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!

That Went Well! Until it Didn't...

Trevor Bauer is finally coming in to his own this season! The kid has 19 innings over 3 games, with just 2 runs given up and 26 strikeouts. He is tied for the league lead in strikeouts! He's getting better, too - even though he gave up 4 hits today, he only walked 2!

Nick Hagadone and Bryan Shaw were even tight today! I guess they just had slow starts? The two of them combined for a scoreless, hitless 8th inning with 2 strikeouts between them. Shaw's ERA is still a portly 5.4 but Hagadone is down to a near-respectable 3.0

Oh, Bauer's ERA is .90, by the way.

The lineup was shaken up today. No Bourn, Kipnis leading off followed by Aviles. Jerry Sands was in there too.

Brett Hayes is our new backup catcher, if you didn't know. Not going to post a photo because I guarantee there is nothing to remember his face by. And anyway - half the time it'll be behind a mask!

Anyway, Brett Hayes had his first start with the Tribe today (he's been back and forth between the minors and MLB (Marlins, KC, Tribe) for 6 years now). He had no errors and he hit a home run! Hey hey! According to Twitter, Brett Hayes is officially better than Willie Mays Hays.

Hey guess what guys! Ryan Raburn is good again!

He's so good that when you look at him you can't tell if he's black & blue or white & gold!

Raburn got his 4th double of the season today, and his first home run! According to Tom Hamilton it was A-WAAAAAAAY out of here! Raburn is hitting .316 on the season with 6 hits in his last 5 games!

Michael Brantley got his 2nd double of the year tonight, and it was an RBI double! He's got 3 RBI already in only 5 hits. And only 6 games! Lord, we need him every day...

Mike Aviles, who I mentioned was batting second, was playing center field today. He was getting by pretty well, batting 2 for 3 with a walk and a fiesty run scored. He even had special headgear for people from tropical climes:

mlb.com

Except in the 9th inning he missed a ball that a "real" center fielder probably would have caught, and that sucked, but hey at least Handsome Mike is out there trying hard! I mean if he was the world's best center fielder he probably would not be playing shortstop on Tuesdays.

Anyway, all these nice things happened and then Cody Allen came in and gave up 4 runs on a walk and 6 hits, and we lost the game. The end.

Tomorrow's game is an 8:10 start with pitcher ... Carlos Carrasco! We'll get to see what a tough COOKIE he is! He'll be facing an RHP 3.86. As usual, maybe the Tribe will win. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Trevor Bauer keeping America clean. Picked up the wrapper and gave it to the bat boy. And got booed! Tough town."
- Tom Hamilton on a runaway hot dog wrapper

"Nobody ever knows the third base coach's name unless somebody gets thrown out at the plate."
- Tom Hamilton on Mike Sarbaugh

"Imagine you're a college baseball player facing the Huskies on a Friday night. You finally get Tim Lincicum out of the game only to face Nick Hagadone. You might consider joining the golf team instead."
- Tom Hamilton

"The Arizona Diamondbacks might be calling up Christ Antonetti asking for a mulligan."
- Tom Hamilton on the acquisition of Trevor Bauer

"He might be the best 23rd round pick in the history of the Indians franchise."
- Tom Hamilton on Cody Allen (before he blew it)

The Legend of #Jerry Sands

Wow, it was a long one tonight! In fact, today's 4:16 game was three minutes shy of the longest 9-inning game ever played at Progressive Field. The Tribe didn't win but the length can be attributed to them never giving up!

Kluber was our man today, which is exciting every time it happens! Wooohoo! Kluber day! He had one heck of a rough day, though. Only gave up 2 runs but the first run was a homer by the leadoff man. Owch... The next run was also in the first inning, goshdarn Victor Martinez hit into a double play and yet STILL managed to get an RBI. Being that he's Kluber, he got himself a reboot between innings and came back to go run-free through the 7th! Klube had 10 strikeouts today, which is more than he had his first game. Excelling already! They let him come in for the 7th (with a 1-run lead!) and ultimately throw 107 pitches. He got the first guy to strike out and that was it for Kluber, leaving with still a chance to get the win.

Except, the best bullpen in baseball was doing their impression of the worst bullpen in baseball, I think. Something went horribly wrong because it took 6 of them to give up 7 runs and ruin everyone's night. Zep - who came in that first night in Houston to throw one pitch and end the inning with a double play - came in tonight and did't even get one out before leaving the game with 2 earned runs under his belt.

Shaw gave up 3 hits and a run, and then Atchison finally stopped the bleeding to finish up the 7th.

Anthony Swarzak made up for his bad outing by having a good outing, leaving things exactly as he found them (no hits, no walks, no runs).

The Tribe had it all tied up going in to the 9th (woohoo!) when Cody Allen came in and just fucked everything. That's what happened, he fucked everything. Three runs. His ERA is now 21.60. So he's got to live with that.

The Boy Pitcher Kyle Crockett, who had heretofore been squeaky clean, also came in and gave up a run because all the older boys were doing it.

Tigers won it 9-6, that was the final of the game. Remember Kluber left when it was 3-2 Tribe.

Michael Brantley was out today, which makes everyone sad. Especially Michael Brantley. But we also want him to be as healthy as possible for as many games as possible so we'll all bite the proverbial bullet for now and see what these other guys can do without him.

They did manage to score 6 runs! And they came back from losing twice! And mostly it was due to Jerry Sands!

Jerry Whonow? Jerry Sands, you guys!

Jerry Sands came to us from Tampa Bay where he was recovering from wrist surgery. He only averaged .190 with them in 2014 and then .268 with the Durham Bulls. Then we brought him here and he had a great spring with 2 homers and 7 RBI, batting .304. Everyone wanted to see him in the lineup (right handed bat!) and since we were facing a lefty today well there Jerry was.

I mean - THERE JERRY WAS!!!

Jerry Sands went 3 for 4 today in his debut with the Indians, knocking in 4 runs and bringing the Tribe ahead of the Tigers once and then tied with the Tigers his second time.

Cleveland is currently in love with Jerry Sands (he plays right field, by the way) and even Progressive Field was getting in to it by leading the chants of "JER-RY! JER-RY!" Aren't we all so lucky his name isn't "Ron"?

