It's Tribe Time | A Cleveland Indians Franchise

[Vinsane]

Indians Crowns Royals.

Sizemore, who is a corner stone to this team, could be out for awhile.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E
Cleveland |0|4|0|0|4|4|0|1|0|12|19|0
Kansas City |0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|6|2

AP - Kansas City, MO - The shake up worked, for a game at least. A fatigued Aaron Laffey took the mound and delivered a three hit performance. Securing his spot on the team for at least awhile, anyways. The Indians looked rejuvenated after their day off, smacking the Royals around for 12 runs on 19 hits. The Royals could of avoided the blow out but two huge errors were their demise in this ball game.

The win didn't come without a scare though, Grady Sizemore went down in the middle innings grabbing at his hamstring. There hasn't been word yet on weather or not the injury is serious, there will be an injury report due out in the early hours of tomorrow on the future of the Indians center-fielder. David Dellucci took over for Sizemore in center after the injury.

"We're hoping for the best." Said Eric Wedge. "When you lose a guy like Grady, you lose a key piece to this team, the last couple years he's been a leader on this team, a soft spoken guy but a leader none the less. He does what he can on the field and helps the other guys out, if this is a serious injury he will be missed." Travis Hafner also piped up about the injury. "We're crossing our fingers, losing a guy like Grady would be a shock to this team, we've lost Shoppach until next month at the earliest, if we lose Grady its going to be tough to replace him, both on the field and in the line-up."

The Indians will continue this series tomorrow as Fausto Carmona makes his first start as the Indians ace.

Lineup:

RF Choo 3-6 | 1K
C Martinez 2-5 |
CF Sizemore 1-3 |
CF Dellucci 1-2 |
DH Hafner 2-5 |
SS Peralta 3-5 |
3B DeRosa 3-5 |
LF Francisco 3-5 |
1B Garko 1-5 | 1K
2B Cabrera 0-5 | 1K

Batting:

2B: T. Hafner (10), R. Garko (7), J. Peralta (5), M. DeRosa (12) S. Choo 2 (9)
RBI: V. Martinez 3 (16), T. Hafner 2 (22), R. Garko 2 (19), M. DeRosa 3 (19), B. Francisco (11)

Pitching:

Laffey (W, 4-3) | 5.0IP | 3H | 1BB | 3SO | 4.21 ERA |
Smith (S,1) | 4.0IP | 3H | 1SO | 1.93 ERA |

Lineup:

LF DeJesus 0-4 | 1K
3B Gordon 1-4 |
1B Butler 2-4 | 1K
RF Guillen 1-4 | 1K
DH Teahen 0-3 |
CF Crisp 0-3 |
C Olivo 1-3 | 1K
2B Bloomquist 0-3 |
SS Pena Jr. 1-3 |

Batting:

2B: A. Gordon (8), B. Butler (10), T. Pena Jr. (7)
GIDP: W. Bloomquist, M. Teahen

Fielding:

E: L. Hochevar (1), T. Pena Jr (6)

Pitching:

Hochevar (L, 2-2) | 4.1IP | 8H | 6R | 4ER | 1SO | 3.06 ERA |
Bale | 1.2IP | 8H | 5R | 5ER | 4.11 ERA |
Gobble | 3.0IP | 3H | 1R | 1ER | 2SO | 3.38 ERA |

Player of the Game:

A. Laffey

5.0 Innings 3 Hits 3 Strikeouts

Next Game:
May 20th, 2009

(22-18)

@

(18-21)​

 

[Vinsane]

I like the change a lot Vinsane.
Westbrook is a good innings eater for you.
Good luck vs the Royals,I play them next too.

Good luck against them, lol. Westbrook is one of those guys I like, but never performs well IRL.

I see you grabbing 2 of 3.

Z. Greinke pitches a shutout, gets back on track.

:shifty:

 

[Vinsane]

Injury Update:

It will be awhile before we see Grady Sizemore doing this.​

AP - Kansas City, MO - Confusion hit the Indians in the form of an injury, early Tuesday Morning. The Doctors who had taken Grady Sizemore in for what was thought to be a hamstring injury discovered something very unusual. After the results for tests came back negative on his leg, Sizemore complained about his arm still hurting from a diving catch he had made in the inning prior to the leg strain. The doctors took a deeper look and found that Sizemore has a broken arm.

