Game 157: White Sox 6, Indians 1

by Ryan on Sep 28, 2009 10:20 PM EDT in Game Recaps Comment 22 comments

Aaron Laffey allowed eight hits, all of them singles, and several of them infield singles.

This was one game where it didn't really matter much what the pitching did, because John Danks was locked in all game. He allowed three hits, two of them to Shin-Soo Choo. His lone earned run allowed was a Choo home run.

Aaron Laffey did ok with the exception of the second inning, when Chicago batted around. Normally when a club does that, the pitcher is removed, but all the base runners came via singles or walks, and the damage was limited to three runs. He stayed in the game into the eighth inning with the game still within reach, but the bullpen let the game get out of hand. Jose Veras was shaky, but got out of the eighth; Jensen Lewis, and the Indians defense, gave up three runs in the ninth to salt the game for the White Sox.

Next Up: Torres vs. Masterson, 7:05 PM

290928105_whitesox_indians_143627411_lbig_medium

via www.fangraphs.com

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Shin-Soo Choo	.104	Matt LaPorta	-.119
Jose Veras	.050	Jhonny Peralta	-.096
Travis Hafner	.004	Trevor Crowe	-.089

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Peralta couldn’t make a play that could have ended the second inning without any runs being scored. It was a tough play and was rightfully scored a hit, but a top defensive third baseman possibly makes that play.

Four nights ago Jensen Lewis, on four days of rest, had great stuff with a lot of life on the fastball. Two nights ago on one day of rest, he was just ok. And tonight in his third game in five days, his stuff was awful. Fastball with no life at 87-88, and one high changeup after another. Does his stuff suffer that much, or is there another reason for the inconsistency? It’s too bad, because if he could regularly maintain the stuff he had four nights ago and some of the other recent outings, he could be a major player in the bullpen. And if he has the stuff he had tonight, he can’t pitch in the bigs at all.

And oh yeah, Gordon Beckham looks like one of those guys who will get 40-plus doubles and 20-plus homers. And he probably will do that next year.

by TribeJay on Sep 28, 2009 11:11 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Beckham is a beast. He has 26 doubles in 409 plate appearances, and he’s just 22. Can you imagine how psyched we’d be if he played for the Tribe?

I’m convinced something mysterious has happened to Lewis. He’s given up 12 homers in facing only 260 batters. I could see him being out of baseball next year. Remember, even Jensen at his best was nothing to write home about.

by odradek on Sep 28, 2009 11:25 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your first comment sounded vaugely familiar, so I looked it up. Our own Luis Valbuena has 25 doubles in 377 plate appearances, and he’s just 23.

Yes, Beckham is 10 months younger, has better overall numbers (better isolated power, better walk rate) and has done it with much less professional experience. But Valbuena plays the tougher defensive position, and a quarter of his time at shortstop, where he’d never played professionally before.

The comparison makes me a little more enthusiastic about Valbuena’s future, and I wasn’t pessimistic to begin with.

by InfiniteMonkeyTypists on Sep 29, 2009 8:14 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

The comparison makes me a little more enthusiastic about Valbuena’s future

I’m a big Valbuena fan. But look at Valbuena’s numbers from this season and compare them with Barfield’s rookie year in San Diego. Granted, Barfield was supposed to turn out to be very good…

by APV on Sep 29, 2009 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Barfield is one of the bigger disappointments of any recent rookie, but the other thing is, of course, where he achieved those numbers …

by Jay on Sep 29, 2009 10:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Sep 29, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

THE

--
Force quit and move to trash.

by vbc3 on Sep 29, 2009 5:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

by Jay on Sep 29, 2009 5:55 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

WEST

by Roger Dorn on Sep 29, 2009 6:03 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

We did it!

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Sep 30, 2009 12:00 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But Barfield had nothing like the power that Valbuena has already demonstrated.

For a truly similar season, check out Miguel Tejada, 1998.

(full disclosure: or Pat Kelly, 1992. Then again, Michael Young, 2001)

by InfiniteMonkeyTypists on Sep 29, 2009 11:52 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Interesting about Lewis. There obviously is no job for a reliever who needs three days of rest, but maybe they should be trying to re-invent him as a starter.

by Jay on Sep 29, 2009 12:24 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

A closer for the Indians can go eight days without even warming up.

by odradek on Sep 29, 2009 12:30 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

If only we had known.

by Jay on Sep 29, 2009 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Or maybe put him on a schedule where he’ll throw a couple innings every three games.

by Ryan on Sep 29, 2009 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Innings 5-6 or 6-7 of a Sowers start, and 6-7 of a Carmona start?

by InfiniteMonkeyTypists on Sep 29, 2009 8:17 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

REC

by JulioBernazard on Sep 29, 2009 1:22 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, he wasn’t this way two years ago. But now he only occasionally has the same stuff. I don’t know, but he needs to figure it out to save his career. Of course, part of the problem this year is he’s been so bad he hasn’t gotten regular work. And maybe because of that his arm strength isn’t there.

I don’t see him as a starter because he’s pretty much a two-pitch guy. His slider isn’t good enough, at least right now.

by TribeJay on Sep 29, 2009 8:31 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

That season, 2007, was his first as a reliever. He went from making 27 starts in 2006 to making 60 relief appearances in 2007. Even though the innings went down, maybe he simply overthrew that season and burnt his arm out.

by Jay on Sep 29, 2009 8:37 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Minor correction, he actually made 67 appearances in 2007 — I omitted his seven postseason appearances.

by Jay on Sep 29, 2009 8:38 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I actually like having Jensen around, but it’s going to be necessary to find some role that he is suited to. His 2007 role isn’t looking replicable and while he was a pretty good closer in 08, we have a better one now and those saves were IN

SEPTEMBER

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Sep 29, 2009 3:54 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs