Game 97: Twins 7, Indians 5
by Ryan on Jul 20, 2011 6:19 PM EDT
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The Indians went .500 on an eight-game road trip, and that included a doubleheader. When people 50 years from browse baseball-reference.brain while sitting their favorite anti-gravity recliner, that's all they'll see. Well, along with high-definition 3D video with built-in Smello-vision, but that isn't the point I'm trying to make. The Indians could have gone 6-2 or 7-1, and in the process, have put the Twins right out of the division race if they swept the series in Minnesota. But instead, there are four teams still alive for the AL Central race, and with more teams involved, the more likely it is that one of them not residing in Ohio goes on a tear between now and the end of the season.
And then there's the way the Indians lost those four games, and especially the last two. You could make the argument that Francisco Liriano kept the Twins in the race by beaning Travis Buck. I am not saying that Liriano threw the pitch intentionally; I don't think anyone on the Indians think that, or there would have repercussions almost immediately. But the Twins certainly benefited by Buck not being in left field on Tuesday evening and this afternoon. Luis Valbuena was put into a position to fail because of circumstances out of his control; he was as much an outfielder any more than Ryan Garko did. The difference being that Eric Wedge placed Garko there by choice, and Manny Acta placed Valbuena there by necessity. Yes, the Indians could have DFAd someone on the 40-man roster and recalled a Chad Huffman or Jerad Head in time for this afternoon's game (it hasn't been 10 days since Shelley Duncan's last option), but Manny Acta the front office took a chance of getting through today's game without having Valbuena adversely affecting it. And with their game not until Friday evening, there would be plenty of time to make a roster move if both Michael Brantley and Travis Buck were still unable to play.
In the eighth inning, with the game tied at 4, Alexi Casilla hit a fly ball into the left-center gap, but closer to left field. Luis Valbuena and Ezequiel Carrera's ran into each other, and the ball dropped for a double. Carrera probably should have called Valbuena off, or if he thought Valbuena could catch it, should have cleared out. He did neither.
"I got scared," Valbuena said. "I thought I had the ball and I felt Carrera next to me. I thought we were going to [run into each other]. It happens."
Later, Valbuena let a catchable ball drop in front of him, and the Twins had runners on first and third with nobody out. Tony Sipp struck out Michael Cuddyer, but walked LGFT Jim Thome to load the bases. Vinnie Pestano was called on to faced Danny Valencia, and induced what should have been an inning-ending line-drive double play, but Orlando Cabrera couldn't catch it. To add insult to injury, Tsuyoshi Nishioka singled through the hole on the left side of the infield to push the lead to 7-4. If Pestano gets out of that inning with just the one run allowed, Lonnie Chisenhall's home run in the ninth ties the game. But the solo blast only affect the margin of the of the final score.
| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| Hafner | .189 | Santana | -.221 |
| A. Cabrera | .151 | Pestano | -.192 |
| LaPorta | .093 | Valbuena (offense only!) | -.180 |
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I said it in the last game recap thread, but that has to be one of the most frustrating/disappointing ways to go .500 on a road trip.
I think this picture is a pretty good recap.
"Lotta heart in Cleveland." - Ian Hunter
by Denver Tribe Fan on Jul 20, 2011 6:35 PM EDT reply actions
How about calling up Tim Fedroff, if only so Valbuena doesn’t have to play left field? Like Valbie, he bats left-handed. Option Valbie, DFA Durbin and call up Judy as accompanying moves. This is if we wait a week or more to swing a trade, and if Fedroff isn’t a butcher on defense. He’s OPS’ing 826 (BA-driven) on the year, and 750 in 81 PAs (12 BBs 14 Ks) at Buffalo.
Calling up Duncan would be more likely, but not as interesting, and Duncan isn’t a very good defender.
"By being the manager and just playing whoever I want." - Acta on how he would choose to split playing time between Kearns and Buck.
Or, Buck and Brantley could return and rectify the situation. In my discouragement with Valbie, I forgot about that.
"By being the manager and just playing whoever I want." - Acta on how he would choose to split playing time between Kearns and Buck.
Maybe he’s got the dreaded four day hangover
Lou Marson fan.
by Gradyforpresident on Jul 20, 2011 9:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Fedroff is not worth a 40 man slot; then again, is Valbuena?
by afh4 on Jul 21, 2011 8:05 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Or Crowe, Durbin, Cabrera, Goedert, and Kearns? There’s a lot of fluff on the 40-man I wouldn’t be too concerned about losing. Not that Fedroff should fill those spots…
Injuries suck, 3/5 of our rotation might suck, offense might suck … hire Chen! Bullpen will save us
Lou Marson fan.
by Gradyforpresident on Jul 20, 2011 8:08 PM EDT reply actions
Except when the bullpen sucks
My watch is broken... it's stuck on Tribe Time
#suckitLaw
by Turkmenbashi on Jul 21, 2011 12:11 PM EDT up reply actions
Tigers lose. Feel marginally better. Can’t believe the Twins are still in the race after starting out 15-30. I believe only 2 teams have ever made the season after starting out with that record. One was the Astros (I think the year they went to the WS) and the other was an AL team I believe that same season. Unlike the Astros though, the Twins didn’t even turn it around immediately after that 15-30 start. It would probably be the most unlikely playoff berth in baseball history (at least the modern era) after starting out a season so poorly.
