Game Thirty-Eight: Blue Jays 3, Indians 0 (10)

by Ryan on May 13, 2008 12:23 AM EDT in Game Recaps

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Cliff Lee	.706	Rafael Betancourt	-.456
Unassisted Triple Play	.185	Kelly Shoppach	-.149
		Asdrubal Cabrera	-.127

99 years ago, Cleveland shortstop Neal Ball made the first unassisted triple play in AL history. Bill Wambsganss made the second one during the 1920 World Series. And tonight Asdrubal Cabrera made just the 14th unassisted triple play (including postseason) in MLB history. Because so much has to go right, it's an extremely rare play. But everything game together tonight. As mentioned above, the Blue Jays were desperate to score a run, so they put the runners in motion with nobody out. If Asdrubal Cabrera wasn't covering second, Lyle Overbay's line drive would have scored a run, and might have lead to a big inning. But because everything fell into place, Cabrera was in the perfect position to catch the sinking liner, though it wasn't a routine catch. But after he got up with the ball, all that remained was to tag second (to double up Kevin Mench, who took off for third) and tag Marco Scutaro (to double up Marco Scutaro, who had just arrived from first).

And the pitcher who watched Cabrera make three outs behind him? Cliff Lee, who saw his magical start to the 2008 season continue. Even with his Nintendoesque pitching stats, maintaining an ERA under 1.00 requires at least some good fortune. Besides the historic triple play, Franklin Gutierrez made a game-saving diving grab in the ninth to assure Lee of at least a no-decision. But still, Lee threw what normally would have been a shutout, striking out five, walking two, and allowing seven hits in nine innings of work. He wasn't on the top of his game; he had to work himself out of several jams, which in my mind was impressive than his first couple dominant outings. He's now pitching unpredictably, that is, using any of his pitches in any count. Lee's hot streak will inevitably end, but when it does, I don't think this new Lee will entirely disappear.

But despite the rare play and almost as rare pitching streak, Toronto finally broke through and won the game in the tenth. The Jays had had opportunities all game long, but finally capitalized off Rafael Betancourt. Two singles to open the game set the inning up; the second hit Betancourt flush just above his left elbow. After a sacrifice, leading to a intentional walk, Toronto scored the game's first run with a no-doubter sacrifice fly. The game was put away by Aaron Hill's two-run single.

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The key thing in what you say is “opportunities all night long.” Lee pitched well, but the Jays kept up the pressure and inevitably broke through. The Indians had no baserunners for most of the game. Really bad. And, it’s a pattern that’s depressingly familiar. I looked up the regulars OBP and here’s what I found. Out of the 93 players in the league who have enough AB’s to qualify, our guys rank as follows in OBP: Martinez (12th), Sizemore (14th), Garko (48th), Hafner (66th), Blake (77th), Gutierrez (80th), Cabrera (84th), Peralta (89th). That’s way too many guys in the bottom half, especially important guys like Garko, Hafner and Peralta. You can really see why Wedge was so mad after the second game. The hitters continue not to get on base. The pitching has been so good, it hasn’t been a total disaster, but can the pitching be this good all year? Let’s hope so.

by peter m on May 13, 2008 9:54 AM EDT reply actions

The Jays kept up the pressure and inevitably broke through?

They didn’t score for nine whole innings. They only scored because we didn’t scored, and there was nothing inevitable about that.

Yes, given an infinite number of innings, the Jays were bound to score eventually.

by Jay on May 13, 2008 10:14 AM EDT reply actions

My only point was that you’re more likely to score if you have runners on base than if you don’t. Inevitably may be the wrong word to have chosen; maybe predictably?

by peter m on May 13, 2008 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions

In losses our team is batting .192 (.542 OPS).

When we are bad .. we are really bad.

by Toxicadam on May 13, 2008 11:02 AM EDT reply actions

Interesting fact, out of the 14 unassisted triple plays (UTP), the Tribe has been involved with 6 of them. Three against us and now three for us. Out of the 7 AL UTPs, we now have been involved with 5 of them. Others (Red Sox 3, Pirates 3, Braves 3)

There has never been a UTP in the 3rd or 8th inning and only 1 has actually ended the game.

UTPs by position, SS-8, 2B-4, 1B-2.

By month: May 5, Jul 3, Oct 2, Sep 2, Aug 1, Apr 1; never been one in June.

Also, this is the 2nd UTP where a Cliff Lee played in the game. In the 1923 Boston Braves UTP against the Phillies, Cliff Lee (an OF/1B/C who actually played for the Tribe in 28/29) was tagged out going from 1st to 2nd.

by talonk on May 13, 2008 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

Is Talonk secertly Jayson Stark in disguise?

by Buzz on May 13, 2008 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions

If Stark writes something similar in his column this week, can I sue for plagiarism? Ha!

by talonk on May 13, 2008 1:28 PM EDT up reply actions

nah, just go post something on royalsreview for attention.

by Brick. on May 13, 2008 2:54 PM EDT up reply actions

i can’t for the life of me figure out how a 1B pulls off an unassisted triple play…
snare a liner, tag the runner from first on his way back to the bag, and then outrace the other runner back to second? why not just throw to the SS?

by still ill on May 13, 2008 5:31 PM EDT up reply actions

best guess is that since he is not holding the runner at 1B, he is far into the hole between 1st and 2nd, caught the liner on the run (not diving) moving towards 2nd, tags the runner in the baseline and just continues his momentum to 2nd base. He is probably already more than halfway to 2nd while that runner has already passed third (since moving with th pitch).

by talonk on May 13, 2008 5:58 PM EDT up reply actions

Nice to see Wedge get fired up:

"Our approach was as poor, if not the poorest, I've seen here all year," said Wedge. "There's no excuse. We gave away at bats all night long. Their kid [Marcum] is a helluva pitcher, but we gave away at bats all night."

by DixonCayne on May 13, 2008 12:14 PM EDT reply actions

Missed a shot at another Kinston thread today, but it looks like a boring game (loss) anyway.

Weglarz sitting in 4th place in the Carolina league in OPS (.922), Mills 19th (but horrible BA), and Goedert back down to 26th. Keep in mind that there’s only 8 teams.

by dgcambridge on May 13, 2008 4:30 PM EDT reply actions