While We’re Waiting… Cleveland’s Losses, Braylon’s Chip, and Browns Momentum
June 24, 2010NBA Trade Rumors: Mo Williams Uses Twitter to Plead His Case
June 24, 2010After another demoralizing defeat in grand fashion in Philadelphia last night, I have a few questions for you, Tribe fans.
1. Who is a bigger waste of an $11 million salary – Travis Hafner or Kerry Wood?
2. Who had a worse night in terms of their trade value – Jake Westbrook or Kerry Wood?
3. When will Manny Acta learn how to properly work his bullpen?
We will get to those in a little. Now to the game.
Things looked good for our Wahoo Warriors right off the bat. Shin-Soo Choo, the unquestioned best player on the team, hit a two-run homer in the first off of Phillies starter Kyle Kendrick to stake the Tribe to an early lead. Jake Westbrook, who has not been great lately, once again gave the lead right back. “They’re a good-hitting team,” Westbrook said of the Phillies. “They found ways to put the pressure on me. It’s disappointing. They gave me some run support, and I wasn’t able to keep it.”
The Phillies got one in the first and one in the second. However, the first inning run would have been avoided if Russell Branyan knew how to play first base.
For the umpteenth time in the last two weeks, a defensive mistake arrived at a inopportune time. Westbrook put two on and one out in the first, but Ryan Howard hit a sharp ground ball to Branyan at first. This would have been a tailor-made 3-6-3 double play, except Branyan stepped on first before throwing to second to get the out. This allowed the runner on third – Placido Polanco – to score as the force was no longer on.
That extra run would be costly.
A Carlos Santana sac fly put the Indians back ahead in the third, but Westbrook once again gave the runs back. In the fourth, a one out Howard single was followed by back to back doubles by Jayson Werth and Raul Ibanez, putting the Phillies ahead 4-3.
Then Choo went back to work. Chase Utley’s error opened the fifth inning and Choo busted through the wide-open door with his second two-run blast of the game; this one went the opposite way. “I talked to the hitting coach [Jon Nunnally] before the game,” Choo said. “I’m not a home run hitter, but no home runs the last three weeks — he said, ‘Don’t worry about it. Just swing.'”
Santana followed with a double chasing Kendrick and the Indians looked like they were on the verge of a big inning. Unfortunately, reliever David Herndon got Austin Kearns (memo to Acta – he needs a day off) and Branyan without even moving Santana to third. Jhonny Peralta laced a single to left, but Santana was gunned out at home to end the inning. Replays showed he was safe. But again, this is the Indians we are talking about. The breaks don’t seem to go their way ever.
They had another shot to extend the 5-4 lead in the sixth after Luis Valbuena’s leadoff double and Jason Donald’s sac bunt. Acta went to pinch hitter Travis Hafner and Philly manager Charlie Manuel countered with lefty Mike Zagurski. This was the first time Hafner has faced Zagurski, so one would figured he would take a pitch or two to see what the kid has. Not Travis, he swung at the first pitch and weakly grounded to third, stranding Sweet Luis. Trevor Crowe struck out to end the threat.
Tony Sipp was summoned in his first key spot in weeks. Nursing a 5-4 lead, Sipp put the first two on, but managed to get out of the inning thanks to a double play and a pickoff. At the time, he was facing the left-handed hitting Brian Schneider, so Schneider would be leading off the seventh.
In another classic example of Acta mis-managing his pen, he sent righty Frank Herrmann out to start the seventh. Schneider hit his first pitch out of the park to tie the game at five. Why wouldn’t you leave Sipp out there to face the lefty and then go to Herrmann? That would make too much sense. It makes even less sense when you consider that Acta played righty/lefty in the eighth with Rafael Perez and Joe Smith.
So the Tribe entered the ninth in a 5-5 tie. Anderson Hernandez lead off with a bunt single. Trevor Crowe followed with a bloop single that Hernandez read perfectly, advancing to third. After another great base running play by Hernandez (he was caught in a rundown long enough to allow Crowe and Choo to advance into scoring position), Santana was next. With first base open and a lefty in the on deck circle (Branyan), Phillies reliever JC Romero decided to pitch to The Big Smooth. As usual, he came through with a rocket that was knocked down by shortstop Jimmy Rollins. He made an off-balance throw home, but Crowe made it with ease.
Now the Tribe was ahead 6-5 and still had runners at the corners with one out. Kearns was intentionally walked, bringing Branyan to the plate. A fly ball would have been huge. Instead, the worst case scenario happened. Branyan grounded into a double play.