Other batters to contribute today were Mike Aviles - who went 1 for 4 with a hit and a walk. He came around to score both times. Jason Kipnis who totally, totally is back, went 2 for 5 today to extend his hitting streak to 5 games. Also those two guys teamed up in the 9th inning with 2 outs to score a run. Cuz they got HEART!

Carlos Santana went 1 for 3 because he walked twice. Oddly enough he doesn't lead the league in walks yet (he has 6 to Ryan Hanigan's (BOS) 7) but he has walked in every game but one so he'll be at the top in no time!

Yan Gomes. Caught another guy stealing today. Then he got hurt while doin' his job in the 9th. And I don't mean protecting the plate I just mean keeping his foot on the plate while a guy comes running in. The guy was out, for what it's worth. But now Yan is scheduled for surgery on Monday. YUCK!!

Hooray for Roberto Perez and his decent start but Yan will be SORELY missed. And we might need to get rid of #Jerry to bring up a backup catcher!!! NOOOOO!!

Tomorrow is the last time we see those Tigers until...the end of the month. Whomp whomp. Tomorrow we really got to show them what we're made of. I wonder who will come up for Gomes?

It'll be TJ House's first start versus a LHP who also has no games yet this year. Let's see how our lefty does against this crazy Tiger lineup. Don't forget that Victor got hurt during this game, so he might be out too.

It's a 1:10 start - see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"That banned substance is not in something you buy at GNC."
- Tom Hamilton on how a player wonders how an illegal drug got in his system

"Most people didn't know who Jerry Sands was prior to yesterday's introductions. He could be the city's favorite son with one swing of the bat."
- Tom Hamilton

"Twitter aught to have a new name, call it 'Apology'. Every time someone says anything, the next day they issue an apology."
- Tom Hamilton

"Only in baseball can these scripts be written."
- Tom Hamilton on Jerry Sands

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

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!

All Caught Up!

I don't know what happened but I kept running in to roadblocks from being able to listen to Friday's and Saturday's game. I mean, I know what happened - I was out - but what happened that suddenly made me so popular?

Friday was Eddie Izzard at the Palace and man - if you haven't been out to Playhouse Square lately, go there! You can actually get dinner beforehand and drinks after at a variety of places. And there's an outdoor chandelier!

I tried to listen to Friday's game on Saturday but I got halfway through and it was time for Saturday's game. Then I fell asleep. Then I went to my friend's birthday cookout. Life is so complicated!

But I did get Saturday's game listened to, and half of Friday's and it's pretty cool - they didn't need me to win!

Friday was Kluber's game, and anyone can tell you that he doesn't need any help. He keeps slowly and quietly matching and breaking pitching records. According to Jordan Bastian:

Kluber's name now resides alongside some of the all-time great arms in Cleveland's long and storied history. With his 12 strikeouts on Friday, Kluber joined Dennis Eckersley (1976), Bob Feller (eight times), Sam McDowell (eight times) and Herb Score (1956) as the only pitchers over the past 100 years to strike out at least 60 batters in a single calendar month.

So there's that - 12 strikeouts, and a record alongside 4 of the biggest names in Tribe pitching history. How's that make you feel, Klube?

He pitched 7 1/3 on Friday so he just needed a little tidying afterwards from Zep (1 strikeout) and Cody Allen (2 strikeouts). They made it look easy!

Saturday was Trevor Bauer and he is proving to be the real deal now. He had a quality start with 6 innings, 2 earned runs and 8 strikeouts.

The Indians struck out the Rockies 26 times on Friday and Saturday, while the Rockies only struck out the Indians 10 times. Are the Rockies a high strike-out team? Actually, no - they are last in the NL for strikeouts (meaning they have the fewest). The Indians are third last in the AL for strikeouts, but 28th overall. Now you know.

Anyway, so, Scott Atchison - something happened cuz he gave up a homer then 2 guys got on so he left with 1/3 of an inning and 1 run scored. But then Josh Outman came in and on one pitch gave up a 3-run homer so Atchison got 2 more runs tacked on and Outman one. They had to bring in Bryan Shaw to save that mess, and then also pitch the 8th. And he did and it was good.

Cody Allen was all fancy closer today, coming in with just a 1-run lead. He walked one guy but the other 3 went quietly. Ballgame!

The offense was back to doing their thing, getting 21 hits and 12 runs (half price pizza RIGHT NOW!! And tomorrow) in these two games! After going a bunch of games without extra-base hits, the team had 3 doubles and a homer Friday night, and 2 more homers on Saturday! Even with all of those hits, neither game was an "everybody hits" game. Ha!

Michael Bourn had ended his little hitting streak the other day in Chicago, but he's back hitting again and put up 3 hits in these 2 games. He's got 16 hits over his last 10 games, in fact! No stolen bases, but he is hitting .288 so that's cool. Stay healthy, man!

OMG ASDRUBAL!!! I think I have missed all but one of Asdrubal's homers this year. Weird, right? I mean, he only has 4....but still, I think I missed 3 of them. Friday he got a 2-run jobby, and went 1 for 4 on the night. He's batting second right now, for what it's worth. Also coming out of a bit of a slump - we hope! Saturday he got a hit also, but he had 4 LOB...which sadly is what he's known for these days.

Michael Brantley (.303) is also getting in to the record books, by having the longest home hitting streak at Progressive/Jacobs field. His ended at 19 (he didn't get a hit Saturday) after breaking the 18-game record held by Kenny Lofton and Robby Alomar. The Municipal Stadium record is a bit higher, at 27 and the team record (I suspect spanning a couple stadiums) is 30. He got his 12th double on Friday and that was his only hit. He did come around to score twice!

Jason Kipnis is back in the lineup, batting 4th and he wasted no time getting hits, going 2 for 4! No runs or RBI but what are you gonna do? He came in to pinch hit on Saturday, got a walk and hustled in to score the winning run in the 8th!

Raburn was DH on Saturday and he is not doing well at all. Oh Raburn...we all have so much hope for you!

Gomes was moved up to 5th on Saturday, after an unproductive Friday, and he went 2 for 4 with a run scored!

Lonnie Chisenhall...

...Yes, him. He is just f'n amazing! He went 2 for 4 with a double (his team-leading 15th) and 2 RBI. Then Saturday he went 2 for 3 with a homer (his 3rd of the season and 3rd in 10 games), 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Saturday he was batting 8th because, why not? Why not score a ton of runs at the end of the lineup?! Oh yeah and he got his homer off a lefty today. He has only had like 14 at-bats against lefties this year but he's batting over .500 against him.

