Josh Tomlin Will Save Us All

Hey, Josh Tomlin is back! He was a big part of our 2012 rotation and then he got bit by the shoulder bug and he missed the end of 2012 and all of 2013 with the Tommy John. Lots of rehab and lots of Columbus later (Carlos Carrasco got his spot in the rotation this spring. OOPS!) he is now back with the club pitching like he never left!

He didn't have an outstanding outing and there wasn't anything too memorable about it but it seemed very special to have him back and to be throwing so well. It was a quality start, with 6 2/3 innings where he gave up 4 hits resulting in 1 run, and struck out 4. No extra bases off him, no hit batsmen and only one walk. Dang - some of the other guys have hardly had a game like that and it's already May!

I was quite curious about Tomlin's hair today - facial and otherwise. Sometimes he's got some crazy mustache going, or long curly locks, or sometimes he just looks like Joe Baseball. I can only find the one photo so far, in the official MLB photos for the game and wow - he's got some hair going on! Yeah yeah all of your television people are completely over it by now but those of us with only radio access get off on the visual suspense!

Zep finished off the 7th, and then Scott Atchison came in for the 8th. Atchison struck out 2 and zipped out of his inning in 19 pitches. Bryan Shaw came out for the 9th and...gave up a run! Noooooo! What's up with that? The bad, it's catching. But anyway, the Tribe had set them up with enough runs early in the game that giving up a run in the 9th was no big deal. Tribe wins!

The first two innings were SUPER fun! Five hits and 4 runs, including an un-earned run on an error "through the wickets." Or rather, "Buckner!" This was for the Tribe, by the way. They were the ones getting hits and scoring runs.

But then it was pretty boring after that. Tomlin kept the Twins quiet but other than a hit and 2 walks, that was it for the Tribe lineup.

The early excitement came from a double by Swisher, followed by an RBI single by Brantley (.269). David Murphy came up and hit that "Buckner" to right field, allowing Brantley to score from first. We'll take it!

In the second, Chisenhall kept it going with a single, and was again in the middle of things when Deduno balked, sending him to second. It was a good place to be when Gomes came up and doubled to center! Gomes made it to third on a ground-out, and then Swisher got him in with a single.

And that's about the long and short of it. Murphy got an infield single, and both Brantley and Chiz walked. Ryan Raburn, who is not being very Goon-y this year, came in to pinch for Morgan and he hit a really long ball but not long enough.

Another error for Gomes, and another for Asdrubal. 33 errors in 33 games. Huh. Is no good.

Here is a man in a funny baseball hat.

Tomorrow is a NOON game so make sure you tune in! It'll be the rubber match in the series, with Masterson versus RHP 6.09. All Masty really needs is 1 or 2 runs to win. They can give him that right?

I don't have any Radio Chatter for tonight, although there were some funny moments. They came when I was washing dishes and taking a shower, though. Gah. But good news! I have some left over from yesterday's game, which didn't deserve a blog post. Lucky you!

Radio Chatter:
"I just saw Rudolph poke his nose out."
- Tom Hamilton on the weather

"After all, it's 'Go play baseball' not 'Go work baseball.'"
- Tom Hamilton on why you should always smile when you show up at the ballpark

"Boy I got up this morning thinking 'I hope Hammy quotes JJ Evans today.'"
- Jim Rosenhaus

"If you keep tipping your cap, you'll get tendinitis in your elbow."
- Tom Hamilton on how the offense needs to step up

After All That...

Blowing Timmy out of the game, one hit over 4 innings for McAllister, being up by 3 runs into the 5th, and after all that - a big ol loss.

More problems with leaving runners on base and not getting those guys home. Lots more problems with the fact that our cleanup hitter is batting .128.

McAllister totally had it going on....until he didn't. He didn't even make it a quality start. He was out after 5 innings, after giving up 4 runs in that 5th inning on 4 hits and a walk. He had an error on a pickoff, though - that didn't seem to do him well.

Of course, with our lineup, a guy should be able to have an off day. ZMac gets an off day being that he's so far been our best pitcher. But they had 9 hits and left 9 on base. That does not get anyone anywhere.

ZMac got his first hit, though! They kept the ball for him.

And Kluber came in to run for Giambi in the 9th! Cool!

Michael Bourn looked good coming out of the gate. He stretched his hit into a double, then tagged up and took third when Swisher hit a fly ball to short left because the left fielder wasn't paying attention. Right after that, Kipnis hit Bourn in for the team's first run.

Swisher got 2 doubles today, so now he's hitting about 50 points under what we're paying him for.

Kipnis had a nice game, getting 2 of the team's 3 RBI. He seems to be warming back up.

Brantley and Cabrera were shut down today. Asdrubal's back to his old trick of hitting stuff hard, right to guys. Brantley is "down" to .273.

Lonnie Chisenhall came in to pinch hit today. He wasn't able to make a difference.

That's it, though. Really nothing to write home about vis this game. Let's hope they get their stuff together tomorrow at the plate, and don't drop an entire series out there on the west coast. Ugh!

Tomorrow will be another 4:05 game with Salazar facing an equally-struggling RHP (7.71). So there's definitely a chance we could have a fun afternoon. So, see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"The last time he weighed 245 was junior prom."
- Tom Hamilton on Sandoval's published vitals

"If it were Christmas right now and you could ask for something from Santa, the Indians would be looking for a big bat in the middle of the lineup."
- Tom Hamilton

Left Their Bats In Cleveland

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

Trevor Bauer is all like:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Elllllliot....

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

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

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

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

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

Who Is Matt Carson?

Matthew "Matt" Reese Carson (born July 1, 1981) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Cleveland Indians of Major League Baseball. He is 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 m) and weighs 200 pounds (91 kg).

Prior to playing professionally, he attended Yucaipa High School and then Brigham Young University (BYU).

Carson joined the Tribe in spring training but went right to Columbus from Arizona. Carson is 32 and he's been in the minors since 2002,  except for 46 games with Oakland across 2009 and 2010, and 26 games in Minnesota last year. The Indians brought him up in September, along with bringing over Kubel from the D-Backs.

Matt Carson has appeared in 11 games now since September 1, with 8 at-bats and only one start. He has gotten 7 hits in his 8 at-bats, with 3 RBI. Tonight's hit and subsequent RBI were - as far as Cleveland's concerned - his most important of his career!!

Have a look:

How freaking awesome was that? On one hand, you don't expect some perpetual minor leaguer to be the one guy who can get a team of highly-paid professionals a win against the worst team in all of baseball...but, what ever! I will TAKE it! And I will praise Matt Carson! And I will look forward to seeing him through the rest of September and on through October!!!

I was at the game tonight. Veeeeeeerrrrry cool atmosphere! I was perched atop the bleachers, between a group of "dudes" and this old guy. The old guy (totally did not get his name) said he hadn't been to a game since 1995 when he won a playoff lottery. He heard on the radio that tickets were $10, and he doesn't have a computer so he came to the box office to get his ticket earlier that day. I had the radio in one ear but I had a nice time watching the game with him. He was excited - hooting and hollering and waving his arms along with me! He was really having a ball! And just because he hadn't been to a game in so long doesn't mean he wasn't up with the team - he knew his stuff.

