Chris Perez Is The Mayor Of Savingsville!

Sorry for the commercialization of tonight's title, but I hear so many of those darn Progressive commercials on the radio that I decided I needed to start putting them to work for me! Now, if you've never heard the Progressive radio spots this year then you are both lucky and confused. In short, Flo sings. She sings 18 times per game and 2 or 3 more times in the postgame. This is why people still pay for cable.

Hey, another win! That's 9 of our last 10, 3 in a row and 10 night games for Meryl Masterson. Streaky streaky streaky! For some reason my first thought after this game was "Wow can we sweep a 4-game series?!" but we'll discuss that later.

Justin Masterson was together today. His end line (7IP/4H/3R/2BB/7SO) with the 3 runs sort of betrays the fact that he only had 2 baserunners, total, in all of his innings excluding the 4th. The 4th is where things went haywire and guys got hits, there was a wild pitch and Masterson even hit a guy. Oops! But it says a lot about him that he came back in and shut them down over 3 more innings. Says a lot that they'd even let him come back! So, well done, Ace!

Since Vinnie's out, we got treated to the Smith & Perez show after that. Smith gave up a lead-off single and I sort of shifted uncomfortably in my seat because Joe Smith is suddenly in the habit of giving up hits. But, never fear - he struck out the next two and got the last guy to pop out!

Chris Perez was once again the star of the show. The closer of the close game. First he struck out a guy. Then he gets a guy to ground out. I was joking with my friend that he needs to give up a hit yet, because that's how Perez do, and then I was all "NO! Not that kind of hit!" as the ball sailed up and...out? Nope! The umpire called it a double. The call went to review and it stood! IT STOOD! Even Tom Hamilton said it was wrong. The MLB didn't put it online because they probably know it was wrong. (They put it up. Oops!) The A's manager was ejected. ha-ha.

Perez wasn't done...he hit a guy (!) and then walked a guy and the bases were loaded, with the Tribe only up by one. Holy hell! The final guy hit one to the right side of the mound. Perez picked it up himself then chug-chug-chugged over to first with the ball to touch the bag, because he probably felt that after that performance he probably couldn't count on a throw making it to first. Good call!

Like a beardy gazelle!

Oh and after all that he got the save. He did actually get out of this mess on his own accord tonight, unlike last night where he needed the help of Yan. But boy - did he ever put on a show!

Michael Brantley only got 1 of the team's 4 runs, but I'll call him the player of the game. Because while everyone else was sort of stunned at the plate or not able to put enough power in it to combat the wind blowing in, Brantley managed to go 2 for 4 with an RBI and a stolen base! His RBI actually  was not on one of his hits - he got on base with an error and a run scored. With bases loaded and 1 out, he hit into what was about to be a double play but the second baseman muffed the throw to first and Brantley was safe. He also just sort of watched the first baseman scramble after the ball instead of trying to beat it over to second, which is the right move. He just made it look extra smooth.

Kipnis and Asdrubal didn't do anything today. Asdrubal was nicknamed  "Abra Cabrera" last night in @FrankHermann56's #TribeNames contest. (The winner was The Yanimal. I like!). Although I guess Asdrubal had a stunning leaping play that the MLB didn't see fit to give us video of.

Nick Swisher was back to having fun tonight! He hit a solo home run to tie the game at 3! They play the OSU Fight Song when he hits a home run, which is pretty cool. He also does the "O-H" on his way into the dugout, so be prepared if you're ever sitting behind the dugout to respond in kind!

When Carlos Santana followed up Swisher's homer with a solo, go-ahead homer of his own (Mark Reynolds was between them - not hitting a home run! Huh!), Swisher did a little dance. I can't embed the video but I can show you an approximation:


Apache Fresh Prince Mix from DJ RKade on Vimeo.

Oh yes he did!

Santana and Raburn led the 5th off with walks. Chisenhall, who was sent away to work on his hitting, was back and up next. Good things should happen! He did get a hit but it was like a little squib infield hit. But, hey - now the bases were loaded. Stubbs got on base by a fielder's choice and the bases were still loaded when Brantley induced the error and the Tribe scored two! So, however they're giving runs today, we're taking them, by golly.

Stubbs got a single, too, which is great cuz dude hasn't had a hit yet this series. And you know I expect way more from him!

So really it turns out we won this game by the skin of our teeth. Masterson DID look good but our bats were not that great. Two homers were nice but the other two runs came by chance. And the tying run didn't score in the 9th by chance. But if chance is all we've got, we'll take it!

So do you think we can sweep the 4-game series? We've got momentum, and we've got the fact that we're facing another Cy Young Award winner in our favor. However we're under .500 on day games. Kazmir was pretty great his last start - can he do it again? And will our bats wake up already?! Two home runs is not enough! (Haha look at me complaining about lack of home runs!)

Even though Meryl doesn't count for day games, she's coming along anyway. She did win a day game last week, so it doesn't hurt!

Afternoon delight cookies!

By the way, did you read the the bullpen cop, AKA the Tootsie Roll Cop (officer Jeff Stanczyk) is retiring? I don't know him from the visitor's bullpen (never really sat over there) but I've been the recipient of his candy a couple times in the bleachers! Sad to see a regular like that go. I hope he takes the time to enjoy some games out of uniform!

All right so tomorrow's game is 12:05. Don't forget! Bring your BROOMS!

