Game 52: Indians 5, Yankees 4

by Ryan on May 31, 2009 4:32 PM EDT in Game Recaps

I really don't know where the Indians would be without Carl Pavano. He's been the only consistent starter outside of Cliff Lee, and at times has pitched gems. Today he pitched into the eighth, and while he wouldn't get credit for the win, his pitching was the reason the Indians had a chance to win the game. His ERA still looks hideous, but please take a look at his game log. In seven May starts, he's gone at least 5 innings and hasn't given up more than 4 earned runs in a start.

A day after Victor Martinez injured his knee, and on the same day Grady Sizemore went on the DL, another Tribe mainstay got hurt. In the eighth inning, after throwing a pitch to Mark Teixeira, Rafael Betancourt doubled over and started to limp around the mound. From the looks of it, he injured his groin, which will probably mean a stint on the DL. Betancourt would make nine Indians on either the 15-day or 60-day Disabled List, and that isn't counting Adam Miller, who would have made the club had he been healthy, or Victor Martinez, who's probably out for at least another 3-4 days. Matt Herges came in for Betancourt, and a couple pitches later, gave up the tying runs when Mark Teixeira lined a double off the left field wall.

In both the bottom of the eighth and the ninth, the Indians would get the leadoff runner on with a walk, and would bunt the runner over. In the eighth, Ryan Garko did the bunting, but Kelly Shoppach and Luis Valbuena couldn't get the run home. I would have let Ryan Garko hit, and taken the chance of hitting into a double play. But in the ninth, the Indians did the same thing, and it worked out. Trevor Crowe worked a leadoff walk, Asdrubal Cabrera bunted him over with two strikes, Ben Francisco laid off pitches he sometimes swings at to walk, and Jhonny Peralta got ahead of David Robertson 3-1 and pulled a pitch down the third base line to win the game for the Indians.

Next Up: Justin Chamberlain vs. Jeremy Sowers, 7:05 PM

via www.fangraphs.com

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Jhonny Peralta	.412	Rafael Perez	-.141
Carl Pavano	.248	Luis Valbuena	-.122
Kerry Wood	.143	Kelly Shoppach	-.105

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Comments

A good Jeremy Sowers outing tomorrow (7+IP, <=3 runs) would be good for my mood meter

by APV on May 31, 2009 4:40 PM EDT reply actions

I’m not a big Sowers-hater, but even I would fall off my chair if that happened.

by TribeJay on Jun 1, 2009 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Then, after the game, President Obama will take the mound and announce the federal government has granted the rights of Stephen Strasburg to the Cleveland Indians. Furthermore, the government will pay Strasburg’s salary for the next ten years. And hot dogs will cost $1 every day until 2015.

by odradek on Jun 1, 2009 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

And Carl Pavano will have six wins in a month! Ha!

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by Jay on Jun 1, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

You making a prediction for June or something?

by FredOx on Jun 1, 2009 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Hahahahahahaha

Waiting for Rondon.

by Gradyforpresident on Jun 1, 2009 2:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I only had one Whiskey tonight, too

Waiting for Rondon.

by Gradyforpresident on Jun 1, 2009 2:01 AM EDT up reply actions

Apparently Adam didn’t follow your lead.

Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile

by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 1, 2009 8:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Posb. typo heads-up, Ryan:

In the eighth, Ryan Garko did the bunting, but Kelly Shoppach and Luis Valbuena couldn’t get the job home.

--
Force quit and move to trash.

by vbc3 on May 31, 2009 4:41 PM EDT reply actions

heh, I was thinking of two different phrases and included a part of both. Sancho Panza would be proud.

by Ryan on May 31, 2009 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I may be falling in love with Carl Pavano.

Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?

by ClemsonGirl on May 31, 2009 6:46 PM EDT reply actions

Don’t fall too hard, I fear he’s not long for Cleveland. Though we’ll get some shiny new prospects for him!

Il faut d'abord durer.

by CU Adam on Jun 1, 2009 1:23 AM EDT up reply actions

Trade Carl right away. The way things are going, he’ll be hurt before he can be swapped. I know it’s too early to throw in the towel (only one game behind the Royals in the win column), but I’d be tempted to trade him earlier rather than later.

by odradek on Jun 1, 2009 1:35 AM EDT up reply actions

I never fall too hard. (This is a lie.)

Who needs affection when you can have blind hatred?

by ClemsonGirl on Jun 1, 2009 11:29 AM EDT up reply actions

I agree, though I wonder if any team will trust him with more than a two year deal again. Certainly no team should.

