Game 2: Indians 7, White Sox 2
by Ryan on Apr 3, 2008 12:30 AM EDT
in Game Recaps
Email
Print
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Fausto Carmona | .239 | Jhonny Peralta | -.073 |
| Grady Sizemore | .233 | Casey Blake | -.044 |
| Franklin Gutierrez | .075 | Travis Hafner | -.028 |
Beyond the cringeworthy last two innings, a nice all-around effort. Fausto Carmona, beyond a bit of wildness, was indistinguishable from last season. The White Sox pounded his pitches into the ground all night, which can't have been pleasant consider how cold this night was. Fausto had a few pitches get away from him, but he never let those four walks hurt him. You often wonder if a pitcher like Carmona benefits from letting a four-seamer get away from him once in a while, especially if it appears he's not trying to do it. Fear of the unknown, especially if that unknown is a mid-90s fastball, is a powerful resource to tap.
I don't really get sending Carmona out for the seventh. Even the horses aren't conditioned to go more than 100 pitches to start the season, and it should be a priority for the Indians to limit Fausto's unnecessary innings. The whole bullpen was rested, and some guys had a coating of rust on their arms, so why not let him go with an easy six-inning outing?
The offense was very workmanlike, squeezing Javier Vazquez's outing into five innings. After Asdrubal Cabrera singled in Grady Sizemore for the team's third run, a single and two walks made Ozzie Guillen go to the bullpen early. And going to the bullpen to insert your fifth or sixth best reliever is almost always a good thing for the opposing team. Even if the game's close, it means that three or four relievers have to be just about perfect to keep the game within reach. Or that close game can quickly turn into extended garbage time, which in this case it did.
My first impression of Masa Kobayashi was that of a pitcher who absolutely needs to have control of his pitches, for his stuff doesn't look that impressive. White Sox hitters didn't have too much trouble making contact, and it doesn't appear that his windup is that unorthodox. But a first impression is still only one impression, and the cold weather may have affected him.
Likewise, Jorge Julio labored to finish his inning of work, allowing the only home run of the game and allowing two other baserunners. Stuff has never been an issue for Jorge (the major reason why each new club sees the potential of a quality setup man in him), but as we've seen with guys like Jason Davis and Fernando Cabrera, stuff can't cover for bad location or inconsistency. The Indians aren't risking that much, especially with how they're using him, though.
But overall, there's a lot that's gone right these first couple games, with Carmona's outing topping the list.
41 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
I was also curious as to why Carmona was sent back out for the7th. I think holding back an inning or two and 20-30 pitches will really add up over the year. With Sabathia walking at year's end, protecting Carmona should be priority number one. And by protecting, I mean to suggest similar usage to C.C.'s innings his first six years (yes, I know Fausto throws fewer pitches per inning).
Took the words right out of my mouth in regards to protecting Carmona.
I cannot stand watching Jorge Julio pitch. I'm in agreement that he's a very calculated and safe risk for the Tribe at this point, but I can't help but get this dreadful feeling when he takes the mound. He's in a good situation, though; maybe in this role he can realize a little bit of his potential.
Who's the more foolish: the fool, or the fool who follows him?
by Brian Galliford on Apr 3, 2008 7:13 AM EDT up reply actions
Add me to the chorus of the unwashed clamoring for Wedge to take it easy with Fausto. Especially in his first start. Especially when the game was being played at the edge of the Arctic Circle. Especially when we had a 5-run lead with two to play. Especially when it's the offensively offensive White Sox.
Willis
On the post-game show on 1100, they interviewed Willis. He said they had Fausto on a 105 pitch limit and he had only 87 pitches after the 6th, so they sent him back out. Willis said he had 103 pitches with 2 outs and he and Wedge went back and forth about whether to pull him and ultimately decided to let him pitch to one final batter. So if he hadn't gotten that out, he would've been pulled. Seems reasonable to me.
Yeah, that makes a bit more sense. That's definitely encouraging.
by Brian Galliford on Apr 3, 2008 10:40 AM EDT up reply actions
105 is a mid-season count. I would have been happy with 87.
On the other hand, I wonder if we are being unduly influenced by the national media's "Fausto-will-crack-under-last-season's-workload" mantra. These are the same writers who didn't notice him until late in the season and think he came out of nowhere.
They will win because they are worthy of victory. - Bill James
I was in and out of snoozing through those last two innings (man, they dragged). But I was very disappointed by Masa.
In a way, he reminded me of Fultz. Very flat pitches, with little action at the end. Like you mentioned, I expected a funky windup to hide this fact, but his windup was pretty conventional too.