Radio Chatter:
"You look at that beard and you think 'Grizzly Adams'."
- Tom Hamilton on Daric Barton

"You don't think they practiced the 70-foot single?"
- Jim Rosenhaus on Chisenhall's recent extra batting practice

"Carlos Santana, like Nick Swisher, says 'Mother Nature is not a factor tonight!'"
- Tom Hamilton on Santana's homer in the 6th

"They lead the league in beards, the Oakland A's."
- Jim Rosenhaus

"Even with a replay, Angel Hernandez got it wrong and that's really not a surprise."
- Tom Hamilton after the "double" in the 9th

Go Go Gadget Gomes!

The Tribe pulled it out today in a 1-0 game, and, I dunno, I think it was all thanks to Yan Gomes.

Not only did he call the game from behind the plate - the game in which the other team scored none - but he also is the guy who got that 1 RBI (via a very long sac fly). He's also the guy who got the second out in the 9th inning via laser throw.

Of course, you gotta give credit to starter Zach McAllister for throwing the pitches that Yan Gomes wanted. McAllister was like "I AM IN THE ROTATION, BITCH!" and threw 7 2/3 innings with no runs and only one walk. He actually only struck out 4 and gave up 5 hits but he had it all planned out right and that all was no big deal. He threw 111 pitches and almost made it through a full 8 but hey, we only had one run up on them. Good move by Francona to sit him.

Rich Hill came in to finish the 8th, then it was Pure Rage time! Firestarter! He did what he always does - one ball in play for an out, one single, one strikeout. This time he didn't get the opportunity to get the pop out because Yan Gomes just mowed down Cespedes when he tried to steal second after that single. Just...rocket ship to second, man. MLB's Web site is being weird about video, so I had to resort to trickery and stealiness in order to get the video to you. You haven't seen a good Caught Stealing all season so I think we all deserve it.

The team actually managed 5 hits today (while the A's managed 6!) even though it only resulted in one run.

Drew Stubbs was at the top, giving Brantley the night off in favor of a right-hander. Stubbs didn't do anything. Not what I expected!

Kipnis, ont he other hand, rocked this town, rocked it inside out with his 4th double, going 2 for 4 on the night!

Asdrubal didn't get anything, but Swisher went 1 for 3, which is what you expect out of Swisher. Consistency is key!

Santana didn't hit, but he got on base due to an error, then got to second due to another error, then moved to third on Aviles' hit and came home to score on Gomes' sac fly! So Santana's average is suffering a bit with a "paltry" .355 (now he's in 3rd place in the league) but his OBP is still up there at .450 (albeit second in the league).

Hey how about that Ryan Raburn?! He's so good!

He's so good that Panini's named a sandwich after him. It's called "The Big _______".

He got another hit tonight, giving him 17 in his last 10 games. His little streak is on at 3.

You heard about Aviles going 1 for 3 already, and then there was Yan Gomes with his Gomes Style!

Do you think we can sweep a 4-game series? I mean we're halfway there. We'd be winning a 3-game series already. Tomorrow is Justin Masterson -

And Meryl!

- versus RHP 3.79. Dude on the A's had a good game last time out but before that he gave up 11 runs in 11 innings. I like that! And Masterson has had 2 not-so-good starts in a row and he doesn't stay bad for long so he's gotta be McAllister-like one of these games coming up, I say.

Tomorrow's my brother's birthday, too. Let's win it for him! Or just for winning's sake, whatever.

7:05 start - see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"You know where you should be looking? Look into the dugout at Jared Parker if you want to stare at somebody."
- Tom Hamilton on Josh Donaldson being upset at being brushed off the plate

"The end result of that blast by Mark Reynolds was that today John Adams had to get an insurance policy for his drum."
- Tom Hamilton

"Aviles gave him the shimmy-shake and got around him!"
- Jim Rosenhaus on Aviles avoiding being picked off in the 5th

"We'll see if his vitamin doctor is as good this season as he was a year ago."
- Tom Hamilton on Bartolo Colon

"Somewhere in Hollywood, Brad Pitt just threw up."
- Tom Hamilton referencing Moneyball

OMG ASDRUBAL!!!

Fun times tonight! The home run was back with a vengance. Ubaldo was u-good-o. Jason Giambi did something good again. My weed trimmer started up on on pull after being dormant for 8 months. What a good night!

Of course the story of the night is Asdrubal Cabrera's two homers, to double his total at 4. Right?! I think this pretty much seals my theory that he did in fact see my sign yesterday, as well as acknowledge it. CLEARLY THIS PROVES IT'S TRUE! My brother intimates the reason must be that he benched Asdrubal from his fantasy roster tonight. That is often a harbinger of good luck...let's hope he forgets to start Masterson Wednesday!

I feel kind of guilty talking about Ubaldo when he's doing well, because I refused to say anything about him - good or bad - when he's doing bad. So let's just say I'm giving him a golf clap and I'll re-evaluate my stance in a game or two.

Nick Hagadone got to come back up because uhm...I think this time it's Vinnie going on the DL for his whacky elbow. So Nick finished up the 6th for Ubaldo with a strikeout, then came back for the 7th where he gave up a double and got the first out.

Bryan Shaw came in to finish out the inning with a strikeout and a ground out, then came back to throw the entire 8th. He wasn't too tight in the 8th but by then it was 7-2 so nobody noticed. He gave up a double then an RBI single, but that was the end of that.

Joe Smith, our new secret weapon, came in for the 9th and other than a double he was lights out. Other than a double - ha! But really, he was very Perez-like - strikeout, double, flyout, groundout, BALLGAME!

