“…it just doesn’t sound too good.” – Manny Acta, following the Indians 4-3 10 inning victory over the Minnesota Twins Thursday afternoon.
Ah, I think finishing last does not sound too good either Manny. Somehow, someway, the Indians found a way to sneak out a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Twins and avoid the sweep this afternoon. What you may not know is that as “good” as the Indians have played the Detroit Tigers this year, the Twins have seemingly owned the Indians:
1.) Despite this afternoon’s loss to the Tribe, the Twins finished up their season series against the Indians with a 12-6 record.
2.) Of the 6 series that the two teams played against each other this year, the Twins took 5 of 6 series (the only series the Indians won was their first series, a small 2 game affair on May 14th/15th)
3.) Oh, and the Twins outscored Cleveland 108-74 in those 18 meetings. To put that in perspective a little, not even the Yankees or Rangers have scored 100 total runs versus a single opponent this season (although in due fairness, the Rangers should eventually, as they have scored 95 runs against the Angels, and still have three meetings left with them.)
I think you get the general idea here, that the Twins have found a way to take care of business versus the Indians. One thing I always find interesting about baseball is how teams can struggle so much against a team that has a worse record than them. In this case,the Indians and Twins have very close records, but they would not had the Indians taken care of business when playing them. It just goes to show that in order to have a good record, you have to beat the teams worse than you. Heck, by the end of the season the Twins may be able to say they have done that to the Indians.
Joking aside, it was nice to see Casey Kotchman have a day at the plate, accounting for 3 of Cleveland’s 4 runs today (1 run scored and 2 RBIs, one being the game winner in the 10th). I can remember how excited I was to discover that the Indians had inked him, but his .231 average has been one of the Tribe’s biggest disappointments this season.
Also, how about Esmil Rogers? At one time a couple of years ago, Rogers helped me win a fantasy baseball league when I used him in a spot starting role when he was with the Rockies (Thanks again Mr. Rogers). After a few rocky (excuse my pun) starts and relief appearances, Colorado gave up on him and shipped him to Cleveland for pennies on the dollar. In Cleveland this season Rogers has churned out a 3-1 record (including being the winning pitcher in today’s ballgame) to go with an impressive 2.42 ERA. Is it weird to me that I still think he could be a starter, perhaps bolstering the rotation in 2013?
…Is it weirder that I think he is the best arm we have received in a trade with Colorado in the last two years? What if?