You know a guy is a hittable, when a major league player (Uribe) takes a hack at a pitch that is above his eyes.
It's only April .. let's hope for the best.
My first impression of Masa Kobayashi was that of a pitcher who absolutely needs to have control of his pitches, for his stuff doesn't look that impressive.
This is why Rafael Betancourt has always scared me a little bit.
Steel Nick
Nick, how does Masa differ from 90% of the other pitchers in the league? Just about every one of 'em needs to have control of his pitches to be successful.
"the most vehement Yankee-hating guy I know" - Jay
Yeah, there aren't many fire-and-forget guys a la Fausto. He's a middle reliever who had a bad night, which just happened to be his first night. Fist of Iron had an off night yesterday, and nobody's panicking about him.
by fleerdon on Apr 3, 2008 9:15 AM EDT up reply actions
Allright, this is getting ridiculous, even the originator is confused. Perez=Steel, Betancourt=Iron. Come on!
Not confused. I meant that Betancourt had an off night. For Betancourt.
by fleerdon on Apr 3, 2008 4:27 PM EDT up reply actions
I think the point is some pitchers can still gets outs when their control isn't very good because their stuff is that excellent. A good example of this was Jenesen Lewis's 1st inning of work on Monday. The guy didn't hit his spot once ( he was missing BADLY) and he still got two strikeouts. That's what good stuff gets you.
Also, I have made a visual representation of the current state of the Circle of Trust (cot). This graphic is as of April 3rd, 2008.
preferably with a wide grin under the molten core.
by ken from alexandria on Apr 3, 2008 10:10 AM EDT up reply actions
Jay, can we keep this on the front page all season?
"It's hard to win when you don't score." Cliff Lee, 9/28/05.
Well, it's kind of huge. If it could be condensed to a sidebar widget, we could consider it.
by Jay on Apr 4, 2008 9:03 AM EDT up reply actions
I disagree with Jobo's placement. I would submit there should be Save Jobo, which belongs right next to Iron and then non-save Jobo, which now orbits beyond Jorge Julio, some even say out of the galaxy.
seconded
Sizemore-Shapiro 2008. The Official Red Bull of Let's Go Tribe Game Threads.
by Gradyforpresident on Apr 3, 2008 5:07 PM EDT up reply actions
I like George Coolio's placement, and this is so cool.
Sizemore-Shapiro 2008. The Official Red Bull of Let's Go Tribe Game Threads.
by Gradyforpresident on Apr 3, 2008 1:05 PM EDT up reply actions
My thoughts about the pitching:
I give the bouts of poor control from the whole staff a pass on this one. Byrd spoke about pitching in cold weather, and all of those guys, save Masa, are from warm climates, and I'm not confident that they had feeling in their fingertips, which, last time I heard, you need to throw breaking pitches where you want to put them. So I give them a pass with the caveat that what happens at 34 deg should not happen at 60.
Masa looked shaky, confidence-wise, and I hope Wedgie takes his time with him, bringing him in controlled situations to build his confidence, and putting him in a position to succeed early so that he'll be able to succeed late.
Julio has shown flashes of being very good, and has shown flashes of being very bad. But if we have a guy eating the last slot in the pen, and he is better than an average reliever, I think its a great use of that slot. He is probably the worst arm we have in the pen, and if he's still average or better than average I think that speaks volumes about our pitching depth.
Formerly known as "tribefan stuck in boston"
What's intriguing about Julio is that he may be the best "arm" in the pen, though he may be our shakiest relief pitcher. I'm concerned about Lewis, who doesn't look like the same guy from last year.
by ken from alexandria on Apr 3, 2008 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions
Gutierrez's walk with the bases loaded was a highlight.
He looks disciplined this year. Focused. Has me a lot less worried about Hafner.
Wait for Jensen Lewis to pitch again and then go stand by the gate. That's the section.
Formerly known as "tribefan stuck in boston"
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
Featured Stories
FanShots
Quick hits of video, photos, quotes, chats, links and lists that you find around the web.
Recent FanShots
In Association With
Big League Stew - MLB - Yahoo! Sports
- Ask Alex: Can Jose Reyes repeat as NL batting champ?
- U.S. Cellular Field: Home of the Chicago Cubs?
- MLB Fan Cave candidate explains the stories behind his 30 MLB mascot tattoos
- Kate Upton’s new MLB 2K12 ad is really something
- Five tips for Showtime’s second season of ‘The Franchise,’ featuring the Miami Marlins
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
