Game 22: Indians 9, Royals 4
by Ryan on Apr 26, 2011 10:23 PM EDT
in Game Recaps
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PrintThe bullpen is starting to get a bit scary, but you certainly couldn't complain about the offense. The Indians hit five home runs in their return to Progressive Field, and won their eighth-straight game at home.
Jack Hannahan, who was just supposed to play defense, hit two solo home runs and a single. Jack has been teeing off on left-handed pitchers thus far, but had his big night at the expense of the right-handed Luke Hochevar. Jason Donald is playing again on a rehab assignment, so this was a nicely-timed outburst for Hannahan.
Matt LaPorta contributed a home run of his own, crushing a hanging breaking ball onto the home run porch in left. Matt came into the game hitting a decent .246/.347/.426, which in this pitching-friendly month is good for a 121 OPS+. He isn't living up fully to his potential yet, but the signs are good. His at-bats this month are much better than at any time last season; he's struck out 11 times in 72 PA; last season, he struck out 82 times in 425 PA.
Shin-Soo Choo join the home run party by jumping on the first pitch Louis Coleman threw. Coleman evidently thought that Choo would be taking with two on and one out.
The key point in the game, though game in the eighth. Tony Sipp started the top of the eighth, but he again couldn't find the strike zone, and he allowed the first three of the inning to reach. Vinnie Pestano was summoned to get the Indians out of the jam, and he had a tall order to overcome: Billy Butler, Jeff Francouer, and Kila Ka'aihue. Throwing all fastballs, he got Butler to pop out, whiffed Francouer with a high fastball, and got another pop out to end the inning.
Grady Sizemore capped the scoring with a no-doubt homer to center. Grady is now hitting over .400 in his first eight games, and looks nothing like the player who struggled in 2009 and early 2010.
Chris Perez came into the game to get some work in, and like Sipp, he struggled to find the strike zone. He allowed a run to score, and probably would have been pulled if Shin-Soo Choo hadn't made an outstanding diving catch on Alex Gordon's sinking line drive to end the game.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Hannahan | .244 | Santana | -.168 |
| Pestano | .167 | Sipp | -.082 |
| Choo | .152 | Granpabrera | -.072 |
Recap to come...
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I’m happy to leave Choo in the 3-spot, but give the guy a day or two off in the next week. Santana also could use a few days off, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him dropped in the order. Hafner, LaPorta and Brantley could all move up.
Also, Hagadone is throwing up 0s again tonight in Akron.
3 innings, 1 hit, no walks, 4 K’s for Hagadone. I wonder if they’re tempted to build him back up to a starting role now that he’s controlling his pitch count?
I really am becoming a fan of the Indians embrace of Twitter, etc.
I just want to believe.
by mjmarble on Apr 27, 2011 12:04 AM EDT up reply actions 4 recs
Kind of tempted to make a Twitter just to follow people. I’d probably have one by now, but my friends don’t really use it.
Twitter has slowly come around to the idea that for the majority of its users, Twitter is a consumption medium, not a production one. When I first started (2007), there was an assumption that if you followed a lot of people, didn’t have a lot of followers, and rarely tweeted, you were a spambot. That has definitely changed over time.
yup, i now use it to follow all of the print media that i had, in the past, had to seek out independently. it’s a really efficient way to consume news, across all of my interests.
Any good primers/rules/suggestions for the uninitiated?
...not the best color man in the league for nothing
slowly build up a set of authors/magazines/topics that you would normally read online. for example, i follow the science writers at sciam, science, nature, nytimes, etc., some archaeologists that actively link articles, wired, the atlantic and the economist, and – of course – numerous sports writers. pick and choose those you like, build and edit your database. i avoid almost all of the celebrities.
by macasson on Apr 27, 2011 2:05 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
I rec this because I like your interests.