Meanwhile, KC choked away multiple opportunities against the White Sox with a man on 3rd and less than 2 outs – once in the 8th and just now in the 10th. A ball just landed a couple of inches wide of the 1B line for what would’ve been a walkoff before a pop out. Going to the 11th…
Nick, it’s actually you who has missed the point on this one by trying to be a tough guy about it.
Hardcap is merely providing context for how unlikely the Twins current playoff viability is, showing some actual baseball knowledge beyond just the boundaries of the Tribe.
Andrew is not
My watch is broken... it's stuck on Tribe Time
#suckitLaw
by Turkmenbashi on Jul 22, 2011 4:58 PM EDT up reply actions
I am.
First, you mocked his idea with a literal blank space “____” to wholesale dismiss his point and suggest that he was engaging in formula-think.
Worse, you couldn’t be troubled to explain your critique. You read his response, smacked him down for a sentence that wasn’t to your pleasing, then left it alone. You could’ve followed-up with something thoughtful about why a 15-30 start is unremarkable. You chose not to.
Maybe a handful of people have earned the right to be terse enforcers around here, and I think you’re doing more harm than good by trying to be one of them.
Maybe a handful of people have earned the right to be terse enforcers around here
I honestly don’t see how that post comes across as an “enforcer.” I also don’t understand how the blank space was a smack in the face. It was a simple declarative sentence representing my opinion, with no tone whatsoever attributed to it other than what you may have assigned to it.
But I guess I just have to shrug at this. I post a lot of one-line responses. If someone wants me to expound on them, it becomes a conversation. But I’m not going to worry about the tone a third party interprets it in.
Steel Nick
Simple fact is hardcap overcame the activation energy required to formulate a thought, articulate it, and post it. You did not, choosing instead to critique his work. Which is fair game. But your critique shows no thoughtfulness or work on your end. I think you should be responsible for that.
Never has a 4-4 road trip seemed so devastating.
So true. I’m about ready to toss in the towel after this trip. I just don’t feel the Tribe has the team to make it now. We need Sizemore and Choo. We need another reliable starter to go with Masterson and Tomlin. We need to do better than .500 against teams like Baltimore and the devastated 2011 Twins.
My fan confidence is at the lowest point since game 3.
We are temporarily undermanned at the moment, but that will be eased at least a little in the next few days.
That we finished 4-4 on the road trip, while deflating, is great considering the pieces we were missing.
Matt LaPorta is the bane of my existence.
That’s a perfectly reasonable, and comforting, take on the past eight games.
by Jay on Jul 21, 2011 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Tomlin is not a reasonable starter right now, is he? June ERA: 5.84. July ERA: 5.25.
by afh4 on Jul 21, 2011 8:08 AM EDT via mobile up reply actions
I’m not worried about Tomlin. He pitches to contact and is a fly ball pitcher- he’s going to have rough stretches. He throws strikes, usually has excellent control, and understands how to pitch. Don’t forget his July 4th game vs. NYY.
Tomlin had a stretch of three very bad games June 1, 6 and 12. He gave up 18 ER in 17 IP. Since then ERA is 4.09, which is “fine” and for the season without the above games, he’s 3.28 which is “good”
Yeah but the players are dropping like fly balls in front of Valbuena.
by callmrplow on Jul 21, 2011 1:17 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs
Remaining Schedule
43 of 65 games in AL Central
13 White Sox
12 Tigers
9 Twins
9 Royals
6 Texas
5 Seattle
4 Oakland
4 Boston
3 LA Angels
Texas and Boston may be tough but there is not a lot of difference between the remaining schedules of the AL Central competitors. There are plenty of games against the White Sox, Tigers, and Twins to be able to take command of the division.
This schedule really gives the Indians a lot of control over their destiny. The final 2 weeks of the season are: at Twins (3), Seattle (1), CWS (3), Twins (3), at Detroit (3).
There is no guarantee that the AL Central will be this weak in the foreseeable future.
Not a bad trip…agreed, it could have been a great one. But really, look at their lineup the past two days (particularly Tues). That’s not a playoff lineup…really, it’s not a major league lineup either. And they easily could have won both games. It’s tough when your top 4 outfielders are hurt.
I’ve not been able to spend much time here, but is the Brantley thing become some sort of a joke because of complaints made before it was revealed that he was diagnosed with heat exhaustion?
