Won't Somebody Please Think About the Children!

What a jerk. Also, everyone with an iPhone, stop taking portrait movies. They all look like crap.

Suicide Squeeze - With Who? ('92 Upper Deck)

Clip Joint Loses Power

Zach McAllister

I will not go so far as to say the Zach McAllister was once again "robbed" of his 9th victory, he was simply out pitched.  Zach (8-3, 2.97) went the distance (8 IP) for his third complete game, surrendering 3 runs on 9 hits.  He walked one and struck out four.  After scratching out just 3 hits over the first five, the Mud Hens clustered four together in the 6th to put their first two runs on the board.  It would be more than enough.  Two Toledo pitchers allowed just five hits and a walk in shutting out the Clips until a Paul Phillips RBI single with two outs in the ninth.  The final was 3-1.

It could have been worse.  Ezequiel Carrera had two outfield assists, both on very strange plays.  With one out in the fourth Scott Thorman doubled to center.  Thorman got a bit greedy, took too big of a turn around second, and, after a brief run down, was tagged out by 1B Jared Goedert.  Then, in the 8th, Thorman singled in the Hens' third run.  As he tried to steal second base on first movement, McAllister stepped off.  Thorman sprinted for second and Zach coolly turned and fired the ball into center field.  The toss was so errant that Carrera had to chase it toward the warning track.  Meanwhile, Thorman just kept running.  After retrieving the ball, Zeke fired home and Thorman was tagged out.  Wow.  Weird, wild stuff.

The Clippers come back to Columbus today for a quick two with Louisville.  Corey Kluber takes the ball in game one, tomorrow at 7:05p.

Other Minor Points of Interest --

Drew Pomeranz was roughed up Friday night just about as much as Pom (2-2, 2.06) gets roughed up.  He threw 5.1 innings and put nine on base (6 H, 3BB), allowing three to score.  He served up a solo home run and fanned seven.  The waters remain murky as to when we might see the 2010 first round pick bumped up to Akron.  His numbers are outstanding and Kinston has gone to a six-man rotation, but there are lingering injury concerns and Drew is still averaging less than five innings per start.

Strongsville native Anthony Gallas (.220) broke free of an abysmal 3-for-24 slump with a pair of hits, including a dinger.  The long ball was Gallas' first at Kinston and gave the little Indians an 8th inning lead that they would not relinquish.

Joe Gardner continued his Jekyll and Hyde act for Akron.  Having thrown a gem (7 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K) his last time out, Gardner (5-5, 3.92) went right ahead and lasted 2.2 innings on Friday night.  While five of the six runs that he allowed were unearned, he did get touched up for 3 hits and 3 walks.  Gardner did fan 3 as well, but any pitcher expecting to progress through the system cannot fail to get through 3 innings in 4 of 13 starts.

St Ed's grad Stetson Allie started against Mahoning Valley last night and turned in the best outing of his young career.  The Pirates 2010 2nd round pick tossed four innings, giving up a run on five hits and punching out five.  Included in the strike out tally was former high school battery mate Alex Lavisky (.195), who went down looking in the third.  Allie (6.00) had struggled in his first two starts, lasting a combined five innings while letting in five earned and walking seven, but did not issue any free passes versus the Scrappers.

Cheers.

A Quest Called Tribe

Fireworks indeed.  Twelve hits, three home runs, every starter save Lou-Lou Marson with a knock; the Tribe should play Cincy every day.  Justin Masterson finally snagged his sixth win of the season, evening his record with six losses.  That sort of equality is fitting as the bats gave him eight runs of support last night, the same total that they had put up in his past 11 starts combined.  We should all be grateful that Bat is such a mellow fellow; one more prone to implosion (Hi Fausto!) would have done just that over the past two months.  Instead, Masterson (2.85) has just gone out every fifth day and continued to do his job.  Tonight was no exception, as Justin threw eight innings allowing just four hits with a Brandon Phillips solo shot accounting for the only black mark on his scorecard.  As always, control was paramount to his success, as he walked just one (4 K) and threw 65 of 102 pitches for strikes.  With the rotation sorely wanting for a leader, one might just have emerged.

On the other side of the coin, Chad Durbin's stuggles continue.  Pitching for the first time since June 20th, the man who was supposed to lead by example at the back end of the bullpen surrendered Phillips second solo home run of the night in the 9th.  Durbin's ERA since May 25 is now 9.95 and that actually came down as he recorded the three outs without further incident.  Chad (2-1, 6.75) has pitched just three times in the past three weeks and Manny Acta now seems only to use him when he has no other choice.  Let me be clear, I do not wish failure on the man, I simply do not see any success forthcoming.

For those of you that might be worried about Travis Buck, who left the game with hamstring tightness after expanding the lead to 8-1, the injury has been deemed minor and he is considered day-to-day.  Incidentally, Buck (.252) has five hits in his last 6 at bats and is batting .381 over his past 7 games.

National game on Fox today, 4:05p.  Roll Tribe.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 07.02.11 - Rachael Taylor

Happy Transformers 3!  She was in the first one & her name is Aussie for "dime piece."  No, really, it is.  Look it up.