Acta was not thrilled after the Branyan DP in the eighth.
“We had the bases loaded and one of our biggest RBI guys up. We couldn’t get it done. Earlier in the game we left a guy on third. All those things add up. That’s why we wind up beating ourselves.”
Thing is nobody would have cared if Kerry Wood actually did his job.
Wood always seems to get into trouble because he cannot command his breaking pitch. Last night was no different. He walked Schneider to start the inning on a 3-2 bouncer in the dirt. He came back to retire pinch hitter Ben Francisco on a grounder to short stop which Hernandez barely got out of his glove. Then up stepped Rollins.
J Roll, the heart and soul of the Phillies who has missed most of the year with injuries, clobbered a two run jack deep into the Philadelphia night for a two-run, walk-off homer. Phillies win 7-6. More agony for the Tribe.
“It was the ideal situation,” said Acta. “The bottom of the order was coming up, but we blew it. What set everything up was the leadoff walk. Walking the eighth hitter, no disrespect or anything … you need to go after guys. Unfortunately, he couldn’t throw a strike to Schneider and that set everything up.”
It was vintage Wood. He couldn’t locate the breaking pitch, and the all-star Rollins sat on the fastball. “Most of my mistakes seem to go out of the ballpark lately,” Wood said.
The man who was once called “Kid K” is the baseball version of Vince Carter. Both have talent that is tantalizing. Wood with his heater and earlier career personal successes; Carter with his jumping ability and big scoring games. But in the end, when you need both of them in the big spots, they come up small. Neither has won anything of note.
Did the Indians really give this guy $20.5 million? Talk about money poorly spent. I’ll say this for the current ownership – they are snake-bitten when they actually pony up. The last time three times they have paid big money to players, its been a colossal disaster. Hafner’s game has fallen off the table sine signing his four year, $57 million extension. Westbrook sat out the first two years of his three year, $33 million extension because of Tommy John surgery. Wood, quite frankly, has been a major disappointment.
More good news, they Indians try to avoid the sweep today at 1 PM in Philly. Fausto Carmona (6-5, 3.31 ERA) goes for the Tribe against Joe Blanton (2-5, 6.96 ERA).
AP Photo/Matt Slocum
13 Comments
Raffy Perez also made some great defensive plays. Like ruining the DP by running @ 1st base. His defense as a pitcher is just horrendous.
It’s unbelievable how bad the team is.
Nice title
Can I take “Things small market teams have known since 2003 for $200 Alex?”
Because he missed the first month or so of the season, it seems impossible that Wood’s contract would vest for the 3rd year. I think the terms are that him finishing 55 games in either year would trigger the 3rd year. A little unclear on the term though. Does that just mean that he’s the last pitcher of record in a game? Does last night count as a “game finished” for Wood?
Last night counts as Wood’s game being finished. His 3-2 pitch to Schneider bounded about four feet infront of the plate…
Last break the Tribe got was in Detroit, Donald called safe at 1st with 2 outs in the 9th down 2-0. Tribe did not capitalize.
“Nursing a 5-4 lead, Sipp put the first two on”
ahh, wordplay. of course Sipp was nursing it.
The bullpen is an absolute train wreck, with Kerry Wood as the oversized/(paid) caboose. None of these guys looked like they were interested in throwing strikes last night or most of the season.
I feel like we went to a garage sale and payed 50 bucks for a used up stuffed animal with the arm falling off that isn’t even worth 50 cents….frustrating.
1) Kerry Wood. Hafner can still get some pop on his bat. Wood has an ~8 ERA
2) Kerry Wood. Westbrook has had a solid season so far, last night was only a speed bump.
3) I don’t know, he seems to be a very loyal guy and he’s giving his players chances to turn their bad seasons around.
+1 to Swig. That’s good stuff!
that totally sucked to see live. I hope my mother forgives me for bringing her to the game.
“after Luis Valbuena’s leadoff double”
Must be a typo?
Its hard to blame Acta much for the bullpen when there really is nobody that can consistently throw strikes and get people out, save for Chris Perez and you can only pitch him so much. I think he was hoping that Herrmann would lock down the 7th inning job last night. He’s been our 2nd best guy probably since he came up, can you really fault him for going to him instead of leaving in Sipp who’s been awful lately and was lucky to get out of the 6th? When you have no lefties that can be counted on, matching up is really a losing cause. Just go with your best guys regardless of who’s at the plate.
Acta has no pen to mis-manage! What is he supposed to do? Perhaps Wood needs to go to middle relief.