Lonnie every day, y'all!! People like to point out that he's not the best 3rd baseman, but neither is Santana and he is hitting like .200 higher Santana. And if we look at errors this year, Nick Swisher is not the best 1st baseman and Asdrubal is not the best shortstop but there they are. Every day. EVERY DAY!!!

Jesus Aguilar has been playing 1st while Swisher is out being old. Aguilar is humongous which is what you like in a first baseman (at least that's why they told me I was on first). He's still getting his shit together when it comes to the plate, but he's not much worse than Swisher right now. A few points worse, but I think the more he plays and the more he sees MLB pitching he'll fit in fine. He didn't get a hit Friday, but Saturday he went 1 for 2 before getting Kipnis as a PH.

David Murphy, good guy that he is, got hits both Friday and Saturday including a double. He came in to score both nights!

Mike Aviles didn't play Friday but Saturday he was back to being awesome! He seems kind of streaky - kind of like Matt LaPorta (which you will have from a bench player). But unlike LaPorta he is definitely more "on" than "off." In Saturday's game he got a 3-run homer in the 2nd, got a single in the 6th, and it was Aviles who got the winning RBI in the 8th when he got a single through the right side to score Lonnie from second. Viva Aviles!

All of Saturday's 7 runs came from the guys batting 8th and 9th. Cool!

Sunday is going to be a 1:05 start, Tomlin versus RHP 5.20. Wow, the scales are tipped HEAVILY in our favor on this one - now let's just hope that the whole team is on board with keeping up this hitting.

See you there!

Sorry for the slim pickin's on the Radio Chatter. I didn't hear anything that great! But the one quote I got was pretty good, I thought.

Radio Chatter:
"Something's gotta give this weekend. Will it be the Indians' strikeout staff or will it be the Rockies offense putting the ball in play?"
- Tom Hamilton

Best. Game. Ever.

Man, I was lamenting the lack of baseball last weekend and for the last three days the Tribe has been BRINGING it! And today, they served up 5 hours of epic, epic baseball! Even if they lost it woulda been epic but to end with a walkoff balk? UNBELIEVEABLE!!!

Good evening, sir...

Sad Albequerque

There was so much game today. So much. All the pitchers. All the hitters. Errors, stolen bases, guys thrown out at the plate, guys thrown out of the game, two Cabreras, two Martinezes, three starting pitchers and a guy who pitched relief for himself.

I almost am hesitant to recap this game because 1) I hope you read about it online and see it on TV and watch some videos 2) I hope you listened to/watched it anyway or maybe want to check out the replay tomorrow 3) It's so crazy, how could I possibly do it justice?!?

There were definitely low spots to this game. Two errors and a base-running mishap were big, plus a bad start from Zach McAllister. He's sort of falling down that same rabbit hole that Carrasco was, where he's putting together strings of bad starts. Except unlike Carrasco, he started off awesome. Is he hurt? I kind of hope he is...? Because you don't want him just turning bad overnight.

So after ZMac gave up 4 earned runs in 2 innings (plus one homer to start off the 3rd), he was done. Glad Francona got him out of there early. There was no time for playing around today! No one probably realized that there'd be 11 more innings to go, so relief became crazy important.

Atchison did as Atchison does and went 2 very strong innings with no runs scored. He actually didn't have to face the cream of their lineup but even the low guys on this team are all up over .230. Someone posted this amazing photo meme to Twitter and I love it:

@CLERallyChicken @Indians pic.twitter.com/4qUoAh8Hhe
— Nathan Edwards (@NateEddy4) May 21, 2014

Scott Atchison is old. Get it? Hilarious!

Zep was next and HE had to face the cream and it did not go so well for him. He gave up 2 runs and didn't make it out of the inning. Carlos Carrasco had to bail him out. Embarrassing! Cookie actually did ok and pitched 2 whole innings. He also frustrated Miguel Cabrera enough to get him to get ejected. Heynow! It was a lovely ejection. I love ejections. Here's the video - the Detroit announcers are like "Tim Timmons was quick to pull the trigger" and then a minute later "this is the third time he's been ejected at the plate" so....really, guys?

Next was Axford, who really fucking sucks. Two more runs. Although one was an un-earned run on an error but we'll blame that shit on him anyway. So he was no help in the length department, going only 1 out.

Next, Josh Outman. Fine. One full inning, no hits, no runs, no strikes, no balls. Huh!

Next was this guy:

No kidding! He was there for a Major League game! And he totally got 5 outs, including Don Kelly and Victor Martinez. Oh, his name is Kyle Crockett. Really awesome to see him blow through like that today - especially since the older, veteran, millionaire Axford couldn't get two outs.

Bryan Shaw, who was throwing his third game in a row, came out just to finish the 10th inning. Francona was out of pitchers, as Allen was just off the table and he was the last one. Who was next? Tomorrow's starter, Josh Tomlin! And his hair!

Tomlin threw THREE innings and basically pitched like he would have pitched tomorrow. Two hits, one earned run and SIX strikeouts. Yeeehaw! Don't mess with Texas!

After all that it was Tomlin who got the win, cuz it was still tied up when he came in and it was very un-tied by the time he left. So now the bullpen is SPENT and our starter for tomorrow is used up. Will be interesting to see what they do. I would figure they bring in the next starter but I am not in charge of such things. I'm sure there's a lot of gum-chewing going on right now in deep discussions about this.

So, that was just the pitching!

Would you believe....that not everyone got a hit today? I'll give you a guess as to who fell short. No, not Dick Swisher but really good guess. Carlos Santana, that's right! But did he walk? Of course.

Michael Bourn is going up up up again, today upping his total to 3 hits (last night, 2) with his 5th double of the year and 2 runs scored.

Asdrubal was kind of cooled off in the second spot, just going 1 for 6. He also got HBP in the knee, and I don't know how or why but he stayed in the game. I guess because he knew Yan Gomes was not going to be able to come in to play short for him. Plus it was the 13th inning so who wouldn't want to be on base when the winning run scored? And like, SCORE THE WINNING RUN? On a balk!

