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

Satisfying Conclusion

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tyler Holt!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Yan Gomes Hit A Home Run

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"Even The Sky Is Crying"

Even the sky is crying at this game.
— John J. Adams (@TribeDrummer) August 6, 2014

Cripes! Well you know a game is a real downer if it managed to bum out John Adams!

The box score is sad. The 5 hits we got were sad. The 9 runs we gave up are sad. Our 2 little runs are sad. David Murphy getting tricked in to being out at third was sad. Ending the game on a review was sad. Dammit...John Adams is sad!

But hey - we know how to lose, right? We've lost uhm....half of the games this year. It's just extra sad to win 4 in a row then lose one in a pathetic fashion right before the team goes away for a week. And it's raining.

Josh Tomlin did not have a very last-time-we-saw-Josh-Tomlin night. He only made it 4 innings before we'd seen enough. Five runs scored off 8 hits. He did strike out 5! But it took him 82 pitches to get that far, too. But you got to learn to live with what you got.

So since the Tribe wasn't hitting, it seemed, and the Reds had us by 5 runs by the time Tomlin was out, they just left Carrasco in there as "the second pitcher." It didn't feel like relief really since he was going to be the only one and in there for so long. Just the guy who is going to get us through to the end of this game. 

But hey, I do like that Carrasco can just go in there and be used for 4 innings and nobody cares that he gave up 3 runs because - hey, innings.

Carrasco was sleepy tired by the middle of the 9th, so The Boy Pitcher Kyle Crockett came out to get the last two batters. Cookie had left some men on base, because 4+ innings is a lot. Someone hit a ball off Crockett that confused poor David Murphy and I think some 17 men scored. But then one was out at the plate. Something like that. It was over by then, man.

Michael Brantley (.323) got a hit! It keeps his hitting streak alive at 6 but ends his streak of consecutive multi-hit games. SO WHAT! Totally LOB, though. All by his lonesome. He did get an RBI.

Gomes and Aviles both had doubles, and Gomes' was an RBI double. It was on that play that this shit happened.



 So very Cleveland of us.

David Murphy had a bad game but he did get a hit. Well that's how he got to third, and was tricked. Dirty tricksters.

I wonder if we'll see this any more in other games? Now that we know that the play can't be stopped until it's over or something. Everything I've seen says the umpires were right, it's the rules that are dumb. So yeah...expect the Yankees to be writing that one down.

Let's hope that the next two games, the Tribe is filled with revenge anger! I mean, nobody makes David Murphy look like a boob! He's such a good guy! We will run away with 2!!

It'll be 7:10 tomorrow, with  Danny Salazar facing anyone but Johnny Cueto (bonus - RHP!) Excited to see Salazar again now that we are pretty sure he's a good MLB pitcher. And - REVENGE!!!

I didn't get any Radio Chatter today but I did get some Sunday, forgetting that I don't do blogs on Sunday anymore. So - enjoy!

Radio Chatter:
"The ball is really small today, Rosie."
"There's only one of them out there at a time."
- Tom Hamilton and Jim Rosenhaus on the aftermath of "Hammy Weekend"

"These crazy mascots get together, the gloves come off!"
- Tom Hamilton on the mascot party

"Of course, 101 pitches in Japan would be like, eh, two-thirds of the way home."
- Tom Hamilton

"I'm sure the Yankees would say 'Look, we spoke with God and God said this must change.'"
- Tom Hamilton on when things don't go the Yankees' way

"How did we get here? Most of us by car."
- Tom Hamilton is about to give the recap in the 10th

"That one got him in the right biscuit. The trainer waved him off from the dugout. 'I'm not coming out there for that.'"
- Tom Hamilton

New Day For Tribe Pitching

If there's one thing Clevelanders love, it's people who love Cleveland. Especially our sports stars. Bernie Kosar, Josh Cribbs, Joe Haden, Victor Martinez, Terry Francona, Jason Kipnis, Carlos Baerga, Omar Vizquel. There's no reason as a sports fan to love Nick Swisher, but as a Clevelander he sure knows how to push all one's buttons so he gets his own section.

By all accounts, Justin Masterson loves Cleveland.  As we all sat crying along with Victor as he was shipped off to Not Our Team, the Indians were lucky to get in return a new city champion in the baseball park. A new guy that, as it turned out, wanted to be here and wanted to do well. A guy to carry us and impress us and for us to show off on Opening Day. A big man with an even bigger heart who, along with his wife Meryl, wanted to make a difference off the field too. And he was a hell of a pitcher.

The loss of Masty is a big one, but we all know it makes sense baseball-wise. It's not like the loss of Bartolo or Lee or Victor. The person leaving makes it harder than the loss of Ubaldo or Choo. But right now, if you take out the personal part of it, it's no worse than losing Ubaldo.

One hopes he doesn't turn in to Ubaldo. It would be amazing for him it ended up being like the loss of Scott Kazmir and he went on to have a great career, going out on top. What better team to go to than the Cardinals? A good solid team, maybe where he's not the leader and just one of five. I'm also glad he went to the NL and hope he stays there so he can't go all Victor on us.

I hope it goes well for him. He went well for us.

So long and thanks for all the fish!

In an interesting turn of events, within hours of losing our former ace, Corey Kluber secured his spot on our roster as "new ace." He killed it last week in his 2-hit, 9-inning game. Today the ante was upped, to see if he could finish the game and pull one out against The Ace, Felix Hernandez.

He did it. He totally did it.