Funny that the guy was there with me, really. My own grandpa (that's him at the right [during the 2013 season]) hadn't been to a game in that long either, and he passed away before I could convince him to come to another. And while this guy reminded me of a grandpa he didn't remind me of my grandpa. He actually reminded me of my best friend's grandpa! But it was still nice.

Also when I went to give him high 5's with my big paws, I honestly thought I was going to snap his hands right off his wrists.

Dude said he might come back for more games. How fun!!

Like I said, the crowd was awesome. Lots and lots of cheering and clapping - in all the right places! Not just clapping for clapping's sake, but clapping when something laudable was happening. Or we wanted it to happen. Even John Adams was inspired and threw in some extra drumming while the Tribe was pitching, and when we didn't have runners in scoring position.

Just 12,607 at the game tonight but it sure as heck felt like a full boat! A ton of people left after the 10th inning, though, which I found weird because I assumed everyone who was there tonight was a pretty diehard fan. But, whatever...I don't know how they live their lives!

Ubaldo was just aces again tonight, for the 4th time in a row in September! It was his 6th quality start in a row, today going 7 innings with 1 earned run and striking out NINE. He's only walked 3 batters in his last 4 starts - none of them today.

After that performance, and the team just not being able to score any dang runs, we really needed the bullpen to be on their best behavior. Of course, we saw the best of the bullpen too - Smith and Perez for the 8th and 9th, then Allen for the 10th and Shaw for the 11th. No messing around with Hagadone or Hill, no sir! Smith was flawless. Perez had us hiding behind our hats with the bases loaded and only 1 out, but he ended up striking out the side. Allen and Shaw were great too. Nobody gave up any runs!

The guys looked great in the field today, which is important both because they weren't scoring any runs and they looked awful the last two games. So now at least we know they are serious about defense.

The offense bit was weird because they did get 12 hits and walked 4 times. But hardly anyone was getting to second base! (Ooh la la)

Poor Michael Bourn...used to be if it was coming up in the late innings and Bourn didn't have a hit, I could say "Michael Bourn doesn't ever not get a hit!" and he'd come up with a double or something. Not today - he struck out 3 times and ultimately went 0 for 5.

Swisher was large and in charge today! He went 4 for 4 before they pulled him in a slick move to have some speed on the bases after he got a double in the 8th. Francona said it wasn't too hard of a decision because he got all his hits right-handed and they were done with lefty pitchers. Swish also had a couple nice plays at first as well.

Kipnis finally had a bit of a stir today! He went 2 for 5 and he's the guy that got the RBI that kept us going for 10 innings! He also had a sweet catch, running in to shallow center with his back to the plate and making the play in the 7th. Get hot? Please?

Carlos Santana was trying too hard today for real. He left 3 men on. But he did get a walk, because he is extremely good at walking.

Yan Gomes is just amazing. Utterly unbelievable that he is here with us! Today he caught a guy stealing and also picked off a very fast pinch runner at second. BEHOLD! He's so friggin cool, isn't he? On top of that he went 2 for 5 on the night and was the one who came in to score the winning run. Wanna hear something weird, though? He left 4 men on base! Huh!

OMG what was Asdrubal doing today? He went 2 for 5 and both hits were dribblers down the 3rd base line that were too soft to go foul. Like, he meant to hit them over the fence but the ball hit his bat wrong so they just meandered over to 3rd instead and they were so slow that Asdrubal beat them out. I mean, really! It was pretty weird! He was not really looking good otherwise but hey he got more hits than most guys. Home runs to follow!

Michael Brantley went 1 for 4. I forgot to mention last night, in my haste, that he was keeping up my wish for him to ride out the season with a 13-game hitting streak. Good news - he's up to 4! He did leave a sour taste in my mouth when he tried to steal after his one hit today and failed quite miserably, but you know, he can't carry this team guys!

Poor Mike Aviles...he really really sucks right now. Like 0 for 22 or some nonsense. And the guy is such a team player, like Kipnis. You know it's killing him! He went 0 for 3 today and so did our man Stubbs, who is also taking a turn for the worse. This needs fixing by October!!

Then there was Matt Carson, who you've now heard of. He was in hitting for Stubbs in the 9 position when he changed the world!

Hey, I bought my Goon Squad tee today! They had them at the big Team Shop. I wasn't sure if I wanted a Rally Chicken or a Goon Squad but they made the decision for me by only having one. They had a lot of really great-looking shirts in stock, by the way - not just GVArtwork ones. They had a really nice red Progressive Field shirt but I can't find it online. Didn't catch the brand.

Just to be fair - and just because I friggin' love the local tee shop gear - here's links to Fresh Brewed Tees, CLE Clothing, Homage tees and Eastbay (not local but some nice-looking stuff).

To wrap up - nice night at the park, great weather and great crowd, happy to spend time with an old guy, Ubaldo is the bomb, Yan Gomes right? and now we all know who Matt Carson is!!

Tomorrow is these Astros again and they are going to be gunning for us even harder just because they think they can beat us. Not a chance! Let's just hope we can get to their pitchers, dangit!

It'll be McAllister versus LHP 2.98. Don't be scared! He still plays for the Astros (102 losses thus far). Perhaps it'll be a case of doing well against good guys after sucking against a bad guy. Right?

There's always Matt Carson!

See you there!

Indian Fever - Be A Believer!

I swear I had a bag of Red Vines at the beginning of this game. Thirty cents a bag at the Expired Stuff Store if you're willing to eat year-expired candy! Anyway, I had a bag of Red Vines and now I have an empty bag of Red Vines and a very, very red mouth. And I don't remember eating all these Red Vines. Is this how non-smokers live??

INTENSE baseball tonight! The Indians were looking rather flat against this "Little Mo'" pitcher for Kansas, just up from the minors via the Dominican. They managed just 4 baserunners in 5 innings, one via the error.

Corey Kluber wasn't doing enough to lead the charge against this kid, either. Three runs on 6 hits in just 4 2/3 innings. He was already at 79 pitches when they pulled him. Granted, there was a bonehead play (but not an error) that contributed to an extended inning, but Kluber really wasn't stunning anyone. Could the bullpen hold down the fort?!

Yes we can!

Francona strategically threw everyone out there, matchup-by-matchup, because no doubt he knew the crucial nature of tonight's game. I mean if we all figured it out, surely Cleveland's baseball mastermind knew!

The plan worked. The bullpen threw 4 1/3 innings giving up just 3 hits and striking out 5. They didn't let any runs cross the plate. They kept that Kansas City crowd quiet! Hill, Shaw, Allen, Zep, Smith and, Lord help us, Chris Perez. I think I was holding my breath from the time they said he was warming all the way through to "Ballgame!"

Boy what an inning for Perez, though. Back to his 1-2-3 tricks, and just for extra good measure it was a rare two-strikeout affair (most of the time he's good for one strikeout, maybe). I wish you coulda heard Hammy's final call - never has there been such a relieved "STRIKE. THREE. CALLED. BALLGAME!" Fun stuff!

The Tribe barely got any more hits tonight than last night but considering what a wasteland the first 5 innings were, all of their hits got bunched in at the second half of the game and it turned in to 5 winning runs!