"It's very strange." Said Sizemore. "I played with a broken arm for a whole inning not realizing it, didn't come out of the game until my hamstring felt bad. I'm surprised I didn't hurt myself any worse." The Indians Center Fielder should be lucky he didn't. The time table for Sizemore's return isn't until after The All-Star game. The Indians will have to do without him for upwards of two months. Doctors are saying he could be back in as little as a month, but Eric Wedge isn't counting on it.

"We'll have to work through injuries, it's a part of the game." When asked who will replace him in center field, Wedge took a moment before making a decision. "I'm going to go ahead and move Dellucci into the starting line-up in left, and Ben Francisco should be ready to go in center field." This injury comes at a bad time for the Indians who are looking to make a move on the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central. "At least he isn't done for the season, we should be thankful for that." Said Travis Hafner. "We'll just put our noses to the grindstone and do it without him, until he's ready to get back. When he does this team will be in a good position for the playoffs, I can promise you that!"

 

[mfbmike]

Holy cow.

The team name in the boxscore is rays though. Minor error. Crazy game. Must've been fun. lol.

 

[Vinsane]

Holy cow.

The team name in the boxscore is rays though. Minor error. Crazy game. Must've been fun. lol.

It has been fixed. I was excited to see that kind of production, hopefully it carries into the next few series and I can finish May on a high note. The remaining twelve games of May I wanted to go 8-4.

 

[Vinsane]

The New Ace Delivers.

Carmona struck out 10 in his nine innings of work, also recorded the shut-out.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E
Cleveland |2|0|1|0|0|2|0|1|0|6|11|0
Kansas City |0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|0|7|2

AP - Kansas City, MO - When called upon, Fausto Carmona delivers. The game started out on a very positive note. The Indians had a man out, a man on first, and Ben Francisco came to the plate. With the first pitch he seen Francisco blasted the ball over the left field wall. Scoring the first two runs. After him, Travis Hafner was three feet from scoring another homer, then Davies went out with an injury to his arm. He was grabbing at his shoulder as he was escorted to the locker room.

After this start, perhaps the Rivalry has reached a boiling point? Fausto Carmona started the fireworks when he accidentally plunked Alex Gordon. "The slider got away from me, it wasn't intentional. I was working on a no hitter, then I plunked him." Kyle Farnsworth answered with not one, or two, but three hit Indians batters, Eric Wedge came out of the dugout to protest, and was ejected for his efforts.

"That's terrible officiating. A guy plunks a guy for retaliation. I told our guys to be prepared for that. However, when you hit three guys? That's asking for someone to get injured, that's intent to hurt. I shouldn't of been ejected, he should have. Now I went to the locker room and watched the rest of the game. If I was one of the guys out there I would've rushed the mound after batter number two, that was ridiculous."

The MLB officials have stated they will look at the tapes of Farnsworth and decide if he'll be penalized by Major League Baseball for his actions. The story of the game though was the outstanding performance by the Indians new ace Fausto Carmona, who fanned ten in nine innings of work, only giving up seven hits. "Seven is a little too much" said Carmona. "We got the win, I got double-digit strikes. Tomorrow hopefully Cliff can secure the sweep for us and we can head back to Ohio to play the Reds."

Lineup:

RF Choo 1-5 |
C Martinez 3-5 |
CF Francisco 2-5 | 1K
DH Hafner 0-5 |
SS Peralta 0-3 | 1K
3B DeRosa 2-3 |
LF Dellucci 2-3 |
1B Garko 1-4 |
2B Cabrera 0-4 |

Batting:

2B: M. DeRosa 2 (14), D. Dellucci (4)
3B: S. Choo (1)
HR: B. Francisco (3)
RBI: V. Martinez (17), M. DeRosa (20), B. Francisco 2 (13), D. Dellucci 2 (8)
HBP: J. Peralta, M. DeRosa, D. Dellucci
GIDP: T. Hafner