First of all, the game lasted 2:10 because not only was Klubes mowing them down, but so was Felix. His line looked pretty humdrum next to Kluber's, though. with his 7 innings pitched and 2 earned runs. Here's what Kluber did:

I guess he only threw 16 balls, while Hernandez threw 37. He didn't walk anyone, ya see. And while they were the first to get on base, nothing came of it. He actually had some DEFENSE today, with two stellar double plays, which is how he managed to just see 28 batters.

The last time I saw a game like this? When Justin Masterson threw a complete game shutout in game one of a doubleheader in May of 2013. I was there for that one! It was boring as heck cuz the Tribe won with 1 run. But...it would seem the torch has been passed.

Other than defense, the rest of the team did actually come through to put the Tribe over the edge and secure the W for Kluber that goes along with a game like this. Amazing they did it against King Felix but there you have it.

It was just Chiz, Gomes and Swisher who got hits. And of course, Santana walked. He walked to start the 5th, Lonnie doubled and Mike Sarbaugh pulled up some Old Baseball Wisdom and kept Santana at third instead of sending him. Swisher got on by the grace of God, or Robinson Cano, but due to the nature of the play, Santana was unable to score. Bases loaded, no one out.

Things got a little mucky for Murphy who was up next, and Santana ended up being out at home. But Yan Gomes is still quietly making a huge impact in this lineup, now with a hitting streak of 6 games. Today he got that crucial Brantley-like double with the bases loaded and 2 men scored. That's 9 RBI for Yan in his last 10 games, and 14 hits in that time.

That was the only scoring in the game, by the way! Just those two paragraphs!

The team was wearing their socks pulled up over their calves, in tribute to Masterson. Very classy. It was a bittersweet victory today, I'm glad they won it for Masterson. In a very Kluber way.

Next is....sigh, there's more baseball after the trade deadline? Ok, well tomorrow we all move along and hope that McAllister is inspired to throw a good one against RHP 3.04. Pull up those socks and let's get another win, boys!

No Radio Chatter today. I was all over the place during the game.

But they did say that Terry Francona said he'd pay to watch this game. Tom Hamilton said he'd probably get 6 hot dogs too. Well!

To The Left, To The Left

Haaaay!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

AND CARLOS IS INDEED HITTING BEHIND HIM!!

Thank you. thank you thank you.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

New Ways to Lose

Well, you gotta give it to 'em - they found a new way to lose today. So we can't go saying it's just the offense or just the defense or just the starters or relievers. They have ALL been bad over these past 4 games!

Today it was the starter, Zach McAllister. He had a 5-run lead and - get this - he lost it. Lost it ALL! He had 4 earned runs in 4 innings. The fifth run came thanks to leaving a runner on base in the 5th for reliever Hagadone, who gave up a homer to this Billy Butler character who has had 2 of his season' s 5 homers in the last 2 games.

SONOFA.....

Atchison, Zep and Allen came in to finish and they did their part by not giving up any runs.

You know, come to think of it, the offense was bad again today. They exploded for 5 runs early on, and ended up with 12 hits on the night. But they only got 4 hits after that 5-run second inning!

Carlos Santana had ANOTHER homer! He had 6 in April/May but has 11 in June/July so far. And once again, it wasn't just that. He went 2 for 4 with a walk and his 16th double. He in no way leads the team in doubles but he leads the MAJORS in walks! Cool! He's got a 6-game hitting streak too, with 12 hits and 6 RBI in that time. And 3 homers, as you noticed.

Michael Brantley (.316) finally got two hits in a game today, for the first time in a week. He got his team-leading 26th double for an RBI, as well as a single. Let's hope he gets better from here!

Kipnis had a good night too, by the way. He had a two-RBI double in that 2nd inning, and came around to score. Kid's been streaky - this was his first hit in the series.

Gomes and Murphy again, you guys! Gomes got another 2 hits, giving him 13 in his last 10 games. Murphy's got himself a 5-game streak going on, with 7 hits in those games as well as a walk tonight. Both guys did come around to score - in that second inning.

Mike Aviles was added to the lineup about 15 minutes before the game today, because Lonnie Baseball has the blahs or something. Handsome Mike seems to do well under pressure because he went 2 for 4 tonight and looked good in the field! It was Aviles who got the 2-out scoring going in that second inning, after Santana had started it off with a homer. Aviles hit an RBI single, and then came around to score with David Murphy on Kipnis' double in the next at-bat.

Super fun times there in the second inning, and Tom Hamilton even had the game won by the third. But McAllister just dropped the ball (PUN INTENDED) and the bats never came back even though the Royals had the same guy throwing for 4 more innings. That was it. That wasn't so fun.

Welp, one more against these Royals tomorrow and then the road trip is OVER! It'll be Danny Salazar versus...oh no. Well it's a LHP but he's got a 5.80 ERA and also Brantley is hitting over .500 lifetime against him so that's good!

Stranger things have happened! See you there!

No Radio Chatter today. I kept missing the good

The Way It Ought To Be

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And, Chris Dickerson?

Yes?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Left Hand of DOOM!

Nooo! Not only did the Indians lose to the worst team around but it was also our rock-solid reliever Bryan Shaw who gave up the winning run. Tragic!

TJ House was today's starter and he didn't seem nearly as tight as he did in some of his other appearances. Maybe he's a little off-kilter from going to and from Columbus a few times? House only managed 5 innings and gave up 3 runs. Six hits and 3 walks. He left after 89 pitches. He didn't look awful but he just didn't seem as mature as before.

CC Lee, who's been back recently, only got one out in the 6th while giving up 2 hits. Nick Hagadone magically appeared and swiftly got the next 2 outs! Then we were contractually obliged to let John Axford pitch, but he actually had a 1-2-3 inning so that was surprising cool.