Michael Bourn is BACK, man! Not only does he have a 7-game hitting streak but today he ramped back up to being that quality leadoff guy that we were happy to have in place of Choo. He flew around the bases to get a triple in the 7th, then easily tagged and went home on a follow-up sac fly. Then later on in the 9th he hit just his 6th home run for a super huge insurance run, and by the looks of this it was his #1 most happiest homer!

Nick Swisher hit a huge sac fly to get Bourn in, in that 7th inning. Bros helping bros!

Poor Jason Kipnis. He goes on Twitter every night to give his thoughts on the game. He is definitely not contributing in the way a Kipnis wants.

Unreal win tonight! Battling back! Bourn came up huge late!!!....... And did anybody see that sweet walk in the 9th inn?!? #enfuego
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) September 18, 2013

There's not enough time left in this season to do much other than keep fighting.. Last couple weeks have been frustrating and draining...
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) September 18, 2013

..But the way this team finds ways to succeed and keeps moving forward is the same way I'm gonna get out of this! #batfeelslikeswisscheese
— Jason Kipnis (@TheJK_Kid) September 18, 2013

Mmmmm...swiss cheese!

Santana was at DH tonight, and did his thing going 1 for 2 with 2 walks. He didn't come in to score but Stubbs/Flash came in to run for him in the 8th and he scored instead! Another genius move by Francona but even me in my little pea brain I was all "STUBBS! NOW!" Did you know he's got a 12-game hitting streak? Sure does!

Speaking of hitting streaks, Michael Brantley is always going to be a key player on this team. He is good for some hitting streaks, usually some rather long ones in a season. Tonight he doubled his current streak to 2 games. Who wants to see him streak out the season?! It'd be a very MODEST 13-game streak - which Santana seems to be working towards with ease. Totally, totally do-able. Oh, also his one hit was an RBI tonight. More of that too, please!

Asdrubal had one weird game tonight. He had a couple of bad defensive plays and a bit of bad baserunning. Yet he drove in the go-ahead run with a huge double that made outfield darling Alex Gordon fall right over!

"Ho! Ha ha! Guard! Turn! Parry! Dodge! Spin! Ha! Thrust!"

Ryan Raburn was in the game today, and Tom Hamilton totally jinxed him by pointing out that he is amazing every time he got to the plate. So, we got nothing from Raburn today. No runs, no hits. Just...inspiration!!!

The Chiz Kid wasn't feeling it tonight, either. After 4 RBI in his last 2 games, he went 0 for 4 tonight. Unfortunately, even though Aviles came in for him it was too late to see what the other half of the platoon could bring to the plate. Plate! Ha!

Yan Gomes didn't leave us wanting, though! He Rudy Steined right up in there and got himself hit by a pitch and came around to score the 2nd run of the night. Teamwork! He's hitting .290, by the way.

Since Texas and Tampa are playing each other again, we leave tonight still .5 out of the wildcard race. Tomorrow is big big big big. We could be IN IT by this time tomorrow!

I went out and bought a ticket for Thursday. Carefully planned so that I will be able to get the maximum cheering done. No one will need me on Dollar Dog night (Friday) or fireworks night (Saturday) but I bet they'll need asses in the seats Thursday. And my ticket was only $10! Holla! (Plus $2 plus parking plus fees but advertised as $10! Holla!)

But focusing on tomorrow...it'll be Salazar versus LHP 3.11. Hmm...311 is my lucky number, I wonder what that means? I won money in roulette in VEGAS betting on 3 and 11. Let's do this!


It's going to be so super intense tomorrow night. Hope I see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"A very ominous beginning to this ballgame for the Indians and Corey Kluber."
- Tom Hamilton

"I don't know if I've ever seen a Major League umpire, outside of Leslie Nielson, make two different calls on a play."
- Tom Hamilton

"The way Raburn is swinging it lately, is there anyone you'd rather have at the plate?"
- Tom Hamilton

"Ryan Raburn would like to send the folks to the parking lot with one swing of the bat."
- Tom Hamilton

"No way do you want to play come-from-behind baseball with the Royals' 'pen."
- Tom Hamilton

"Michael Bourn, doing his reincarnation of Babe Ruth!"
- Tom Hamilton

"If the Indians can win this, this will be one that you put in the memory bank."
- Tom Hamilton

"STRIKE. THREE. CALLED. BALLGAME!"
- Tom Hamilton

Happy Five Hundred!

Hey! Today was the Tribe's 81st win of the season! We'll be ending the season with AT LEAST a .500 record but I'm thinking it'll be well above that. Way to go Tito!


Tom Hamilton said that Nick Swisher has really turned it on in the month of September. I'd say that our pitchers have too. And so has Asdrubal. And so have our bench guys and even the new guys!

I don't know about you but I'm turned on! Woo woo!

There was a 4-hour rain delay today. No joke! Probably nobody noticed because there was a Browns game at the same time as the scheduled Tribe game. It didn't bother me because by 2 PM I was knee-deep in Disney princess birthday party (funner than it sounds).

I got home just in time to hear the final 4 runs and 4 innings. Then I felt like listening all the way through again!

Do you think John Adams would have stayed for the entirety of this game had it been in Cleveland? I'd like to think he would but I am glad he didn't have to find out!

Zach McAllister was our man today. After three dreadful starts, he totally had it going on tonight with "Classic Zach." A quality-plus start - 6 2/3 innings with only one earned run, and 5 juicy strikeouts. No homers, no wild pitches, no hit batters, just one double and 5 dinky singles. How big is it for him to go long after Ubaldo went long, after two guys went short? Big big.

Bryan Shaw finished up the 7th then pitched the 8th, getting rid of 4 for 4 batters - without a strikeout. OOooOooo!

Cody Allen had a Perez-like 9th. A hit, a strikeout, and a couple of fly outs. According to Hammy, Allen and Callaway actually spotted an issue in his delivery while watching a video. Isn't baseball grand??

Francona loaded up the lineup with righties today, I think just to make Chris Sale look bad. It worked! The Tribe beat Sale for the 4th time this year - the only team he's lost to more than once, other than Oakland (2). The Indians are batting over .330 against him. Weak sauce, Sale!

Stubbs was our man at the top today, with Bourn having a day off. Leadoff doesn't seem to suit Stubbs at the moment - he went 0 for 4.

Swisher, on the other hand, is finally fired up in the 2-hole. He did one of those classic Carlos Baerga moves today - yeah, you know what I'm talking about. Homer from each side of the plate, bro! Actually that's not a Carlos Baerga thing - that's a Nick Swisher thing. He leads the league at doing it - previously with 12 and now with 13. He did it 3 times in 2007 and 3 again in 2009, plus 7 other times including tonight. Huh! He's also in his 9th year in a row with 20 homers. So, go you.

Raburn was batting third. It was a bit of a mish-mosh of a batting order! But that didn't sway our Raburn. Yes, he finally didn't get an RBI for the first time since August 13, but he did get a hit and a run! You know it!

Carlos Santana has got it turned on for real. Another 2 hits tonight, so he's got a 10-game hitting streak with 14 hits therein!

Not so much a streak but - OMG ASDRUBAL!!! ANOTHER home run! And it was a 3-run dinger, not just a little homer. That's 11 RBI in his last 9 games!! Life is better for the #1 Asdrubal fan. Much better than last September. Whew!!