Pitching:

Carmona (W, 6-1) | 9.0IP | 7H | 10SO | 2.24 ERA |

Lineup:

LF DeJesus 0-4 | 2K
3B Gordon 1-3 | 1K
DH Guillen 2-4 |
1B Jacobs 1-4 | 2K
RF Teahen 1-4 | 2K
CF Crisp 0-4 | 1K
C Olivo 1-4 |
2B Bloomquist 0-3 | 1K
SS Pena Jr. 1-3 | 1K

Batting:

2B: J. Guillen (10)
3B: A. Gordon (2), M. Teahen (4)
HBP: A. Gordon
GIDP: D. DeJesus

Fielding:

E: W. Bloomquist (6), T. Pena Jr (7)

Pitching:

Davies (L, 1-3) | 0.2IP | 2H | 2R | 2ER | 8.90 ERA |
Farnsworth | 4.1IP | 2H | 1R | 2SO | 1.48 ERA |
Tejeda | 2.0IP | 7H | 3R | 2ER | 4.24 ERA |
Waechter | 2.0IP | 3.18 ERA |

Player of the Game:

F. Carmona

9.0 Innings 7 Hits 10 Strikeouts

Next Game:
May 21st, 2009

(23-18)

@

(18-22)​

 

[mfbmike]

this isn't even fair lol.

 

[Vinsane]

this isn't even fair lol.

I think a lot of it has to do with the day off. That and they are the Royals.

 

[Vinsane]

Kansas City Survives!

Well, in slide off fashion is more like it.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|10|11|R|H|E
Cleveland |2|0|1|0|2|0|0|1|0|0|0|6|12|0
Kansas City |1|0|1|0|4|0|0|0|0|0|1|7|17|1

AP - Kansas City, MO - Cliff Lee got rocked, The defense didn't respond. The Indians took it into extra innings, and on the first pitch from a new pitcher, a triple was the result. The Indians battled it out with the Royals and couldn't settle it in nine. In extra Innings it was Alex Gordon who got the triple, and a base hit brought him home as the Kansas City Royals avoided the second sweep of the season by the Tribe.

Cleveland won the series 2-1 and Improved their record against Kansas City on the season to 7-2. There are nine more games left between these two teams to be played out later in the season, for now the Royals escaped the second sweep of the season. The Indians who needed this win to move a game in on the Tigers now find themselves 3.5 games back on the AL Central leaders, and 2.0 games behind the White Sox for the Wild Card.

Cleveland has made moves on both of these teams closing the gaps. Now they travel back "home" to take on Cincinnati in their first inter league match up this season. The in-state rivals have no love loss for one another and it will be interesting to see how chapter one of the "Battle For Ohio" plays out in the 2009 season. Cincinnati will host Cleveland for three games before the Tribe return home to face Tampa Bay and the New York Yankees to close out the month of May.

Lineup:

RF Choo 2-5 |
C Martinez 2-5 |
CF Francisco 1-5 | 2K
DH Hafner 2-5 |
SS Peralta 2-4 |
3B DeRosa 1-5 | 3K
LF Dellucci 0-5 |
1B Garko 2-5 | 1K
2B Cabrera 0-4 |

Batting:

2B: T. Hafner (11), S. Choo 2 (11)
HR: J. Peralta (6)
RBI: A. Cabrera (13), T. Hafner (23), R. Garko (20), J. Peralta 3 (27)
SF: A. Cabrera
SAC: J. Peralta

Pitching:

Lee | 6.0IP | 13H | 6R | 6ER | 6SO | 4.31 ERA |
Betancourt | 4.0IP | 2H | 1BB | 2SO | 3.92 ERA |
Meloan (L, 2-1) | 0.0IP | 2H | 1R | 1ER | 2.18 ERA |

Lineup:

LF DeJesus 2-6 | 1K
3B Gordon 2-5 |
1B Butler 3-6 | 2K
RF Guillen 3-5 |
DH Teahen 1-5 | 2K
CF Crisp 2-5 | 1K
C Olivo 2-5 | 2K
2B Callaspo 1-5 |
SS Pena Jr. 1-2 |
PH Jacobs 0-1 |
SS Bloomquist 0-1 |

Batting:

2B: D. DeJesus 2 (14), M. Olivo (2)
3B: A. Gordon (3)
HR: C. Crisp (2), B. Butler (4)
RBI: C. Crisp (13), B. Butler 2 (18), M. Olivo (10), A. Callaspo (14), T. Pena Jr. (10), M. Teahen (7)
SF: T. Pena Jr.

