The Clip Joint

While the parent club has played just 4 contests since Thursday, the AAA Clippers have logged seven games in the season's first week.  Tonight, they snuck by Indianapolis 5-4 in 12 innings to run their record to an IL best 6-1.  Zach McAllister (2.25 ERA), the Clips opening day starter and de facto ace, went six strong (6 H, 4 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K) despite some shoddy defense.  The bullpen was even better.  Hector Ambriz (0.00) and Jeremy Accardo posted identical lines (2 IP, H, 3 K) in taking the team to the 10th and CC Lee (4.50) brought the team home with 2 scoreless frames (2 H, K) to close it out.

At the plate some things are going just as expected.  Matt LaPorta (.346) is dominating AAA pitching for (what is it?) the 4th straight season.  Matty launched his 3rd long ball (5 RBI) and is rolling along with an 1.139 OPS.  Lonnie Chisenhall (.333) has continued to show that he is, indeed, the Indians' 3rd bagger of the future.  Today, he smacked 3 hits, including his 2nd home run, and has a .985 OPS.  Perhaps most impressively, he has struck out just twice in 25 PAs.  To me, personally, the fact that Ryan Spilborghs has struggled to a .176 start (with a whopping 10 Ks in 17 trips) is no shock as I feel like he just, you know, sucks.

On the other hand, there have been surprises as well.  Russ Canzler (.143, .393 OPS), despite his walk-off hit tonight, has been unable to maintain the success that he found in the desert.  Ezequiel Carrera (.179) has been anemic at the top of the order.  He took an 0-for-6 collar tonight and has struck out 7 times without walking once.  Of the pleasant variety, Trevor Crowe (.429) is off to a blazing start and stroked his first homer tonight.  His OPS is a surreal 1.243, he's swiped a pair of bags and has gone down on strikes just once in 17 PAs.

We'll get caught up a bit more each day.  Tomorrow, I'll be at the game when Kevin Slowey makes his 2nd start after a dominant (7 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 6 K) in his Clippers debut.  There might be some pics if I get ultra motivated.

Flick to Click: On the Road

Opens 05.23.12

Pretty Girl Update! - Liz Gillies

In the real world, you gotta remember that beauty is only skin deep.  That's why this beauty is so much better.

Indians/White Sox 04.11 Postponed (Inclement Weather)

While I Was Sminking...

The stinkin' Indians went a solid 1-3.  Over four home games, the Tribe has complied 14 runs (3.5/game) on 23 hits (5.75/game) to the tune of a .158 team batting average. 

Casey Kotchman, after going 0-for-14 to begin his career on the lake, is hitting .063.  Michael Brantley? .077.  Jason Kipnis?  Asdrubal Cabrera?  .118 & .158.  The bench is a combined 2-for-20.  Most of that came yesterday when grand wizard Manny Acta saw fit to start all four of his reserves.  The 9,473 at The Jake were rewarded with 5 lousy hits.

Perhaps worst of all, the team squandered leads (and brilliant starts by Justin Masterson and Ubaldo Jimenez) in games 1 & 2, losing by the same 7-4 score in extra innings each outing.  The bullpen has been choppy at best, to the tune of a 5.68 ERA, a .291 OBA and a 1.74 WHIP.  Oh, and 2 losses and an horrific blown save on opening day. 

The trite thing to say would be "It's a long season.  Don't worry.  They will hit."  The truth of the matter is that this team is going to win games with their pitching and it cannot afford to squander dominant performances like those from their top two starters. 

They look really bad and there is not a lot of hope on the horizon.  I'm sticking with 66 wins.

Back after the game with more.

Cheers.

Pretty Girl 04.10.12 - Stephanie Lynn

What an ass crack.  I woulda kept running.

Back with a vengeance, bitches.  Get ready.