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Game 133: White Sox 6, Indians 4
by Ryan on Sep 1, 2010 5:22 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
27 comments
Poor relief pitching again derailed a late lead and neutralized a second straight excellent start.
Carlos Carrasco, making his first major-league start of 2010, seemed a completely different pitcher than the one who pitched in 2009. He didn't walk a batter until his final inning, and after giving up a first inning homer to Alex Rios, threw up zeroes in the next six innings. He threw a mid-90s fastball and three breaking pitches, all with different speeds. Carrasco will be starting every five days in September, and this month's starts will be treated as an audition for a rotation spot next season. The Indians aren't exactly deep in starting pitchers, so I don't think Carrasco has too much to worry about regardless of how he pitches, but another couple starts like today's would not only lock down a spot, but would place him near the top of next year's rotation. After enduring a litany of pitchers with mediocre stuff but good minor-league numbers fail in the majors, it's nice to finally see a pitcher with the stuff that can translate to the majors.
Because both Joe Smith and Frank Herrmann have struggled recently, Acta called upon Justin Germano to get Alex Rios with two outs in the eighth. Germano had been pitching well in long relief, but that success didn't carry over to this new setup role; he fell behind Rios, eventually walking him. Walks at any time are cardinal sins for a relief pitcher, but this particular walk not only put the tying run on base, but brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the form of Paul Konerko. Germano fell behind Konerko, then served up a three-run homer. Once he fell behind 2-0 to Konerko, it seemed to me a given that a home run would follow.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Jayson Nix | .265 | Justin Germano | -.594 |
| Carlos Carrasco | .197 | Jordan Brown | -.147 |
| Michael Brantley | .084 | Shelley Duncan | -.094 |
Game Thread: September 1, 2010
by Ryan on Sep 1, 2010 11:45 AM EDT
in Game Threads
291 comments
Current Series
White Sox lead the series 2-0
| Mon 08/30 | 6 - 10 loss | |
| Tue 08/31 | WP: Edwin Jackson (3 - 0) SV: Bobby Jenks LP: Joe Smith (1 - 2) |
3 - 4 loss |
|
Chicago White Sox Wednesday, Sep 1, 2010, 12:05 PM EDT Freddy Garcia vs Carlos Carrasco Partly cloudy. Winds blowing out to center field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85. |
||
Official September Callups
Tribe just tweeted that Carrasco, Lewis and Brown have been called up.
Game 132: White Sox 4, Indians 3
by Ryan on Aug 31, 2010 10:59 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
8 comments
If the Indians were a half-way decent team, I'd be pretty angry right now, but they aren't, so, like someone congratulating a two-year-old for getting half his spaghetti into his mouth, I'm going to accentuate the positive tonight:
1. Justin Masterson was actually good, in that he made a lineup full of hitters look silly at times, and his slider was as good as I remember all season. Justin has good enough stuff that he doesn't really have to be precise with his pitches. Opposing hitters have to think he can throw strikes, and once Justin proved he could do so, he got on a roll. I've seen enough of him, though, not to get too giddy thinking that this start will have anything to do with future starts.
2. Jason Donald is having a quietly good rookie season. Think back to early in the season, when Luis Valbuena was hitting something like .160/.240/.250. Donald's .261/.315/.396 looks darn good in contrast. His OPS+ is almost league-average (97), not bad at all for a second baseman. He sometimes looks lost, as in last night's at-bats against Mark Buerhle, but he's also had excellent at-bats like the one he had in the ninth inning tonight.
3. Shelley Duncan playing over Trevor Crowe in left field. Just about anyone pushing Crowe out of the lineup is a good thing, but it's nice to see Acta appreciating Duncan's power over Crowe's, uh, speediness.
(For those who didn't watch/listen to the game: Masterson pitched well, Edwin Jackson pitched better, Joe Smith/Frank Herrmann blew the game in the eighth, and the Indians scored two in the ninth but came up one run short.)