Nothing doing for Aviles today (Oh Lonnie, why can't you bat right like you throw?) but according to Nick Swisher, his name is "Handsome Mike." LULZ!

Hey, new guy Matt Carson! Way to play for your job today, buddy! Three for three with a homer, an RBI single, another single and hit by a pitch. Oh, and his second stolen base! THAT is the way you get put back in the lineup, buddy. You keep doing that! (But the minute you stop, there's a lot of other guys we can put in the outfield. YOU FEEL ME?)

Little Jose Ramirez is still working hard for his spot, too. He went 1 for 2 with 2 walks. He did get caught stealing but whatever - he was out there running! Love the speed on this team and it's crazy that we have even MORE speed waiting in the wings here.

While most of our runs came via the home run today, I still feel confident about our hitting. Bourn and Kipnis were out, and Brantley was half time. Santana, Swisher and Cabrera were still heated up and new guys Carson and Ramirez did their parts. Fun stuff!

So the Tribe is 1/2 game out of the wildcard. According to Crazy-Ass-Stats at ESPN.com (scroll all the way down), the Indians have the best chance, percentage-wise, of making the playoffs compared to everyone else in the wildcard race (like 68% compared to 58% or 6%). I'm getting giddy. Are you giddy yet?

The last of our tough runs starts tomorrow, with 3 against the Royals. They're 3 whole games behind us in the WC race so every win is really critical. Do you think we've got it? I hope we've got it.

They've got their work cut out for them tomorrow. It'll be an 8:10 game with Kazmir taking the mound against RHP 3.38. Kazmir needs to dig deep and give us one more stellar game. Everyone who was off today needs to take all that rest and turn it into energy tomorrow in Kansas City. The bullpen needs to be ready if things don't go well for Kazmir. The key might be getting to that RHP early. Patience is the word.

Enjoy the rest of the above-five-hundred season! See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"One of the problems we have with Major League Baseball today is too much information. Anyone can look at a Doppler radar and say 'Well I can predict the future.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"He is making Terry Francona look like a genius, putting him in the lineup today."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Matt Carson

"The Indians have been kryptonite when it comes to Chris Sale."
- Tom Hamilton

"The attendance was listed at 18,631. There might still be 631 here."
- Tom Hamilton

"There isn't a church in Chicago as quiet as this ballpark is right now."
- Tom Hamilton

Beat Down in Chi Town

Sooooo....did anyone see THAT coming? Woah! I know the White Sox stink but still, their opponents aren't getting double-digit wins off them on the reg are they? (No. Only a handful of times this year have they given up double digits. This is the second most runs they've given up. The most was 19 - to the Tribe in June!)

Oh, I know what accounted for all of the double digits:

He's back! And the team rallied and scored a ton of runs! And he continued his hitting streak at 5! And he has 13 RBI in 5 games.

13 RBI in 5 games!

So really, he is our hero and any game that the Tribe plays without him is a wasted game. Wasted!

Anyway, not as exciting today was Corey Kluber, who was just not The Klube. He was more like The U, last year. Five innings, 2 runs. Meh.

Hey but guess who flew in from Arizona and it would appear his arms are NOT tired? It's Josh Tomlin! I cannot report on the state of his goatee but I do know that he went a long 2 innings and only faced 9 batters, giving up 2 hits and no walks. A bit of a pressure situation and the pride of Tyler Texas took it in stride!

Then it was Vinnie Pestano for the 8th, who uhm, er...well he gave up a run on a walk, single, passed ball and sacrifice fly. Sorta sloppy but better than big hits I suppose.

That Preston Guilmet fella came in for the 9th, in his fourth appearance this year. No runs, no hits, a walk. Well done.

The Tribe got 16 hits and 9 walks today, and scored 14 runs! Hallelujah! The fella we got the first 7 runs off of - John Danks - isn't really that bad. The Tribe actually looked GOOD!

Would you believe....not everyone got a hit today?! The only spot without a hit was #8, Mike Aviles. Now, to be fair, he did walk once and he did get an RBI (sac fly) so it's not like one of the Goon Squad was caught not participating! No sir! Just...no star on the big board over there.

 Another kind of sad thing is they brought in as many of the 3rd stringers as possible to get our best guys out of the rain and into some dry Jockeys. And they all had at-bats (some of them had two) and none of them got hits. Ramirez, Chisenhall, Carson, Kubel, Shoppach, nothing.

But, enough with the sad stuff! Hi K-Shop! Beardy!

Everyone who did hit had a multi-hit game, except our guy Santana - who got 1 hit and 2 walks, so that translated into an RBI and a run scored for him. Also with just one hit was Asdrubal - but it was a big one! Not only his 12th homer but his THIRD in just SIX games! He might meet his 2012 record of 16 still!

Bourn with the triple! He actually got TWO hits today, and that's a 3-game hitting streak for him after being very mediocre for a very long time. Perhaps this means the fire is lit?

Gomes is back up over .300, at .301. He went 2 for 3 with both of those hits being doubles! Slugging is .504!

Drew Stubbs is back from some alternate universe where he wasn't hitting (also, getting benched for Kubel...?) He went 3 for 4 tonight, with a double and a run scored. He also played the heck out of right field, because that what he do!

Kipnis was his same badass Chicago self tonight, getting a single in the first (and stolen base) then an RBI double in the second, then another RBI in the 4th via the sac fly! I guess he's hitting something like .480 at Cellular Field. No joke!

Swish got another home run tonight, too, so he's got 3 in 6 games just like Asdrubal! Do we win when those two guys hit? Absolutely, bro! Swisher also got a big 2-RBI single in the 5th to contribute to that 7-run inning.

Once the Tribe was up 14-1, it was time to sit everyone. So after Raburn's 5th RBI and the team's 14th run, he was taken out for a pinch runner in Carson and that was the end of the fun.

Oh so Raburn went 3 for 3 with a single, double and homer. He got 5 RBI (3 on the homer). Oh my gosh he is so good...

...He's so good that next to his name on the lineup card it says ______________!

This is the lineup that I love, by the way. Not too worried about who's where but any lineup that includes Gomes and Raburn and Stubbs is a lineup I crave. No messing around with Kubel or Giambi or whatever (he can come in later!) Of course, this leaves out Brantley but someone just needs to figure that out!! Platoon Raburn, Stubbs and Brantley around right and left. There you go! Aviles, he can stay. Or platoon with Lonnie, that's fine. As long as Lonnie has his eye on the ball.

Tomorrow is more of this excitement hopefully, right in the middle of the day, at 2 PM. The good news is that I won't miss the game while I'm at a wedding. How do you like that? I'll be able to twerk the night away without wondering "DID RYAN RABURN GET A HIT TONIGHT?!"

It'll be Salazar and friends (surely) against LHP 3.44. According to the MLB preview, this guy was "chastised" by his pitching coach for being too wild. All I gotta say is - Please stay safe, Ryan Raburn!!