Cousin Michael was back to his old tricks, making up for not hitting yesterday by going 2 for 5 today. Starting the streak at one! Forget the streak, though - he's got 15 hits in his last 10 games.

What do you think - is Jason Kipnis back? I think he's heating the heck up! He's got 12 hits in his last 10 games, including 3 homers and 2 triples and NINE RBI!

Asdrubal went 2 for 4 today with a walk. He came around to score each time! TWO homers, man! He's got 14 hits in his last 10 games, has been on base in each of his last 14 games and is back swinging with a 3-game hitting streak. Is he loving the A's pitching? I hope so - cuz we're playing them 3 more times this week!

Wow that was a lot of exclamation marks!

Nick Swisher has not been his exciting old self since he was out for a bit with a little soreness. I mean he's still getting a little bit done - he's got 2 hits in 3 games - but he's not as reliable as he seemed earlier in the season. Cool pic, tho:

Mark Reynolds - DAMN!


He got ba-zeened in the first inning, like in the neck, by the pitcher who gave up back-to-back jacks to Kipnis and Cabrera. In the third inning, the kid threw a wild pitch and then walked Reynolds. His patience paid off and his next time up he hit the ball to John Adams at the top of the bleachers and then I think literally said "Yeah I just did that" to the pitcher as he walked in slow motion down the first base line.

PWNED!

He's got 10 homers now, and I guess this makes him on track for 55. Suck it, Tigers!

Carlos Santana merely walked today. He's been safely on base in each of his last 10 games, though. He's slipped down to the top 3-4 in the league in most of the categories he was leading BUT... he still leads in OBPS (on base percentage plus slugging). Gettin' it done!

Is thinking of Jambi when you hear Jason Giambi a real thing or is it just a me thing?

Mecca lecca hi, mecca hiney ho

I mean he's been around for a million years, just like this genie. I'm sure it must be a thing, right?

Giambi was facing the team that drafted him today. He hasn't played for them in 12 years, though. But he did get his digs in going 2 for 4 with a ha-uuuuuge 2-out, bases-loaded, 2-RBI double in the 8th. Ok, we would have won without it (by one run) but what's not to like about winning by THREE runs? It was pretty cool that the other team walked the bases loaded to get to Giambi, because they were thinking what everyone was thinking, and he was all "Wish? Did somebody say wish?" and got the job done.

Ryan Raburn! He's so good!

He's so good that while the other guys are taking batting practice, he's practicing his ________.

Raburn went 1 for 3 with a walk tonight. He followed up Giambi's hit in the 7th with one of his own, just to remind the world that the MLB Player Of The Week can be good for more than one week! And let's not forget that he's making some plays out in the field too. He had a nice catch today, prompting Tom Hamilton to tell us that Raburn's been putting in extra time getting better in the field. Extra time! How cool is that?!

I'm always so sad when Drew Stubbs doesn't get a hit. But I think every time he puts the bat to the ball, he runs so fast that he ALMOST gets a hit. So, maybe next time!

So let's see here...I believe Meryl Masterson's streak is now at 8 night games. She is a hero!

I'm no Charles Ramsey!

Tomorrow we get to see the A's again! Hooray! It's an extremely even matchup between Zach McAllister and LHP 3.69. Zach's been very solid for us this season so if the team keeps up their bats then it's no problem-o.

It'll be at 7:05 - see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Parker is making a lot of pitches and not many of them are strikes."
- Tom Hamilton

"By the end of this game, [umpire] Angel Hernandez will have a new first name."
- Tom Hamilton is not a fan of tonight's strike zone

"You hit 'em that far, you better be able to watch and enjoy it. Especially off a guy who drilled you."
- Tom Hamilton on Reynolds' homer

"I think most people would rather watch a strikezone like this instead of some of the thimble-sized strike zones we've seen with other umpires."
- Tom Hamilton

"Asdrubal Cabrera saw Brantley take off and said 'You know what? I'll stand here and take a fastball...' That's very un-selfish of Cabrera."
- Tom Hamilton

Streaks Ended But A Fun Time Was Had By All

I'm sure you've heard by now that the Tribe's winning streak is over at 6 (for the record, Meryl Masterson's streak of night game wins is strong at 7). Michael Brantley's hitting streak ended at 6 as well. Asdrubal's hitting streak ended yesterday - but a new one began today! My streak of 2 games in a row stays at 2, unless someone shows up with free - and loaded - tickets for me tomorrow.

I was at today's game and I had pretty awesome seats. Some lawyer's season tickets behind the Tribe's dugout. I was there with "OMG ASDRUBAL!!!" and got to display it a couple times. One time, when the team was coming in from the field, I swear he read it. I also think he acknowledged it but there were a group of girls to my right who swear he acknowledged them [instead]. So I guess we'll never know.

I do need to tidy up my sign. Today I spilled some pop on it (7 Diet Pepsis this year so far!) and it just looks beaten up. I suggested to my friend that I should make a new one but she said I should just fix up the existing one as it has "character." So that's on my list. Some poster paint and it'll be as good as new. I think this time I'm going to outline the text in yellow and make it stand out!

Before

After about 20 games. This is the "good" side!