Michael Brantley (.302) is a god among men and I think we should all start sending him notes every day about how much we love having him in Cleveland. Why isn't he on Twitter? Why must we be forced to send him weird notes on paper? That's weird. Brantley went 4 for 7 today and got 3 RBI, including the tying RBI. He also stole 2 bases because, dangit, nobody else was. And 2 of his RBI came with 2 outs. So, get your purple pens out and start telling him how awesome you think that is!!

David Murphy being a good guy is a meme now, or at least a trending Twitter hashtag. Check it out, there are some very clever photo memes being made! Today, Murphy and the Lord teamed up together go to 2 for 6 but most importantly they had 4 RBI. Including a 2-run homer in the 9th to tie the game. A.MEN.

Nick Swisher is still on our team. He had a walk and then got a pinch runner in Justin "SellBlock" Sellers.This guy:

California love

Jason Giambi got his first hit of the season! He also walked. Somehow, this didn't translate in to any RBI or runs scored but it's nothing but up from here. Uh...I hope. He woulda been up during the balk but they had Raburn pinch run for him, so it was Raburn who "won" the game!

You've already heard the sad, sad tale of C-los, batting 7th.

The Chiz Kid played at third and first today. He moved to first after Swisher came out for pinch runner Sellers, who plays second. Aviles went from second to third. Easy peasy. More Lonnie at first, please!

Lon went 2 for 5 today with a walk, and his 11th double on the season. He got an RBI and came in to score 2 runs. He did have an error (tied for 5 with Santana) and a base-running blunder but fuck it. Dude is hitting .367. Nick Swisher has 6 errors and he does nothing to contribute at the plate. Bah.

Handome Mike had a Handsome game today, himself. he went 3 for 6, also with a double, and also with an RBI and 2 runs scored. He did a really nice job hustling to score the tying run on Brantley's single in the 13th. Aviles is everything!

Man that was so much awesome baseball, I never want it to stop. It's like a rebirth, with all the fun on Twitter and talking to the non-usuals about what a great game it was and watching highlights and seeing all the memes and stuff. Is this the start of something good?

My brother posited "What happened with the Tribe?" and my answer was they FINALLY happened! It's not too weird that they played like this today (except McAllister) - the weird part is that they HAVEN'T played like this all season! And not just today but all 3 games here. This is totally the team I was bragging on the day before the season started, and the team I was sure would be knocking on Detroit's door all season. What changed to bring this out in them? Was it the lineup changes? The personnel changes? The return of Giambi? Quicker Columbus trigger fingers?

Whatever it is, we must see it carry over to the Baltimore series. It's imperative. And if it does - it's FINALLY going to be an awesome season for us!

Tomorrow they face Baltimore in Baltimore. It'll be a MYSTERY PITCHER (since Tomlin pitched today) versus LHP 3.69. O noes! LHP! It will be a fine test indeed.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Of all people that you can't give a 4-run lead to, it's Max Scherzer."
- Tom Hamilton

"Max Scherzer is probably saying [to his pitching coach] 'Why don't you talk to my defense and ask them to catch a fly ball?'"
- Tom Hamilton

"This Tiger club with their offense, they are never out of a ballgame."
- Tom Hamilton

"Carlos Santana must feel like a pinata when he's catching. I've never seen someone take so many foul tips."
- Tom Hamilton

"It's almost like Scherzer started the game then Scherzer came in for long relief."
- Tom Hamilton

"If you're just joining us...yikes, you've missed a lot."
- Tom Hamilton

"Martinez knew it was strike three. The only person who didn't was [umpire] Tim Timmons."
- Tom Hamilton

"Knowing Josh Tomlin, he probably went up to Terry Francona and said 'Hey, put me in there.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"They heard Miquel Cabrera probably say some things they probably should not repeat."
- Tom Hamilton on what the kids at the field for Weather Day may have learned instead

"We enjoyed lunch with you, now we enjoy supper."
- Tom Hamilton

"HOW ABOUT THAT!! We now. have seen. Everything!! A walkoff balk! Unbelieveable!"
- Tom Hamilton

 

Bauer Boy, Tell 'Em!

Again, with the baseball! The Tribe playing baseball!

And, hey - Everybody hits!!

But first - our main man Trevor Bauer.

Awww yeah! The kid is back, and he's the perfect guy to throw out there against Verlander because he's totally a cocky sunofagun. Trevor Bauer ain't afraid! He didn't strike out too many in his 6 innings - just 5. He also gave up 2 homers. Solo homers, though. Otherwise, he was getting the ground outs, just like Justin Masterson (who normally is out there on Verlander days!) Bauer got up to 100 MPH, according to the Progressive Field gun. And according to Jim Rosenhaus it's a couple digits high, but whatever - it's worth a shout-out! I remember last time I saw Verlander pitch in 2011 he was throwing 100. But what was special about that it that it was the 8th inning and his 111th pitch. HA!

Bauer finished 6 innings with 95 pitches. No HBP, no wild pitches. Great stuff! Bryan Shaw came in to do what Bryan Shaw does - namely throw TWO innings with no hits and no runs. And of course he faced some .330+ worth of batters because their entire lineup is crazy good. Shaw got an out and a double play in the 7th, then in the 8th Kinsler popped out, Lonnie made a double-saving play at third and then Shaw strikes out Miggy. Yep!

So what was left after that? Cody Allen versus only like, .300 worth of batting average. V-Mart, Austin Jackson (who is always just awesome against the Tribe) and Castellanos. Strikeout, out, out. BALLGAME! No problem for Cody Allen!!

Like I was talking about yesterday, we need some REAL BASEBALL around here and that meant not only pitching and hitting but some stellar FIELDING too. Today we got it again. The aforementioned awesome stop by Chiz. Another outfield assist by Brantley - his league-leading 5th of the season (I love having an awesome player that nobody seems to know!) THREE double plays and no errors!

The Tribe got 12 hits! Eleven of them were off Justin Verlander. Holy SMOKES! Four doubles and a homer off the man, and 5 earned runs.

Michael Bourn had a good night, going 2 for 5 with 2 big doubles, one for an RBI. And he totally rocked Verlander by stealing 3rd - only his 3rd steal this year but I guess that makes him more surprising to catchers! Bourn's got 12 hits in his last 10 games, by the way.