Bryan Shaw pitched the 8th and you already know what happened. The game was tied. He got just his second loss of the year.

But still....the pitchers should be able to get by on giving up 4 runs, right? No - left. HA! The Tribe just can't hit lefties!

They fielded a motley crew today after that long weekend series, with Mike Aviles in center while Brantley rested. Gomes was the DH so Roberto Perez was in as catcher. Murphy had the day off too with Swisher in right, and Santana at first. Then Asdrubal was having back problems so they took him out and put in Dickerson. He went to center and the Aviles experiment was over. He did manage to make one great play while he was out there!

The Tribe had 8 hits today. One hit for everyone except doo doo doo doo....Swisher, that's right. But one hit per guy doesn't do it. Neither does 8 strikeouts.

Chris Dickerson came in for Asdrubal in the 3rd, came right out and hit an RBI single! He's got 11 hits and 4 RBI now with just 10 games as an Indian. What a gem! He also fit right in by striking out with RISP. Sigh.

Gomes was randomly batting third, and he had a big RBI double in the 5th after Dickerson walked. He's been quietly heating up lately! Ten hits in his last 7 games. And 5 RBI, too.

Michael Brantley (.328) is amazing and  came in to pinch hit in the 8th and got a double. Then Roberto Perez, who doesn't yet qualify as "amazing" but in fact is "promising," came up to bat and got an RBI single. Nice, kid!

Michael Brantley, as it turns out, does not seem to have much of a sense of humor. Paul Hoynes reported today that Aviles put up an "inspirational poster" of himself in Brantley's locker. And Chisenhall challenged Brantley to a bet as to who would end the season with the better average, and Brantley was all "I don't look at numbers." Yeesh, ok. Then again, carrying the entire weight of a team on one's shoulders does make one a little smarmy. Especially when the rest of the team is clearly underperforming.

Lonnie Baseball did get a hit, by the way. But now he's .003 behind Brantley.

So while it actually was the perfect time to throw some of our other players out there in the starting lineup, and give random pitchers some work, it all came down to no one being able to hit the lefty. It was the 45th game in which the Tribe has scored 3 runs or fewer - and this was the 99th game!

Looks like we've really got a good chance to win this series, though - they've run out of lefties! The next two games will be against RHP with ERA over 4. We like those kinds of pitchers, no doubt.

Tomorrow is another 8:10 start, so you've got an extra hour to mow the lawn.

Sorry no Radio Chatter tonight - I swear, Tom Hamilton was so not in to this game. He was expecting a blowout after that great Detroit series and instead got a dud. He actually gave the game to the Twins by the end of the 7th.

We'll try it again tomorrow. See you there!

The Chris Dickerson Show With Special Guest Carlos Santana

Chris Dickerson is the real deal. It's like he's so appreciative of being picked up by a new team that he can't help but be awesome. Yes he failed to hit on Friday but he more than made up for it by getting the only two runs of the first 8 innings of the second game by way of the home run. Two home runs!

That was the second game, of course on my mind at the moment. But let's roll it back to the first game...

The first game was like smooth sailing, being that Kluber had the ball for the good guys and some kid throwing his first MLB game had the ball for the other guys. Yeah, there was a few innings wasted while they figured the kid out but during that time Kluber was just like "PITCH. PITCH. PITCH." And then when the Tribe finally managed to score in the 5th he just kept going.

And before you knew it, it was the 9th inning and he had thrown 114 pitches, struck out 10, walked just 1 and given up just 2 runs. There were 2 outs, and in deference to the run he just gave up and then the man on second from a double, Klubot was turned off for the night. Bryan Shaw came in to get that last guy. That was the ballgame.

Ok, maybe there was more to the ballgame, like chasing that new kid off the mound after 5 innings and 3 earned runs. Then hitting their bullpen for 3 more. And not even seeing Albequerque!

While the homer carried Friday's game and Saturday night's game, the afternoon game was about 10 singles and 5 walks. The 5th inning saw 5 hits and 3 runs!

Kipnis kept it up, going 2 for 5 with 2 more RBI. And even Asdrubal did things, going 1 for 5 and thus giving him 12 hits in his last 10 games. Yes, 9 strikeouts, yes yes. But he has 2 RBI in 2 games!

Brantley (.327) got the game's first hit and that was all for him. Just 1 for 5 in this game. Santana - who I didn't even realize was back to being slumpy (but Hammy and Rosie can't stop talking about it) at least got on base with 2 walks. Chiz upped his league-leading road average by getting TWO more hits in the afternoon game, plus a walk and a run scored.

Gomes and Swisher both had doubles. Gomes had an awesome game going 3 for 4, and since David Murphy went 2 for 2, Gomes came around to score 3 times!

Raburn was in the 9-hole, but that didn't go as well as we thought. He came up at 0 for 4.

So this afternoon's game was kind of a walk in the park, lead by Corey Kluber. I just got an awesome mental image of all that.

The night game was Zach McAllister stretching his legs before getting on the bus to Columbus, versus Cy Young Award Winner Max Scherzer. Not so much a walk in the park.

McAllister was like Bauer on Friday, in that at one point he looked awful and it seemed like we couldn't possibly win the game if he threw one pitch more...then he went on to pitch 3 1/3 more innings and only gave up 1 run in total, on 3 hits with 6 strikeouts. Oh. Well - good job, ZMac!

Axford was next and he provided some un-needed intensity with a wild pitch. But then the next two guys struck out and it was over for another day.

