While We’re Waiting… Re-visiting Chris Spielman, 2010 Rotation, Abram Elam Tackles
August 8, 2009Browns release defensive lineman Shaun Smith
August 8, 2009Cleveland 6, Chicago White Sox 2: Box Score
The Indians won yet again last night, continuing a two and a half week surge while getting contributions from the oddest of places and even setting an American League record for hitting futility. Taking on the Chicago White Sox and All-Star Mark Buehrle, it was not expected that Cleveland and lefty starter Jeremy Sowers would be able to contend for all nine innings. But yet again, just like last season when the Indians went 32-17 to end the year, they found a way to win thanks to a pair of home runs by catcher Kelly Shoppach and a quality start from Sowers.
Buehrle is on track for 30+ starts for a ninth straight season in the big leagues. In those nine years, only twice has he had an ERA above 3.90, and once has it been above 4.15. He has now thrown a no-hitter, a perfect game, been a four-time All-Star, set a Major League record by retiring 45 consecutive hitters and won a World Series title in 2005. All of that led to Friday night’s game with Cleveland where he faced the suddenly solid 26-year-old Sowers, who looked a lot more like the Buehrle of old than even Buehrle. The long-time Chi-Sox pitcher has not done too well in his career against the Tribe (now 10-14 with a 4.83 ERA), but nobody could have seen this exact result coming.
The scoring began in the first when the top third of the batting order ignited a rally yet again as Grady Sizemore singled, Asdrubal Cabrera reached safely on a fielder’s choice and a throwing error while Shin Soo-Choo was hit by a pitch. This then set the table for the first of an AL-record six double plays on the night, scoring Sizemore, while Shoppach blasted a two-run shot in the top of the second to give the Indians a quick 3-0 lead. Following a Choo triple in the third, Peralta plated him with a single and despite a walk, an RBI double by young Gordon Beckham and an RBI single by Jim Thome, Cleveland maintained a 4-2 edge through three.
Shoppach then homered with one-out in the fifth inning against Buehrle again for his first multi-homer game since September 10th of last season, and gave the 29-year-old catcher his finest contest of the season. He also provided an RBI single in the sixth for the final run of the night and although he is currently being criticized by fans for his .220 season batting average, Shoppach did just a lot tonight to show that he could still be a productive catcher down the road. Recently acquired Lou Marson would be expected to compete from the get-go in 2010 along with Chris Gimenez and Wyatt Toregas with Carlos Santana coming up around the All-Star Break, and Shoppach needs games like this to get another contract from the front office in the off-season.
Sowers was in very much the same boat as well, as with Westbrook returning from injury it seemed like he had worn out his stay in the starting rotation. As fans well know, Sowers has struggled mightily in the fifth and sixth innings and in those two frames this season he has an 11.89 ERA in 19.2 innings, allowing 33 hits, 17 runs (16 earned), and 17 walks. It was a much different story tonight however, as Sowers went seven innings for his third straight quality start and ever since he returned from Columbus July 25th to take Rafael Betancourt’s roster spot, he is 2-0 with a 1.80 ERA and only 14 hits and four runs allowed in 20 innings pitched. The Indians have now won 11 of their last 16 contests, joining the New York Yankees and LA Angels as the hottest teams in baseball.
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Down on the farm last night, the Columbus Clippers and Akron Aeros dropped their contests despite the debuts of oddly similar left-handed starters. Ryan Edell, a College of Charleston product and Boston, MA native made his first career start in Triple-A last night but permitted three home runs and four runs in six innings as the Clippers lost 4-3 to Buffalo. Eric Berger also did not fare well as he permitted 13 hits (a season-high for an Akron pitcher) and eight runs (five earned) in 5.2 innings while taking the loss as Carlos Santana failed to record a hit for the first time in 15 games. The two pitchers were both promoted Wednesday as Berger got the call-up thanks to the recent addition of RHP Bryan Price, and Edell joined the Columbus rotation. But take a load of the similarities between Berger and Edell:
Both were eighth-round draft picks (Edell in 2005, Berger in 2008), both stand 6’2″, both are left-handed, both went to college (Berger was an Arizona teammate of Trevor Crowe, Jason Donald, Jon Meloan and Jordan Brown) and both ranked second in their leagues in ERA (Edell 2.45, Berger 2.45) and third in the leagues in strikeouts (Edell 91, Berger 100) at the time of their promotions. Going to back to the top-prospect Santana however, he finished 0-3 last night with two strikeouts, an RBI hit by pitch and a walk. In his 14-game hitting streak which just happened to be a career-high dating back to July 22nd, Santana batted .417 (20-48) with 12 runs scored, five doubles, four home runs in four games and 15 RBI. A hit last night would have tied him with currently injured 2B Josh Rodriguez for the longest Akron hitting streak in the past four years.
11 Comments
Hey! The pressure is off! Woo!!! Eric can keep his job for another year!!!
Kudos to Jeremy Sowers, I may be one of the few who has always liked him. Lefties starters sometimes take longer to develop. He’ll never dominate, but could have a long Jamie Moyers type career. I hope the QUIT jerking him around and leave him at the backend of the rotation for an entire year.
Jacob, FYI, Browns cut Shaun Smith http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4385725
Haha it is coming at 12. Thanks for the toss-up.
i figured you were on it, but just keeping you on your toes hah
Chris Giminez and Wyat Toregas competing for a starting catcher’s job next year, are you freaking serious?
If Kelly Shopach can’t beat those bums out………….or if the Indian’s stiff Kelly then they deserve a season of Giminez behind the plate and behind the bat.
In case you were not aware Isis, Kelly Shoppach entered last night’s game batting a spectacular .196 (32-163) in his past 54 games dating back to April 18th.
Compare the statistical production of Kelly Shoppach (29 years old, career MLB line of .245/.329/.459) with Lou Marson (23 years old, AAA line of .284/.374/.353) and you will find that offensively, the two players are almost exactly the same. Kelly hits more home runs but strikeouts more while Lou is a younger singles hitter with better plate discipline and hardly ever strikes out. In the off-season, this battle will probably come down to who is cheaper (Marson by over $1 million) and who is better defensively (Marson gets better ratings by scouts).
Don’t forget Sal Fasano. He should be available in 2010.
If we were going to spend any money I would hope it would be for someone with a stash like Fasano … that’s at least production I can count on
I think they could get Fasano for a bucket of nickels.
He’d even provide the bucket.
Nice alliteration in the headline.