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by Jay on Jun 1, 2009 1:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I didn’t see much of the game but why did Wedge take out Pavano after a pretty good outing and 89 pitches?

by ASP on May 31, 2009 7:28 PM EDT reply actions

It was his highest pitch count on the year, I believe.

by Voltaire on May 31, 2009 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Mannpants had said he went into the 90s in most of his starts and went over 100 twice. Manning was speculating that Pavano was yanked because it was the 4th time through the order… I dunno.

If we were told going into the season that at the end of May that six (am I forgetting anyone?) pitchers would be on the DL, I bet not many of us would have left both Pavano and Wood off our lists….

by Logodaedalus on May 31, 2009 9:20 PM EDT up reply actions

39,80,89,86,97,103,86,92,101,92,89

FE WEE

by westbrook on May 31, 2009 9:48 PM EDT up reply actions

OK never mind me.

by Voltaire on May 31, 2009 10:46 PM EDT up reply actions

Come to think of it, I think they did actually say “in May”. So that inaccuracy was mine, not theirs.

by Logodaedalus on Jun 1, 2009 2:33 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d bet its as simple as his history of injuries

by world dictator on May 31, 2009 11:21 PM EDT up reply actions

I think that’s part of it, in that they’re being pretty careful with him. But he was deep in the game, and as mentioned above, starting to go through the lineup 4 times. Teixeira had good swings against him all day. Bring in Perez for Damon and Betancourt for Teixeira (0-7 against Raffy R). Just didn’t work out.

by TribeJay on Jun 1, 2009 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions

I think they wanted to bring in a lefty to face Damon. Of course, that didn’t work out so well.

by Buckeye Brad on Jun 1, 2009 8:02 AM EDT up reply actions

Remember when Perez went, like, four months or something without giving up an extra-base hit to a lefty?

Yeah, good times.

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by Jay on Jun 1, 2009 1:26 PM EDT up reply actions

Without Carl Pavano, I think the Indians would be in last place.

by DixonCayne on May 31, 2009 7:32 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs

I’m going to beat up Jeremy Sowers if he loses to Justin tomorrow.

by hans on May 31, 2009 7:44 PM EDT reply actions

Pick on someone your own size, Hans.

by odradek on May 31, 2009 8:14 PM EDT up reply actions

So is my injury theory gaining a bit more traction? :-(

by world dictator on May 31, 2009 11:20 PM EDT reply actions

The worst part of all these injuries, is that it puts Wedge in difficult situations in trying to manufacture runs.

That 8th inning is a perfect example. You have Garko bunting, so the high contact hitters like Shoppach and Valbuena can drive them in. That’s just awful on paper.

But, what could have been done different? You can’t bring in anyone to bunt for Garko. Shoppach (as poor as he has been) still represents a better choice than Gimenez. Maybe you could have brought in Carroll to hit for Valbuena? But you want to test your young talent in those types of situations and you might want to save Carroll for later if the game goes to extra innings.

by Toxicadam on Jun 1, 2009 1:52 PM EDT reply actions

i may be totally wrong, but i felt like the bunt had more to do with avoiding the DP with Wang on the mound.

by Brick. on Jun 1, 2009 2:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Those reasons are also valid, but Wedge has consistently tried to bunt runners over late in tied games. I think I recall him even having Shoppach bunt a few times in those situations.

by Toxicadam on Jun 1, 2009 2:47 PM EDT up reply actions

Garko was a great choice to bunt. He has middling power and is a huge GIDP risk. After that, you’ve got a good doubles hitter (and weak contact hitter) at the plate in Shoppach. After that, if Shoppach makes an out, you have a good singles hitter in Valbuena to bring in the runner from 2B with two outs. That wasn’t a difficult situation at all, except that you’d like for all three of them simply to be better hitters.

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by Jay on Jun 1, 2009 2:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Is 49 doubles in 825 plate appearances a “good” doubles hitter?

by odradek on Jun 2, 2009 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions

You discussing Shoppach = not happening.

Well, that's just, like, your opinion, man.

by Jay on Jun 2, 2009 11:43 AM EDT up reply actions

19 year old Alexander Perez with a 10-K start this morning.

by dgcambridge on Jun 1, 2009 2:54 PM EDT reply actions

How quickly does he warm up?

by NickFantana on Jun 1, 2009 3:34 PM EDT up reply actions

Not so fast. He’s hurt already (just kidding).

by peter m on Jun 1, 2009 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

He probably needs some work on runners, but he’ll learn that as he goes. He and Pickens allowed 4 SB today. His opponents managed two hits; the high-frequency stealing suggests that the opponent was desperate to manufacture runs.

by jhon on Jun 2, 2009 12:05 AM EDT up reply actions