Game 53: Indians 13, Blue Jays 9
by Ryan on Jun 2, 2011 1:02 AM EDT
in Game Recaps
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Two days ago: Disaster!
The only disaster on the field tonight was PULGT* Kyle Drabek, who huffed and puffed on the mound but couldn't get any outs. Drabek came into the contest with a decent ERA but an incredible 6.0 walks per nine innings. After Michael Brantley and Asdrubal Cabrera led off the game with back-to-back doubles, Drabek struck out Shin-Soo Choo, but then walked Travis Buck and Carlos Santana to load the bases. Grady Sizemore made him pay for the wildness, plugging the left field gap with a bases-clearing double. By this time Drabek was close to 30 pitches thrown for the inning, most of them balls. Matt LaPorta hit the ball hard, but right at the third baseman, and when Drabek walked Jack Hannahan, Toronto manager John Farrell had had enough.
Toronto has an eight-man bullpen, a bit of overkill if you ask me, but in this case a large bullpen came in handy; six relievers finished up the game, and only a couple went beyond their normal work. Shawn Camp, a middle reliever, finished the first inning and pitched a 1-2-3 second inning, but started to tired in the third. With runners on first and third and one out, Matt LaPorta fouled off several pitches before Camp threw a pitch down and in. LaPorta smashed the pitch off the restaurant beyond the fence in left-center to push the lead to 7-0. Camp would stay in long enough to see the deficit balloon to 10-0.By the time the third inning was over, it was 12-0.
Random batting lines:
Asdrubal Cabrera: 4-6, 3 2B
Carlos Santana: 0-3, 3 BB
Shin-Soo Choo: 1-6, 2B
Matt LaPorta: 3-5, HR
Josh Tomlin pitched four very good innings, but after that, he fell apart, giving up three runs each in the fifth and sixth innings. But he pitched well long enough for the Indians to build up quite a substantial lead, a lead that could withstand his worst start of the season. And Chad Durbin and Frank Herrmann. And the first four Toronto hitters of the ninth reaching base.
Two nights ago, the Indians lost their fifth game in six tries. Tonight, the main worry was using Vinnie Pestano two days in a row going into a four-game series with Texas. The Indians won the series with Toronto, and finished their six-game road trip at 3-3 and with the best record in baseball.
*Parallel Universe Let's Go Tribe. The parallel universe where Grady Sizemore has a goatee and Charlie Sheen is a model citizen.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Sizemore | .144 | Choo | -.042 |
| A. Cabrera | .092 | R. Perez | -.040 |
| Santana | .070 | Everett | -.009 |
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Comments
I take particularly pleasure in beating Farrell. He was an ass to not even interview for the Cleveland job. I hope he’s happy with his lot in Toronto.
Wait, is this true?
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
by Joe. on Jun 2, 2011 1:30 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Yes and no. He was contractually barred from interviewing for a manager job for another year, but there was a suspicion that Boston would have given him permission anyway, specifically for his former club, had he really wanted to interview.
I’m not too bothered with it, and mainly, I feel that we got the right guy.
by Jay on Jun 2, 2011 2:32 AM EDT up reply actions
I’m still happy that we didn’t get Bobby Valentine. I know he has a good track record and all, but something about his attitude during the interview process really bothered me.
by OscarDog on Jun 2, 2011 2:57 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I wouldn’t go so far as to say he had a good track record. And his interview process was awful. And in general before the interview process, all you had to do was watch him on ESPN to dislike him.
Steel Nick
In 11 full seasons as a manager—well, not counting Japan—Bobby was 27 games better than Pythagoras. He’s a good manager, if an odd duck.
I’m still unconvinced that differential from Pythagorean expectation is to be put on the manager. Sure, he can do some things, but if your bullpen is terrible or you get some some unexpectedly good season-long clutch hitting, thats going to affect your differential regardless of the manager.
I watched a lot of Mets baseball during the Bobby V era. He was, in my recollection, tactically excellent, frequently a step ahead of the opposition manager, able to work late-game matchups consistently in his favor, and he didn’t flout the odds with inane hunches. He was abrasive and egocentric, as well, which made for a tumultuous clubhouse, but those playing for Bobby couldn’t count on his “loyalty” to cover any shortcomings in their performance: he was a champ at shoveling people under the wheels of the bus. Pythag was used here as an (apparently) objective support for my observations, but you are right to question its authority, absent any systematic evidence or studies.
You certainly have more first-hand experience than I do, but I see a guy who never seems to know what he’s talking about on TV combined with a Mets legacy of never finishing in first despite large payrolls, and only finishing second three times. No one’s offered him a job in ten years. I’ll have to take your word on everything else.
He was abrasive and egocentric
That I certainly remember.
Steel Nick
Oh, I missed his last Metsie year, which was a -4 Pythag.