Asdrubal again in the 2-hole and he's heating up again, going 2 for 3 with NO strikeouts. A walk, a run and an RBI. His average is a big, beautiful, beefy, round .268!!! And two DP for him today to boot! (No, no booting.) He's got 14 hits over his last 10 games.

Michael Brantley (.291) is still our God. He should make $45mm a year. He "only" went 1 for 4 today - 6-game hitting streak! But he had that huge outfield assist, nabbing Ian Kinsler in the 5th. Boop!

Lonnie Chisenhall had the cleanup spot today. Which...duh! Dude is batting .366. Not leading the team in homers (er...he has none) but he's up there in doubles. He leads on on-base percentage. Still not enough at-bats to qualify though, as they just don't let him hit versus lefties. Grr! He only went 1 for 4 today but he got the job done on that one with an RBI!

David Murphy was the last guy to get a hit today, but he's such a good guy he wanted me to update my list and so he got a HOMER in the 7th! He also walked.

Santana's chillin' down in the 6 spot. He got a single to go off Miggy's glove and roll down the first-base line, and 'Los took the opportunity to try to hustle out a double. I know he stole a base the other day but really he ain't that fast. I also know that he was counting on Miggy to go all slow on the play - and he did - but his throw still beat out Santana at second and he was out. He went 1 for 4 today then (that 1 was a 1 and out) with 2 strikeouts.

Nick Swisher is batting above .200 now. He is much less scared of the ball batting 7th.

Gooooomes! A big 'ol double and a walk tonight. His walk was made way more exciting when it was followed up by a huge 2-run double from Aviles to start off a 4-run inning. Yeah! Handsome Mike is back to wow us!

So nice to see everyone playing good baseball today. Wish they had it in them to play like this before...but we can't go back so let's hope it goes on forward forever!!

Tomorrow is a noon game, our chance to sweep the series. And you know what? JOHN ADAMS WON'T BE THERE!!! Wow. What do we do? How do we score? I sure hope people are filling the stands and going crazy in his stead.

YOU GO BE THIS!

It'll be ZMac trying to redeem himself for not being Kluber or Bauer, versus Scherzer who is actually better than Verlander and was last year too. But he's a righty so NO PROBLEM.

Noon! See you there!

No Radio Chatter tonight. I was at my niece's pre-school graduation. Here she is, a lifetime ago in 2013.

See Any Good Baseball Today?

Wooooooooah! Look at all those numbers! "Crooked numbers" as they say. Woooooah!

Today we'll go over the game in order of awesome. Starting with:

Corey Kluber! The Klubot! Totally stoked to have gone 7 innings, only giving up 2 runs and getting a huge win. Nine strikeouts and just 4 hits for the fourth-highest scoring team in the league!

Yeah you are!

Now for the hit parade!

David Murphy: Came back from wherever his head was and not only got 5 hits today (praise the Lord!), and not only were 3 of those hits doubles, but he also got 5 RBI! It's not too terribly strange for Murph to get that many hits in a game (May 19 and May 30, 2013) but he didn't get 5 RBI in any game in the past 4 years that I can see. He only got 15 total in 2012! Now, let's just hope that this is the start of something awesome - again - for our new friend David Murphy.

Lonnie Baseball: Be still my beating heart! The Chiz Kid's first 5-hit game. And to be honest it nearly was a 6-hit game had that outfielder not made a good guess as to where to position himself. One of Lonnie's hits was a double (his 9th) and curiously, he only had one RBI and no runs scored.

Yanimal: Yan Gomes "only" got 2 hits tonight but his final hit was just a thing of beauty. With the Tribe already up 12-2, he let loose with a big bomb out to right field for THREE runs to make it 15-2! Also - No errors!

OMG ASDRUBAL!!!: Everyone was riled up about him GIDP with the bases loaded in the third, but hey - how many hits do you have this year? And he stole a base and there was a review that stood, then 2 seconds later he was out at third. Again - how many have you stole?? He did end up going 3 for 5 with a walk. He got his 10th double. He came around to score 3 times. He got an RBI. His average went up 13 points and is now 60 points higher than Dick Swisher. So nonny nonny to you!!

Handsome Mike: Actually not as on fire as he's been lately ("Mister May" so to say) but of course he contributed tonight! He went 2 for 6 with both a run scored and an RBI. Unfortunately for Lonnie and his 5 hits, Aviles left 7 men on base. Yeowch!

The Other Michael: Bourn - still hangin' tough out there. Still not bench-able. Today he went 2 for 6 with a run scored and an RBI. It's sort of miraculous that 5 games on the turf seems to have taken out both Brantley and Morgan (back and knee - we'll know more tomorrow) but the guy with the bad hamstring - who is doing a lot of running due to hits - is still standing upright. Not only that but he totally chugged it out for a triple, his 4th so far this year! Hope he stays healthy (and learns to hit better against lefties) because he is IT for now!

Carlos: Heck yeah, Carlos Santana got a hit today! And remember all that stuff I said about catchers yesterday? And how he didn't score from second yesterday? Well today he totally scored from second AND he also stole a base. Shut me up!

Brantley/Morgan/Ramirez: Brantley's out with some back trouble. Precautionary. Morgan came in for him and banged his knee on a play and left the field today wearing a soft cast. Jose Ramirez came in to play second and they sent Handsome Mike out to left to cover all the injuries. And Jose Ramirez got an RBI single! He also came around to score twice. Ole!

Nick Swisher: Can go suck an egg.

I can't wait to go see those Jays one more time! Their bullpen seems to be pretty tapped, with 3 guys going longer than an inning each. Then there was the fun times of a position player coming in to pitch (and Lonnie getting a hit off him!)

Tomorrow will be another 7:07 start with another fair-to-middlin' starter for the opposition. LHP 4.63. The guy's last start only went 2 innings so we might wear him down early. Good times!

Now, let's hope Cousin Michael is there to join us. Say a little prayer and see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"...Rosie walked in with one of those holster sets...from Toy Story..."
- Tom Hamilton telling some weird story about Rosie and the engineer and Buzz Lightyear

"If you thought the strike zone was small before, Esmil Rogers, he has now got a thimble-sized home plate to throw to."
- Tom Hamilton

"On the wrap-up show we'll share with you the game highlights. That should take you to morning rush-hour."
- Tom Hamilton

"This looks like a Little League scorecard."
- Tom Hamilton

Life's A Happy Song

Life's a Happy Song on Disney Video
With someone to pitch strikes and someone to bash the ball over the fence and also just get the ball in play with RISP, you know?! That doesn't rhyme at all but when you match our now-dominant starting rotation with some guys whose bats are hot, it sure makes things look like sunshine and happiness on the road ahead. You know, when you have your pals to back you up and stuff. If you're not backing up the Klubot, your heart is not really in it.

