Aug 13, 2012; Anaheim, CA, USA; The Cleveland Indians celebrate after the game against the Los Angeles Angels at the Angel Stadium of Anaheim. The Cleveland Indians defeated the Los Angeles Angels 6-2. Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-US PRESSWIRE
Brooks Baseball PitchFX - Justin Masterson
For the first time since the All-Star Break, Justin Masterson had two good outings in a row. He went six shutout innings because of a good sinker and some BABIP luck; of the 10 balls put in play against him, 9 of them were on the ground. Masterson also induced three double plays, two on the ground, and one on a liner, which helped keep his pitch count relatively efficient. He allowed nine base runners, six of base hits, and three via the walk, and he allowed at least one base runner in five of his six innings.
The Angels were a favorable matchup for Justin; most of the key hitters in their lineup bat right-handed, and Masterson has a very defined platoon split again this season:
| Split | G | PA | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | BB | SO | TB | tOPS+ | sOPS+ | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| vs RHB as RHP | 24 | 275 | 246 | 23 | 55 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 23 | 63 | 2.74 | .224 | .299 | .301 | .600 | 74 | .283 | 69 | 73 |
| vs LHB as RHP | 24 | 379 | 323 | 58 | 92 | 18 | 1 | 8 | 43 | 55 | 1.28 | .285 | .372 | .421 | .793 | 136 | .317 | 123 | 112 |
So usually a club will try to stack their lineup with left-handers, but for the most part the Angels' best hitters are right-handed.
Masterson started the seventh, but allowed the first two to reach, so Joe Smith was called on get out of the jam. Even though two of the three batters he faced were left-handed, Smith didn't allow a base runner, and kept the Angels off the board.
The Indians led 3-0 going into the eighth thanks two RBI singles in the third (Donald, Cabrera) and a home run from Brent Lillibridge in the fourth (Video evidence, in case you don't believe me). Usually that means the lead was safe, but tonight Vinnie Pestano allowed an Albert Pujols two-run homer. The Indians added three runs in the ninth off Hisanori Takahashi (though the RBI plays all came off Jason Isringhausen); Lou Marson walked with the bases loaded, then pinch-hitter Jason Kipnis (who didn't start again thanks to a sore neck) hit a sacrifice fly, and finally a wild pitch allowed another run to score. So although the Indians had three hits in the inning, they didn't have an RBI hit.
That ninth inning outburst pushed the lead to 6-2, so Manny Acta went with Esmil Rogers to start the ninth, but he'd go with Chris Perez after Rogers allowed the first two to reach. Perez shut the door, striking out the side to end the game; he's been just about perfect since shaving his beard.
Source: FanGraphs
There are 26 Comments. Load Now.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.