Game 60: Indians 7, Nationals 2
by Ryan on Jun 12, 2010 2:29 AM EDT
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Stephen Strasburg's start on Sunday may get more national headlines, but tonight's game is much more important to Indians fans, for it marked the major-league debut of Carlos Santana. Normally a top prospect starts his career towards the bottom of the lineup, but Manny Acta placed Santana in the spot traditionally reserved for the team's best hitter. And you know what? Aside from Shin-Soo Choo and Austin Kearns, Santana may be Cleveland's best hitter even without having played a game. He probably would have been in the majors last year had his status been determined exclusively by his bat; he finished the 2009 AA season with a .290/.413/.530 line, and followed that up with an even better performance in AAA (.316/.447/.597). In his minor-league career, he's drawn more walks (333) than strikeouts (322), and unlike Michael Brantley, he's paired patience with power (.499 slugging percentage).
So why did he stay in the minors until the beginning of June? After all, the Indians weren't going anywhere, and they could have used his bat. The stated reason was that he needed to work on some of his defensive skills, although one unstated reason was service time; if Santana stayed in the minors until June, he wouldn't qualify for "Super 2" arbitration status after the 2012 season. And, like Strasburg, he just happened to make his debut days after that threshold had been reached.
In his first inning in the majors, the Nationals tested Santana's arm. Nyger Morgan reached first base on an infield single, and got a good jump off Jake Westbrook on his way to second base. But Santana made a strong and accurate throw to nab Morgan in a close play. That play proved key, for Washington would get two more doubles in the inning, and Westbrook was struggling to get the ball down early in the game. But thanks to the caught stealing, Jake got out of the first relatively unscathed. He'd get better as the game went on, and pitched into the seventh. Westbrook hasn't had consistent command on his sinker since coming back, but it seems to me that his changeup is light years better than before his surgery. He struck out five tonight, mostly on changeups.
Santana's didn't get a hit in his major-league debut, but he did score a run after reaching base on a fielder's choice in the first. He hit a sharp grounder to second baseman Adam Kennedy, who should have started a double play but bobbled the ball. Kennedy would prolong the inning further by muffing a much easier grounder off the bat of Russell Branyan. The Indians would take advantage of the opportunity, as Austin Kearns didn't miss a hanging curve, hitting the Luis Atilano offering into the left field bleachers for a three-run homer. The Indians would have several opportunities to break the game open off Atilano; in the fourth, after Kearns homered again, Travis Hafner walked, and Jhonny Peralta doubled to place runners on second and third with nobody out. The Indians couldn't get at least Hafner home. But in the sixth, the Indians chased Atilano from the game; Travis Hafner homered, and this time the Indians followed up a leadoff home run with more runs.
The one bad aftertaste to this otherwise satisfying win was another bad appearance by Tony Sipp. He came in to face Adam Dunn after Westbrook left, but walked him. Acta immediately pulled him, and although Chris Perez finished things out tonight, the Indians can't survive with just one good late-inning reliever.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Austin Kearns | .311 | Jason Donald | -.047 |
| Jake Westbrook | .186 | Trevor Crowe | -.041 |
| Travis Hafner | .071 | Luis Valbuena | -.029 |
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You know the old movie cliche where the tough detective/cop/bodyguard/hitman is assigned to watch over the hot girl…and no matter how hard he tries, he always falls in love?
That’s how it is with Kearns. We all know that if he hits, he’s gone. And we shouldn’t get attached, after all, his role here is to get traded.
It’s too late for me.
I suppose here is as good a place as any to admit this: I was way too worried about Chisenhall’s shoulder. I’m sorry if I got anyone else worked up.
Come on, four billion!
We have another late inning reliever, the Herrmannator, making two in all. Luxury.
by MTF on Jun 12, 2010 10:38 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
Not worth a fanshot, so I’ll just drop it in here: Looks like our favorite Buffalo resident just interviewed for the Orioles job.
Before taking Pro-Acta, please consult your doctor. Do not taunt Pro-Acta.
The radio fellas seem to imply every time they see Jake that he has a better change than they’ve seen before. So considering it keeps getting better every start and this years is better than those past, I imagine it is quite good at the moment.
Armando Galarraga gave up a 420-foot drive to Mark Frickin' Grudzielanik.
I made it to the game, in seats close to the visitor’s dugout. I don’t know if this was picked up on TV, but Acta didn’t look pleased with Sipp at all when he came out to get him.
I would also guess Santana is tired of hearing “Black Magic Woman” for his walk-up music.
Steel Nick
Was this well known? I just heard it on MLB Tonight and thought it was awesome.
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
by Joe. on Jun 12, 2010 2:01 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
First, it definitely ought to be “Oye Como Va”.
Second, they should save it for exciting situations, maybe close/late or RISP.
Third, anything would be better than “Smooth”.
by Jay on Jun 12, 2010 3:07 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
First off, “Oye Como Va” is a Tito Puente tune. “Black Magic Woman” is the Fleetwood Mac song written by Peter Green, back in the day when Fleet/Mac was a pretty good band – before the two chicks took over.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
Popular songs have many authors. Actually, I should say that popular tracks have many authors, because what most music lovers are obsessed with is specific recordings of songs, not the songs themselves.