Atchison was next and somehow he gave up a run! It was the go-ahead run so that wasn't cool. But there was still time left and we were facing the Tiger bullpen so really it was ok. Carlos Carrasco came out in the 8th to swiftly handle Miggy, Victor and the New Martinez and he was great! Strikeout, groundout, groundout. Atta boy, Cookie! I told you that guy is a team player.

Offense wasn't nearly as exciting in this game as it was in the first game. The Tribe only got 8 hits and 6 walks, which seems like a lot but they didn't all come together until the 9th. Before that, it was just 2 runs in 8 innings.

Kipnis kept his stuff up by going 0 for 2 - with THREE WALKS. He came in to score once. Asdrubal was out, so Aviles was the shortstop and second batter. He got a sneaky little bunt hit in the 3rd but nothing came of it.

Michael Brantley (.329) could only muster 2 for 4 with one double this evening. That gives him 7 hits and 3 runs scored during this series so far. Damn!

Carlos Santana, who had been getting ragged on all day by the radio guys, came up in the 9th with the bases loaded and got a 3-run double. I don't know what it is about that guy, but he keeps coming back to impress us! I know that I don't give two shits when Nick Swisher does the exact same thing (suddenly does something good to counter-act his awful average) but Nick Swisher is a $15mm pair of new sneakers and Santana we got at the thrift store 5 years ago and damn is he comfortable.

Anyway, I still love Carlos Santana. Even though he's frustrating. It seems like he's always the dumbass kid who occasionally does something magical and right.

Chisenhall quietly ended a 6-game hitting streak by going 0-4 this evening. But he and Brantley are still 4 and 5 on the batting chart.

Swisher still plays for the team, and Murphy went back to doing nothing. Poor Murph.

Roberto Perez was in the lineup, as promised. In only his second game with us, he hit a double! They put Asdrubal in to pinch run for him. I wonder what's up with that? Don't you think a 26-year-old should be able to run even if he's a catcher? But whatever, that's what they did. And he came around to score on Santana's game-winning double. Yee-haw! I wonder how much we'll see him? Maybe just once a week?

Oh yeah so....Chris Dickerson! Here he is, by the way:

And as an Indian:

So yeah, he didn't hit yesterday and he was out for the first game today, but then he made up for all of that this evening by going yard TWICE. You know who didn't get any home runs today? All of the Tigers! Not in either game. Not Miggy, not Victor, not New Martinez, not even little Rajai Davis who got his first of 2 homers of this year off the Tribe.

Things must not have been right at Comerica for a home run today. Except for Chris Dickerson. Chris Dickerson who got two. We love you, man!

How cool is it that we came back from the break winning 3 straight against Detroit? The team is 3 games over .500. They're in second place, 4.5 games back. They're 1.5 games out of the Wild Card.

I guess we'll see Sunday when Tomlin takes on LHP 4.00. We're on the road against a lefty, where we perform better both at home and against righties.

If we can pull it out tomorrow, then it's the real deal. However it gets done, too. Real deal. If it's the real deal then get ready for a HECK of a second half!!!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"He's gotta realize there are 18 guys playing this game, not just him."
- Tom Hamilton on Miggy

"That would have been a home run in any park but here and Yellowstone."
- Tom Hamilton

"Both baserunners move up on a wild pitch. That might be an understatement."
- Jim Rosenhaus thinks it was a crazy weird wild pitch

"One good month out of four isn't what you can have."
- Tom Hamilton on Carlos Santana

"To decipher those boos...they're simply saying 'Rent, Joe. Don't buy.'"
- Tom Hamilton on the Detroit crowd's feelings about Joe Nathan

Messin' With Texas

Josh Tomlin!! Josh Tomlin's hair!!! Both had fantastic outings in Arlington this afternoon against the Rangers!

Flow it! Show it! Long as God can grow it!

Eight innings, 5 strikeouts, 7 hits and 3 runs. Only one extra base hit! He was getting through innings with ease, doing what the pitching coaches keep telling everyone to do - throw strikes. Guys were swinging away and getting out. It was awesome!

They put Tomlin in for the 9th, but he went up to 105 pitches and gave up a hit, so that was that. John Axford game in with a 5-run cushion, and I totally applaud this move because really how could he mess up a 5-run cushion?? He did give up one hit, as he will, but being so relaxed there were no runs scored.

More double digits in the hit column today for the Tribe (and more 50% off pizza for the fans at Papa John's!) Two doubles and two homers, and while there were 7 LOB the team still managed to score 8 runs.

Michael Bourn is starting his hitting streak back at ONE. He just went 1 for 5 today but he did steal a base.

Asdrubal wasn't feeling it today after last night's awesome game. No more homers today. No hits, actually. He was shut out AND he hit himself with a foul tip. Ouch!

Michael Brantley (.305) is never not hitting, so he went 1 for 5 with his 14th double.

Kipnis had a decent day - he went 1 for 3, but also had 2 walks and came in to score once. Much patience. Kiiiiinda wondering why he's batting 4th instead of Chiz. Maybe 4th is too heavy for the slightly younger Chisenhall?

Lonnie didn't get any extra base hits today either (he does lead the team in doubles, and has 1 more homer than Kipnis) but he went 2 for 5 with a run scored and an RBI. He got his THIRD RBI bloop single into left field in, I think, four games. I love it!

David Murphy, who is an ex-Ranger and from Texas and no doubt still has a home(s) in Texas didn't get any hits yesterday - no doubt in deference to his old fans who were there to cheer him on. Good guy. Today it was his new team's turn and he went 3 for 4 with an RBI and a run scored. Interesting to see if he steps it up even more tomorrow!

