I feel like I'm in the minority. Not that it's an uncommon sensation for me, I just don't think so many Tribe fans stay up for these west coast contests. Tonight's game was certainly worth it. In a true pitcher's duel,
Fausto Carmona went 8, allowing just a run on five hits. A clutch
Matt Laporta single tied it in the 7th and the offense took the lead for good in the 9th off of A's closer
Brian Fuentes, who did not retire a batter.
Michael Brantley singled to begin the inning but was picked off when he misjudged Fuentes' movement to the plate. His mates picked him up though. Singles by LaPorta and
Jack Hannahan, in front of an Oakland outfield playing five feet from the track, put the go ahead run at third with one out.
Orlando Cabrera, who had entered in the 7th as a pinch runner, came through with an RBI single to put the Indians on top. Two batters later,
Asdrubal Cabrera brought in a pair. Then, of course, came Pure Rage.
If a team is going to put together a 20-8 record (best in baseball, ahem) to start a season, it is likely to win in a variety of ways. Such is absolutely the case with the Indians. Tonight's game exemplifies the focus that the Manny Acta's boys have. Held scoreless for six innings by a virtual unknown (
Tyson Ross?) the hitters kept a good approach until Ross finally faltered. Although it may seem like a small issue, the fact that Acta has kept his entire bench involved in the starting lineup is a big part of that focus. Despite starting the game on the bench (
Adam Everett got the nod at second), O-Cab delivered the biggest hit of the night. The players are locked in both individually and as a team. When Brantley gaffed in the 9th, there was no admonishment, the guys simply went back to work and took the lead anyway. In case I have yet to mention it, that's called teamwork.
The funny thing about Choo's DUI? He stopped and asked the Sheffield Lake 5-0 for directions to
his house just before getting pulled over. Then he proceeded to blow .20! Choo knows how to party, but call a cab, bro. We do not need another Donte Stallworth. This is the second such incident for the Tribe this season. I had totally forgotten about the
Austin Kearns/Kentucky thing on the eve of spring training.
For any of you wondering about Indians radio coverage in the Columbus market,
the Dispatch has a nice piece here, although it's a month old. There have been no further developments. Bummer.
I
saw an article today that indicated that Indians were pitching over their heads, but the offense would keep them in the hunt when the staff, inevitably, regressed. Although a nice compliment to the bats, any sort of Saber-metrics that doom the hurlers to disgrace is a load of hooey. The big quote, "
This just isn’t a great pitching staff, and while the results have been good, there’s a ton of room for regression there." This just isn't a great pitching staff. If you're going to manipulate numbers, fine, but don't make blanket, judgmental statements. Such things make we want to punch certain statisticians in the mouth. C'mon, two starters are on the shelf already, the ace has just reached .500 with an ERA of about four and a half and the big free agent arm (
Chad Durbin, ugh) has a WHIP of 1.90 and an OBA of .388. This sort of statistical wizardry is based on past performance and generalized trends; I shan't go any deeper. I'll talk to FanGraphs in September as the Indians prepare for the ALDS.
Cheers.
