Monthly Archives: June, 2010
Game 53: Walker’s Homer Continues Dominance Over Cubs
More solid pitching. More sputtering offense. Another late inning spurt. Bucs win again.Eveland trade a head-scratcher
I find almost nothing even remotely interesting about Dana Eveland. He is essentially a poor-man’s Zach Duke, without the good control. I have no idea what Neal Huntington sees in him, other than a high ground ball rate. Giving up a prospect with a live arm to acquire him is perplexing.RBIs By Alvarez and Kratz Not Enough In Suspended Game; Friday Hits Big in Second Suspended Game
First, the Indians had to finish up yesterdays' game -- suspended due to rain. �Then they had to play a 7-inning game for today.
Gwinnett Braves �4, �Indianapolis Indians �3 � (suspended, now finished) (box)
Home runs were the key in the first part of this game, which was started on Monday night -- read more about it here. Gwinnett's Barbaro Canizares started the scoring with a 2-run homer in the bottom of the 1st. �Indians' LF Brandon Moss knocked a solo homer in the top of the 2nd, and Braves' Alex Romero answered with a solo blast to lead off the bottom of the inning.
The Braves were leading 3-1 going into the bottom of the 4th. �Starter Daniel McCutchen (photo) got into trouble quickly, when LF Matt Young bounced a weird hop off 2B Argenis Diaz's shoulder for an error. �Alex Romero walked, putting runners on first and second, as the rain got serious. �A double steal moved the runners to second and third. �SS Brandon Hicks came to the plate and had a 1-2 count on him when the game was halted.
McCutchen finished with 3 innings of work, allowing 3 runs on 3 hits and 4 walks. �Two of those hits and runs came on homers. �McCutchen threw 58 pitches, 30 for strikes.
When the game resumed on Tuesday, Anthony Claggett took over for McCutchen, inheriting two runners on base and a 1-2 count on Hicks at the plate. �Claggett threw two balls, but then got Hicks to ground out easily to Pedro Alvarez at third, with the runners forced to hold their positions. �C Clint Sammons bounced to first base, where 1B Brian Myrow scooped and fired back home, where C Erik Kratz tagged out the lead runner Young at the plate. �Claggett ended the inning with a strikeout, escaping the jam without letting a run score.
The Braves scored again in the 5th inning. �CF Jordan Schafer lined a single into center field, and when Claggett tried to pick him off first base, the throw hit Schafer. �After taking a few minutes to make sure he was ok, Schafer popped up and stole second base on the next pitch. �A sacrifice bunt by 3B Wes Timmons moved Schafer to third base, and a single lined into left field brought him home. �Braves up, 4-1.
The Indians rallied in the top of the 6th. �CF Jon Van Every led off with a walk. �He moved to second base, then on to third, on ground outs by Argenis Diaz and Brian Myrow. �Pedro Alvarez smacked a double to deep center field, to plate Van Every. �Erik Kratz (photo) followed with a single slipped through the hole and into left field, and Alvarez raced around third to score. �That put the Tribe within one run of the Braves, at 4-3. �The rally ended when RF Brandon Jones grounded out.
Anthony Claggett also pitched the 6th inning, allowing only a walk. �He came out to begin the 7th inning, and got a strikeout, before turning the ball over to Justin Thomas. Claggett�finished with 3.1 innings of work, allowing one run on 2 hits and a walk, with 4 strikeouts. �Thomas finished the 7th inning with two quick outs, a strikeout and a fly out. �Brian Bass came on to pitch the 8th, working around a lead-off single to keep the Braves scoreless again.
After their two runs in the 6th, the Indians managed only one base runner for the rest of the game. �Manager Frank Kremblas decide not to use a pinch-hitter for Anthony Claggett. �Batting for himself, Claggett worked the count full then took a walk. �He moved to second base on a wild pitch, but was left there at the end of the inning. �The Indians went down in order in the 8th and 9th innings, including three strikeouts.
Argenis Diaz was the only Tribe batter to have 2 hits in the game (both singles). �Daniel McCutchen was charged with the loss, his second of the season with the Tribe.
Indians' Hitting Gem of the Game: �Brandon Moss's (photo) solo home run, which put the Indians on the scoreboard in the 2nd inning.
Indians' Defensive Gem of the Game: �In the bottom of the 3rd inning, with one out and Joe Thurston on first base, Barbaro Canizares bounced a slow roller to Pedro Alvarez at third. �Alvarez grabbed it on the second hop, then fired to second base, where 2B Brian Friday made the pivot and threw on to first base for the inning-ending double play, which cut short the Braves' rally.
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Indians Suspended Yet Again — More Rain
Gwinnett Braves �3, �Indianapolis Indians 1 �-- bottom of the 4th (box)
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Yes, it's happened again. �For the fourth time in less than two weeks, the Indians have had to stop in the middle of a game -- suspended due to rain again.
The Indians and Braves traded home runs as this 4-game series got started under threatening skies in the suburbs of Atlanta.
Jon Van Every (photo) was traded back to the Pirates this morning after being designated for assignment by the Boston Red Sox, and he wasted no time returning to the Indians. �He was put right into the starting line-up and was busy patrolling center field this evening. �He has not been doing much in the way of baseball activities for the past 10 days or so, though, so it isn't a big surprise that he struck out in his first two times at bat.
In the bottom of the 1st inning, Tribe starter Daniel McCutchen got two fly outs on the first two batters he faced, then walked 2B Joe Thurston and gave up a 2-run homer to 1B Barbaro Canizares to give the Braves a 2-0 lead. �McCutchen seemed a little rattled, or maybe a little angry, and he walked the next batter, LF Matt Young. �But he turned the anger right back at the Braves, as he picked Young off first base to end the inning.
LF Brandon Moss got one of the runs right back in the top of the 2nd, with his own home run, which sailed over the right-center field wall. �Gwinnett's RF Alex Romero returned the favor in the bottom of the frame, with a lead-off homer, to keep the Braves ahead by 2 runs, 3-1.
The Indians could not get much going over the next two innings. �SS Argenis Diaz singled for the second time in the 3rd inning, and when he saw RF Romero fumble the ball in right field, Diaz decided to try for second base. �But Romero recovered quickly and his throw to second base was right on target, and Diaz was tagged out at second.
Daniel McCutchen (photo) gave up a single to Thurston in the 3rd, but he got the better of Canizares this time, inducing him to ground into a double play. �3B Pedro Alvarez made an excellent scoop of the grounder on the second hop, then fired to second base to begin an around-the-horn double play, Alvarez to 2B Brian Friday to 1B Brian Myrow.
McCutchen was getting into trouble in the 4th inning when the rains came. �Matt Young reached base when his bouncer to short took an unusual hop, skipped off Argenis Diaz's shoulder, and dribbled over behind second base, for an error on Diaz. � Alex Romero worked the count full, then walked, and both runners pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third base. �McCutchen had a 1-2 count on SS Brandon Hicks in the pouring rain, when the umpires sent the players off the field and called for the tarp.
The rain had not let up after more than 90 minutes, and the game has been suspended. �It will be resumed on Tuesday at 6:05 pm, and the full 9 innings will be played. �Then Tuesday's regular game will follow, and that will be a 7-inning game. �This is not going to help the Indians, particularly their bullpen. �The Tribe had been hoping that McCutchen would be able to pitch deep into this game, sparing the bullpen. �The relievers will get the day off, but doing it this way doesn't help much, since they'll have to make it up with two games tomorrow.
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Go Tribe!
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(photos by Nancy)
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