Jason Giambi went 1 for 3 today with a long single that coulda been a double for maybe Michael Bourn. And everyone went "GROAN!" because on the play prior to that hit, Lonnie got caught hanging off the bag at third and it didn't produce a run. I wonder what kind of words of wisdom G imparted on him about that?!

Raburn came in to pinch hit for Giambi later and got an RBI and a run scored.

Carlos Santana! He went 2 for 2 today with a biiiiig game-clinching 2-run homer, a single and 2 walks. He came around to score twice. He was at first today and....well, he's hit in both of his games since he's been back. Did he get some skill knocked back into him when he got that concussion? Of course, two games does not make a trend. But that'd be pretty fun if true!!

Hey, did you hear they drafted Juan Gomes today? Here I was thinking that "Yan" was "John" in Portugese but it's not. It is "John" in Belarusian or something. And "Juan" is "John" Spanish. Anyway, both brothers are named "John" in different ways. And they are both Indians now. It will be just awesomely amazing when the Tribe with all of its Gomeses plays Tampa or Boston with their Gomes. What if one of those teams gets a Cabrera, too??

Anyway, Yan Gomes went 1 for 4 and it was a big, big one. It was a 3-run homer! That was all for Gomes for the day but that was all we needed from him.

Two more games in Texas yet, and I feel pretty good about them! I think the first game was decent enough and the second featured a lot of hits and matching runs. Nice weather for homers, I guess.

Tomorrow it'll be at 3:05 (for real this time. Yesterday I reported today's game was 3:05 when it was really 4:05). Masterson versus LHP 3.68. Hmm...LHP on the road. Everyone just start the game with rally caps, ok?

No Radio Chatter today - Hammy was out watching his son's graduation, and you're just not going to get quality quips from Mike Hargrove. He was trepidatious about taking questions from Twitter, though! I don't think he answered any haha

See you there!

What Went Wrong

One bad inning for Bauer, one bad outing for Zep, and too many guys left on base.

The pitching unfortunates could have been overcome by batting, and they did get 10 hits today, but they didn't get them at the right time - and struck out 11 times - so the unusually-bad pitching couldn't be overcome.

Although, no one thought the Tribe would score any off of Yu Darvish, so to get 4 off him and for Bauer to be right up there with him - well that's not too shabby.

Trevor Bauer was the man today, having an OK outing. Except for the time when he gave up 4 hits and 4 runs in an inning. That was the 2nd. He had a 1-2-3 first and a 1-2-3 third, and pitched 3 more scoreless innings, and one more out until he was at his 100 and done for the night. In 6 1/3 innings, Bauer struck out 6 and only walked 2. As someone on Twitter said:

The flashes of brilliance from Bauer are starting to become a more constant beam.
— Kevin Dean (@kevnbaseball) June 7, 2014

Nice!

Zep was the next reliever, and apparently I have not been paying close enough attention to relievers. I just thought they were all equally good, less Ax and Carrasco. But people were like "nooooo!" and then when Zep gave up a homer they were like "Seeeeee?" So that happened.

Then for the 8th it was Atchison, who got the first out then Elvis Andrus got on base for the 38th consecutive game versus the Indians. Then it was Hagadone's turn and he gave up a walk, so he was gone. ? Then Axford who Axforded a run home on a sac fly. They only let 2 runs score between all of them, but that was 2 too many.

Michael Bourn was shut out tonight! After an amazing 8-game run with 11 hits and 5 RBI, today he went 0 for 5 with 4 strikeouts. He only had 6 strikeouts total in his 8 games.

Asdrubal on the other hand was having a great night! Perhaps it was due to the company of his fellow countryman Rougned Odor? Cabby went 3 for 5 with a double, single and homer! It was his 6th homer of the year, his second in 2 games, and third in just 7 games. I think he's found his power - lookout!

Michael Brantley (.307) didn't have all that good of a night, but he tried to be the hero in the 9th, and got his one and only hit to hopefully be part of the tying runs scored. Not so much.

Kipnis tried to be that guy who hit in the tying runs but that didn't happen either. He went 1 for 5 on the night as well, with his single coming in the third.

He was on base when Lonnie Baseball went yard, though! And it was a 3-run thingie so it brought the Tribe back from an 0-4 deficit! It was his only hit for the night, but he did walk. He has had TWELVE RBI in the last 7 games!!!

David Murphy had nothin' going on tonight. But Yan Gomes did! He's been a little feast-or-famine lately getting 2 hits, then none, then 2 hits, then none. Today he had 3 hits! Shockingly....no RBI and no runs on those. Oof! He did have an awesome play where he lept like 3' into the air to get a ball for a play at the plate, and after all that the guy was safe.

Santana was back from concussion leave. Kind of a bummer because they put him down there at 8th and that's sort of why Gomes had 3 hits and nothing to show for it. Then again...what have Raburn and Giambi been doing lately? Santana did get a single, though. But he left 3 on base.

Mike Aviles is also feast-or-famine lately and since he's getting more playing time, the famine is starting to show. He went 0 for 4 today, and apparently was Slowy McRunnerson on a hit today that ended up being a GIDP. The people called for his head. He says he hurt his toe. I tend to believe Aviles, because everyone believes a handsome man.

So our first loss after a 6-game streak.Tribe not so good on the road but scoring 4 on their first night out, versus Darvish, is nothing to sneeze at. They need to rub their bellies and come out swingin' tomorrow. It's all do-able!

Tomorrow is Josh Tomlin versus RHP 4.43! That's our favorite kind of pitcher! It'll be at 3:05 and broadcast on FS1.