I ate a ton at the game today. And yesterday too. Yesterday I had hot dogs and fries (fresh cut fries at the park are so awesome.) I forgot to mention that there was a ketchup snafu. 1) An hour before game time the ketchup containers were empty! Wrong! 2) They put barbecue sauce in red containers with Heinz-shaped labels on them (since the sauce is made by Heinz) and an unsuspecting fan who just wants some dang ketchup because all of the ketchup containers are empty could very easily mistake Heinz BBQ Sauce for Heinz Ketchup and end up with the most disgusting condiment on $6 worth of hot dogs 3) Heinz BBQ Sauce is either totally, totally weak (literally weaksauce) or they accidentally fill the red container marked "BBQ Sauce" with ketchup. Because once I put some Bertman's on and found some real ketchup, I don't think I actually tasted any BBQ sauce. So if I was a BBQ sauce fan I'd be upset at that. Boo all around for this ketchup snafu!

Today I forewent the hot dogs and did pizza (eh, ok), nachos (nom), Strickland's ice cream in a cone (flavor of the month - orange pineapple. Get it!) and three cups of Diet Pepsi. I totally pissed off the guys sitting behind us, I'm sure, because I had to get up a few times to buy this food and then get up a few more times to empty myself of the Diet Pepsi. Oops, sorry guys!

If you're wondering, my friend had the Food Network booth's pork sliders and said they were "eh" but the crab macaroni & cheese was very good (but spicy, which he likes). Last year he tried the buffalo mac & cheese and gave it a thumbs down.

My friend's two-year-old absolutely adored the waffle cut fries.

The nachos in the large souvenir helmet are not impressing me one bit. I didn't eat them but I saw them yesterday and today and both times they looked like mess. Like you know, the kind of "mess" they bring out the sawdust for. Yesterday at least the fan that bought them ate them, but left the messy remnants in the helmet in the bleachers. Today the kid in front of me left the game a few minutes early, but not before dumping out 80% of the nachos - covered in cheese, salsa and jalapenos - on to the ground, centimeters from OMG ASDRUBAL!!! Seemed that he just wanted the helmet, not the treat therein. So the rest of us got treated to the upturned upchuck. Yay.

If you want Thirsty Dog beer they still have it but not on tap. It's at section 154 in bottles. Also there's a new Great Lakes beer, Rally Drum Red Ale named after John Adams' drum. I don't drink beer but I thought this might be pertinent information for someone out there.

Ok that's all my info on the food for now. I can't believe how much I've eaten at the ballpark so far in just 3 games. Then again, I've paid a total of $14 for tickets for these games so it all evens out.

So there was a baseball game going on around all of this munching. Not much of a game, not even for the winning team. The Twins got 4 runs off us in the form of 6 hits and we could only muster 2 runs on our 6 hits.

Corey Kluber got the start and he looked better than he ended up being on paper. The ump had a high strike zone. He did strike out 5 in his 5 2/3 innings, but he gave up 2 runs on a homer after a walk. Urk! Not a quality start but still, not a meltdown. This team can overcome a 3-run start...now. Except when they can't - HA!

Cody Allen came in to finish the 6th and walked a guy but then struck out the next guy. Matt Albers came in and looked way too mediocre for late in the game, but Vinnie is hurt and Smith is overworked, so there you have it. Albers gave up a hit, a run, a walk and struck a guy out.

Scott Barnes was back, and he's the guy we brought up for...uh, for some reason that was important but I forget. Here he is, though, with his 16.00 ERA to start off. He managed to have a really great 8th (ok, he hit a guy) and then a 1-2-3 9th, striking out 4 of the 6 batters he faced. His ERA is back down to 6 - way to go!

As I said, the team only got 6 hits today. Asdrubal got a double, then stole third and then came in to score on a sac fly by Mark Reynolds, so that was pretty exciting. Reynolds went 0-2 but he did walk, so this means he's been on base in 24 of his 27 games with the Indians. No foolin'!

Santana continued to stay atop the league (and by "atop" I mean "next to the guy at the actual top") by going 2 for 4 today with a home run.

Quick story about his home run: There was a family next to us that consisted of 3 young boys and their parents. We didn't pay them much mind (I think they were in the Clubhouse a lot of the game) except at the end of the game, they were all back in their seats and the youngest was swinging his new baby bat around. I caught his eye and we smiled, and I asked if it was his first game. The mom said it was all the kids' first games. We told them to be sure to get first game certificates (at any Fan Services booth!)

I then suggested that we all don rally caps because it was the 9th and there were 2 outs and we needed to rally. The practice totally confounded the boys but I did my hat, and did the youngest kid's hat, and the other two followed. Then Carlos Santana hit a home run and man you shoulda seen their faces! I was like "We did it guys! We helped them get a homer!" They were so super excited, and of course so was I!

Then they left before the last out. Possibly a good move - they missed the anti-climactic ending and instead left on a high note.

Ryan Raburn did make it interesting, though. He went 2 for 4 on the day, getting his second single in the 9th after Santana's homer. Mike Aviles came in to pinch hit for Lonnie after Raburn was on base, and everyone in the stadium (14,015 - exactly as I'd guessed!) was pretty sure that something amazing was going to happen and we were pretty sure that Aviles would be our guy. It didn't and he wasn't but hey, we had fun!

Thus ended my weekend at the ballpark. What a nice time, even though we didn't win both games! I think two afternoon games in a row was good practice for me possibly going to the traditional double header next week. Possibly. I need to scope out the work situation, and figure out if I can con anyone in to going with me - or if I could manage 6 hours alone! (Which wouldn't be a stretch...)

Before then we've got a 4-game series with the A's and a 3-game series with the Tigers. Bring 'em on! The A's are playing .563 baseball and we're just at .500 but hey, we're on our way up!