So, each track is based on a song. The song has one or more composers. The track, in addition to being based on a song which has one or more composers, also has a recording artist, i.e., the main performer to whom the track is attributed. The composer owns the basic song and must be paid royalties, but the track is owned by the recording artist or his/her record company. The track also has a recording producer, who in some sense can be considered its author, not unlike the way a director authors a film even if he didn’t write it.
Anyway. You say “Oye Como Va” is a Tito Puente tune, but what does that mean?
The “Oye Como Va” which tens of millions instantly recognize is a track by the recording artist Santana of a song composed by Tito Puente. You might as well say that “Man In The Mirror” is a “Siedah Garrett and Glen Ballard tune.” Sure, they wrote it, but of course it’s well known as a Michael Jackson track.
Bet you can’t tell me (without looking it up) the screenwriter for hardly any Eastwood flicks. It sure as hell ain’t Clint.
I’m sure this is exactly what Elvis and the Colonel told Lieber, Stoller and Big Mama Thorton.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
The "Oye Como Va" which tens of millions instantly recognize is a track by the recording artist Santana
This needs a little editing. It should read “tens of millions of Anglos instantly recognize” etc. Just like tens of millions of white people recognize “Shake, Rattle and Roll” as a Bill Haley track and never think of Big Joe Turner or “tens of millions of suburban white boys” recognize “Hard to Handle” as a Black Crows song and never think of Otis Redding.
Still don’t make it right.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
Oh come on, everyone loves that Otis Redding track.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 13, 2010 9:33 AM EDT up reply actions
More or less negating your entire point:
- Big Joe Turner didn’t write “Shake Rattle and Roll”.
- Redding didn’t live to see the release of any version of “Hard to Handle”, but his heirs got the royalties for both of them.
- Carlos Santana is not a white American.
You seem focused on the monetary end here. Like Paulie Walnuts was sayin’ in the up-scale coffee ship, “Those cazzi mericons is rapin’ the culture”.
So you don’t think that every Bobby-Soxer in 1959 didn’t think that Bill Haley wrote, arranged and performed “Shake, Rattle and Roll”? And that all those pimply-faced suburban kids thought that “Too Hard To Handle” was a Chris Robinson creation? and that just because he isn’t white Carlos Santana can’t exploit a fellow Latino?
Not everythings about money.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
Yes, not everything is about money.
Culture is a constantly evolving thing. Bill Haley didn’t “rape” Big Joe Turner any more than Big Joe Turner “raped” the guys who actually wrote the song. And unless I vastly misunderstood The Sopranos, Paulie Walnuts was an idiot.
You suggested that it’s only gringos who think Carlos Santana originated “Oye Como Va”. I’m no expert on this, but I’m willing to bet that Santana is much more famous in the Latino world than Puente, as is Santana’s version of “Oye Como Va”.
It’s not nothing to do with race or rape, and everything to do with who created the version that is compelling enough to make a permanent imprint on pop culture. You probably know that Otis Redding wrote “Respect”, but that hardly makes Aretha Franklin some kind of also-ran — let alone a “rapist.”
So to be exploited in the Chuck world-view, do you have to be the original artist or the songwriter? And what do we do with people like Neil Diamond, who wrote several of the songs popularized by the Monkees, only to see their “cover” versions released before he could release the originals? Who’s the exploiter there?
Of course, to people like my kids, the entire idea of ownership of culture is an outdated concept. Everything is recorded, cut, remixed, recorded again. There’s no expectation whatsoever that the person you are hearing has any claim over what they are performing, just a claim over the performance.
Also! When I think of Hard to Handle, I think of the Dead.
I understand the decline of primacy, but the problem is—whenever I discover the original —I almost always prefer it to the subsequent versions. Chris Robinson (or Pigpen) over Otis? Big Mama Thornton over Elvis? Santana over Fleetwood Mac? Monkees over Neil Diamond? It would be easier to list versions that surpassed the originals, like Hendrix’s version of “All Along the Watch Tower” or James Carr’s “At the Dark End of the Street.”
personally, I typically prefer the version I heard first, whether it be the original or the remake. For example, I prefer the Roger Daltrey version of Don’t Let the Sun Go Down On Me rather than Elton John’s version because I heard it first from the Lost Boys soundtrack. I may have heard the earlier version from Elton John when I was younger, but the version I recall best is this Daltrey version.
Tainited Love by Soft Cell and Always Something There to remind Me by Naked Eyes are two other remakes from 60s Motown that I like better than the originals.
In case you forgot what a strong tune this is here’s a clip. This was actually written by Carlos unlike the other three tunes mentioned above.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
This from songfacts:
Carlos Santana later said he was on acid during his Woodstock performance, and the reason he looks a little harrassed is that his guitar kept turning into a snake, and he would have to change it back so he could go on playing. It’s not certain whether he took the brown acid (which was initially given out free to musicians at the show) but perhaps this is one of the experiences that led announcers to warn people that the brown acid wasn’t too good.
So, flashbacks, yeah, right.
Resident LGT results-oriented boob.
by mauichuck on Jun 12, 2010 7:00 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
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