Valentine replacing Wedge would have had its fascinations, as do tornadoes for storm watchers, but I’m happy with Mr. Acta.
I was happy at the time that the Tribe was thinking, “outside the[ir] box,” when they chose to interview him, but I agree that they got the right man.
I was disappointed with the choice of Acta precisely because it seemed like they were bringing in another guy who basically thinks exactly like the front office already thinks. I still think that’s a fair concern, but it’s a bit more clear now that Acta brings his own knowledge, ideas and instincts to the table, and as field manager, those are real differentiators with his predecessor.
It may even be that his grasp and application of front-office stats is better than Wedge’s — that is, it’s possible that the front office upgraded by bringing in someone even more aligned with their thinking than Wedge was.
I would have preferred Farrell as I think he is brilliant, but Acta is a quite solid consolation prize. Either way, not a fan of this whole holding a grudge with the man. Toronto is a young team with a very bright future and I wish them well.
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
There are 30 of these jobs and he’s too good or one? Obnoxious.
by afh4 on Jun 2, 2011 9:56 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Because he didn’t go out of his way to get special permission to interview, that means he thinks he’s too good for the position? Come on. The guy has never said a bad thing about the organization.
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
He asked that his name be removed his name from consideration, didn’t he? It wasn’t just not seeking the job.
Steel Nick
This was the case and I think it communicates precisely that he thinks he’s too good for the job. It was, minimally, tacitly disrespectful.
As Jay said, all’s well that end’s well, but I found his behavior ridiculous and irritating.
You know what, it comes down to not making a conspicuously positive public statement on the matter. It wouldn’t have been hard to say …
- The Indians are a great organization.
- Shapiro and Antonetti are great friends, and anyone would be lucky to work for them.
- I do want to be a major league manager someday, and this would be a great opportunity, but the timing is just not right.
- I made a commitment to the Red Sox to give them three years, and it’s important to me to honor that. They also gave me a great opportunity.
- If and when I do get an opportunity to manage, I’ll want that team to know that I’m going to honor my commitments to them, too.
by Jay on Jun 2, 2011 1:45 PM EDT up reply actions
Considering the motivation was probably that the Indians were entering full-blown rebuild mode and would have no chance of competing in the forseeable future, it is a nice little gut-punch that the Tribe looks poised to win a division before his team gets even close.
In the new Geico commercial, Marte sings "Let me be myself" on Wedge's front lawn (with the cavemen).
by V-Mart Shopper on Jun 2, 2011 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions
Similarly, the Indians returned to the postseason (2007) a year before the departed-to-compete Jim Thome did (2008).
Ditto for the team that signed him.
Though I look right at home, I still feel like an exile
by Manhattan Tribe Fan on Jun 3, 2011 12:41 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes.
Manny also did not reach the postseason (2003) until after the Indians did (2001) following his departure (2000).
by Jay on Jun 3, 2011 1:44 AM EDT up reply actions
PULGT
The New Yorker recently reported on new research in the field of quantum computing. The physicist profiled in the piece is a proponent of a marginal theory called Many Worlds, which suggests that increases in computing power of a certain magnitude support the coexistence of an ever-expanding network of parallel universes, which form anew during instances of random atomic chance. The upshot, according to the physicist, is that beyond a certain threshold, computing power must be attributed to collaboration between universes, since no single universe could possibly play host to a force of computation that exceeded the number of atoms in that universe alone. If the theory proves correct, different universes could thus bear the burden of discrete computations.
The most logical follow-up question to this research is whether we are seeing just such a phenomenon with the 2011 Indians; i.e., is this team’s success in whole or in part a consequence of active collaboration between the current roster and rosters in other worlds? Has Asdrubal benefited from hitting tips given by PULGT Brandon Phillips? Josh Tomlin from the clubhouse energy of PULGT Yovani Gallardo (acquired in the 2006 Jason Davis deal that failed to happen)?
Might it even be possible that certain batting lines are in fact direct consequences of pinch-hit appearances or spot-starts by PULGTs invisible to the box score? (This would lend credence to an ancient hypothesis about the existence of “intangibles.”) A number of prominent baseball writers, as you know well, have discounted the Indians’ record this season, pointing to intuition and to certain statistical models. Some have even suggested that the Detroit Tigers truthfully lead the AL Central. Perhaps these analysts are windbags, or perhaps they know something we don’t about the basis of the Indian’s success so far. Namely, that it depends on a roster composed not of 40 men but of of 40 men to the 5000th power. Perhaps Keith Law has inside knowledge that somewhere Pythagoras himself – not a calculation merely bearing his name – is a leading skeptic of our rotation’s prospects in the second half.
Thank you, Ryan, for this provocative notion.
by Forever Magallanes on Jun 2, 2011 1:57 AM EDT reply actions 24 recs
How do we know this post didn’t come from PULGT Jay?