Tomorrow at 7:05 is Ubaldo versus RHP 7.36. An even matchup if I ever saw one. It's time to get another streak going, don't you think?

I'll see you there!

Don't be late!

Understated, FTW!

I think today we had the most understated win of the season thus far. No one had a one-off amazing game, no one got all of the hits or the RBIs, the pitchers weren't lights-out. What we had here was just a quality baseball game from top to bottom, everyone doing their jobs and doing it well!

Of course, that sounds boring as heck but hey - that's how you get wins.

Actually it wasn't boring, though, because they started it out with some homers in the first then scored again in 3 more innings, which is super fun to see live! I was at the top of the bleachers, which were full, with my friends and their kids. Fun stuff!

Scott Kazmir got the start today. Seems like he's been around a lot this season, doesn't it? Nope - this was just his third appearance! He started slow, throwing 48 pitches in the first two innings and giving up a run. But after that he cruised through to the 6th, striking out 7 and only walking 1! He did give up a home run but eh, I gotta stop taking that heart when starters give up home runs. Someone has to do it, right?

Kazmir ended up with the win. And a quality start! I'm looking forward to seeing him pitch again in the rotation, to see if perhaps we have a solid new starter!

Bryan Shaw came in for the 7th. Talk about understated - did you know he has a .69 ERA? I know he keeps coming in to pitch (heck, I write about it!) but I never really seem to notice him. He's just filler before we get to the guys whose names and faces we know. But really he's only given up 1 run in 11 appearances. He gives up hits but so does Perez. Actually today he also gave up a walk then had a wild pitch, but totally worked out of it. I'll have to remember to pay attention to Bryan Shaw some time in the future - if I remember!

Joe Smith, who is someone we recognize, gave up his first run of the season today. So his ERA is higher than Shaw's, heh. He had a rough go of it today, walking 2 then giving up a single for the run. But he held it to 1, so that's cool.

The ninth inning was Chris Perez, in another non-save appearance (a la last night). If you're wondering where Vinnie is, he has a "cranky elbow." Creaky? Some kind of elbow issue. I guess if everyone else is doing fine, he can ice his elbow.

Anyway Perez had a somewhat rocky 9th, not helped by an error for the lead-off batter to get on base (Kipnis - the team's first error in a while now). He also walked a guy. But then, as Perez will do, he got out of it all and that was the game!

Almost everybody hit today, but one guy went 0 for 3 with a walk. You'll never guess who it was! Ok, you'll probably guess since I said you'd never guess and he got a walk. It was Santana.

Brantley! Six-game hitting streak! Sucks that he's hitting under .300 now, since he only went 1 for 5. But his one hit was an RBI single with two guys on base, so that is just AWESOME to see! Clutch hitting - I miss it!

Jason Kipnis was on fire today. I mean I guess he could be the hero of today's game but he's a guy you expect good things from, so it's no surprise when he does them! He got 3/4 of the cycle, getting everything but the double. Then again, he did steal a base after his single so that's like a double, right? He got two triples in two days! Man, one triple ever would make me excited as a ball player. Jim Rosenhaus was hinting that Kipnis may have been able to try to stretch it to a homer. To be honest I didn't see it live (I was busy, more on that later) but when I listened to it on the radio my first thought was "holy cow is that kid fast!" I couldn't fathom anyone could run 270' in the time it took that ball to come back in.

Anyway he hit a homer too, right there in the first inning, which really got the crowd PUMPED! His single in the next inning was an RBI single, and he came around to score off that triple! Go Kip!

Asdrubal was back in the swing of getting clutch hits today. Ok not hits, hit. But still, he's not already back in some slump. He walked once in a super long at-bat, and then he got a RBI double and came in to score off it!

Nick Swisher was back today and boy is he a crowd favorite. People were cheering for him the most in the lineup. When he hit his home run on his first at-bat in the first inning, the crowd went nuts - and they played the Ohio State fight song. Ha!

Mark Reynolds had normal-guy at-bats today. Probably just to keep them guessing! Once again, awesome to see this guy getting hits inbetween homers instead of just striking out when not hitting it out. One of his hits was an RBI single that drove Asdrubal in after Asdrubal's double.

The Chiz Kid is still quietly hanging in there. He went 1 for 3 and scored a run.

Drew Stubbs got moved up from his anchor position at 9th, to 8th! Probably not because he got better (he's always been reliable, and has had a couple good games) but because we got a new guy that needed to be at 9th. Stubbs was once again understatedly reliable today, going 1 for 4 with a double and coming in to score.

They had Carrera in at right today, for a day off for Raburn. It's pretty interesting to consider who can play where and when. Like, on a day when Swish is in we have a new RF, and Reynolds and Santana are playing, so we don't need Aviles but or Raburn could come in at any time and we could switch up EVERYONE. Neat!

Anyway Zeke went 2 for 4 today so that's pretty cool. He got an RBI single, which was juuuuust about to be a double but Carrera Slip-N-Slid across second and got tagged out as he lost contact with the base. But he did get that 7th run in so all's well that ends well. I wonder what it is they expect him to add to this team? Not that I don't like him but I do recall he had his issues last year with trying to be a home run hitter when we just needed him on base (he ended up doing neither). I hope he works his tail off this year to have a place to stay!

So yeah, I was at the game today. Amazing weather. Really great promo shirt (already available on eBay) (it's made of polyester!) I had really great company at the game - my best friends brought their son for his second game of his life. His first game when he was about 3 weeks old! Then we met up with some friends who were our teachers/instructors in high school and now have two kids (11 and 6), and we've not seen the friends since about 1999. A nice little reunion!