In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).
by V-Mart Shopper on Apr 28, 2011 6:49 AM EDT up reply actions
After tonight, I think Choo needs to play again tomorrow to try and feed off the homer. And the way he took the single the other way has me convinced that he is going to remind us all why he is so valuable by the time the team heads back out on the road.
"Spring Training wins are good for the soul."
It was a fun game. Was there in person and got LaPorta’s autograph. Would have been nicer to see more people at the game, even for a Tuesday night.
Adam Foote still blows!
by Heavysoviet on Apr 26, 2011 11:23 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
A little bit less than half I’d say.
Adam Foote still blows!
by Heavysoviet on Apr 27, 2011 12:22 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Should see regular teens in May, as the weather turns. If the team continues to win, it’ll get around 20k. Going to have to beat a team (besides the Red Sox) worth beating for that to happen, I imagine.
Just guessing though.
"Mixed emotions. Rather see him hit PEDroia [with that pitch]. I don’t care if he is in the dugout"
by Gradysmanldy on Apr 27, 2011 1:17 AM EDT up reply actions
But weather forecasts called for thunder storms.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Apr 27, 2011 7:44 AM EDT up reply actions
This was an un-promoted game against a team with little reputation locally and a poor weather forecast. At least it didn’t look as bad as it has lately; the 9,650 were in their seats.
I expect us to at least return to the 5 digits tomorrow.
By the way, this doesn’t get talked about a lot, but the “cheap seats” at the park aren’t very good relative to other stadiums. The upper deck was built too high and too far away from the field and the action. I love the Jake / Prog, but I wish they’d dropped a deck of loges and cantilevered the upper deck some more. Maybe this is why HOK / Populus doesn’t feature this project in their portfolio?
If in a couple decades or so the park gets renovated, I’d start with demolishing the portion of the upper deck in right field and doing something different. There are some really horrible seats out there.
I sat in the bleachers. Surprisngly comfortable.
Adam Foote still blows!
by Heavysoviet on Apr 27, 2011 7:02 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I sat in the bleachers. Surprisngly comfortable.
Adam Foote still blows!
by Heavysoviet on Apr 27, 2011 7:02 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
“Cheap seats” us a relative term. Compared to most other ballparks, the field boxes would classify as cheap.
But I get your point: many of the upper deck seats are poor, but the price reflects this. Remember, the stadium was the second of the retro styles and we should expect design errors. Heck, Camden Yards has many less-than-ideal seats too.
And I’d take any of them over the old Vet, Three Rivers, Riverfront, Busch, Memorial, and Municipal AND Fenway.
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on Apr 27, 2011 11:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I don’t think it’s any coincidence that two of the better parks in the country (Pac Bell and PNC) do not have a right deck. Unfortunately, you’re not really gaining a ‘view’ if you eliminate them in Cleveland.
Ideally, the Terrace Club should be moved out there and new seats put where the Terrace Club currently is. Never going to happen.
Interesting idea
...not the best color man in the league for nothing
by stuart dean on Apr 27, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Wow, didn’t think it was that low.
Adam Foote still blows!
by Heavysoviet on Apr 27, 2011 7:10 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Pittsburgh barely outdrew the Indians last night with the Giants in town.
The Indians will play before some small crowds next week at the newly named Overstock.com Coliseum.
Grady’s was an absolute bomb. Straightaway center. Just short of Albert Belle territory.
My watch is broken... it's stuck on Tribe Time
#suckitLaw
by Turkmenbashi on Apr 27, 2011 12:14 AM EDT up reply actions
I monitored the game at work on the computer and left just as the bases were loading up in the eighth (I muttered “oh what the hell, Sipp?” aloud as I shut everything down and locked up for the night). Once in the car, I turned on WTAM and listened a bit breathlessly as Pestano blow everyone away, and I punched the air and hissed a “YESSSS” as that third out was recorded.
I remember a few drives like this over the summer of 2007. Just sayin’.
--
Wahoo Baseball, baby!