Fielding:

E: T. Pena Jr (8)

Pitching:

Greinke | 7.0IP | 10H | 5R | 3ER | 3SO | 4.67 ERA |
Cruz (W, 1-1) | 4.0IP | 2H | 1R | 1ER | 3SO | 3.00 ERA |

Player of the Game:

B. Butler

3 For 6 - HR, 2 RBI

Next Game:
May 22nd, 2009

(23-19)

@

(21-20)​

 

[Vinsane]

Series Preview:

"The Battle of Ohio"

(23-19)

@

(21-20)

The Season Series Is Tied 0-0.​

Probable Starters:

Game 1:

C. Pavano (2-1, 4.66 ERA)

|

A. Harang (3-5, 3.97 ERA)

Game 2:

J. Westbrook (0-0, 0.00 ERA)

|

B. Arroyo (3-2, 2.44 ERA)

Game 3:

A. Laffey (4-3, 4.21 ERA)

|

J. Cueto (3-2, 5.15 ERA)

Key Bank's "Keys to Succes"

1.) Get Back On Track - Don't worry about the loss to Kansas City, focus and get the rivalry off on the right foot. There is no love loss between these two teams and every year they meet for Ohio bragging rights. Everyone in the state will be watching this match-up closely, the Reds are playing just under .500 baseball, the Indians want to bury them.

2.) Getting Closer - The Indians are making a move on the AL Central lead and the Wild Card lead. They need a series win here to improve on both those standings, with Tampa Bay and New York closing out the month getting two or three wins here is crucial for the month of May.

3.) Don't Take It Easy - The Reds are going to want to use this series to bounce back into contention themselves. They too are out for blood against the Tribe. This will boil down to which team can provide the offense backed by solid pitching, or vise-versa. Should be a good one.​

 

[mfbmike]

Should be interesting with Westbrook starting. Good luck.

 

[Vinsane]

Owned!

Pavano pitched a gem, Indians lose.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E
Cleveland |1|0|0|0|0|2|0|0|3|6|15|0
Cincinnati |1|0|0|0|0|3|2|0|1|7|17|1

AP - Cincinnati, OH - Things were looking good, Pavano pitched well. The bullpen took over, the Indians climbed back in it. And then Catcher Ryan Hanigan hit the solo shot that gave the reds a walk off win in game one, of "The Battle". Kerry Wood watched as Choo was unable to reach the ball and the Indians miracle come back was cut short by the solo shot. The Indians struggled to keep runs off of the board, but battled back in the ninth to put three on to tie the game at 6.

"It's frustrating." Said Pavano. "I'm the turn guy, that middle of the order guy that's supposed to turn things around if their going sour. They were after that Kansas City game, real sour. Now the taste is unbearable. Hopefully Jake and Aaron can get us back to winning before Tampa Bay." The Indians are struggling now to get solid wins, one like today would of catapulted them mentally for the road ahead. A roller coaster May however continues.

Tomorrow night is the debut of Jake Westbrook on the mound for the Indians as he tries to turn the tide in this three game series and set up the rubber match for Aaron Laffey. His debut should be a good one, hopefully.

