Phew.
If you asked me to sum up how I felt about this game, that’s about all I could muster: relief. Relief that the game is over, that it was a win, that Chris Perez didn’t blow it, that Angel Hernandez (of all people!) made a tough call at the plate that turned out to be right. I know it’s probably wrong of me, but I just can’t get overly excited about this win.
Anyway, a recap must be written, so let’s go through the important parts of this game via bullet point (because that means I don’t have to come up with a coherent narrative! Yay laziness!):
-Michael Bourn and Jason Kipnis were essentially the offense today. Bourn scored three runs (of the 4), and Kipnis had all three RBIs (the fourth run scored on an error on a throw to third that allowed Bourn to score). Bourn isn’t a flashy hitter –especially compared to his defensive prowess– but his speed is just lethal. Tonight, for the first time perhaps all season, Bourn was great because of his speed: he stole three bases, legged out an infield hit, and was generally all over the place on the bases. Kipnis, on the other side of the coin, came through with two clutch RBI hits, further cementing himself as a star in this league. At this point he is the best offensive player on the Indians, and it isn’t close. He’s a treat to watch.
-The rest of the offense was decidedly uninspiring, but the Marlins do pitch pretty well. The lack of production has been frustrating, but it is understandable, to an extent. I just hope the bats come alive when the Tigers come to town… unfortunately, the Indians will not face Rick Porcello, the only weak link in that rotation.
-Carlos Santana has looked awful in these two games… and it’s more than his swing getting long, he’s been impatient at the plate, too. I wonder if he’s been hitting the Miami clubs a little too hard?
-Zach McAllister had the least-inspiring no hitter going through 5 innings. He struck out 7 Marlins, which was nice, but his pitch count and efficiency was practically Ubaldian. I was particularly annoyed (as my Twitter followers might have noticed) because the STO booth was content to slobber over the performance like it was on par with some of the performances Masterson has woven of late. Efficiency is one of the most important things for a starter, and when you average 15-20 pitches an inning, you are putting an enormous strain on the bullpen. This was a decent performance, nothing more. Decent performances are fine, but I feel like ZMac would have gotten hit harder by a better offense.
-Maybe it’s just me, but I hate Marlins Park. I’ve never been there, and I would like to go, but it feels like a boring park that they painted neon green to hide how boring it is. I suppose it would be nice if they had more fans, but it would be better if they brought all the fences in about 20 feet. Just my opinion, though.
-I don’t know if people are jumping on Chris Perez for this save (I was off Twitter during the 9th), but I hope people give him a break. He’s been great since coming off the DL, but no one can be perfect. Give him a pass, please.
-I hate when Detroit goes on this midsummer run where they score oodles of runs and pitch shutouts, and I really hope they cool off sometime between now and Monday.
-The Indians can’t draw 20,000 fans when they’re winning 8 in a row, but the Browns can draw 24,000 to a PRACTICE. I have but one reaction to that:
ಠ_ಠ Seriously, Cleveland?
Anyway, the Indians will go for the series win tomorrow, and then the biggest series of the season (so far) starts on Monday. Great seats (sigh) are still available.
It was great to see the speed guys take the game over for a night. That is the most impact I’ve seen Bourn have on the bases all year. He is definitely more comfortable facing familiar pitchers in the NL. He absolutely ran wild all night. I look forward to seeing him learn the AL pitchers so he can run on them like tonight.
Great post Adam…
1. Imagine for a second if this lineup had another Jason Kipnis in it. How much of a difference would it make to have another batter in this lineup (say, in the #4 hole) who could hit .290ish with decent pop?
2. Whats frustrating is that Santana was starting to look so good lately, too. He had just come off a very good homestand, his swing generally seemed short and compact. Maybe he’s blinded by those godawful green fences?
3. Do you remember the stretch Cliff Lee had, before he broke out with his Cy Young performance in ’08, when he would continually rack up big pitch counts because he struggled putting batters away? That’s McAllister to me right now: A pitcher who can consistently get to 0-2 or 1-2 on a batter, but doesn’t have quite the stuff or command yet to put the batter away quickly. Instead, he’ll give up two or three foul balls, throw another ball or two, and before you know it his pitch count is, well, “Ubaldian”. (Kudos for that by the way) I haven’t noticed: Has he scrapped his “split-change”, his new attempt this year for an “out” pitch? When I heard he was having middle finger problems, I automatically wondered if the new pitch was to blame. I haven’t noticed if he still uses it since coming back, but that pitch most likely was his attempt to find something that could quickly dispatch batters, saving his pitch count.
4. Mexican restaurants point and laugh at Marlins Park for its “tackiness and/or gaudiness”… The green paint is, well, gross. The “artwork” in left center looks like it was designed by a 12 year old on bath salts. Honestly, I look at Marlins Park totally opposite: I think there is a decent park (for a retractable dome, mind you) there, underneath the tacky covering. Unlike many of the new parks, new Comiskey/Camden Yards, it looks to be fairly close to the action concerning the seating in the upper deck, etc…
5. Chris Perez has saved the Tribe since coming back. I shudder at the idea of this team if HE also had been a trainwreck. Hopefully Shaw has gotten back to his early season form, because frankly, Joe Smith and Cody Allen of late scare me to death.
6. The Tribe “should” draw 120,000 for the four game series with Detroit. School is still out of session. The weather of late has been damn near perfect. We’re into August and the Indians are still in contention with Detroit, a solid chance at a wild card spot. Tigers fans will be making the trip, bumping up the attendance.
I’m putting the over/under at 100,000. Sad, isn’t it?
Cabrera is absolutely killing the Tribe in the clean up spot.
As to Santana suddenly losing his stroke maybe the Miami night life has a bit to do with that,a young rich Hispanic guy turning it loose in that city would be nothing new.
McAllister has folded like a cheap suit the last two starts,well that was his modus operandi til this season so I’m not surprised.
Marlins park,architecturally,is quite forward thinking and actual fits in the Miami vibe.Problem is the interior that you see on TV really clashes with the nice sweeping view of downtown Miami you see through the huge windows, the outfield looks like a Kiddie Park.Also ,in the upper deck they’ve got some seriously obstructed seats on the third base side,with what looks like 10 foot diameter concrete poles in the way………..geez,kinda like building luxury suites that can’t see home plate.
Who would have thought Angel Hernandez would actually ask for help and get it right?The umps didn’t miss a call on the bases last night and there were plenty of close ones.Hernandez strike zone was a whole different story.
I’ll be at the Monday and Thursday Tiger games and I’ll take the over(but just barely) since I think they’ll be plenty of Motor City Kitties fans flocking to the ball park.
Get a little more excited about this game; Bourne had 3 SBs. The ninth was a little dicey but watching Stubbs and Bourne run all over Miami was fun as hell to watch.
“I hate when Detroit goes on this midsummer run where they score oodles of runs and pitch shutouts, and I really hope they cool off sometime between now and Monday.”
Maybe this is mean, but I hope Jhonny Peralta gets his suspension (if he is getting one) before the game Monday. MLB could actually have a serious impact on the standings depending on how they time this and I wish they’d just do it (or not) already.
While I understand the lack of excitement for this game, I think it also demonstrates the versatility of the Indians. Let’s face it, were not overpowering in either pitching or hitting (not saying were not good, just not outstanding). However, we have an extremely deep bench and versatile players who can produce runs using speed and other skills when we just can’t power through.
I wish I could be there in Cleveland watching. Unfortunately the Tribe doesn’t even play the Padres this year, so I have to settle for watching them on TV. The good thing about being an out of area fan is that you don’t deal with black outs!