See you there!

No Radio Chatter today. But here's a clip of Hammy and Rosie re-visiting the idea of motor oil in the 1800s. They did a big thing about this earlier in the season when they realized that cars weren't around when Valvoline first became a company, but they're at it again!

Swept

Ack! I have been slacking on writing blog posts lately. My excuse is the holiday weekend, and then a game that went to 1:30 AM. I listened to them all - I even collected Radio Chatter from the rain delay game! But no way was I ready to sit down and write about the game when my bed has been so darn comfy lately.

TJ House - whose name stands for "Tiger Junior" and I love it! - was today's starter and he was a real whip! The qualitiest of quality starts, with 6 1/3 innings, just 5 hits, one run and 8 strikeouts. This was just his second Major League start!

Hahaha - I just realized I don't even know our rotation anymore. Let's see...Masterson, Bauer, Kluber, Tomlin, House? Or some configuration of those 5. Seems kind of weird that Masterson is right now the weakest of that bunch but so it goes. Will be interesting to see who is still here in August!

Scott Atchison came in to finish the 7th and he was fine. One hit, that's all. Cody Allen came in for the 8th and he just looked like he was having a bad time. He walked two and gave up a run! I can't believe his ERA is 3.38 right now...he's the one who was lights-out at the beginning of the beginning of this season! Bryan Shaw came in for the last out in the 8th, but then gave up the winning run in the 9th. An un-earned run on an error, though. Uh...yay?

Offense was craptacular today, as it was all series. They only scored 2 runs.

One run was a big homer by Jason Giambi, though! Someone pointed out on Twitter that he's got 2 homers in 20 ABs and Robinson Cano has 2 in 200. Nice! They intentionally walked him later in the game, which is awesome. They totally remember last year. Josh Tomlin pinch ran for him!

Michael Bourn got his 1,000th hit! He also got an outfield assist, which I heart. Not at the plate but still, love those plays!

Michael Brantley (.310). I mean...the town is burning down around you and you are just out there hitting, hitting, hitting! And coming around to score. You are amazing, Michael Brantley, and now I am going to go vote vote vote!!

Yan Gomes was the big hero who got the super clutch single with Brantley at second to tie the game with 2 outs on the 9th. Wahoo! He went 1 for 4, and so did David Murphy.

Jesus Aguilar started today, and he went 1 for 3. Then they took him out for Aviles and Aviles had an error. Back to 0 on the "days without errors" count.

Bad hitting. More errors. The pitching was ok - not so much the relief pitching but still they only gave up TWO RUNS which our offense could not overcome.

Yeesh.

Off day tomorrow, then back home on Friday versus the Rockies. It'll be Kluber versus RHP 3.61, start time 7:05. So we got the pitching locked up....let's hope those bats show up too!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"You hate to say it already in the first inning that you're in a Danger Zone. But Justin Masterson is in a Danger Zone."
- Tom Hamilton

"This is Robin Ventura's worst nightmare. A rain delay with one of the league's best starters."
- Tom Hamilton

"This grounds crew works less than Nick Camino."
- Tom Hamilton

"The Indians, and the rest of the Central Division, are lucky that the Tigers have forgotten how to pitch."
- Tom Hamilton

"Maybe they have a clause in their contract that they don't work after midnight."
- Jim Rosenhaus on why one grounds crew guy was dispatched, without a rake, to dry off the mound

-------------

"When it comes to this ballpark, Kipnis is better than Babe Ruth."
- Tom Hamilton

"A happy fan. He doesn't have any teeth left but he has a new bat."
- Tom Hamilton on a bat in the stands

Where You Been?

Where have I been? Cleaning up. Napping. Hustlin'. I didn't make it to the game Friday as my date couldn't find a babysitter so we hung out at home instead. When I turned on the radio as I left to go get warmer clothes, and found the game to be 11-1, I was glad I stayed in the suburbs. And then Saturday's game was a bummer, and Sunday's game was a "OMG not this again!" super bummer....eh, I just couldn't muster up the positive for last weekend.

I'm starting this blog post today (Monday) before the end of the game, because whether or not the Tribe wins, it's a good game. It's even (literally - it's 4-4 now, and figuratively). Pitching is tight against this gigantic lineup. Our offense is good. No errors. It's good baseball.

This is the team I expect to see on the field every day. Not the one that won 15-4 the other day, nor the one that lost 13-3. I can write a positive blog post about a team that loses 5-4 or wins 5-4. I can write a positive post about 15 hits and no errors. I can write one about 2-1!

Don't think that if I don't write a post I'm not listening to the game. I'm always listening to the game.

While I was listening just now, Michael Brantley won the game with a 10th inning, 2-out walkoff homer. That's why you always keep listening!

Michael Brantley ended it but it wasn't just him who won it. Corey Kluber, for instance, had another amazing game. He was all over these Tigers, with 8 strikeouts over 7 innings of work. Just 3 earned runs, and a solo homer by Victor Martinez. *genuflect* He only threw 94 pitches and I'm sure he wanted to come out for 8 but you don't want to short out your Klubot. No sir.

Next was Bryan Shaw who got the hold, and Cody Allen who...blew a save? You take that back, official scorer! Cody Allen does not blow saves! Well, he did give up a homer to a dude who was pinch hitting and got his first major league homer. But somehow...this is not Cody Allen's fault!

Scott "Groundskeeper" Atchison came in and on 8 pitches 1-2-3'd Miggy, Victor and Don Kelly...

This Don Kelly

... so while we're all congratulating Kluber and Brantley, don't you forget old Scott Atchison!