Tribe's won FOUR in a row! Wahooooo!

Corey Kluber gave up 9 hits. What?? Wow....9 hits! But 9 strikeouts, NO walks and just 2 earned runs! It was big big big that Kluber didn't allow but 2 runs to cross because it took until the 6th inning for the Tribe to score. Leave it to Kluber to carry the team on his back for 6 innings. He can handle it!

Zep and Shaw came in for the remainder of the 7th and the 8th, doing what they do best. Which is not letting anyone score. One hit and 2 strikeouts between them.

John Axford, I am very done with. He gave up 2 hits and 2 walks and a run. Then he loaded the bases and the winning run came up to the plate with 2 outs. And I still feel very wobbly from this experience. I hate the idea of making light of PTSD, so I need a different term for how I feel about unreliable closers. Or rather, a term for how we feel when things are the same-ol-same-ol as they have been in the recent past for Cleveland fans.

Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus are SO over Axford. I've never heard them be so down on an Indians player as they were today with Axford. And also Carlos Santana. I think being in Florida makes people do and say things more freely. But when Hammy gives up on you...woah man, you are way doing it wrong.

Cody Allen came in to get the third out in the 9th to end the game. Because you can ALWAYS count on Cody Allen! End of story.

So Michael Bourn got a triple today. That's pretty cool. But he also went 1 for 5, striking out 3 times. It's really hard to watch that sort of thing when you know Nyjer Morgan is 30 feet away...

Swisher actually went 2 for 5 today. So yay for him. I just had an idea, though....Aviles at first when Kipnis comes back. Do you love it?!

Michael Brantley (.286) actually only went 1 for 5 today but check it out, fools: 1) He doesn't get paid $15mm a year and 2) His one hit was a HOME RUN, man! It was his 7th of the year and 31st RBI and he didn't hit that level until July in 2013. Go on with your bad self!

Carlos Santana walked twice, and came in to score once. Classic 2014 Santana....but how long do we have to put up with him at clean-up? Tom Hamilton was just murderous on him today!

David Murphy did nothing today. Nothing. What's up with that?

On the other hand...OMG ASDRUBAL!!!! You shoulda seen how the Twitter was burning up with praise for our Cabby! Tom Hamilton was blown away by his turnaround! @sportsyelling was confused at all the good! Everyone was putting up stats about how good Asdrubal has been lately! He hit his second home run in 2 games (third of the year) and got the team's first run in the 6th. He went 3 for 4 today with no strikeouts, giving him NINE hits in his last 3 games. He raised his average from .205 on the 6th to .254 today. I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP!!!

Now, please, MLBJesus, let this be the new trend and not just a temporary breaking of a season-long slump. Amen.

Yan Gomes, who has yet to thrill me with his post-paternity-leave explosion, at least has a 3-game hitting streak and today he went 2 for 5 with an RBI and a run scored. Oh, and he caught a guy stealing and once again didn't throw it in to the outfield! Maybe this weekend he'll show off his dad muscles. His folks were there watching the game tonight. Adorbs.

Lonnie Baseball was just 1 for 3 today but once again making things happen - he got hit by a pitch. Never a dull moment!

Holy cats - MIKE AVILES!! He is hanging tough with Asdrubal and Brantley and getting all of the excitement for this team! Jason Kipnis is actually afraid for his job! (Although I know Aviles can play first or third if needed....) Tonight he had just one hit and it was the big hit that I don't think ANYONE has been able to get so far this year. That is, the game-winning homer that brought in all of the RISP. He had struck out his first 2 times up but after Brantley homered in the inning and Gomes got his RBI single, Aviles LAUNCHED one to give us 3 more runs, making the score 6-2. BOOM!

After all that, the Tribe still left 10 guys on base. Imagine if they were hitting with men on. I guess baby steps...now at least they're hitting at all? Can't believe we won 4 in a row, though!

Tomorrow is an evening game, at 7:10. ZMac versus LHP 4.35. Their pitcher looks just no good, so it's going to be hard for the team to avoid hitting him. How about ZMac with a complete game now? Sounds like fun!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Tampa doesn't have a weather issue, they just have a lack of fans interested in coming to see the team play."
- Tom Hamilton

"Odorizzi is going to make sure that the folks selling beer here at Tropicana Field are going to have a long time to sell it. [...] He lulls everybody to sleep, including his defense."
- Tom Hamilton

"Holy cow! How do you get that hot in two games? Asdrubal Cabrera is scorching!"
- Tom Hamilton

"It's like he's made up his mind to swing the bat when the ball is halfway to the plate."
- Tom Hamilton on Carlos Santana

"It doesn't matter how you get that run in from third, as long as you get it in."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way he's swinging that bat, he's never leaving this lineup!"
- Tom Hamilton on Mike Aviles

"I told you it was a goofy night, folks! You can't have Tom Jones and 80-yr-old men dancing!"
- Tom Hamilton on the between-inning entertainment

"Wow. Wow wow wow."
- Tom Hamilton on Axford's performance in the 9th

"The Indians are going to feel like they plowed the back 40 the way this game is going."
- Tom Hamilton is tired and wants to go home

"Bottom line this game should not have come down to this in the 9th inning."
- Tom Hamilton

"They were cruising until John Axford literally had this Tropicana roof fall in on him."
- Tom Hamilton employs hyperbole

"If this whole year is going to be like this, none of us is going to have a heartbeat by October."
- Tom Hamilton

What Snowmen Do In Summer

Today's temperature at game time was 20 degrees above what it was at the beginning of Monday's game. By the end of today's game, there was nearly a 40-degree spread from the temp at the end of Monday's game. Is warm weather and sun what it takes to get these guys hitting where we expect?

Some guys didn't live up to expectations* but the guys who did step up stepped up BIG. In fact this is the first time since 2009 that the team has had 4 players with 3 hits or more in a game. There were 15 hits! Nine extra-base hits! Nine runs scored! And over 13,000 fans there - what an afternoon!