Ok so don't forget, 2:10. See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Should be like a boxing match. Should be able for them to throw the white towel out of the dugout onto the field."
- Tom Hamilton

"Josh Tomlin doesn't care...it could be snowing. But he's just happy to be back throwing in the big leagues."
- Tom Hamilton

"If the Indians win tonight - and it's like saying 'If the sun comes up tomorrow morning...'"
- Tom Hamilton

"Better look at the dugout to see if the manager is Walter Matthau."
- Tom Hamilton

"Somewhere in America there are more people at a bingo parlor than are at this ballpark."
- Tom Hamilton

We Got Ourselves A Roll!

Four games, boffins! Four games in a row where we had somewhat decent pitching and scored RUNS and then won a game! Imagine that! Wahoo!

Wonder how that chicken is faring? He's probably got his own office in the clubhouse by now! (He has his own Twitter account, dontchaknow)

Kluber was the starter and he didn't have his best game, because they had him on a short leash just coming off the DL. 64 pitches. He only lasted 5, so no quality start. He did strike out 5 in those 5 innings, plus only walked one. He gave up 2 runs - the second run was a walk he left on base when he exited in the 6th.

Then started the parade of...everyone! Hill, Pestano (Hi, Vinnie!), Hagadone, Shaw, Zep, Carrasco. I have no idea which one of those guys was here on August 30 and which just came back in September. But it's good they were all sitting around waiting for a chance to pitch, because the team needed Kluber and he needed someone to fill in some pitches for him. So pitch they did!

Hill gave up that one run on Kluber's walk. He didn't make it out of the 6th inning, either. Next up was Vinnie who uhm...welp, he needs some more work. Hagadone finished the inning, getting the third out.

Then were the "old hats" Shaw, Zep and finishing with Carrasco. They all pitched matchups, and the three of them only gave up 1 hit between them. Only 1 strikeout but whatever. The game was won!

The team was back to hitting like they had been the last 2 games. Eleven hits, three of them doubles, two of them home runs. And they were running wild on the bases with FOUR stolen bases! This all added up to NINE runs! Cool!

Indians are 3-0 with an average of 7.7 runs per game since the first appearance of the #RallyChicken.
— Jordan Bastian (@MLBastian) September 8, 2013

Although, hasn't the chicken been around as the newly-returned Raburn? He is analogous to the chicken.

Almost everyone hit today except....Drew Stubbs! It's a shame, but he can't be awesome all the time otherwise he would not be holding down #9 and probably also not on our team. Get 'em next time, Stubbs!

Seems like the Bro is pumped about college football season, and he's ready to start hitting again! Swish went 2 for 4 with an RBI double and a solo homer. We can't really get into the post season without him doing that stuff, so I will call a truce and root root root for the homeboy all through September!

Gomes "only" had one hit tonight, after having two multi-hit games in a row. But he totally walked twice so he was 1 for 2, and he came in to score twice!

OMG ASDRUBAL!!! OMG OMG!! I was walking around my backyard, moving stuff from the fire pit to the garage (quite a distance). I had set the radio down and didn't want to carry it back to the pit to get my next handful of stuff. But Asdrubal was up and I was like "Well, whatever, I'll take it." So I took the radio and got all the way back to the pit and BAM! Homer! Totally, totally cool! And I had to run back up to the house (empty handed) and go post on Facebook about the homer (so my friends would know, you know? Right?) and then get back to work. I LOVE BASEBALL!!

He also turned 2 double plays with Kipnis and Swish.

God DAMN, Ryan Raburn!! YOU ARE SO GOOD!!!

He's so good that your grandma knitted him a 12-foot ___________!

Bases loaded 3-run double? YES PLEASE! Raburn had been quite for a while, but in is last two games before his injury he went 1 for 3 with 2 RBI - a 2-RBI homer - and 1 for 3 with an RBI (with 5 days inbetween!) Then he was gone for like 2 weeks. In the 2 games he's played since he's been back, a total of 2 hits and FIVE RBI!! Clutch? Cluck?

Not to be left out (on the bench), Aviles went 2 for 4 himself. No runs or RBI for him but that's 4 hits for the Goon Squad today!

Oh yeah - how do you like this shit from GVArtwork?

Post by GVARTWORK.COM.

Move over #BullpenMafia! The #GoonSquad is here! That's like one of the most badass pics I've seen this year. Buy that damn shirt!!! We need you, Goon Squad!

And Matt Carson too, apparently. They keep shoehorning him in to games. Today he was 1 for 1. All right.

I'm feeling a lot better about stuff right now, looking at the rest of the schedules and seeing some life from the guys we were supposed to count on for life this year. I hope to Og that Asdrubal is at the beginning of a thing, and Swisher has a firm foothold on a thing. We need it. Boy, do we need it.

Tomorrow the game is at the same time as the first Browns game, which you're used to I'm sure. My deal is that I listen to the baseball on the radio and watch football on TV. This works out well for me because my dog is afraid of referee whistles (srsly) and also there's no Bernie Kosar so who cares what the announcers are saying? Closed captioning, bitches.

It'll be Salazar versus Dice-K. Cool, right? It's at 1:05 - see you there!

No Radio Chatter today. I was having a perfect summer night beside a fire with my radio, not sitting in front of a screen taking notes!

Scott Kazmir is History!

Well I just wrote a big awesome post but Blogger ate it, and I don't have time to re do it, so oh well.

Summary:

Kazmir: Not "history" I mean "making history." Made some strikeout history against the team that brought him up on the farm.

Swisher: Grand slam. Buying fireworks for Sept 21. No kidding.

Santana: Second in league in walks, behind Mike Trout. 

Gomes: Hitting .300. Another double!

Stubbs: Two stolen bases, back up to ~.240.

Future: Swisher says they will "scratch and claw to the playoffs" and I say they need to roll over the Mets, Astros, White Sox and Twins and boldly MARCH to the playoffs!

Tomorrow: Salazar versus Dice-K. They were in Columbus together.

Spider Vinnie: Back in Cleveland. Hooray!

Tomorrow's game is at 6:05 - don't forget! See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"A 15 foot wall takes a home run away from a guy like Yan Gomes."
- Tom Hamilton

"We're only going to give you scores of games that matter right now. If you want to know how Boston or Toronto is doing, you'll have to go to your laptop."
- Tom Hamilton

"A grand slam to left for Nick Swisher! And this baby is over!"
- Tom Hamilton

Happy John Adams Day!!

The Indians creamed the Twins today and that is absolutely how John Adams Appreciation Day should go, no doubt. It would have been an total shame to do it any other way.

Today was the 40th anniversary of Adams' first game at the field with his drum. Here's a cool story from the Indians' site, an interview with Glenn Moore at Cleveland.com and a photo slideshow of some fan photos, with nice comments in the comment area, also at Cleveland.com. My favorite pic in the slideshow is Adams (a fat Adams!) with Sister Mary Assumpta and Son Of Gouhl. So Cleveland!

(Side note...Sister Mary Assumpta is no longer a nun. WAT HATH GOD WROUGHT?!)

It was also Nick Swisher jersey day, and the people seem to like Nick Swisher - over 26k came for his jersey today (or they came for U2 fireworks!) Funnily enough, I also received a reply from the Indians today from when I bitched at them about making the site background just Tito & Swisher. They were polite. I'm still sore about it but I said what I had to say, and the season's near over, so oh well.

Zach McAllister was the starter today, and he had his third great start in a row! A quality start (what I like to call quality plus!) with 7 1/3 innings and just 2 runs on 4 hits. He struck out 5 and only walked 2!