Almost everybody hit today, except for Santana in the 5-hole and Aviles at the end. But Santana did get on base with a walk (like a boss).

Michael Bourn got a hit tonight, and while he went 1 for 6, his one hit was significant - he's got an abysmal record versus lefties and pitcher Drew Smyly has an amazing one. Bourn got just the 3rd hit off Smyly by a lefty this year. The second was earlier in the game, Michael Brantley, natch. Otherwise, Bourn had a sort of crappy night, striking out twice.

Asdrubal was back batting second, like he was in 2011 and 2012. It looked good on him! He went 2 for 6 with his 12th double, and came in to score on a wild pitch.

Michael Brantley (.292) is amazing. He's just so awesome. Don't you love him? He got that homer, and also had a double and a walk. And he looks good in a fedora.

Oh man, he is so so good. So good.

In Francona's shaken-up lineup (finally!) Raburn is the cleanup hitter. As good as anyone, I say! In fact, better than Santana as he went 2 for 3, with 2 hits, 2 walks and a run scored. Not some big power night for him at all when was the last time Santana did that with any consistency?

Santana was 5th, by the way. With his walk. He left 7 men on base.

Yan Gomes had a heck of a night! He went 3 for 4 with a walk. Dayum! And no errors, to boot.

Nick Swisher is still on this team. Bumped down to 7th.

Jesus Aguilar!!!!! Finally, what we've all heard about from the minors has blown through to the majors! Okay, okay. He just went 1 for 3 but he had 2 RBI, with a single and a sac fly. But more importantly, did you know he was humongous? I saw him in the video of the end-of-the-game handshake and he is, like, Miggy-sized! 6'3", 250 lbs. Wow, I hope we're grooming him for DH!

Note he is further from the camera than Francona!

Lonnie Baseball came in to pinch for him in the 9th and he kept the game alive with a hit. Unfortunately, Mike Aviles left the game tied in the 9th with a GIDP. The reign of Handsome Mike is over. For now.

Real pitching, real hitting, real fielding. I love it! They only won by 1 but the goal here is to #BeatDetroit, right? And to just keep playing good baseball!

So this is one game that could be a turning point. We've got to hope that it's the case!

Tomorrow's game is going to be AWESOME because it'll be Trevor Bauer versus Justin Verlander. Are you excited about Johnny Football? Wait til you see Trevor Baseball! I bet that guy is drinking SO MUCH Red Bull tomorrow trying to get PUMPED for this game. Go get 'em, BauerOutage!!

See you there! (After my niece's preschool graduation, I guess. That is a thing.)

Sorry no Radio Chatter. I wasn't into writing down stuff today. Hammy did call Twitter "The work of the devil" and said that Rosie was a "Tweeter." Haha! Anyway, here are links for your ears:

Hamilton's call of the walkoff homer.

Talkin' prom on Saturday.

Scott Kazmir gets ejected on Saturday and Tom Hamilton loses his mind. 

So much thanks to John at Tom Hamilton Has The Best Home Run Call In All Of Baseball because he is a total mensch. He brings the world as much Hammy as possible.

Left Behind

Missed last night's game, as I was down taking care of water in the basement. I bet a lot of you did! Or you missed Wednesday's game because the weather was worse, but that's a shame because the game was much better.

I decided to listen to this game at work today just for kicks and boy did it take forever. And I didn't really get interrupted much, it was just a long damn game - 3:23. And not because everyone was scoring so much. I guess maybe it was slow pitching, long at-bats, lots of personnel changes and also a review.

Lots of relievers on our side (6) because Salazar had another one of those bad outings. He just went 4 innings and gave up 2 runs and only struck out 3. He only gave up 2 runs yes but he threw 98 pitches in just that time!!

They brought in CC Lee for the 5th and he promptly gave up 2 runs (single, homer) so his ass was grass.

Everyone but Shaw was there to finish the game. No more runs scored, just a couple hits and some walks. But 4 runs was more than enough for the Blue Jays to persevere this time.

'Cuz the Tribe just can't hit lefties, it would seem. After coming off a 15-run game today they only managed to score 2. They actually got a lot of hits! Nine hits! And also 3 walks. But those lefties just stunned everyone into silence when it counted and 9 men were left on base.

Today was Jesus Agular's first MLB game. Tom Hamilton had a lot of nice stuff to say about him and his plate discipline. Didn't get a hit but he did walk. And his mama is very proud. I've heard a lot of great stuff about him as a minor-leaguer so I'm excited to see what he can do up here!

Bourn was keeping up a hitting streak, now at 5 games. Ryan Raburn, who hasn't played since the 10th, was in at left (Brantley's birthday is today! Also, he is sitting with a sore back) and got a hit. In fact, it was a double!

Santana got a hit. No kidding! And Asdrubal got TWO hits! How does it work when both of these guys are hitting that the team isn't winning? Well...I guess the 7 LOB between them says a lot...They are not hitting when needed.

The 8th inning got slightly exciting when there was a new pitcher and 3 men got on base and Raburn hit that double. But all that came of it was one run, a RBI courtesy of Yan Gomes.

David Murphy is actual hot! Just not fake one-game hot. He's gone 3 games in a row now, first with 1 hit then 5 hits, then 2 more hits last night including a solo homer! Woah, I just got some deja-vu. Does this sound familiar? Maybe Mark Reynolds this time last year, I dunno. Anyway, at least Murphy can hit lefties!

Handsome Mike isn't faring as well - after 3 games of solid hitting, for this game his bat went cold. Poor fella, his average is under .300 now.