I took a drive through the foothills of the Appalachians to listen to game 7 of the 2007 ALCS. I was on my way to DC, and I timed my departure to make sure that I was in the car alone, where I’m always more relaxed. Pedroia hit that HR and my signal just faded away.
Not posting much these days but does not mean I am not reading. The recaps, as they have always been, are excellent. No reason to read Hoynes’ or the AP’s.
A few comments…
- If I’m an opposing manager and my pitcher throws Hannahan a slow curveball, I’d fine him before he even got back to the dugout.
- Keith Law should ask the Royals if Pestano needs to throw his breaking ball more.
- Hafner looked better tonight.
- Not sure I’ve ever seen Grady look better.
- Third straight shaky outing by the 2010 Sipp. I like the 2011 Sipp better. You need to show more faith in your fastball, young man.
- This team really needs to stop walking Chris F. Getz.
- Chris Perez needs to find his slider. It’s been absent virtually all year.
by TribeJay on Apr 27, 2011 12:34 AM EDT reply actions 2 recs
he needs to find some extra oomph on his fastball as well. it’s down 2-3 MPH this year. he should be in the mid 90’s, now the low 90’s. something doesn’t seem right with him, between the velocity loss and not missing many bats early on.
2010 pitch type values:
fastball 13.3, slider, 3.1
2011 pitch type values
fastball 2.8, slider -0.1
We’ve talked about this to death. Earlier in the year, he was off about 3 mph…two of that was from the lower gun readings at Progressive Field. But in his last couple of road outings, he was at 94-95, right where he was last year.
The gun readings weren’t provided for most of the night on STO, and again, with the lower gun, I’m still trying to figure out what’s normal.
Sorry, I think I replied too hastily earlier…there might be a larger point, in that perhaps Perez knows his velocity is off a tick and he has amped it up the past few outings, and he has lost command because of it. Who knows, really? But in his last two outings against the Royals, he’s thrown an awful lot of fastballs in the center of the plate.
Yeah, well said. Thought the same in looking at some of the replays yesterday. He does not look dominant, or even frightening.
True. I remember a stretch of about 5 games or so where he couldn’t get anyone out (far worse than he is doing now), where he gave up maybe 7-9 runs, and then he finally stopped with that and got back on track. His numbers were actually pretty phenomenal for the first half if you eliminated that stretch where he seemed to be totally clueless. I think this was last year, not 2009, right?
In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).
by V-Mart Shopper on Apr 28, 2011 6:57 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m a big fan of Keith Law, but his claim that Pestano throws his fastball too much just isn’t grounded in reality. He throws his fastball 83% of the time and his slider 17% of the time. There is absolutely nothing wrong with those numbers. Plenty of elite relievers have similar pitch selection breakdowns: Frieri, Feliz, Betancourt, Kimbrel, Valverde, Venters, Chapman, etc).
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
Well, it was a very small sample size when Law made his comment (and still is, frankly).
My jab at Law was more that he probably doesn’t realize how electric that fastball is (or at least has been thus far). Last night he came in and threw nothing but fastballs and got two pop-ups and a K from the middle of KC’s order. He had thrown a slider to Francoeur last week and gave up that infield single to allow the first run in that comeback. Last night he just blew him away.
I have much more issues with him judging of the small sample. I mean, I don’t care how good your fastball is, you need an offspeed pitch. Thing is, Pestano has it.
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
That’s always been my beef with Law – he’ll see a player once and decide that he’s going to flop, then he’ll turn around and chastise a reader because they’re making statements about a player after 100 AB.
Isn’t that how it should be for a scout? I’m skeptical that even a well-trained scout can see a guy once or twice and make a definitive statement, but that’s what those guys are supposed to do. Meanwhile the average fan can’t really see in 100 ABs if a guy has a hole in his swing that is about to be exploited.