The numbers to focus on for Justin Masterson are of course are equally as important. Six and 1/3 innings, 7 strikeouts, only 2 earned runs. He walked 4, hit a guy and committed an error but even through all that, there was just the 2 runs. And even though there were 4 runs total on his watch - this lineup was FINALLY able to overcome whatever deficit the pitcher (and the defense) put up.

Scott Atchison - who "Can't help that he has gray hair and looks like the groundkeeper for the Red Sox" according to Francona - came in to finish the 7th and also throw the entire 8th. He did let one of Masty's runners score to start off with, but then he had a 1-2-3 8th inning. A 1.88 ERA!

Carlos Carrasco pitched the 9th, which is fine. He had a 5-run lead. It was fine.

Nyjer Morgan wasn't in today, but he was reportedly in the dugout being an awesome cheerleader! Keep it up, Tony Plush!

The first two batters were crummy so we won't mention them. It's never a bad thing to leapfrog to Michael Brantley, anyway!

Brantley (.289) went 3 for 5 today, a triple away from the cycle! Three hits, 2 runs scored, 3 RBI. No strikeouts for cousin Michael, natch. He is second in the league in RBI now with 29, just behind Colabello's 30.

Santana had a hit and a walk! He hustled it to first for his single. Unfortunately none of this translated in to runs.

They're still working on Murphy and Cabrera as 5 and 6 hitters. They're perfect for that spot if they can get going - and today they did!

Murphy went 3 for 4 with 2 doubles and a walk! He came in to score twice and got an RBI. And he stranded no one! What a good fella.

Asdrubal had some kind of day today! Of course I missed his first hit - a home run in the 2nd inning because of work stuff. Grr. But I was there for the rest of the excitement. Just like I was there - literally, in the park - for his two 5-hit games in 2012. Just sayin'... Anyway, he also totally flubbed a ball which let 2 runs score but he wasn't charged with an error. In exchange for that, his RBI hit in the 8th inning where he made it to third base was not counted as a triple, it was a double and uhm...not an error. Not sure how it was a double. But it was and he didn't get the cycle. But hey! A 4-hit game with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored! OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Chiz Kid got no hits today but as I like to point out, he was still in the middle of things. He ended up going 0 for 3 but came in to score twice. He got on base from catcher interference in the 6th, and in the  7th he grounded in to a force out but reached first and then came around to score. Stay in it, Lonnie Baseball!

Good thing everyone got acquainted with Handsome Mike last night, because he was back again being a big player today! He had another 3-hit game with 2 doubles. Although he didn't leave any men on base, he somehow managed to not get any runs scored or any RBI. That's kind of weird right? But hey - hits is hits and now his average is a crazy .328!

Fun time today interacting with the Indians' Twerps on Twitter. Wondering what people who go to day games do for a living. Someone is very excited because they took a picture of Terry Francona driving his scooter on the bridge, and the Tribe is 3-0 since he posted the pic.

Oh and now that that's all over, I guess the next 29 hours will be spent talking about the NFL draft. Sigh.

While the all-important Draft is going on, the Tribe will be traveling to Florida - where it is ALWAYS warm! - to take on the Rays for 3 games. The Rays' record is as bad as ours so that's good. And it'll be Kluber (again? Already? Yay!) versus RHP 6.83. I look forward to more hits upon hits upon hits!

*Other than Chisenhall, the guys who didn't live up to expectations were Bourn and Swisher, neither of whom got a hit and who are the two highest-paid players on our team by miles. Not very positive thoughts about these guys so they go as a footnote.

Radio Chatter:
"Kevin Correia, in no hurry to get to Detroit."
- Tom Hamilton on the hesitation of the Twins pitcher

"The way Masterson looks today, one run might be enough."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way the pitching has been, they have a chance to win every night if they get the bats going."
- Tom Hamilton says the truth

"Doink!"
- Tom Hamilton describes a foul ball hitting the Terrace Club

"Number thirteen looks like he's back!"
- Tom Hamilton

"Horses used motor oil in 1866?"
- Tom Hamilton is pissing off the sponsor

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

Bases Loaded!!

Aaaaaargh!!! Bases loaded!!! I'm starting to get turned off by bases loaded situations because it just means DISAPPOINTMENT.

On to other things, though.

Kluber, not so good.

Kipnis, hurt.

Santana!!! He went 2 for 4 with his 3rd homer and 3 RBI! What what what???

All right!

Both Brantley and Cabrera snapped double-digit no-hit streaks tonight. Brantley went 1 for 3 with a double and an RBI and Asdrubal went 3 for 4!! Wahoo!

But like...what's with the no-hit streaks, guys?

Giambi was in tonight and he is still batting .000. And he struck out twice. However, he did almost put one over the wall which made Tom Hamilton super excited. But you know...horseshoes and hand granades.

Mike Aviles stepped in when Kipnis got hurt, and ended up going 2 for 2. That's some Goon Squad shit right there. He's hitting .255....just like Brantley.

So the team actually got a lot of hits today but they left a lot of dudes on base. And then the starter AND the bullpen gave up too many runs - the Angels out-hit us 12-10. Everything is bad, man. Everything.

Tomorrow is a weird one, in that it's at 7:05 Eastern but being played in Anaheim. I guess 4:05 games aren't unheard of. It'll be our man McAllister versus a LHP with a similar ERA so that's cool. Another fair shot to win at least ONE game on this road trip.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"With these winds at Angel Park, a hot dog wrapper has a chance to end up in Honolulu by morning."
- Tom Hamilton

"You have to have a gameplan when you go to the plate. You also have the ability to not panic..."
- Tom Hamilton

"I know beer makes you brave, but that one is going to send that guy to the doctor."
- Tom Hamilton on a fan trying to catch a liner

"We saw him in Studio City...Keifer Sutherland. You'd be surprised how small he is. And he's saving the world!"
- Tom Hamilton

"Sometimes this replay review leaves you with more questions than answers."
- Tom Hamilton

"This club's not playing well in any facet, Rosie."
- Tom Hamilton

Oh, THIS Again...

Both of the Indians' wins this year so far have come in the 9th inning. Are we going to do this again?! I guess I kind of like it, if it's going to be "our thing." It shows that the team has a lot of "stick-to-it-tive-ness." I also would like some early-inning blowouts but it's early yet. And I'll always take any kind of win.