Lineup:

RF Choo 3-4 |
C Garko 1-3 |
CF Francisco 0-3 |
1B Hafner 1-4 |
SS Peralta 3-4 |
3B DeRosa 3-4 |
LF Dellucci 2-4 |
2B Carroll 1-4 |
P Pavano 1-3 |
P Chulk 0-0 |
PH Martinez 0-1 | 1K

Batting:

2B: D. Dellucci 2 (6)
HR: R. Garko (4)
RBI: R. Garko 2 (22), M. DeRosa (21), B. Francisco (14), D. Dellucci 2 (10)
SAC: R. Garko, B. Francisco
GIDP: R. Garko, D. Dellucci

Base Running:

CS: M. DeRosa (1), D. Dellucci (1)

Pitching:

Pavano | 6.0IP | 5H | 4R | 4ER | 1BB | 9SO | 4.85 ERA |
Chulk | 2.0IP | 4H | 2R | 2ER | 2SO | 3.86 ERA |
Wood (L, 0-2) | 0.2IP | 1H | 1R | 1ER | 1SO | 2.65 ERA |

Lineup:

CF Taveras 2-3 | 1K
LF Dickerson 2-4 | 2K
1B Votto 0-3 | 1K
RF Bruce 1-4 |
3B Encarnacion 1-4 | 2K
2B Phillips 0-4 | 2K
SS Hairston Jr. 1-4 | 2K
C Hernandez 1-3 | 1K
PH Hopper 0-1 |
P Harang 0-1 | 1K
PH Gonzalez 1-1 |
PH Hanigan 1-1 |

Batting:

2B: J. Hairston Jr. (6), E. Encarnacion (8), C. Dickerson (8)
3B: W. Taveras (2), J. Bruce (2)
HR: A. Gonzalez (4), R. Hanigan (1)
RBI: J. Bruce (29), J. Votto (21), C. Dickerson 2 (14), A. Gonzalez 2 (7), R. Hanigan (1)
SF: J. Votto
SAC: A. Harang

Fielding:

E: R. Hernandez 2 (2)

Base Running:

SB: W. Taveras (11)
CS: C. Dickerson (4)

Pitching:

Harang | 6.0IP | 8H | 3R | 3ER | 4.03 ERA |
Weathers (H, 5) | 1.0IP | 2.57 ERA |
Burton (H, 4) | 1.0IP | 2H | 0.00 ERA |
Cordero (W, 1-1) | 1.0IP | 5H | 3R | 3ER | 1SO | 3.45 ERA |

Player of the Game:

W. Taveras

2 for 3 - Triple, Single

Next Game:
May 23rd, 2009

(23-20)

@

(22-21)​

 

[Vinsane]

A Losing Battle.

Westbrook Impressed, but with no run support got the loss.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E
Cleveland |0|0|0|0|0|0|1|0|0|1|8|0
Cincinnati |2|0|0|0|0|0|0|2|X|4|8|0

AP - Cincinnati, OH - Oh where, Oh where, have the Indians bats gone? The bats that were so active a series ago have vanished somewhere between Kansas City and Cincinnati and the Indians are continuing the search for them as we speak. After dropping the second game of this series the Indians are looking to bounce back, in any way to salvage this last game before heading back to Cleveland to host AL East Opponents Tampa Bay and New York.

"We've gotta win." said Travis Hafner. "I hate losing to these guys, I hate watching them score runs and we don't I hate watching the Cincinnati fans go home happy. I want to win, I want them to go home disappointed I want to go to Cleveland with a win." Really big guy? Then use your bat. The Indians are still last in the league in home runs this season. They continue to score in less than a third of their hits and slowly what was looking like an upside to an already bad month has made a turn for the worse.

The Tribe prior to this series were climbing back into contention, they've now taken a step back before taking steps forward and face two dangerous opponents over the next eight games at home. To walk out of Cincinnati with a win tomorrow would be a victory for this beaten Tribe. We'll see what Aaron Laffey can do on the mound tomorrow. As for Westbrook? He impressed in his first start of the season, unfortunate though, he didn't get the run support one needs to get a W. The Tribe will try to avoid the sweep against the Reds in their next game tomorrow.