Even the best scout can’t gather the whole story with a handful of views unless the player is terrifically good or woefully bad, but I think’s relatively true for the casual fan, as well. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that Longoria is really good and Gimenez isn’t. The players in between are the ones that everyone has trouble with, whether you’re a casual fan or an expert scout. I’m sure even a scout would watch Everett this year and think he’s a terrific all-around player.
There’s a reason that front offices have fact checkers all over the country to get second opinions.
The thing that makes me nervous about that list of yours is that off the top of my head, almost all those guys, save maybe Betancourt and Frieri, fastballs are 95+ on the gun and Pestano really isn’t in that range. So is he going to have the elite control of someone like Betancourt, or is he really going to have to eventually start featuring the slider more often?
I know, but that still doesn’t put him in the class of elite fire ballers like the others that you mentioned, that’s all I was saying.
Maybe he has enough juice on the FB for it to be very effective, but not quite 83% of the time effective.
Actually Jensen Lewis was hitting 96 when he was an exciting callup in our 2007 playoff run.
In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).
by V-Mart Shopper on Apr 28, 2011 6:59 AM EDT up reply actions
I just don’t remember this. I recall him sitting consistently at 91-92.
by Gradyforpresident on Apr 28, 2011 9:12 AM EDT up reply actions
Stop going exclusively by the radar gun, go by how the hitters are reacting to it.
He and Carrasco are very similar on the radar gun. But hitters pick up Carrasco’s delivery much more easily than they do with Pestano. It’s probably some combination of hiding the ball, or shorter arm action, or something like that. Bottom line, hitters give a better reading than radar guns do.
Pestano has pitched a grand total of 14 MLB innings.
Through 14 MLB innings:
V. Pestano – 20 K 8 BB
J. Lewis – 19 K 6 BB (Unintentional)
Did hitters give a good reading on Lewis through 14 IP?
Jenson Lewis sucks now because he has an 83mph fastball. That wasn’t the case when he was getting hitters out.
"An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools" -Hemingway
by notthatnoise on Apr 27, 2011 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Lewis was throwing in the low 90’s consistently when he came up in 2007, and hasn’t gotten close to that since.
All I can tell you is that most every hitter is late on Pestano’s fastball.
I’ve taken the Jensen Lewis thing probably about as far as I’m going to, but just for the record, his average FB last year was only 0.3 mph slower than it was at its fastest in his debut season of ’07.
I thought I was just heading up to Cleveland for the Iron & Wine concert Friday night and coming back to Columbus right after it, but now I guess I have a dentist appointment scheduled for Saturday so I might stay the extra night and get to the park. I’m pretty excited about potentially going to my first game of the season.
Saw him almost 2 years ago now at Messiah. Great stuff.
"Spring Training wins are good for the soul."
He was at the new Union at OSU earlier in the school year by himself. It was awesome. He was a lot funnier and personable than I expected. I’m ready for a full band set this weekend, though.
Agreed. At Messiah he had an agreement that he would only swear once (for the song The Trapeze Swinger) but he screwed up a song and muttered a swear word and looked like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. I think Messiah introduced the no swearing rule after David Bazan performed this song when he was there with Iron & Wine previously.
"Spring Training wins are good for the soul."
I might have missed this, but: Has anyone compared Pestano to Raffy-R? That’s the comparison in my mind. Almost all fastballs, and good fastballs, well placed. I can’t remember how many times I shouted at Raffy-R, “Throw a hook! Just once!” He didn’t, and then he would shut the side down, and I’d be all, “Oh, okay then.”
A little bit, maybe, but I would say Pestano’s fastball is more electric and Betancourt had better control.
Betancourt is a freak. He is, by a large margin, the most under appreciated reliever of the past 8 years. Since 2004 he ranks 6th in fangraphs WAR chart for relievers. Not bad for a converted infielder with one pitch.
How did Masterson look? I wasn’t able to watch, just followed it online. I love his consistency this year that he goes to 5-0 and doesn’t even get mentioned in the recap. And I do seriously mean that as a compliment.