Tonight the team is back from the Great White North, and it's Dollar Dog Night and Fireworks too! Unfortunately it'll be hella cold. But I hope a ton of people show up anyway! I was supposed to go but things happened and I'm staying at home. Where it's warm. Wet, but warm.

It'll be ZMac versus RHP (whew) 2.71. Sounds like they will need a lot of help from the fans to get through this one. Go get 'em!

See you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Juan Francisco went after that ball, toward the thrid base line, like he was Sean Penn in 'Dead Man Walking.' Not much of an effort."
- Tom Hamilton

"Lawrie is hitting .234, 7 homers, 24 RBIs and 53 tattoos."
- Tom Hamilton

"Northwestern's [baseball] park looks like a bad high-school field. That recruiter must be a whiz."
- Tom Hamilton

"Adam Lind had a goatee that would make Burl Ives proud."
- Tom Hamilton

"This game's been about as riveting as a piano recital."
- Tom Hamilton

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

Outmatched

Sunday's game was a really good game. I listened to the game while I was napping. Then Monday, I sat down to listen to it for real no fewer than 3 times and just kept getting distracted and having to stop. By the time I got to the 8th inning, it was bedtime! No time for a blog. But it was a fun game, huh? Morgan AND Bourn! Santana at first! (Except at the end when Allen pulled an Axford and we were all like WHAT?! But the rest and the end was good).

Anyway, today's game was pretty good because it wasn't a blowout either way, and some exciting stuff happened. Unfortunately the exciting stuff happened for both teams. The Tribe hung with the Jays but the Jays hung with the Tribe.

Masterson was our starter and he didn't fare so good. No quality start - he only made it 5 1/3 innings and gave up 5 runs in that time. Woosh! Seems as though someone has totally figured him out - no doubt going to his mlb.com page and clicking "splits" and noting that lefties are hitting .305 against him while righties are hitting just .171. Amazing scouting! Throw all of our left handed hitters at him! That plan totally worked. Five runs on 6 hits and only 3 strikeouts. Lots of extra base hits.

Outman kept it tight to finish off the 6th and *gasp* Axford came out in the 7th with the Tribe down by 1 run. He had a 1-2-3 inning, striking out 1! Way to not crumple and die, Ax Man!

Zep and Lee paired up to finish the 8th and that was it. No one gave up any runs except Masty.

Michael Bourn had a good night at the plate. He not only went 2 for 4 but he also got a hit off a left-handed reliever, presumably brought in just to face Bourn. He rose to the challenge and took his sub-.200 average against lefties and got himself an RBI single! Is it wrong to be frustrated when he does well because I want to see more Morgan? I think it is, a little bit.

Swisher just went 1 for 4. He did follow up Bourn's bases-loaded RBI with a sac fly RBI. Hey you know what I saw? The Indians posted about the Swisher bobblehead today and a bunch of people said nasty things about how Swisher is bad. That made me happy! I mean, it makes me happy to know that I am not the only one who is so down on the dickhead. I like feeling like part of a group.

Michael Brantley (.278) ended his hitting streak today, at 11 games. *sob* But I bet tomorrow he starts a new one!

Carlos Santana got himself a hit today! He got to second on a passed ball, then Yan Gomes got a single and Los totally tried to score the tying run but he is a catcher and it played out how these things have gone historically when catchers try to run. Out. Moving to third base has not made him any faster.

Asdrubal got back on the hit horse after going 0-4 on Sunday and today went 1 for 4 with a run scored. He's back!

After being fairly useless in May compared to super useful in April, David Murphy went 2 for 4 today with a run scored. Don't get too excited yet, though - he had a 3-hit game last week then went silent again for 3 games. Can't call him hot yet - but let's hope!

Yan Gomes has been pretty good this month when it comes to hitting. Nothing spectacular but at least 1-2 hits per game. Tonight he got 1 hit and 1 walk, with a run scored. And he tried to get that RBI but you know...catchers.

Lonnie Baseball did not get a hit, but once again he was in there making stuff happen - getting hit by a pitch with bases loaded! He's been HBP 4 times this year so far, which ties him for 9th in the league with a lot of guys, including Asdrubal. But I'm telling you - he's always in there getting stuff done!

I'm surprised Aviles wasn't more of a game-changer today. He did have a few opportunities, and left 3 men on base. He went 1 for 4 and did come in to score a run, but I've just been on a Handsome Mike kick lately, you know? Oh, but here he is working on a Mother's Day card on Sunday. Seriously.

The guys working on mothers day! pic.twitter.com/qa8OqUc0xU
— Danny Salazar (@DannySalazar67) May 11, 2014

Aviles, he has HEART!!

All right, tomorrow  is another one in the Great White North (take off!) at 7:07 PM. It'll be our Klubot versus RHP 4.63 which is more than a whole point over Kluber's ERA. Yes!

I only have one bit of Radio Chatter from tonight, the rest are from Sunday. Cherish all!

Radio Chatter:
"Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus! But he doesn't live in the North Pole he lives at the Rogers Centre!"
- Tom Hamilton on a correct error call

------------
"Michael Pineda...who feels that pine tar on the neck is the newest hot fashion."
- Tom Hamilton

"He is 38 years of age. Doesn't look a day over 50! But he can catch."
- Tom Hamilton on Jose Molina

"If he gets a bunt single, then we are going to have a total eclipse tonight."
- Tom Hamilton on Jose Molina

"He got about 10 steps out and realized 'Hey I'm Jose Molina, I can't go!' then he went back."
- Jim Rosenhaus on Molina trying to steal a base

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