Tribe Wins a Marathon as Anderson Continues to Struggle

My girlfriend and her dad, also lovingly known as the Jerr-Bear, headed down to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario for the game. So I did the only logical thing: Stopped at Chipotle on my way way, a stellar move for someone trying to lose five pounds, and plopped my not-so-dieting butt on the couch so I could scribe the game for IPL.

And let’s just say the game would have be quite the learning experience for younger pitchers pondering the age old question of the differences between control and command. Because the teams’ starting pitchers, Cody Anderson and John Lamb, displayed a whole lot of one and a complete lack of the other.

The hurlers combined to throw eight-plus innings in Monday night’s game, never a good sign, while allowing 13 runs on 19 hits. Now here’s the lesson: Control is a pitcher’s ability to limit walks, such as Anderson and Lamb issuing just four free passes; Command is properly locating the ball, something neither pitcher did – at all.

The struggling Anderson consistently left balls out over the plate: fastballs on the right field-side quickly tailed back towards the middle, change-ups were regularly hung, and curveballs fooled no one. As for Lamb, the former Royals topped prospect, much of the same could be said. He looked solid very early on as he located – i.e. commanded – his fastball in on right-handers, but that quickly faded as well.

Cincinnati quickly jumped up on hometown boys, leading 4-0 through the middle of the third inning courtesy of a trio of extra-base hits by Brandon Phillips, Adam Duvall, and Eugenio Suarez. But the Tribe bats finally got to Lamb in for four in the fourth as the club set eight men up to the plate. They would tack on another three runs the following inning – and never looked back.

Yan Gomes would slug a homerun, his third consecutive game in doing so, plating runners Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana. Marlon Bird also added a bomb. And Jose Ramirez stayed hot at the plate as well.

In the end, the Tribe pulled away by winning the game 15-6.

The team’s are back at it Tuesday evening as Alfredo Simon takes on Danny Salazar, with both club’s needing lengthy starts from the pitchers.