Since ZMac did such a nice job, we only needed 1 2/3 innings of bullpen. Bryan Shaw and Mark Rzepczynski were faced with the task of not blowing it for John Adams. It was a big test - and they did well!

Shaw came in for the rest of the 8th, after McAllister surprised us both by coming out for the 8th and giving off a leadoff home run. Shaw got a strikeout and a lineout and that was that.

Zep was up for the 9th (although it would have been a fun night to have Perez), and he got the first two outs, which brought the crowd to their feet. Then...that awkward moment when everyone is up on their feet cheering for the third out and you give up a double...

But, he made up for it striking out the next batter. Ballgame!

The Tribe got 7 runs off just 9 hits and 3 walks today. Pretty impressive! Three doubles and 2 homers is the key. They each were at the plate 4 times too - the last batter was Drew Stubbs. I wonder how often that happens? (I tweeted the question to Jim Rosenhaus. Let's see if someone at WTAM can figure it out!)

The only guy who didn't get on base today is Yan Gomes. Can you believe it?!

Bourn got on with a walk, then came around to score from first on a double. It was Nick Swisher's 2-RBI double in face. He had a slow start to Swisher jersey day, but his double with the Brothers Speed on the bases made him a pretty popular guy today! He's got 11 hits in his last 10 games, so let's hope he keeps this up for the next month. And then some.

Kipnis has gone like 0 for his last 20, give or take. Yeesh! But today the Kid broke out and went 2 for 4, not only with a single that allowed him to score in the first on a homer, but with a 2-run homer of his own in the third!! Ok kid - this is the beginning of something big!

Speaking of something big...apparently Carlos Santana is a bit of a saint. Before the game he met with this kid named Niko, who said he was Santana's #1 fan and Niko asked for a homer. That's pretty special to be Santana's #1 fan...I think it's way more lonesome than being Asdrubal's #1 fan. Anyway, the Indians posted this at about 5:30, so it's no fake:

This is Niko, who calls himself Carlos Santana's No. 1 fan. He told Carlos he wants him to hit a home run today! pic.twitter.com/HtYrt3k3Ho
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 24, 2013

Then of course, later on:

Just talked with Niko, the youngster from earlier who requested Carlos' homer. He also asked Kip to hit one ... and he did. #HireThatMan
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 25, 2013

And after the game:

Carlos Santana, re: his homer for #Niko: "They told me I was their favorite player, and I promised to hit a home run for him."
— Cleveland Indians (@Indians) August 25, 2013

I love this stuff!!!!

Michael Brantley has been just as cold as Kipnis (just as all the other guys were finally getting their acts together) but he came through with an RBI single in what was the big 5th inning. Start of a new streak, no doubt!

Speaking of streaks...Asdruuuubal, six games! He's gotten doubles in 3 of those 6 games, including tonight. OMG!

Chisenhall has been quiet for the last 2 games but today he also got a double. No RBI or runs for him but every little bit helps, even if it just means getting a hit to break out of a slump to be ready for the next game!

Drew Stubbs was a major player today, getting 2 hits and coming around to score twice.  He stole second and "unfortunately" it ultimately didn't matter because he got hit in by a homer. Although I like to think having guys on 2nd and 3rd rattles the pitcher. They did that the other day, too. Later on he came in to score on that Swisher double, and it was cool because his speedy friend Bourn was right on his heels. See this insightful graphic I made:

It's not that impressive until you consider that Stubbs is dang fast. No one else could ever be on that boy's heels!

Fun friggin' times tonight, and I hope tomorrow afternoon is just as cool. We need the team to hit like that every night, and let the pitchers do what they'll do. With 7 runs to cushion them, they can be awesome or awesomely bad and the team record doesn't have to struggle because of it!

Tomorrow at 1:05 is Scott Kazmir versus RHP 5.19. Whoop! That's a nice fat ERA! Kazmir has been struggling lately so the bats have to show up. It could all very well fall in place tomorrow...

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Shortstop Pedro Florimon says 'I will, I will, I will!' and he does catch it."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is a completely different ballclub when Kipnis and Brantley are hitting."
- Tom Hamilton

"I grew up on a dairy farm...and not once did I see mom and dad strap monkeys to our dogs to get the cows into the barn."
- Tom Hamilton on minor league entertainment

"Does anybody in baseball now have a bullpen that doesn't feature 5 or 6 guys throwing in the mid-90s?"
- Tom Hamilton

"Tito Francona ought to be named the American League player of the year for what he's done with this club."
- Tom Hamilton

Sweep! Swoop!

The Tribe seemed to cruise through this game today, which is pretty awesome because that's exactly what you need after a 5.5 hour game, and then having to show up a little earlier the next day is brutal too.

Justin Masterson was the starter, which as I said last night was exactly who we needed starting today. He could go the distance! Francona told him this afternoon that he was on a pitch count - 190. haha! He actually did go 110, after 6 2/3 innings. Not an amazing start - he only gave up 1 run but walked 5 - but it was a quality start and probably longer than anyone else could go right now. He struck out 7 while he was out there - he's 4th in the league in both strikeouts and innings pitched. If he wasn't "so out of control" (using the term very very loosely) with all those walks he could have gone the distance.

But, you know, relievers can show up 2 days in a row. They're not porcelain unicorns. Rich Hill came out to finish the 7th and nobody scored. Hooray!

Next was Cody Allen, because of course. Dude puts the "bull" in bullpen! At least this year, for this team. He gave up one hit but then struck out the other 3.

Chris Perez came in for his third night in a row. Tom Hamilton reminded us what happened last time he came in for his third night in a row (3 hits, 4 runs). I listened through my fingers. He gave up 1 hit and got his 20th save! BALLGAME!!

You know who came back around today? Michael Bourn did!! He found his thang and went 3 for 5 after hitting like .180 for a spell there. He got a triple in the third inning because he was all "Damn, I'm turning this in to a triple!" and sped the heck around the bases. It kind of, sort of made me sad that the next batter hit a homer. A bit of a waste of a triple? But maybe having a fast guy dancing around on third was what distracted the pitcher into throwing one that could be hit over the fence? Yeah, that's it.

Swisher went 1 for but his 1 was the game-winning homer, in the 3rd. A two-run dealy that sort of made it easy for everyone to sit back and relax because no way was Justin Masterson going to give up 2 runs, you know?


Kipnis, who has been money while everyone else has been jake, has now been jake for 3 games while everyone else is money. Michael Brantley is also slipping in to jake-ness. Dag.

Santana got his 31st double!

Jason Giambi had another hustle double! I guess he's from the area so his dad and his brother were visiting today. Also explains why he's pushing hard. Two doubles in two games!!

Asdrubal was out today on a rest day, so we don't know how his comeback is doing until Friday!! Raburn is out with some sort of leg thing too, btw. Sad.

Aviles was in for Asdrubal and he was really feeling it - he went 2 for 4 and hustled down the line to score an insurance run in the 9th, on a wild pitch. Love that Aviles!

Did you know he's got a Twitter account that fans set up that just posts Aviles-related news? Apparently lots of people love Mike Aviles! 