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Justin Masterson | .261 | Frank Herrmann | -.377 |
| Shelley Duncan | .143 | Michael Brantley | -.189 |
| Matt LaPorta | .073 | Asdrubal Cabrera | -.165 |
Game Thread: August 31, 2010
by Ryan on Aug 31, 2010 6:45 PM EDT
in Game Threads
156 comments
Chicago at Cleveland, 7:05 PM
Game 131: White Sox 10, Indians 6 (11 Innings)
by Ryan on Aug 31, 2010 1:01 AM EDT
in Game Recaps
32 comments
So what happened to that guy who was spotting his pitches in the strike zone? The guy who was always ahead in the count? I haven't seen him since June, and in his place is a guy who falls behind in the count, either nibbling beyond the edges of the plate or just not able to hit the corners. I want the real Mitch Talbot back, for the guy pitching in his place sucks.
Evil Talbot was rocked in the first two innings against the White Sox, giving up seven hits and five runs. Almost all of those seven hits were smacked right on the screws, an indication of how accommodating the location of those pitches were. If not for an ill-advised steal attempt by Juan Pierre, the Indians wouldn't have had an opportunity to get back into the game. The starting pitcher stayed in the game for three more innings, not giving up any further damage despite allowing another five base runners. The White Sox loaded the bases in the fourth with one out, but AJ Pierzynski hit into a double play.
Mark Buerhle wasn't on the top of his game, and the Indians were able to cut into the lead early. Jayson Nix hit a two-run homer against his former team in the fourth, and Travis Hafner doubled in another run in the fifth. Justin Germano gave up his first earned run in the sixth on a Alexis Rios home run in the sixth, and there the scored stayed until the ninth inning. Jayson Nix, who was irked early in the game by a couple bad strike calls, was tossed after striking out looking in the seventh inning. His body language wasn't demonstrative, so either he said a magic word or (more likely) umpire Bill Welke got tired of hearing him.
Bobby Jenks was called upon to quell an uprising in the eighth, which he did, but the ninth was a different story. He walked Shin-Soo Choo to start the inning, then gave up a Shelley Duncan bloop single. Choo scored on the hit, and the next five Indian hitters represented either the tying or winning runs. Travis Hafner was next, and he doubled down the left field line, pushing Duncan to third with still nobody out. Luis Valbuena then hit a Minnesota chop, and Brent Lillabridge threw wildly to first, allowing both Duncan and Hafner to score and Valbuena to go to second. The Indians should have then ended the game then and there, but Andy Marte, who had had a pretty good game at the plate, rolled over on a Jenks pitch, pulling it to shortstop. Valbuena stayed at second, and therefore wasn't able to go home on Jason Donald's high chopper to third.
After Chris Perez had an adventurous tenth inning, the Indians went in order in the bottom of the inning. Rafael Perez came out for the eleventh, and after retiring to the first two White Sox, he left a fastball out over the plate to Lillabridge, and the utility infielder just cleared the left field wall, giving Chicago the lead. Perez imploded after that, giving up three more runs before being pulled.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Travis Hafner | .508 | Rafael Perez | -.483 |
| Luis Valbuena | .366 | Mitch Talbot | -.268 |
| Chris Perez | .140 | Jason Donald | -.239 |
Game Thread: August 30, 2010
by Ryan on Aug 30, 2010 6:45 PM EDT
in Game Threads
248 comments
Current Series
3 game series vs White Sox @ Progressive Field
|
Chicago White Sox Monday, Aug 30, 2010, 7:05 PM EDT Clear. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 85. |
||
| Tue 08/31 | 7:05 PM EDT | |
| Wed 09/01 | 12:05 PM EDT | |
Second Base: A Dialogue, Concluded
by afh4 on Aug 29, 2010 8:42 PM EDT
in Analysis
57 comments
This is the second half of a dialogue between myself and my friend Tyler Chirdon. In the first half, we tried to get a handle on where second base had been in the past half decade. In this half, we try to figure out the options at second base and how they might influence each other. Again, this is all clipped from email conversations and the tremendous length reflects the nature of the conversation (this isn't to excuse the length which is, obviously, inexcusable).
