Games 157 and 158: Indians, White Sox Split Doubleheader

by Ryan on Sep 30, 2009 10:15 PM EDT in Game Recaps

Game 158: White Sox 1, Indians 0

A couple hours before the first game began, GM Mark Shapiro announced that manager Eric Wedge and all members of the major-league coaching staff would not be back for the 2010 season. The move was expected, and hopefully it represents the first step towards a championship team. Wedge handled the firing with class, though you would assume it wasn't a shock to him.

The pitching performances in the doubleheader were promising as well. Fausto Carmona pitched well for the second start in a row, and Masterson was brilliant in the nightcap. These were the last starts of the season for the two pitchers, and they couldn't have ended their seasons on a better note. Carmona was efficient, showing flashes of how he pitched in 2007. He went seven innings, walking just two and striking out 5. In some ways these last two starts make his 2009 season even more maddening, for you saw what he was capable of.

In the first game, the Indians were paced by Matt LaPorta (1-1, 2B, 2 BB) and Travis Hafner (2-3, HR), who hopefully will form a formidable right-left power combination in next year's lineup. LaPorta's streaking towards a league-average OPS as the season is winding down, and even though he's made less than 200 plate appearances in the majors, he's your cleanup hitter next season.

Even though the Indians ended their home schedule with a loss in game two, Justin Masterson's gem of a start was a great takeaway. He struck out 12, walked 2, and pitched a complete game. He allowed only one run, but unfortunately neither Mark Buerhle nor three Chicago relievers allowed a single run. Masterson had struggled down the stretch, which made this start even more of a surprise. In his last start against Detroit, he couldn't make it through five innings, and he hadn't gone seven innings in any start this season. Cleveland's next pitching coach now has an archetype pitching performance to try to emulate next year.

Next Up: The last series of the season. Carrasco vs. Lester, 7:10 PM

Game Graphs and WPA leaders after the jump...

290930205_whitesox_indians_143803248_lbig_medium

via www.fangraphs.com

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Fausto Carmona	.242	Jhonny Peralta	-.056
Matt LaPorta	.175	Michael Brantley	-.053
Travis Hafner	.108	Luis Valbuena	-.013

290930305_whitesox_indians_143836450_lbig_medium

via www.fangraphs.com

Highest WPA		Lowest WPA
Justin Masterson	.341	Jamey Carroll	-.151
Luis Valbuena	.037	Matt LaPorta	-.114
		Shin-Soo Choo	-.114

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Classic Wedge Era Indians result. Indians outscore opponents 5-2, win 50% of games.

by Jay on Sep 30, 2009 11:55 PM EDT reply actions 2 recs

come on people… still only 1 rec?

Captain of the SS [DO NOT TRADE] CHOO

by westbrook on Oct 1, 2009 6:26 PM EDT up reply actions

if anything it should be a flag for tragedy

by Roger Dorn on Oct 1, 2009 6:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Carlos Carrasco no hitter tomorrow in Boston? After today’s pitching I would not be surprised at all.

by The Grimace on Oct 1, 2009 12:35 AM EDT reply actions

Tribe Hurler No-Hits Sox in Boston, Indians Lose 1-0

by odradek on Oct 1, 2009 12:40 AM EDT up reply actions

It’s happened before….against the Tribe….by Boston.

by The Grimace on Oct 1, 2009 4:05 AM EDT up reply actions

hopefully i wasnt around

by siejecy on Oct 1, 2009 7:57 AM EDT up reply actions

I believe that was part of a doubleheader. The Tribe got two hits total for the day…and split. Matt Young was the one who no-hit the Tribe and lost. Then Clemens only gave up two hits in the nightcap.

by ProgMetaller on Oct 1, 2009 5:32 PM EDT up reply actions

April 12, 1992. Example A for why the no-hitter is less than useful in and of itself as a stat. Isn’t it likely to be better to give up 3 hits and no walks than no hits and seven walks?

by FredOx on Oct 2, 2009 11:56 AM EDT up reply actions

Who uses no-hitters as a stat in and of itself? It’s an exciting statistical feat.

The once and future

by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Oct 3, 2009 1:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Carmona and Masterson threw well, obviously, but they were aided by AAA-lineups filled with right-handed hitters.

by TribeJay on Oct 1, 2009 8:35 AM EDT up reply actions

Draft pick update:

• After losing 12 straight, the Orioles not only are out of the Indians’ sights, they’ve actually moved behind the Pirates into 29th place. At this point, the Indians cannot finish worse than either team, so it’s 27th place at worst and the 4th overall pick at best.

• At the other extreme, the D’backs have lost 7 of their last 10, while the Mets found a way to get swept by the Nationals, so they are still holding onto slim hopes for the #5 pick. Since we hold both draft-pick tie-breakers, our magic number with the D’backs is just one, with eight combined games left, to lock in the #6 pick or better. With the Mets, the magic number is two, with seven combined games left, for the #5 pick or better.

• That leaves just us and the Royals, duking it out for the #4 and #5 picks. We’re one-half game better in the standings at the moment, but they hold the tiebreaker, and it will be tough for us to finish below them. If they finish with a 1–2 series with the Twins, we need to lose three out of four in Boston to finish worse.

by Jay on Oct 1, 2009 2:43 AM EDT reply actions

Being fully honest, best/worst, ahead/behind… I have to read everything twice to figure out which one is good/bad.

by Brick. on Oct 1, 2009 9:15 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions

Just one more reason it sucks to be on the bottom of the standings.

by Jay on Oct 1, 2009 9:17 AM EDT up reply actions

Wow, the draft is a crap shoot.

picks since 2002: Adam Loewen, Tim Stauffer, Jeff Niemann, Ryan Zimmerman, Brad Lincoln, Daniel Moskos, Brian Matusz, Jorge Sanchez

#5: Christopher Lubanski, Mark Rogers, Ryan Braun, Brandon Morrow, Matt Wieters, Buster Posey, Matthew Hobgood

by FredOx on Oct 1, 2009 10:06 AM EDT up reply actions

Yeah, viewing the draft through the prism of a single draft slot over the years is a real eye-opener. It removes almost all of the BS from the discussion — presumptions about the tendencies that teams may or may not have, skill levels, budgets, etc. The draft slot itself is entirely agnostic, and the evidence is right there in front of everyone: Every single pick is a crap shoot, and only the first few picks are even a crapshoot with decent odds.

by Jay on Oct 1, 2009 10:58 AM EDT up reply actions