My friends let me take their kids up to the Kids Clubhouse area. They had a nice time playing on all the attractions: a batting cage, a pitching booth, a sliding booth, a photo booth (free pic of your kid in a Tribe jersey, printed out on a baseball card) and a Wiffle Ball court for the younger kids. I could not let the generously-sized 11-year-old participate in the Wiffle Ball thing, even if other kids his age were taking part. I told him if nothing else, it would be hideously embarrassing to strike out!

I was surprised at how short the lines were in the area, but I did think there were more people there than there really were (only 18k). I did hear one person in the bleachers ask if the area was even open being that it wasn't Sunday. So people might think that the kids' attractions are still only a Sunday thing. Well - they're not! If you have kids at the ballgame, it's definitely a good idea to check out the Clubhouse!

My friends' baby had fun in the enclosed Step 2 area for smaller kids. Unfortunately I missed that fun but really the baby did SO good at the game that he'll be back for more this year. Seriously - the kid slept through two home runs! I think his favorite part of the day was running up and down the steps in Heritage Park.

Oh hey, congratulations Meryl Masterson! Today was the first afternoon game the team won since she showed up! That's  games won in a row for the Indians and EIGHT for Meryl!

Victory is sweet!

Still no radio chatter tonight.  Tom's still out, it's just not right. Rosie was joined by some ex-pitcher today. I think I remember him from last year while Hammy was at the College World Series. He did not knock my socks off.

Guess what? I'm going to the game tomorrow too. What a life, right? Different friend, different seats, and I think I might eat different stuff. I've been eating hand-cut fries for days now, as I had to get me some Melt this weekend (the Wookie. Zomg.) Someone suggested I should get me some nachos tomorrow. Don't mind if I do!

Tomorrow is Corey Kluber versus RHP 7.66 who is coming back from Tommy John surgery! 7.66! Wahoo!

I'll be there, with "OMG ASDRUBAL!!!", behind the Tribe dugout. Keep an eye out - see you there!

And Now For The Drew Stubbs Show!

Extra baseball! It was a weird game today, because it's been a while since we had a good battle with another team, going back and forth with the scoring. And also been a while since we as fans felt the team could pull off a late-inning win. I mean, we've done it a couple of times this season but this time it wasn't just blind hope we were following. This time it was statistics!

And, of course, Meryl Masterson's good luck charm.

You mean good luck CHARMING!

Justin Masterson was the starter today and he actually was not that good! This would be his third bad unfortunate game in a row now. Sucks because his first few games were things of beauty. Today the best thing about his outing was that he saved the bullpen by sticking it out for 6 2/3 innings. Otherwise he gave up 5 runs  including a home run. He only walked two and he struck out 5, which is par for the course for Masterson. He did get out of a lot of jams, which is also his thing. But he just stayed a little too long on that luck.

Oh well, though. He's legit, he'll bounce back. I don't see Masterson getting bad and staying there. And, hey - he finally has run support!

Cody Allen came in to finish off the 7th and gave up a 2-run homer, one of those runs going to Masterson. Boo! That homer included the go-ahead run. BOOOOOOOO!! But then he had a 1-2-3 8th inning, so uh, what else can you ask for? Oh, well he also came in for the 9th, and gave up a single, at which time Terry Francona asked nothing more of him than to get off the mound.

Rich Hill finished off the 9th by getting rid of Mauer, Morneau and the Twins' DH, so nice job Rich Hill! Things could have gone pear-shaped from there!

Chris Perez came in for the 10th, not in a save situation but he held tight and ended up with the win. He did what he always does - gave up a hit, struck a guy out then got 2 pop-outs. He also threw in an extra walk for our amusement.

Batting was cray-cray today. Because the guys we were expecting to break forth and keep up their great streaks from the rest of the week were kind of quiet today. Yet they got 13 hits and 5 walks! So, who was it?

Michael Brantley is quietly being awesome again, for the second season in a row. He's got a 5-game hitting streak now, going 1 for 4 with a walk and a run. He's hitting a legit .300!

Kipnis, who was quiet last night, got back to "being back" and went 2 for 4 tonight, with, uh, FOUR RBI!! He got this sa-weet 2-RBI triple in the third to tie the game. It was awesome because the first two innings I wasn't really feeling it...but then we got 2 hits to start off the third and I was reminded that this is our reality now! Putting hits together and scoring runs. Could I expect something great? I COULD! And it happened! Kip's first triple of the year - how cool is that?! Dude's up over .200 now too.

WAHOOOOOO!

So, sort of quieted today were Asdrubal (0-5, ended his hitting streak at 10), Santana ("only" 1-5, but still leading the league in average) and golden boy Ryan Raburn. Poor Raburn! Such a showing and then nothing! But oh well, there are like 130-some more chances for him to wow us.

Mark Reynolds homered today, because that how Mark Reynolds do! It was a 2-run dinger with 2 outs to break the tie and put us 2 runs ahead. Awesome! With his walk, he went 1 for 4 on the night.

Mike Aviles was randomly in the game today, this time at 3rd because he played somewhere else yesterday. This was his 5th game in a row (probably his 4th different position!) and he was HOT tonight, going 3 for 4 with a walk and coming in to score 2 runs. No sac flies for this guy tonight!

