names...):

Here's rookies dressing up! #IndiansRookies pic.twitter.com/bLgXMgGvHz
— Morales (@fmorales60) September 26, 2013

Here's another one! #IndiansRookies pic.twitter.com/TEf2B9bUZe
— Morales (@fmorales60) September 26, 2013

And another! I have to be in this one! #IndiansRookies pic.twitter.com/wdmQhdWVnN
— Morales (@fmorales60) September 26, 2013

And the next one! #IndiansRookies pic.twitter.com/Tydefqghr8
— Morales (@fmorales60) September 26, 2013

My favorite! Don't rate it LOL. #IndiansRookies pic.twitter.com/WZ72F7m0eL
— Morales (@fmorales60) September 26, 2013

Me Duele

Oh, how it hurts me.

I didn't want to do a blog today because I don't have anything good to say, but I felt like we need each other tonight, boffins. It was a one-two punch of Cleveland Sports Awfulness, with Trent Richardson being traded away for "there's always next year" and the Tribe losing what was probably the biggest game of September. We need a hug.

Here's some nice news: My friend won more Tribe tickets playing cornhole, because she is a cornhole master, and not only will she be out of town for the game but she also doesn't like baseball. She asked if I wanted tickets to "the playoff game Sunday," bless her heart. YES!

We couldn't even count on Raburn to give us happiness today. Just some more sad.

Michael Brantley, at least, he brought some good. That was nice of him.

Tomorrow we start 4 with the Astros...who I thought for a minute were going to beat the Reds 4-1 and thus be a threat to us but the Reds came back so that's good.

I'm excited, I'll be there at the top of the bleachers! Within spitting distance of our best friend John Adams, only I won't be spitting on him I'll be listening to the radio and waving my sign.

No spitting!

Oh, it'll be Ubaldo versus LHP 5.17 so THEY BETTER BRING IT!!!

Literally hope to see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Boy what an awful first inning for the Indians."
- Tom Hamilton

"Hosmer looks like he's 8 feet tall when he's in the batter's box. [...] It doesn't look like there's any pitch he can't reach."
- Tom Hamilton

Sing A Song of Raburn

Sing a song of Ra-burn
One more RBI!
Had to use eight pitch-ers
Just to get through nine.

When Raburn's in the line-up
The Tribe does seem to win.
Hoping every day that we will
see Ra-burn again!

Tom Hamilton must be reading Twitter because he said a few times today how you just can't play Raburn every day as he is the sort of guy who thrives off the bench and every day he'd get worn out (perhaps he is familiar with my "Shelley Every Day!" campaign?) Ok fine, I accept it. But I don't have to like it!

Danny Salazar got 9 strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings today, which is the first time that has happened to an Indian since 2019. Really? That's kind of amazing! Also interesting is that today (the 13th) is also the anniversary of when Bob Feller struck out 17 in a game when he was 17. It's a strikeout kind of day!

But around those 27 pitches that were 9 strikeouts, he threw 51 other pitches that did not result in strikeouts and thus he hit his limit before the end of the 4th and that was all for Salazar.

They traipsed out 7 more guys - Hagadone, Shaw, Allen, Zep, Albers, Smith and Perez. Nothing spectacular, but they did hold the White Sox to just one run. Perez gave up a hit and a walk, which he'll sometimes do. But he didn't let the game get away!

Funny...no Pestano this time. Hmm.

(Not funny. He sort of sucks right now.)

So Michael Bourn has a 5-game hitting streak. Not walking or stealing much anymore, though. Did you know he's only grounded into 2 double plays this year? I think one was yesterday. Today of course he legged one out to get his hit. Oh, also he gave Perez a big boost by keeping one from going over the wall!

Kipnis was having an un-Kipnis-like day today. You know, he's the king of Cellular Field (ok maybe the prince. When Konerko isn't there.) He did get a hit but he struck out 3 times. Oops!

Santana has an 8-game hitting streak! Not anything crazy - just one hit per game - but at least he's still getting walks too.

Raburn only got ONE hit today - but you know it was a double, and you know it was for an RBI. YOU KNOW IT!

Asdrubal got a hit! Not a homer, but he went 1 for 2 with a walk. He also got hit by a pitch. Way to take one for the team, homie!

Brantley got no hits, but of course he was a contributor, with a sac fly.

Time to switch out Aviles for Lonnie! He's in a Goon Slump!

Stubbs is no slumper, though. After coming back alive yesterday with 3 hits, he continued today with one more. And it was for an RBI!

Not the best performance today by the bats, after seeing what they could do yesterday. But Salazar's performance was a thing of beauty! A fitting tribute to Rapid Robert!

Let's hope they give us more excitement tomorrow, at 7:10 (really), with the big U against RHP 4.50. Should be time for some Giambi action and Gomes too. Let's hope Ubaldo goes like, 9 innings. That'd be a treat!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Ryan Raburn might want to spend the night here. He is very comfortable in this ballpark."
- Tom Hamilton

"I'll pretend I'm Aaron Rogers. He still hasn't tackled him."
- Tom Hamilton on avoiding Bears' linebacker Brian Urlacher

"Another good fastball by Salazar. Well...that's probably going to get redundant."
- Tom Hamilton