Stubbs didn't hit any homers or score any runs today but he did get on base twice with walks. They must be scared of him! Also looks like he's safely up and out of his normal .240 zone, hanging tight at .253!

Off day tomorrow, then they're back at home for the weekend against the Twins. This Twins series might be the biggest series of the year, seriously. Gotta win!

It'll be Ubaldo versus RHP 3.82. Let's hope for good things from Ubaldo, to keep this streak going. The game's at 7:05, at home.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Josh Hamilton has just done everything wrong this series."
- Tom Hamilton

"No matter what there are always at least 30,000 fans here at the Big A. I'm glad the guy who counts the tickets isn't my tax accountant ... I'd be in jail by now."
- Tom Hamilton doesn't believe the numbers

"So far, Mike Soicia is 0 for about 12 in arguments in this series."
- Tom Hamilton

Doing Like They Do

Finally, a normal game.

And I mean a game where our starter is gonzo good, the lineup is all hitting, including home runs and Chris Perez gives up a run because he can. Ballgame!

The Tribe was still out on the left coast which was nice because it minimizes opportunity for jet lag. Don't you think? Plus it gives me the ability to get myself into a late-night groove for a few days. I did a ton of stuff between 5 and 10 today, it was nuts!

Anyway, speaking of grooves, Zack McAllister's got his groove back after getting his finger owied by whatever evil machine in the clubhouse is catching our pitchers unawares. He went 6 1/3 innings giving up just 1 run on 5 hits, and just 2 walks. He wasn't even supposed to BE here today, but he did damn good (it was Salazar, but the Tribe got my memo about 2 short-inning pitchers in a row being not good). I guess he blew through his rehab and didn't even miss a beat.

He struck out 5 and they pulled him after 103 pitches.

Shaw came in to finish the 7th and nothing went on but a strikeout. Yeehaw!

Joe Smith was in for the 8th and they said he didn't look to good but he only walked one and no one got hit by a pitch or anything. He struck out one, even. But then uh...well, I guess the Angels are really bad. The guy who struck out struck out swinging at a pitch that almost hit him.

Chris Perez came in just to get some work and he had a 4-run lead so he did what he does in those situations - gave up a run! He did get 2 strikeouts which is surprisingly a lot for him - usually it's just 1! He in fact got 2 strikeouts in his last appearance on the 14th - but it was also the first time he pitched 2 innings in one game. All told he's just had 2 strikeouts in one inning in 4 other games out of 40 total appearances. He's actually given up more home runs (6) than he's had dual strikeouts!

The boys got themselves 10 hits today and walked 5 times. That translated into 5 runs, although just in 2 innings - one big 4-run thing and then a solo homer later on.

Bourn was back up top today, going 1 for 5 again. Not bad - that was his M.O. for a while before he went on his slump-about. Unfortunately no runs or RBI to show for it.

Swish had a big night, going 2 for 5 with a solo home run that was so big that Hammy described it as not just "way back" but "way, WAY back." He also threw a putout at the plate, which I love. Still don't love Swish but...yay.

Kipnis ended his hitting streak today, but being that he's a team player to the fullest he still managed to get on base (walk), steal and come around to score. Oh, if only we were all Kipnises!!

Santana had a lovely patient night tonight. He ended up going 1 for 2 because he walked twice. He got an RBI single (RBI courtesy of Kipnis' stolen base!) and then came around to score himself in that 4-run inning. They took a risk taking him out later in the game in favor for Stubbs as a pinch runner. When you've got both catchers in the game and one goes out you better believe your other catcher isn't going anywhere!

I bet Ryan Raburn can catch, yo.

Michael Brantley didn't get a hit! BUT!!!! He did break the franchise record for consecutive games without an error, by an outfielder (213) surpassing Rocky Colavito. The AL record is 250 (Damon) which is much more reachable than the NL record, 369 (Darren Lewis). The Rock holds the league record for most consecutive games w/o an error for an outfielder in a season which is...162. Brett Butler is at 161 on the NL side. Clearly, that was from a time when men were men, and men played every game of baseball, and were named Rocky.

Oh, Asdrubal - you are melting away the ice from my cold, cold heart. A three-game hitting streak! He got another double today, going 1 for 3 - because he also got hit by a pitch. He came around to score after that double, too. Wahooooooooo!

Jason Giambi had himself a hustle double, which is not what anyone expects from Giambi (which is probably how he got a hustle double). Unfortunately he was wiped out by the time he had to run more bases, and was subsequently thrown out at the plate. Oh well - I was going to say I hope I can hustle anything at 42 but I can't hustle a thing at 34!

The Chiz Kid came out of nowhere (well, he came off his spot on the bench) and had an awesome game - his first time in a long time! He went 2 for 3 with a biiiiig 2-run homer! Whaddya know?! Not sure why but they put Aviles in later and even he got himself a hit. Hot time in the 8-spot today I guess. Great if Chiz can be out of a slump now too, since Asdrubal and Swisher seem to be heating up. If he can produce runs for the bottom half of the lineup, we'll be all set!

Gomes was back in form and went 1 for 3 today with a single and a walk. Oddly, no runs or RBI for him even though his compadres were doing some hitting. However, his average is a sexy, sexy .299!!

So they took care of Weaver today and that was cool. Usually he's a bit of a problem for the Tribe. They've got to roll over these Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim right now because next week is the Braves and Tigers and...oh my, I'm about to faint!

Tomorrow is the last late night game of the season!! Did you get some good snacks? I made cookies (since I had so much time before the game today!) It'll be Danny Salazar versus LHP 3.40. Gotta clobber this guy - his ERA is even better than Weaver's. All these dudes who are breaking out of slumps need to report FRESH and READY to go.

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Josh Hamilton is a bit of a disappointment. It's like waking up on Christmas morning with no presents under the tree."
- Tom Hamilton

"When you've got a 42-year old guy who has done everything there is to do in baseball, then you've got a bunch of guys going 'I've got to play as hard as Jason Giambi.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"Michael Brantley...he's been at home plate for a half an hour and he's seen two pitches."
- Tom Hamilton on Kohn's slowness on the mound

"If the singing cowboy [previous owner Gene Autrey] were still with us, by now he would have lassoed Mike Kohn and brought in someone else."
- Tom Hamilton

"Unless that Rally Monkey is buying everyone a beer, they are going to be leaving."
- Tom Hamilton

"Quite frankly the Yankees and A-Rod deserve each other, and they deserve everything that is happening to both sides."
- Tom Hamilton

This Is What We Stayed Up For!

NAILED IT!

Finally, a nice game where the Tribe does some pitching and some hitting and roundly beats the opponent!

Ubaldo was the starter and while he was one out away from a quality start, he had one hell of a start which I think, in the rulebooks, is better than a quality start anyway.

He went 5 2/3 innings and only gave up one hit! No kidding! Of course, he hit a guy and walked 5 but those are minor details. In all of those 7 men on base, only one came around to score and he was the only one who even visited third base. In all of that, he got EIGHT strikeouts in just 5 2/3!

Unfortunately it took him 105 pitches to get there, and we needed 4 relievers to finish it off but if they haven't planned for this situation now by August, then they aren't paying good attention.

Rich Hill came in with men on base. Eep! But he did his job and struck out the lefty to end the 6th.