Yan Gomes was the catcher and he went 1 for 2 with a walk and came in to score 2 runs. Then uhm...they took him out and put Santana at catcher and put their DH (Reynolds) at first. So then the pitchers all got put in the lineup. Well, after Jason Giambi first came in to pinch hit for Gomes in the 8th and aaaaaaaaaaaaalmost hit a 2-run homer but not quite.

None of the pitchers actually got to bat, which is good because tonight was not the time for seeing if it'd be fun to bat. You know who did come up in the 10th with the score tied and a man on first? I swear we've seen this a couple times before but it was Ezequiel Carrera! He was picked up from us by the Phillies and we played the Phillies this week and now he's back on our team. Whatever! I like him, he's just not consistent. He IS the absolute best guy in a clutch bunting situation. I don't know who else they could have brought in that would have been remotely close!

Anyway he got the bunt down and of course almost was safe at first, but not quite this time. He got the job done, though, getting the runner to second and into scoring position with one out. That's baseball!

Next up was DREW STUBBS, who I assert has been very reliable this year. More reliable than most 9-hole hitters. He's hitting .284, yaknow. You know what he did today? He went 4 for 5 with 3 doubles. Move over Ryan Raburn! We've got a new headliner tonight!

Stubbs only scored 1 run off his 3 doubles, and only got 1 RBI, but it was the game winning RBI! Once Aviles was on second in the 10th, Stubbs hit his final double waaaaaay off the top of  the center field wall. Walk-off double, lots and lots of beating the heck out of Drew Stubbs in the center of the field. Love it!
So that's 5 games in a row now, and 7 night games and 7 night games we've won with help from Meryl Masterson. Tomorrow will be her third day game - do you think she can pull it off?

I'll be there tomorrow, with some folks I haven't seen since like 1999 and their kids (who I have never met), and my best friends and their kid who is going to his second game ever! Here's the recap of his first game, in the Hargrove Suite. Speaking of Grover, I Tweeted him today via the @IndiansRadio account, as he was the guest broadcaster today:

@indiansradio Grover, the baby who spent his 1st ballgame in ur suite at 3wks old in 2011 is going to his 2nd official game tmrw! Now 20mos.
— The Positive Tribe (@positivetribe) May 4, 2013

I hope he got it! We keep meaning to send something to him and Sharon to show them how he's grown up (and yep, get invited back) but we haven't yet. Hopefully tomorrow will be picture-ful.

Anyway, so, Hargrove was in the booth tonight because Hammy's on leave for a bit, as his father died this week. Maaaaan....how sad. His dad was a bit younger than my grandpa, who died a month ago. You gotta imagine his dad was a swell guy. He had 15 grandkids! So, that really sucks for him and I'm sure we all wish them the best.

No radio chatter today, though.

Tomorrow's game is at 1:05, Scott Kazmir  versus RHP 2.23. Some dude that's been in the NL forever. Funny, tonight Hargrove said "I'd rather be facing a young guy like this that nobody's ever seen than a veteran from the National League that we've never seen." Oops! Hopes it works out better than Grover thinks!

I'll be at the game, I think sans-sign. I won't be able to hold on to it in the bleachers with all my soda pop and my awesome red 1977 replica jersey. JEALOUS?! Only me and 9,999 of my closest friends get them so y'all better get there early. There were over 20k there tonight for Dollar Dog night - I wonder how many they can pull in with a cool giveaway and a 5-game winning streak?

So I will see you there! For real!

Ryan Raburn Is So Good...

(Not Ryan Raburn's uncle Gene)

...Ryan Raburn is so good that Cliff Lee's mom sent him a _______.

I don't know what's more exciting here, boffins - beating our 4th Cy Young Award winner out of 5 faced this year (no one seems to be mentioning the loss to Jake Peavy, but whatevs), our 4-game winning streak that beats any streak this year and ties last year's, Asdrubal's 10-game hitting streak that includes 7 RBI, or Ryan Raburn's 5-game hitting streak that includes 4 home runs, 13 hits and 10 RBI. It's ALL just fun times and sunshine, here!

Let's start off with Trevor Bauer, to whom I give an A+ for tonight's performance. Not because he was lights-out or went long, because he did neither of those things. And it was great that he only gave up one hit and no runs. Really great! He did walk 6 but he also fanned 5, and since none of those 6 walks crossed the plate, it worked out wonderfully.

What was most impressive about Trevor Bauer is that he did not lose his shit. How many grown-ass, veteran pitchers have we see come through here in the past 2 or 3 seasons and just lose their shit? I'm not talking about Cliff Lee or Roy Halladay losing their shit - we simply out-hit those guys, ha! But I'm talking about Ubaldo Jiminez, Fausto Carmona, Brett Myers, even sometimes Justin Masterson. But mostly Ubaldo and Fausto. It's just so refreshing to see a guy pitch as well in the bigs as he does in the minors, and to be the same guy in person as on paper. Trevor Bauer may be a bit of an "excitable young man" but that kid believes in Trevor Bauer first and foremost and tonight he showed it. No one was going to intimidate Trevor Bauer tonight and Trevor Bauer was not going to look bad!

So kudos to that guy! Let's hope we see him some more, and he is just as good next time. I especially hope to see him more if it means less Brett Myers. Also, we had to give up Nick Hagadone for a bit in order for him to come up so let's not run out Hagadone's options by playing pitcher chess. I wanna see him in 5!

Speaking of pitcher chess, there was a bit of that going on with our bullpen today but that's cool with me. If Francona is going to pitch matchups and win games then a-friggin-men! Brian Shaw came in for the 6th and gave up a walk and a hit, but got out of it. He started the 7th and gave up a single right away, then a fielder's choice (robbed!) and induced a double-play before they took him out. Rich Hill came in to finish the 7th and start the 8th. He got a pop out and then, once again, Joe Smith came in to show everyone how it's done and struck out the next two batters.

