Game 26: Blue Jays 8, Indians 5
by Ryan on May 4, 2010 11:31 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
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The Indians faced another good left-handed pitcher, actually scored five runs off him, but Jake Westbrook and the the bullpen couldn't keep the Blue Jays bats at bay. The good news was that Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner had good offensive games, both of them getting two hits apiece off of Ricky Romero, who didn't post a quality start for the first time all season.
Jake Westbrook, despite a balky back, did make his start, but couldn't get through the fourth. He had some long innings early on, including one extended because he didn't make an accurate throw to start a possible double play. On his 85th pitch of the night, he walked Vernon Wells to load the bases (this coming after he'd given up three runs in the inning), and Manny Acta pulled the plug. Jamey Wright cleaned up another mess by striking out Kyle Overbay, but he gave up a run in the fifth to tie the game at five.
Things got worse. Jensen Lewis walked two with two outs, and gave up a double to the suddenly power-hitting Alex Gonzalez, which plated the go-ahead run. Lewis got out of the inning, and next came Rafael Perez. Oof. Perez couldn't record an out, and was pulled quickly. I guess the next step is either a spot on the bullpen bench, or the waiver wire. The Indians have been very patient with Rafael, bringing him back after a very poor 2009 season, but I think his time's about up.
Hector Ambriz got into the game, and pitched two scoreless innings, with two strikeouts in his third appearance with the Indians. That's good news.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Shin-Soo Choo | .213 | Jake Westbrook | -.299 |
| Jhonny Peralta | .091 | Rafael Perez | -.167 |
| Hector Ambriz | .024 | Russell Branyan | -.111 |
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Son of a bitch!
No, not you. Your helmet!
by PatBordersHelmet on May 5, 2010 12:04 AM EDT reply actions
My perception is that Shapiro is keeping a lower profile than usual. Is he simply being prudent? Knowing that he is better off remaining out of the public eye? Is he on the Dolan hot seat? Is he on vacation? Failure is an orphan, I suppose. Shapiro will lay this at Antonetti’s doorstep.
Attendance is really cratering.
A recurrent theory at cleveland.com is that Dolan, a la Rachel Phelps, is destroying the Tribe so he can move the team to a more salubrious location. What the hell is going on in the Cleveland Metropolitan School District?
Oh god, the Indians and the A’s really ARE the same team, aren’t they? The Oakland press is obsessed with this idea, too. Except that it’s actually legit on their end. But wow. Why couldn’t I go and find a non-Indians team that’s actually their opposite in every way?
Wait. That would be the Yankees. Nevermind.
10,387 tonight. That’s typical these days. Those attending have been enticed with massive discounts.
This team is probably destined to lose a staggering amount of money.
Apathy is a bigger problem, I think, than cleveland.com outrage.
I dunno. Maybe the plane will crash into the mountain this time. This is just a very bleak period. Except for the time I spent being at one game, I haven’t enjoyed this season very much thus far.
That said, I encourage everyone who posts here to buy tickets in droves. Next time I’m headed to a game I maybe should rally some lgt folks.
Not to worry. Friday night starts Fireworks Friday. For those who did not grow up as a Tribe fan in the late 70s/early 80s, you may not know that for many Tribe fans, baseball games always come with fireworks. (I.e., the 4th of July game was one of the only games with more than 20k attendance, while all other games averaged 6k).
How did Kerry Wood do? His performance is most important to the team – not for winning, but for the opportunity to trade his contract for a bucket of balls. 6 runs in 2/3 inning? Ahhh, such is life…
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on May 5, 2010 8:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
It’s hard to say whose performance is most important. The potential to acquire talent is still more significant than cash, and most teams don’t have the cash anyway. Wood may turn out to be the most important chip, or it may be Kearns, maybe still even Peralta. Look how Sabathia and Blake turned out.
Related to CC and Blake, should we be looking at the fact that the Blake trade appears to be netting better future talent than the CC trade; that we should not diminish the potential return from any trade no matter the apparent significance at the time?
…. It’s just rough to be rooting for a team that is relevant only between July 1 and July 31.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on May 5, 2010 11:57 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Must be 10,387 paid — I was at the game and there couldn’t have been more than about 5,000 butts in seats. If you were sitting in the upper deck, they would exchange your ticket for a lower box seat — they needed to have a concentration of fans somewhere. There was literally a guy at the top of the escalator handing out tickets and telling people to go back downstairs. Really kinda sad.
Professional Lurker. Non-Baseball Posting Specialist.
Don’t fret everyone, I have good news. The last game I attended at Progressive Field was Game 4 of the 2007 ALCS. When I left Cleveland the next morning, we were up 3-1 in the series and looking like the odds-on favourite to win the World Series. Since then, our record is a combined 156-195.
Alas, I’m making my triumphant to the city today to reverse whatever curse I put on the Tribe when I last departed.
Alas, I’m making my triumphant to the city today to reverse whatever curse I put on the Tribe when I last departed.
THANK YOU. Please remove whatever bad juju is lingering around this ballclub.
Anything in life is possible, except for skiing through revolving doors.
by MooneysRebellion on May 5, 2010 8:08 AM EDT up reply actions
Mumbling “bats are afraid, no like curveball.” and “I ask Jobu come, take fear from bats” has been tried already. Didn’t work, unhappily, so you’ll have to be more creative.
by MTF on May 5, 2010 8:11 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
That was the last game I was at in Cleveland, too.
by APV on May 5, 2010 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions
Lunchtime lineup: Grudz 2B, Sizemore CF, Choo RF, Peralta 3B, Hafner DH, Branyan 1B, LaPorta LF, Valbuena SS, Redmond C.
Things I never thought I’d say: I wish Austin Kearns was in the lineup today.
Yeeeesh….. is this team ever playing bad baseball. Thank goodness for the Oriole’s and Astros. We still may get caught by them by the end of the year.
I’d say this is a little knee-jerk. We’re not any worse than the Mariners or the White Sox, who a lot of people liked, and the Padres are still looking OK.
I mean, it’s May.
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