The Tribe has essentially been stumbling and hobbling around since late May while not at full strength. Amazing that we’re still in first and speaks to the possibilities. It’s so frustrating when we have so many scoring opps that do not materialize. Is very bad to drink Jobu’s rum, is very bad. The team needs to watch reruns of that May series vs. the Reds to rekindle those bats. Not sure why Acta yanked Masterson and Tomlin prematurely. Bizarre.
Bizarre? You are aware of the weather, right? Trust me, I was there. I thought maybe he’d let Masterson finish the 8th, but I wasn’t really surprised with either. And, Tomlin has been handled this way all year. Pitch count is not something that drives Acta’s decision with Tomlin.
What’s next, the pre-game meal was not sufficient enough? Both of these guys were cruising and had complete game material. Why bring in an overworked bullpen when the starters were dominant? You could see on Masterson’s face that he wanted to stay in longer. Even Sabathia pitched a complete game shutout in 95 degree heat a few Sunday’s ago, while Shields finished it too for the loss. Drastic times call for drastic measures.
by AlkiTribesman on Jul 21, 2011 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions
This is just wrong. If you’re closer can’t close games, you’ve got no chance to win anyway. If you have to extend a guy who isn’t pitching all that well and is generally regarded as vulnerable to hitters who’ve seen him a few times, you’re in trouble. The manager’s decision isn’t the problem. It’s the execution. The only thing I can really fault Acta for (at least on the pitching side) in the last few games is bringing Durbin in to pitch the ninth.
Hindsight is 20/20.
Of course now it looks like Acta should’ve kept Justin in, and maybe he should’ve, but that’s just because we know now that Rage would promptly blow the save. Why wouldn’t you pull Masterson in that situation? He had a high pitch count in hot weather, and we had a sufficiently-rested Chris Perez sitting in the bullpen, who has been nails all year.
This wasn’t just “hot”. Record dewpoints, my man.
Masterson was dominant. Any suggestion that Tomlin was dominant yesterday reveals that perhaps you weren’t watching the same game I was. At least he wasn’t dominant from my vantage point (behind home plate).
Allright allright we’re all Tribe fans here folks. It just seemed to me that Tomlin had really settled down there right when he got yanked. Admittedly I had the game on split screen at work.
by AlkiTribesman on Jul 21, 2011 12:47 PM EDT up reply actions
It will be interesting to see how the next 10 days play out on the trade front. I still think the team is significantly over-performing in the standings relative to what the front office expected which puts them in the enviable, but awkward, position of re-evaluating win now/win future strategies. Painful series, but still a very exciting season. My gut tells me that given the youth on the team and in Columbus, the front office will be conservative in any trades/player acquisitions. Time will tell.
Whether or not it’s fair to blame Valbuena for poor play in the outfield, I think his performance since his call-up indicates he has no value to the team at the moment (if ever). He can’t hit major league pitching and they won’t play him instead of OCab (nor would he really be much of an improvement at 2B). I really hope they demote him today and call up either Donald or Kipnis (the former is more likely, I think). Donald isn’t great, but I think there’s a good chance he’d be more useful to the team than Valbuena.
I still blame Valbuena, circumstances or not. He provides absolutely no value to the big league club. He can’t hit and he can’t field, so why is he still here?
Agreed, sadly.
"Mixed emotions. Rather see him hit PEDroia [with that pitch]. I don’t care if he is in the dugout"
by Gradysmanldy on Jul 21, 2011 3:22 PM EDT up reply actions
I’m still not sure who Aaron Wilson is or how he does it, but he’s been first all year reporting on Columbus moves. And he says Valbuena is on his way back to AAA.
Steel Nick
Wouldn’t surprise me to see a flip of him and Duncan, if they’re still concerned about Buck/Brantley. Though Duncan doesn’t give much defensively either.
Re: this supposed Valbuena send-down, Clippers are playing right now. Kipnis, Donald, Duncan all in the lineup. Would think anyone getting a call-up would be pulled.
In fact, Duncan is batting right now and Kipnis and Donald just batted in the same inning.
Steel Nick
The only outfielder on their roster not in the game is Head. Huffman at first, Duncan DH’ing, McBride, Fedroff, and Webb in the outfield. They can’t possibly be calling up Head, can they?
by InfiniteMonkeyTypists on Jul 21, 2011 1:40 PM EDT up reply actions
Calling up Head would require somebody getting DFAd or moved to the 60-day DL. If Grady has even a remote chance of coming back early, the FO won’t want to do that.
@grantgw - sports and Cleveland and Columbus stuff
by woodsmeister on Jul 21, 2011 3:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Why? Indians aren’t playing tonight. Let them get some work in. If the Indians have not yet decided who to call up, no reason to make the Clips play short handed. I suppose there is a minimal possibility of injury risk today, but still…
@grantgw - sports and Cleveland and Columbus stuff
by woodsmeister on Jul 21, 2011 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions
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