Joe Smith's ERA is still 0.00. He's got the most games (10), most innings pitched (8.2) and most strikeouts (11) of any of the 8 guys rockin' the 0.00 right now. That's right - he's better than Vinnie Pestano!

Cody Allen had an uneventful 8th inning, getting three fly outs and end the game. Allen's been super tight lately, not giving up any hits or walks in his last 4 games after a sort-of shaky start. His ERA's down to a respectable 2.19.

WOULD YOU BELIEVE... that after the last two games, where the team hit a total of 10 home runs in the last 2 games that there were NO home runs tonight? Not for either team. Actually, Drew Stubbs technically hit one over the wall, just Laynce Nix's glove was there on the other side of the wall to catch it (yes he is the brother of Jayson Nix. Who'da thunk it?)

We didn't need homers today though because we got clutch hits and had scoreless pitching. This is how you win baseball!

This team doesn't get hot without Michael Brantley being hot, and he was once again hot tonight going 3 for 5 with a run scored. That's 17 hits for him over his last 10 games, and his average is up to .302. Hitting streak up to 4! Woohoo!

Jason Kipnis is still not hot but hey, he walked today and came in to score a run. Good job, Kip! You'll get them next time!

Asdrubal was the DH tonight and only went 1 for 4, but his hit was a huuuuuuuge 2-run double and then he came around to score, too! That's all he did tonight but not only did it give us 2 runs it also extended his hitting streak to 10!

Ryan Reynolds was "quieted" tonight, only going 1 for 5. But he's got a 4-game hitting streak going, too.

Carlos Santana is still hol-ee-cow WOW! right now! He went 2 for 4 tonight with a walk and came in to score twice. So he's got a 6-game hitting streak and leads the league in average, still, by 24 points (.395). I'M SERIOUS!!! I don't even know what more to say about this situation that I haven't said in the past few nights, because he just keeps being confoundingly awesome. Carlos Santana!

Speaking of confoundingly awesome, in case you forgot, my hero Ryan Raburn was at it again tonight! After going 3 for 4 last night with 3 RBI, he went 4 for 5 tonight with 2 RBI! That's 13 hits in 5 games, folks. Oh man...how do we find more excuses for this guy to play?? He's so good...

...He's so good that Nick Swisher left a three-word note in his locker that simply said _________.

Ryan Raburn also pulled a Laynce Nix and went over the wall to pull in a home run. Is there nothing this guy can't do?! 

Mike Aviles was in at short today, and since Mike Aviles is a team player he got another sacrifice fly for an RBI.

Yan Gomes took on the task of catching Bauer, which was an interesting move. And I think maybe not very subtle? I guess Gomes never caught Bauer even though they've been on the same teams here and there (Indians teams) but the genius of this move, I am guessing, is that Yan Gomes is way more of a grownup and leader than Carlos Santana probably is. So Gomes was able to guide the game where Santana may have possibly been a hindrance. This is just speculation but something stopped Bauer from losing his shit so I'm going to give some of the credit to Gomes! Oh, Gomes went 1 for 4 at the plate.

Drew Stubbs looked alive again today, after beating back a hitless streak yesterday. He was back to his old self today, going 2 for 4 with an RBI! And of course that almost-homer. That's 5 hits in the last 2 games for ol' Drew!

Tomorrow is, like, the saddest off-day ever. Because who likes to sit on their hands after a 4-game winning streak?! Who likes to go to bed with no baseball? Lucky for me I have a date with the Olive Garden, where you bet I'll be biding my time under an endless pasta bowl. Fill 'er up!

Friday's game is at home against the Twins at 7:05. I hope everyone shows up - it's the first Dollar Dog Night! It'll be Justin Masterson versus LHP 2.35.

Ooh, since Justin will be there I bet that means maybe Meryl will be there in person? She's been here for 7 night-game wins in a row! She's magic, I tells ya!

I am here for you, boffins!

Have a good day off and I'll see you there!

Radio Chatter:
"Ninety-four miles per hour. That's why the Indians want Bauer to have confidence in his fastball."
- Tom Hamilton

"Right now, everything rolling the Indians' way."
- Tom Hamilton after Raburn's infield hit

"There's another way you could look at it. He could be pitching a 6-hitter with one walk and we could be saying 'He's doing a good job of spacing out those hits.'"
- Tom Hamilton on Trevor Bauer in the 5th

"Giambi called himself 'Mr. Potatohead' last night [...] He was taking inventory of all his parts after that head-first slide last night."
- Jim Rosenhaus

"Hard to believe he made an out last night."
- Tom Hamilton on Ryan Raburn

"The Blue Jays can't lose enough. The way they were so smug when we were in Canada...they were like 'Yeah we've got to play 6 months of baseball, but everyone knows where we're going with what we did in the offseason.'"
- Tom Hamilton

"I don't think your contract's that long. You'd better be careful!"
- Jim Rosenhaus on Tom Hamilton's thoughts on the Blue Jays

"How many of you out there have ever sent your ACT stores to Armstrong Atlantic State University?"
- Tom Hamilton on Jeremy Horst's alma mater

"Looked like the Buffalo Bills' field goal kicker in the Super Bowl, didn't it? High and right."
- Tom Hamilton on a wild pitch in the 8th