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on Jun 2, 2011 8:38 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
If you never comment again, you will stand as the Jamie Quirk of LGT commenters.
by InfiniteMonkeyTypists on Jun 2, 2011 7:38 AM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Somewhere, someone on the Twins blog is getting rec’d?
Guns don't kill people. LaMarr Woodley kills people. (mattyc_77 on twitter)
by BostonWahoo on Jun 2, 2011 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
The quirks of quarks, and boson’s mates,
Existing in all quantum states;
Now lashed, entwined, intensify
The sting of swings of Wahoo guys,
And Wahoo’s flings toward the plate.
As Wahoo circumnavigates
The AL, which he inundates,
Opponents raise a hue and cry:
“We simply can’t believe our eyes!
Our hurlers fail; our swings are late.”
We might require a million Yeats
To declaim what Wahoo creates,
When a germ of Sockalexi
Can infinitely multiply;
I’ll merely say that it’s been great.
by YoDaddyWags on Jun 2, 2011 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions 6 recs
What
If you don't respect Aaron Laffey, I will fight you.
by Cap'n Snegiryov on Jun 2, 2011 8:19 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Extremely awesome!
"Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge..." C. Darwin
by Spidey on Jun 2, 2011 8:40 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Last year we didn’t win our 33rd game until July 5th. If we get two against Texas, then we’ll really be up on last year, when our 35th victory didn’t come until July 16th.
I’m going overseas until 06/12. Please take care of our team while I’m gone.
"(We) did not generally despise those trades. We despised being in the position where we had to make them" -Jay
and Free Cord Phelps
"(We) did not generally despise those trades. We despised being in the position where we had to make them" -Jay
by stuart dean on Jun 2, 2011 8:13 AM EDT up reply actions 5 recs
Happiness is mowing your lawn with your cell phone in your pocket and checking it every couple minutes with a continual smile. Nice third inning, boys.
by TribeJay on Jun 2, 2011 8:00 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Same here, except instead of mowing the lawn, I was drinking a beer and eating tacos.
by Brick. on Jun 2, 2011 9:28 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions 4 recs
Comfortable with the 12 run lead they posted, I headed out to my softball game around 8:15 pm.
My team scored a bunch of runs through the first three innings to put us up 13 – 3. We then struggled a bit with pitching and fielding and our bats grew more-or-less quiet; as we took the field to try and shut down the visiting team in the top of the seventh, the score stood 14 – 7. Things got shaky as more fielding mishaps plated a few runs and put runners on with only 1 out. But we got a strikeout and a nice defensive play at third to end the game. Final score: 14-10.
I took my phone out of my equipment bag to check on the Indians score and was treated to the last 2 outs of what, given the state of things in the ninth, had become a somewhat close game. I smiled.
Then I went out for beer and tacos.
I'm emotional about my glove...
He’s been due for an implosion for quite some time. The only thing he does well at this point is get groundballs.
LGT's resident moderate Yankee hating fan.
Yep, I’m not liking his stuff at all, and he’s not really a strike-thrower. Hagadone will get a chance to supplant him as the second lefty at some point. RPerez is working his way to join Durbin as a middle man.
He’s starting to look like he looked last year when he was totally lost and we were all calling for him to be DFAd. I hope they realize in the bullpen that somebody has to go when Hagadone is ready. And that day might not be long in coming.
@grantgw - sports and Cleveland and Columbus stuff
So that gamethread was pretty impressive. Wonder why trips to Toronto always bring out the best in LGT Gamethreading…
by Gradyforpresident on Jun 2, 2011 10:18 AM EDT reply actions
Hey! We’re first in baseball again!
by supermarioelia on Jun 2, 2011 11:11 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Why did he add that postscript if the run differential of last night’s game was only -4?
by JulioBernazard on Jun 2, 2011 1:19 PM EDT up reply actions
Had the same thought. I imagine he did it before the game was over.
by Jay on Jun 2, 2011 1:46 PM EDT up reply actions
Hmmm, a few comments vanished from this area… Mine and at least one other. Bummer. Well, at least everyone was spared from reading mine.
I'm emotional about my glove...
Yeah, that was my doing. Someone posted an image, and there was some weird HTML formatting problem within that same comment post that was screwing up everything below it. Easiest fix was to delete the image post, which took a couple replies along with it.
Ah, thanks for the info. I had started to think I imagined the whole thing.
Mine was a simple list of all the AL east +run differentials from May 28th through June 2.
I was trying to show that, in the context of his post, Neyer’s use of that stat was silly because of the large swings that can take place in short time spans. And that he really wasn’t trying to have anything substantial to say anyway; it seemed non-committal and hastily put together.
I'm emotional about my glove...
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