Next was Shaw who faced 4, just walking a guy. Then Joe Smith, who gave up 2 hits but kept it in check and nobody came around to score.

Did you know that Joe Smith is engaged to Allie Laforce? I'm probably the last to know. Although I barely know who she is but I've got my head out of my butt enough to know that she's a local TV news woman who went out to LA to become a national TV news woman. She also was Miss Teen USA which...why didn't I know that? You'd think she'd be a big Cleveland star. I think most 25-45 year old dudes in Cleveland know all of this. She does a radio commercial for some local car place and mentions that she is in LA. Anyway I believe she and Smith got cuddly when she was still in Cleveland and they're still together and now they're engaged. Now you know.

Matt Albers pitched a 1-2-3 9th.

The Tribe got 11 hits and 4 walks today and THIS time all those hits were translated in to runs! Pitchers park - whatever! They scored 7, and coulda scored more if Eric Sogard (SS) wouldn't have had his own 1-2-3 8th inning with his own little highlight reel.

Michael Bourn isn't having any more of this slumping nonsense, so he went 2 for 5 today with his 5th home run! He came in to score twice.

Swisher is also over the nonsense, so he went 2 for 4 with a homer, his coming in the first inning. Later on he got an RBI single with 2 out and 2 on, made it to second on the throw to the plate, then came around to score on Kipnis' subsequent single. So that's 5 hits in Swisher's last 14 at-bats. Let's hope he keeps it up...

Kipnis kept it low key today but he had a huge single in the 9th with 2 men on, and it ended up being a 2-RBI single! That's a 5-game hitting streak and 12 hits in his last 10 games for the Kid!

Michael Brantley is just, like, whatever - 2 more doubles today to go 2 for 3 with a walk. That's 6 hits in the Doctor's last 3 games, and 17 hits in the 17 days of August thus far!! Five of those hits have been doubles and that's his second 2-double game this month. Can he end the season over .300??

DID YOU NOTICE ASDRUBAL TODAY?!?! Not sure what happened but hermano had himself a GAME today at the plate! He went 2 for 4 with a double and 2 RBI!! Only one LOB today, man! OMG if he is awake for the rest of the season just...look the heck out, American League. Look. The heck. OUT!!

Jason Giambi did not have a nice night in Oakland at all. They were not very welcoming to him, no-siree. But he went out there and batted. And struck out twice. And left 4 guys on base. But whatever, Oakland - we got him now!

The Chiz Kid didn't have so hot of a night. Seems to be the only guy not breaking his slump now. Aviles was brought in to split the at-bats at 2 apiece and he didn't do anything either.

Stubbs, of course, was out there, doin' stuff. He went 2 for 3 and came around to score (Because he's like a bullet train!) but he did get caught stealing, which was his first CS of the year after 13 SB. He also got caught up in a double play/outfield assist situation at third but I don't think there's a column for that, so hush hush!

I sure hope that this is the Indians for the rest of the season. This is the Indians we signed up for this year, that's for sure. Lots of guys with multiple hits tonight, some extra-base hits, some homers. Why has this been so hard to come by?

Tomorrow is our chance to go 7-1 against the A's this year. That'd be cool! It's a 4:05 game so don't let it pass you by. It was supposed to be Kazmir versus Bartolo Colon but the old man has a left groin strain. Also, he is a stupid cheater who takes drugs. Anyway he's being replaced by LHP 4.39 who we should be able to crush. CRUSH!

No Radio Chatter today. Cuz I said so. See you tomorrow!

This Is What We Stayed Up For?

Taking a gamble on the title there - hoping tomorrow's can be "This Is What We Stayed Up For!" Right?

Bummer of a game tonight. Slumping lineup with tight pitching versus slumping lineup with tight pitching. In Oakland. Ugh.

Masterson was back on the Ace game today, getting all but one of the team's 27 outs. He went 7 2/3 and gave up just 2 runs on one home run. He didn't strike out as many as he has been striking out all season - just a measly 4 today. I dunno what it is about this Oakland park being a "pitcher's park" because the pitchers gave up 15 hits today. And it's got the lowest home runs in baseball, but Masterson managed to give up one.

But that was it - nearly 8 innings for Masty and just 2 runs off a first-inning homer.

The offense looked like it was going to come back but apparently this pitcher's park only allows you 2 hits in a row, no more. Everything else gets vacuumed up by anyone close to it.

The Tribe had baserunners in every inning but the 4th and the 6th. Not only did they get 8 hits but they walked NINE TIMES!

But everyone is just slumpy as heck. I don't know how else to describe it. Where you could once count on any guy to get you a 2-out RBI hit, now you can't count on anyone to not hit into a double play with bases loaded and one out.

Bourn is slumping - usually he's good for one key hit, but not right now. Asdrubal ... oh man I am so sad. Just...ugh. They moved him out of the #4 spot, down to 6th, and the guys ahead of him were doing decent so instead of being in a pressure-free spot now he is up every time there's guys in scoring position! NOOOOOO! That's 5 LOB for him tonight.

Gomes, who is not slumping whatsoever, could not get it going tonight. He went 0 for 4.

The best news of the night is...Dick Swisher who shook off the cobwebs and went 2 for 4 up in the 2-spot. He got an RBI and came in to score a run, making both of his hits productive.

Kipnis had The Patience today, going 1 for 3 with 2 walks. That's a 4-game hitting streak for him. I wonder who went on the fishing trip with Kipnis yesterday on his day off? Looking at the box score I'd say there's a high probability it was Swisher, Brantley and Stubbs (Swisher likes to socialize, Brantley's hobby is fishing and Stubbs is a country boy. I could see this happening.) They're the only guys who hit.

Well, Santana hit too but do you take him on a fishing trip with you? I say he scares the fish. Although he also went 1 for 3 with 2 walks today so he also had The Patience.

I ask you....HOW is Michael Brantley not hitting .300? Am I forgetting some sort of slump for him this year? It must be. To me it just seems like he is hitting hitting hitting all the time. Probably because compared to my dude Asdrubal, that's exactly what he's doing. Just not mathematically enough to hit 1 in every 3. But - close! He's hitting .283 and today went 2 for 4 with a walk.

But all 3 times he just stood on base waiting to be hit in, and nothing happened. Nothing.

You gotta go aaaaallll the way down to Drew Stubbs to find more hits. He went 2 for 4 with 2 big fat doubles. Neither was an RBI double, unfortunately, but he did come around to score once after a double, on a single by Swisher.

So today's situation was some guys were hitting, but not enough guys were. Once again they are hitting balls that maybe shouldn't be caught but perhaps it's true that God Hates Cleveland Sports and He is putting players where balls go. Right? That sounds right.

So, tomorrow is another late game, but an hour earlier. That means 9:05 PM. It'll be Ubaldo versus RHP 4.19. Ubaldo's ERA is .02 better. HA! So, expect results!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"The Oakland Coliseum has been a house of horrors for Justin Masterson."
- Tom Hamilton

"Reddick has a heck of an arm. He left a dent in the dugout wall."
- Tom Hamilton on Reddick's over-throw from the outfield

"He's a graduate of the University Of Tommy John Surgery."
- Tom Hamilton

"Boy, Justin Masterson has just been outstanding. Time for the Indians' offense to wake up."
- Tom Hamilton