Game 9: Indians 5, Royals 4
by afh4 on Apr 15, 2009 6:55 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
56 comments
Today, the Indians got their second win of the season, their first on the road. Aaron Laffey did some good, finishing just two outs shy of notching the Indians first quality start of the season. But, as has been the case all year, the bullpen moved quickly to give the Royals control of the game once Laffey headed to the bench.
Joe Smith replaced Laffey and got a big strikeout before giving way to Jensen Lewis. The Commodore walked three straight batters, allowing a run to be charged to Aaron Laffey and tying the game. Jensen got the reliably mediocre Miguel Olivio to groundout and end the inning but the patient was in critical condition.
It was in the top of the 7th that Indians finally took control for good and finally put together a normal looking inning of offense without any homeruns: Cabrera double, DeRosa RBI-single, Martinez walk, Hafner double, Choo sac fly. Indians 5, Royals 2.
Lewis came back out for the bottom of the 7th and allowed a run of his own to score then came back out again for the 8th inning and promptly allowed Mike Jacobs to homer and bring the Royals to within a run. Finally, after 41 ineffective pitches, Wedge took the ball from Lewis and handed it to the, at least for today, capable hands of Rafael Betancourt.
Betancourt built the bridge to Wood who earned his first save as an Indian. Wood retired the Royals on just 7 pitches, making it 20 pitches total for his last 6 outs.
Coming into the season, every Indians' fan had some form of this mental checklist:
One of the most frustrating parts of the early going has been wasting all those checks on the bottom (especially that giant one); it's been bizarre to watch the team get gigantic contributions you never expected while getting basically nothing from your "safe" assets (ahem, top of the rotation). It just doesn't jibe: wait, Hafner is great and we're not winning games? As intelligent fans, we of course realize that this is all just the surf of small samples crashing against the beaches of bad luck but it doesn't make it feel any less frustrating.
Today, like April 9th, 10th, and 12th, felt like it belonged to our gigantic checked box, Travis Hafner. Pronk is now hitting .286/.412/.714. That is so wonderful I can't even express how it makes me feel, however, some of the top check boxes need to start getting filled.
And, finally, all uniformed personnel across the majors are wearing number 42 today to commemorate the debut of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 1947. Thank you, number 42.
Next Up: Opening New Yankee Stadium, 1:05 EST tomorrow.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Travis Hafner | .209 | Jensen Lewis | -.209 |
| Kerry Wood | .209 | Ben Francisco | -.110 |
| Joe Smith | .103 | Victor Martinez | -.088 |
4 recs |
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And, finally, all uniformed personnel across the majors are wearing number 42 today to commemorate the debut of Jackie Robinson on April 15, 947. Thank you, number 42.
Don’t think it was quite that long ago.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=4114213
by sarcasmdave on Apr 15, 2009 6:57 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
A mere 119 seasons before the Battle of Hastings.
by odradek on Apr 15, 2009 8:20 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I don’t know if it was intentional, but the ZacH/Kson is brilliant.
Ben Francisco: An Outfielder only on baseball cards and roster sheets.
by westbrook on Apr 15, 2009 7:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I find the crossbar on the “Z” in Martinez hilarious.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Apr 16, 2009 7:40 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, that’s a habit.
The ZachKson thing was deliberate. I mean ZacH JacK right?
by afh4 on Apr 16, 2009 10:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I do the crossbar thing with my 7s, but not my Zs. I don’t think I could stop if I tried.
by mrich on Apr 16, 2009 11:09 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I do a crossbar on my 1s and 2s, just to be confusing….
by Logodaedalus on Apr 16, 2009 12:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
yeah, it’s the HS math student in me, I do that too.
Ben Francisco: An Outfielder only on baseball cards and roster sheets.
by westbrook on Apr 16, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
WHY DO YOU FORSAKE ME MY BASEBALL LORDS
by world dictator on Apr 15, 2009 7:48 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I like seeing the name Hafner atop that “highest WPA” column.
by zempf on Apr 15, 2009 7:54 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I like the way you break it down into the three categories – for me, that’s the story of the season so far. But Garko as a check?
by joeee on Apr 15, 2009 7:59 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Where’s V when you need him? If that sample size is big enough to congratulate him for a high OBP, then take a look at his slugging.
by joeee on Apr 15, 2009 8:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sample size has nothing to do with this. I think the idea here is to recognize who has played well so far and what the expectations were for that player.
by ClarkM on Apr 15, 2009 8:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Your 1bman has 1xbh this season and he’s done well?
by joeee on Apr 15, 2009 8:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah, he’s avoided making an out in almost half of his plate appearances. That’s good, no matter how little power.
by ClarkM on Apr 15, 2009 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Take away one of his weakly hit singles from BABIP and his obp drops to 410. Still good, no longer phenomenal. OBP is so widly dependent on PA’s at this stage of the game – while hard hit balls is too, but come on – his contact is the weakest on the team (or league) and he plays THE corner spot!
by joeee on Apr 15, 2009 9:23 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yeah but you’re predicting the future based on his inability to keep getting weak hit singles. I don’t necessarily disagree but it’s not what’s at stake.