Oh man, long day of baseball, right? Except for a half hour gym break I've been baseballin' for 11 hours now. I've been trying to listen to more sports talk radio and since there was the double header today, they were actually talking baseball today instead of Browns.

All that baseball and it kind of sucks that today's first game was such a dud. I can handle a loss but such a booooring loss after a boooooring win on Monday? And it broke our 11-game regular-season winning streak (started in 2013).

The best thing about the first game was that Kipnis had relaxed and instead of 3 strikeouts he got 2 hits and NO strikeouts! Atta boy!

Aviles was in there for the first (and second) game, and he got a double alongside Kipnis. In the two games they had Asdrubal, Aviles and Kipnis rotating around DH and the middle infield and I really like that that's an option. No need to wear out either guy but then no need to bench them, since right now we don't have a DH. Giambi better watch out if the three guys keep hitting - this might be a permanent thing!

Game 1 also featured an extremely competent play by Santana at third - and also our first review! The MLB is happy with their decision to do reviews - I can tell because they added a little "Review" graphic to their video highlights. The call stood, by the way. The Santana-to-Gomes putout stood. But everyone was like "OMG THAT TOOK FOREVER!" and it kind of did. There was a review in the second game too (srsly?) and it took just a moment and that got a golf clap from Tom Hamilton, who waits for no man.

Nothing much else happened in that game other than Kluber and Pestano both being awful, and I don't want to talk about it. Being that this is The Positive Tribe and not Comprehensive Indians News, I don't have to!

The pitching was way better in game 2 but the offense was still plagued by LOB. Left. On. Base. Everyone was left on base! Same problems haunting us.

Starting with the pitching...Zach McAllister was our man for the night game and he wasn't very sharp. He only made it through four innings and gave up 3 runs. He did strike out four so that's a thing.

The arm of the night was Mark Rzepczynski (heretofore known as "Zep") who threw a long 2 1/3 innings and gave up nothing but a walk. Very nice piece of long relief! They had brought CC Lee all the way from Columbus as our 26th man ... I guess assuming the starters wouldn't last long? But I suppose they didn't assume the middle relievers would go so long!

After Zep were Shaw, Allen and Axford. No runs were given up aside from an un-earned run during Shaw's turn. Allen ended up with the W so he's actually got two Ws and Axford got the S and he's got 2 of those! Axford shortened his stint today after Monday's 28-pitch close. Today he managed it in just 12.

Let me tell you about Nyjer Morgan. Reading about his past, I think there are a lot of things to say about Nyjer Morgan. However, it seems that Tom Hamilton does not want to talk about any of those things - so for the last 3 games we've not heard much about Nyjer Morgan other than he was a young hockey star from California. That is odd because he is from California, and he's black, and it turns out he is a good baseball player. Well, he is a paid baseball player - all he's done so far is walk and get a sac fly for us. I wonder how long Hamilton will stick with this story?

Ryan Raburn - now THERE'S a baseball player! In true Goon Squad style he came in in the 6th to replace the un-productive Morgan, led off the 9th with a single and game in to score the tying run! As expected!

Kipnis was the DH for this game, and even though he didn't get a hit he was there being Kipnis, making stuff happen. In the 7th he walked and stole a base, and came around to score the tying run. In the 9th he got on via a force out, stole second to eliminate the double play, then came around to score the go-ahead run. All of this without a hit!

Santana was in a groove this evening. Either he was fueled by his nifty 3rd base work in the early game or he was happy to be back behind the plate. Whatever the case, he went 2 for 3 with 2 walks and a run. When Santana hits, the Tribe wins!

Michael Brantley (.364) didn't get a hit until the 9th, and he actually left 4 men on base. HOWEVER, being that he's Michael Brantley of COURSE he ended up getting a hit! And to the A's dismay, he was the man at the plate in the 9th with the bases loaded, only one out and the Tribe down a run. Statistics show that Michael Brantley was going to get a hit and statistics were on the money. Cousin Michael got his hit and the tying run and the go-ahead run and a little more of my devotion!

After leading off the first game, Asdrubal was down in the 7-hole for the night game. He was actually reliable today, and I don't mean reliably striking out when the game was on the line. He got hit by a pitch and intentionally walked so he was totally IN it, man. He got a hit, too, and came around to score.

David Murphy, who I totally still know nothing about, got his second hit in two games which was an RBI single for an insurance run in the 9th. Let's find a picture of David Murphy, so we can become better acquainted.

Hmm...I still don't feel like I know you. But now I know you played for the Rangers.

Here's a guy we all know - Mike Aviles! Raburn's fellow Goon Squad guy was doing second base this game, and he did all the goons proud! 'Cuz he is the first Indian to get a homer today, in that big cavernous Oakland Coliseum. Neat! He also stole a base, and he also was in the middle of two defensive double plays. You gotta love that guy!

The Chiz Kid, Lonnie Chisenhall, made his debut at third today while Santana was catching (boy, is this team stacked right for double headers or what?) He went 1 for 2 and then was pulled for Elliot Johnson because I don't know why.  Johnson didn't do anything but strike out.

So that was that. The box scores said it was 6:35 worth of baseball, with dinner inbetween. Tom Hamilton wants you to know that a long plane ride from Oakland to Cleveland is WAY better when you're 2-1 and not 1-2. He repeated it three times.

Tomorrow is going to suck because one, I have lost several hours of sleep this week and two - no baseball! That's two days of no baseball after waiting so long for baseball then having some baseball and...grr. But Friday is going to be AWESOME!!! Barring the rain.

Can't wait - SEE YOU THERE!!!

Radio Chatter:
"The Bash Brothers...should have been known as the Syringe Brothers..."
- Tom Hamilton

"The video board here in Oakland, you can't see anything anyway. It's a Philco video board from 1955. They use stick figures for the players."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way Scott Kazmir looks now, this game's over."
- Tom Hamilton in the 6th

"Derek Norris, running the bases like Chuck Norris."
- Tom Hamilton apparently thinks Chuck Norris would be caught in a rundown

"Let's see...Josh Lindbloom made 14 pitches to get 4 outs, Zach McAllister made 36 pitches to get 3 outs."
- Tom Hamilton

"Boy that long plane ride would look a lot better with a split, wouldn't it?"
- Tom Hamilton