I can’t even see straight right now
January 25, 2008Browns get win…and dominate the Chiefs
January 25, 2008I may have done something rash in the 4th inning. In the 3rd, we had men at 1st and 2nd with nobody out and failed to score. We had a man on second with one out in the 4th and Shoppach hits the first pitch to shortstop for the out. I was fuming. I’m so tired of the roller coaster ride we have been on lately. We always seem to finish at the bottom of these rides. I was starting to get that sinking feeling. Yeah, that feeling. You know what I mean. That Cleveland is doomed never to win anything feeling. Then with 2 strikes Cabrera singled to center scoring Gutierrez. Lofton, Blake and Sizemore followed with two out hits of their own, and the Tribe was on the way to a victory. Gutierrez hit a no doubt about it homer in the 5th to plate Peralta and Hafner. Turns out we would need those runs and more as the Indians win 11-8.
Asdrubal Cabrera, Fausto Carmona, Franklin Gutierrez, and Rafael Perez are 4 names that the casual fan had not even heard of before the season began. Some would recognize Carmona as a failed closer. Nobody would have predicted that the Tribe’s season would be in serious jeopardy if not for the contribution of these young players.
I’ve detailed Fausto’s contribution more than most, so I’ll leave that one alone for today. (Even though he is 5th in the league with a 3.11 era, is tied for the team lead with 14 wins, and is on pace to join C.C. as a 200 inning pitcher.) O.K. I’ll stop…
Asdrubal Cabrera has only been with the team a few weeks, but has filled a gaping hole in the line-up created by the abysmal season Barfield is having. He is rock solid in the field, and his approach to each at-bat is refreshing. Tonight he got the ball rolling in that 4th, which might have saved me from having a heart attack as well.
Gutierrez has been the best glove and arm in right field, and has some pop in his bat. He has 9 homers in only 156 at bats. Nixon has 3 in 290 AB’s. In fact Garko’s homer ratio is 25.6 at bats per homer- Gutierrez averages only 17.3 at bats between his jacks.
Rafael Perez has been dominant coming out of the pen. His 1.85 era is second only to Bentancourt. He holds inherited runners, and has become the go to guy in the 7th or extra innings. Yeah, Cabrera Gutierrez and Perez saved my tv, but they just might save the Indians this year.
7 Comments
I believe we should start the countdown.
The Indians Magic Number is now 33.
Magic Number??? Are you crazy!?! 33 is a little too far out to start counting at. What would Detroit’s be? Like 35? Yikes. You made Coke come out of my nose when I read that. Thanks. I will now go change shirts.
“PLAYOFFS? Don’t talk about playoffs! You kiddin’ me? Playoffs?” Jim Mora
It’s a little early for magic numbers.
Seriously, why did that win feel like a loss?
“I figure it’s gonna take 32 more victories to win this thing. Every time we win, we peel a square.”
– Lou Brown
Yes, start the magic number countdown. Heck, by 4pm today, it could be down to 31…..
That’s awesome! We need to figure out how to do that…I’ll have to see what I can photoshop! Realistically, how many wins will it take to claim the division? We’ve got 30 games left…I bet we need to win 19 of those games. Maybe I’ll photoshop a picture of Bernie Kosar…since he’s so popular as an announcer.
This could be Cleveland’s year. They need to beat out the Tigers though because the wild card will be tough to get. Once they get in the playoffs, anything can happen.
The Sulatan on Sports
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