Started off very dominant. Let a few pitches get away from him in the middle innings, but was able to keep it under control.
"Spring Training wins are good for the soul."
Santana threw 35% of baserunners out last year and Marson threw 38% out. What’s going on this year. They have not even come close on any of the 14 attempts? Troubling.
They’re not getting helped very much by their pitchers, to start with.
"I’ll happily embrace elevated hopes if that is the price to pay." - APV
On Twitter at @grantgw - sports and Cleveland and Columbus stuff
by woodsmeister on Apr 27, 2011 8:55 AM EDT up reply actions
the double steal came on Sipp, and related to that: does Santana get nicked as 0-2 on a double steal? seems unfair as the best he can come out is 1-2.
You are reading my signature.
I think I’ve only seen one instance where a bad throw was the problem (Marson, in KC on a pitchout). Otherwise, most of the time our catchers haven’t had much of a chance.
That was Grady’s sixth career 3 XBH game, and his first one since that glorious shellacking of the Jackasses in April 2009.
Let’s operate on someone else.
MLB is going to go in to see if they packed steroids into the tiny drill holes.
by YoDaddyWags on Apr 27, 2011 11:28 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Lead investigator will bolster resume and then play peace negotiator in libya.
In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).
by V-Mart Shopper on Apr 28, 2011 7:03 AM EDT up reply actions
George Mitchell did not have his resume boosted by that sham; it detracted from his sterling career.
by Gradyforpresident on Apr 28, 2011 9:13 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m liking me some Hannahan. Defensively, he’s incredible, offensively, he does enough to get by, which is much more than I can say for OC.
True fact #1: Coming into this season, Hannahan had one HR every 61 PA. This season, he has 4 HR in 69 PA.
True fact #2: Hannahan has only 20 career HR, but he now has three career 2 HR games.
True fact #3: Hannahan’s first multi-HR game included two HRs in three innings off Felix Hernandez.
True fact #4: 16 of the Rhino’s 20 HRs have been solo shots.
Looking at more stats after I made that statement, Marty Cordova had a history that would lead you to believe he was capable of being an .850 hitter in any given season.
Sadly, there is nothing in Hannahan’s history that leads you to believe he can do a similar feat. Although his excellence at defense offsets any offensive shortfalls he may have.
Hannahan’s top similarity score: Faust.
by YoDaddyWags on Apr 27, 2011 11:30 AM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
I think Santana should be moved down in the lineup to take some of the pressure off of him until he finds his swing again.
I’m not sure if his head is on straight; after Choo’s homer, he was sitting 3-1 and watched a fastball go by right down the middle. Up 7-3 in the bottom of the 7th, I’d think that’s a situation where he may want to take a cut.
You are reading my signature.
Santana has the lowest swing rate in all of the majors right now. Normally, that would be a pretty good thing. It is a very strange situation. I go back and forth every day on what I think his “issue” is, or if I think he even has one.
Santana is such a wildly interesting player, even for a non-Indians fan just because of how unique both his talent and approach are. I’m very confident that he’ll come out of his slump eventually, but he is also young enough that its hard to pinpoint exactly what his baseline stats “should” be.
Between all the questions with Grady, LaPorta, Brantley and Santana, the Indians are extremely interesting team to watch this year.
Watching Sipp pitch was a pressure cooker, but when Vinnie ran in I knew we would be OK. Hopefully, that never changes.
You know what I love doing? Checking the standings about five times a day, that’s what. I never for the life of me would have guessed the Indians would have the best record in the AL at any point this season, but we do!
by MTF on Apr 27, 2011 12:35 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Checking the standings about five times a day, that’s what.
rec.
by Brick. on Apr 27, 2011 5:37 PM EDT up reply actions 7 recs
Bahahahaha
http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=14199989
"I want to be playing at the end of October or the end of September -- not just at the beginning of April." —Grady
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