Justin Gilbert to see fewer snaps
September 8, 2014Violence, Salary Caps, and Ugly Shirts: While We’re Waiting…
September 9, 2014I woke up and had completely forgotten that the Indians had a makeup day game at Progressive Field. Judging by the attendance, so did the rest of the city. I hate the attendance conversation and it is completely irrelevant to Monday afternoon. I follow this team as closely as anyone and even I didn’t have the game on my radar. Nevertheless, The Los Angeles Angels came in for a one-game makeup from a rain out in June. At the time, the Angels weren’t rolling like this. They arrived in Cleveland with the AL’s best record and a whopping seven and a half game lead on the Oakland A’s in the AL West.
“Some days, you just wake up feeling tired.”
—Danny Salazar
Danny Salazar was up to the task early as was LA’s Jered Weaver. The two traded zeroes into the fifth inning. Salazar carried a 21 inning scoreless streak into the frame. It all went up in smoke rather quickly. C.J. Cron and Hank Conger, the Angels eight and nine hitters both singled to get the party started. Collin Cowgill’s RBI groundout put the first run on the board. Next up as Kole Calhoun who took Salazar deep for a two-run bomb and just like that it was 3-0 Angels. After striking out Mike Trout for the second time, Salazar looked like he would be able to get out of the inning. Unfortunately, the flood gates were about to rush open. Albert Pujols singled to keep things going. Howie Kendrick then sent a groundball to short that Jose Ramirez had trouble with. The infield single brought David Freese to the plate. The former St. Louis Cardinals third baseman reached for one and somehow took the pitch over the high wall in left. The six run fifth was the end for Salazar who lost it rather quickly.
“With Freese, he just never came in,” Terry Francona said. “It was away, away, away. Freese got a fastball that he hit down the right-field line foul. Then a breaking ball away that he went out and got. It was probably not a bad pitch, but he never came in to get him off of that pitch.”
Interestingly, Salazar said the back to back day games did him no favors. He just didn’t feel right.
“Waking up early [Sunday and Monday], it’s the first time we’ve had two day games in a row,” Salazar said. “You don’t know how you’re going to feel. Some days, you just wake up feeling tired.”
The Indians tried to keep themselves in the game, and by the Indians I mean Lonnie Chisenhall. The third baseman chipped away at the Angels lead all by himself. He homered in the bottom of the fifth, a two-run shot to help inch the Wahoos closer. In the bottom of the sixth his two- out RBI single made it a game again at 6-3. Despite Lonnie’s best efforts, the Angels offense just didn’t let up. They got both runs back in the seventh against reliever Zach McAllister which were aided by some poor Tribe defense. As much as I like Chisenhall’s bat, his glove work has been borderline atrocious. His misplay of Albert Pujols’s single should have started a 5-4-3 DP. Instead, two batters later the Angels pushed two runs across.
A four-run, four hit ninth against three Tribe relievers was the icing on the Angel Food Cake. The Tribe was due for a stinker. As a wise man once said, “sometimes you are the dog, and sometimes you are the three.” On Monday afternoon, the Tribe was an Oakwood.
“We’re going to have days like this,” Salazar said.
The Tribe sits four games back of the second Wild Card spot, chasing both the Mariners and the Tigers. They now turn to a three-game home set with the Minnesota Twins. When you get a team like this in your home park, you have to capitalize. Things get started Tuesday night with Trevor Bauer taking on Trevor May and his 9.38 ERA.
11 Comments
It’s no secret that Lonnie is my favorite. But even I can admit that his defense is atrocious, no borderline needed.
20 games left…. Fangraphs has us at 4.6% to make the playoffs. That sounds about right. I think it’s going to take a massive run, something like 15+ wins to get in.
http://www.raisinggenerationstoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/hope-hand.jpg
Not including the ~90% win over the Royals. I thought a sweep of the Tigers or Royals in one of the upcoming series would do the trick, but we’re still going to need some help after that.
My new (old) mantra for the Tribe: April Baseball Matters!
I will from here on out never listen to anyone that tells me I’m over-reacting in April when the Tribe fails to show up.
April. Baseball. Matters.
I don’t know who April is, but I am glad you Are setting her priorities.
April is simply the month where all MLB teams, except the one in Cleveland, begin playing regular season baseball.
Shirley, you jest.
No, I don’t. And don’t call me surely. Or maybe. Despite what the song says.
I don’t think anyone would say that the games don’t matter, or that a 10-17 month won’t put a serious dent in any playoff hopes. But a 10-17 June that follows a couple 15-13, 14-12 months gets a lot milder reaction than a 10-17 (or the 18-8 mark they put up in 2011) April.
Don’t ask me, I’ll never tell