AH: You pretty much sealed my fate when we each started drawing straws. You wanted Phelps, so I got Kipnis. I knew I was going to come down hard on the side of some line in the sand -- I was either going to be the guy on record that Phelps wasn't someone to count on (declining average, lack of real plate discipline) or the guy on record that Jason Kipnis is special in ways we haven't even defined yet. So let's get to it.
If he qualified, Jason Kipnis would lead the Eastern League in batting average and rank second and sixth in on-base percentage, and slugging percentage, respectively. 53 of his 152 hits have been for extra bases. If Nick Weglarz didn't exist, Kipnis could muster a statistical argument as the Indians best power prospect.
Let me diverge to point out that Weglarz' season, which is apparently over, featured 41 of 89 hits for extra bases, at AA and AAA. Good lord, Canada. Don't spoil us. To be fair, Weglarz exhibits a talent for crushing the ball that is, to be honest, a little over the top.
Of course, Nick Weglarz plays left field at a less than ideal level. Kipnis plays second base, apparently adequately. Kipnis has 
hit 15 homeruns this year and, if I've got my counts right, that's fourth in the entire system behind McBride (two years older than Kipnis), Goedert (two years older than Kipnis), and Chisenhall (22 and a prospect better than even Kipnis) and tied with Jared Head (27 and irrelevant).
All this in his first year of professional baseball. I could go for days on Jason Kipnis-he's got power in a system that lacks power, he has the ability to put bat to ball, and he gets on base (.395 on the year). And, oh yeah, he plays the position that the Cleveland Indians have totally failed to fill over the last five years. So, what the hey, Jason Kipnis ought to be the starting baseman in 2011, from day one.
That boy is cold as a puppy's nose.
TC: Well, you know, this isn’t really going to be a true point-counterpoint. Ninja Ski Ops! The guy can hit. But what the hell, let me trundle through my Minor Complaint Drawer and see if I find anything interesting.
Hmm. minorleaguesplits.com says Kipnis has been on the lucky side against left-handed pitching. Not that it means much, since his luck-adjusted numbers themselves aren’t bad, but it’s something to keep an eye on going forward. He’s not especially young -- not old, mind you, but old enough that we shouldn’t overheat our prospect ExciteBikes because he’s man-handled the Eastern League. He’s a bat-first guy, and an advanced prospect. Advanced prospects are SUPPOSED to man-handle the Eastern League. And, yes, thank you, I’d love some barbecue sauce to put on these nits I’ve picked.
Kipnis is also bumping up against my Andy Marte Prospect-Enthusiasm Rev Limiter -- that would be minor league home runs. Yeah, all things being equal, 15 (Kipnis) is better than 8 (Phelps), but unless you’ve got each of those dingers hit-charted, you don’t know that all things are equal. Ultimately, what I see are two guys who are slugging over 500 in 200+ ABs at their present level. And one of those guys is at a higher level.
AH: You're right that there's nothing to nitpick here and that, at the same time, his prospect profile (bat-first college guy) is one that makes it nearly impossible for him to truly make his ascendancy obvious. I mean, what would he have to do between A+/AA to really clarify his status? I'm thinking an OPS over, what, 1100? It's not realistic for a guy like him to have been shoved to AAA already, is it?
What I'm saying is, there's nothing wrong about the way Kipnis has performed or how the Indians have been handled. Despite that, the facts of the situation are inherently murky. Or, maybe I've become gunshy about all prospects, Pavlovian'd into oblivion by Adam Miller's fistula.
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AL Central Standings
| W | L | PCT | GB | STRK | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Minnesota
|
77 | 56 | .578 | 0 | Won 2 |
|
Chicago
|
73 | 60 | .548 | 4 | Won 3 |
|
Detroit
|
65 | 68 | .488 | 12 | Lost 2 |
|
Kansas City
|
56 | 77 | .421 | 21 | Lost 1 |
|
Cleveland
|
53 | 80 | .398 | 24 | Lost 4 |
(updated 9.2.2010 at 8:11 AM EDT)
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