Getting the check is just about getting a positive result. A .480 OBP is an overwhelmingly a positive result.
by afh4 on Apr 15, 2009 9:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Heh. For the thus-unclutchy 2009 Indians, do fat-singles-hitters-with-high-OBP really matter when hrs and 2bs are the only thing that score? /endpessimism.
by joeee on Apr 15, 2009 9:52 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Doubles haven’t always worked to score runners, either.
by odradek on Apr 15, 2009 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
This particular runner.
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Apr 16, 2009 12:07 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You have to see Garko in person to appreciate how slow he really is. He appeared to me to be several strides slower than average between every station.
by jhon on Apr 16, 2009 12:19 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
So I’m one of the 11 who voted for Aaron Laffey to have the biggest 2009 breakout. Glad to see his first start rewarding my faith in him. Let’s hope this continues.
by Logodaedalus on Apr 15, 2009 8:05 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
Pretty soon we’re all going to be one of the 9 million people that attended Barker’s perfect game.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Apr 16, 2009 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
haha, hey now… there is proof of this- just click my screenname
by Ryan Kelsey on Apr 16, 2009 11:06 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I voted Reyes and I’ll be crowing about it all season.
by mrich on Apr 16, 2009 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
LaPorta for me, but that’s because I could only vote for one. It’s going to be hard to top a Ryan Braun-esque rookie season.
Steel Nick
by nickjs21 on Apr 16, 2009 11:49 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I CAN’T BELIEVE I SLEPT THROUGH OUR SECOND WIN.
by AngG on Apr 15, 2009 8:26 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I passed out for most of the second half of it. Stupid spring cold.
by APV on Apr 15, 2009 8:32 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I was working. I would rather have been in your situation.
La Presidenta del Club de Amantes de Rafael Betancourt.
by salome on Apr 15, 2009 9:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Pretty cool that everyone wore The Answer on their jersey today. The Earth must have finished the computation.
by OddlyGaussian on Apr 15, 2009 8:44 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Lunchtime doubly so.
http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?content_id=4114213
by sarcasmdave on Apr 15, 2009 11:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
you know what? We could lose every game the rest of the year but if Grady hits the first pitch of the new Yankee Stadium off of CC into the upper deck it would all be worth it.
by ASP on Apr 15, 2009 8:56 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs
That’s not enough for me. I want the place to burn down two hours after the Indians win 22-1.
by odradek on Apr 15, 2009 9:40 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Yes, they will go up 1-0 in the bottom of the first when Jeter hits the first homerun (and final Yankee homerun) in the new stadium. Grown men cry. In the top of the second, the fun begins.
by odradek on Apr 16, 2009 10:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
You know, you were reasonably close. If not for the whole fire part.
by Voltaire on Apr 16, 2009 6:48 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
JODYESQUE!
Ben Francisco: An Outfielder only on baseball cards and roster sheets.
by westbrook on Apr 15, 2009 10:24 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
That’s now known as “pulling a Jody Gerut.”
by JulioBernazard on Apr 16, 2009 8:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Why does Jhonny get a 1/2 check? Defense?
by JulioBernazard on Apr 16, 2009 9:01 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I can’t tell if you think he should have no check or a whole check. Answer for both is: .700ish OPS = ehhh.
by afh4 on Apr 16, 2009 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
I’m surprised he got a check. Hasn’t done much with the stick, but has been pretty good in the field, right?
by JulioBernazard on Apr 16, 2009 10:57 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
It’s a difficult things to evaluate players after 9 games. He’s had some multi-hit games, which seems worth something.
by afh4 on Apr 16, 2009 11:33 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
Recced for this…
we of course realize that this is all just the surf of small samples crashing against the beaches of bad luck
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on Apr 16, 2009 10:27 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
I don’t know if Pronk is back, but I can’t stop looking at these numbers. OPS after 7 games:
2009 1.126
2008 0.807
2007 0.829
2006 1.570
2005 0.771
2004 1.423
2003 0.426
by FredOx on Apr 16, 2009 10:32 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
So he’s not really back to his 2006 performance levels, is that what you’re getting at?
Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.
by Jay on Apr 16, 2009 8:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs
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