Lineup:

RF Choo 1-4 |
C Garko 0-4 | 1K
CF Francisco 1-4 |
1B Hafner 2-4 |
SS Peralta 0-4 | 1K
3B DeRosa 3-4 | 1K
LF Dellucci 1-3 |
2B Cabrera 0-2 | 1K
P Westbrook 0-2 |
PH Garko 0-1 |

Batting:

2B: M. DeRosa (15)
RBI: D. Dellucci (11)
HBP: A. Cabrera
SAC: D. Dellucci
GIDP: V. Martinez, D. Dellucci

Pitching:

Westbrook (L, 0-1) | 7.0IP | 4H | 2R | 2ER | 4SO | 2.57 ERA |
Smith | 1.0IP | 4H | 2R | 2ER | 1SO | 2.59 ERA |

Lineup:

CF Taveras 2-4 | 1K
LF Dickerson 2-4 |
1B Votto 0-4 | 2K
RF Bruce 0-2 |
3B Encarnacion 1-3 |
2B Phillips 0-3 | 1K
SS Gonzalez 1-3 |
C Hernandez 1-3 | 1K
P Arroyo 0-2 |
PH Hopper 1-1 |

Batting:

2B: E. Encarnacion (9), R. Hernandez (9)
3B: A. Gonzalez (1)
RBI: J. Bruce (30), E. Encarnacion (19), R. Hernandez (19)
SF: J. Bruce
GIDP: W. Taveras, J. Votto

Base Running:

SB: W. Taveras (12), C. Dickerson (3)

Pitching:

Arroyo (W, 4-2) | 6.1IP | 6H | 1R | 1ER | 3SO | 2.33 ERA |
Rhodes (H, 4) | 1.0IP | 1SO | 4.35 ERA |
Bray (H, 9) | 0.2IP | 4.24 ERA |
Cordero (S, 14) | 1.0IP | 2H | 3.24 ERA |

Player of the Game:

B. Arroyo

6.1 Innings 6 Hits 3 Strikeouts

Next Game:
May 24th, 2009

(23-21)

@

(23-21)​

 

[Vinsane]

tough loss the boxscore says you played kc tho

Doing that a lot lately, thanks.

 

[Vinsane]

Bats Go Off, Indians Avoid Sweep.

V-Mart's Home Run in the first inning, started the whole thing.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E
Cleveland |2|1|1|3|1|0|1|0|0|8|15|0
Cincinnati |0|0|0|0|0|1|1|0|0|2|9|0

AP - Cincinnati, OH - "I could get used to this fifth spot!" Said Aaron Laffey after the game. Since moving to the fifth spot, Aaron has gotten a win in each of his two starts from the end of the rotation. "In all seriousness, I went out there and tried to win every time I pitched. If I had it my way, I'd be 8-0. That's not the case though, I'm on this team, one way or another. I'm here, and I'm pitching fifth." Laffey proved once again that the decision to keep him on the club hasn't back-fired.

The Indians who struggled in game one and two of this series, finally got a win on Sunday. Which is great heading into their next two match-ups. "We've got Tampa Bay, and then New York. That's a tough back to back four game series. The next eight games are key. Key to getting back in the Wildcard, especially against New York whose ahead of us right now.

The Indians also watched as the White Sox took over the AL Central lead. They've been the hot team as of late and with Detroit finally starting to come back down to Earth, the lead has changed hands in the White Sox favor. Currently Chicago leads Detroit by a half game in the AL Central. The Orioles and Tigers are tied for the AL Wildcard with the Yankees a game back, and the Indians sitting two and half games back.

Lineup:

RF Choo 3-5 |
C Martinez 3-5 |
CF Francisco 1-5 | 1K
1B Hafner 1-5 |
SS Peralta 2-4 |
3B DeRosa 1-4 |
LF Dellucci 3-4 | 1K
2B Cabrera 1-4 | 1K
P Laffey 0-1 |
PH Garko 0-1 |

Batting:

2B: V. Martinez (9), S. Choo (12)
HR: V. Martinez (4, D. Dellucci (2)
RBI: V. Martinez 3 (20), J. Peralta (28), S. Choo 2 (16), B. Francisco (15), D. Dellucci (12)
SAC: A. Laffey 2
GIDP: M. DeRosa

Base Running:

CS: M. DeRosa (2)

Pitching:

Laffey (W, 5-3) | 7.0IP | 7H | 2R | 2ER | 6SO | 4.01 ERA |
Perez | 2.0IP | 2H | 4SO | 4.56 ERA |

Lineup:

CF Dickerson 1-4 | 2K
SS Hairston Jr. 0-4 | 1K
1B Votto 2-4 | 2K
RF Bruce 2-4 |
3B Encarnacion 0-4 | 3K
2B Phillips 1-4 | 1K
LF Hopper 1-4 |
C Hanigan 1-4 |
P Cueto 0-1 |
PH Keppinger 1-1 |
PH Taveras 0-1 | 1K

Batting:

2B: J. Bruce (9), B. Phillips (7), R. Hanigan (2)
HR: J. Keppinger (1)
RBI: R. Hanigan (2), J. Keppinger (4)
GIDP: J. Bruce

Fielding:

E: N. Hopper (2)

Pitching:

Cueto (L, 3-3) | 3.0IP | 9H | 6R | 5ER | 5.90 ERA |
Masset | 3.0IP | 4H | 2R | 2ER | 6.34 ERA |
Weathers | 1.0IP | 1H | 2.45 ERA |
Rhodes | 2.0IP | 1H | 2SO | 3.97 ERA |

Player of the Game:

V. Martinez

3 For 5 - HR, Double

Next Game:
May 25th, 2009

(23-21)

@

(24-21)​

 

[mfbmike]

Laffey diggin the move. Good to hear. Time to break away from the pack against the Rays.

 

[Vinsane]

Laffey diggin the move. Good to hear. Time to break away from the pack against the Rays.

Every time I think I'm on the brink of doing so, I get a 2-1 series like this. I'm watching other teams as of late and I'm seeing that everyone is in the same position.

 

[Gonzo]

Too bad you couldn't get the offense to support Westbrook's debut. Laffey looks like he's been kind of consistent though, I'm really diggin' it.

 

[Vinsane]

Series Preview:

(22-24)

@

(24-21)

Cleveland leads the series 3-1.​

Probable Starters:

Game 1:

S. Kazmir (1-1), 4.29 ERA

|

F. Carmona (6-1, 2.24 ERA)

Game 2:
D. Price (2-5, 5.11 ERA)

|

C. Lee (4-1, 4.31 ERA)

Game 3:

J. Shields (5-2, 2.65 ERA)

|

C. Pavano (2-1, 4.85 ERA)

Game 4:

A. Sonnanstine (1-3, 4.47 ERA)

|

J. Westbrook (0-1, 2.57 ERA)

Key Bank's "Keys to Succes"

1.) Good Pitching - If the Pitching is on, it's safe to say the Indians win. Coming back home after a disappointing trip at the southern end of I71, the Indians are looking to bounce back. They'll be led by their Ace Fausto Carmona, it's key to establish a first game victory, to set the tempo the rest of the series.

2.) Final Six - This series and the first two games of the Yankees series will determine the outcome of the month of May. The Indians wish to end on a high note, they can do that by at least winning this series 3-1.

3.) Don't Scoreboard Watch - Don't pay attention to what Chicago does, The Tribe will have a chance to challenge them later, the Yankees are on deck and the Wildcard race is a key factor to that match-up. They don't need to worry about the White Sox and need to focus on their games against Tampa and New York.​

 

[Vinsane]

Vic Does It Again!

Victor gets it going for the Tribe again, even with broken wood.

Teams|1|2|3|4|5|6|7|8|9|R|H|E
Tampa Bay |0|1|1|0|1|0|2|1|0|6|17|0
Cleveland |0|0|0|2|0|2|0|5|X|9|18|0

AP - Cleveland, OH - Defense decided to take a back seat for game one. Both teams defenses struggled throughout, failure to communicate in the outfield. Failure to turn double plays in the infield. It was ironic that neither team got scored with errors after it was all said and done. One play in particular sticks out when you discuss this game, that being the play by none other than The Indians own right fielder, Shin Soo-Choo.

Choo let an inside the park home run happen when he mis-judged the angle coming on to a fast roller in right field. One that had enough power behind it to roll to the wall and make a dead stop. Normally on passed balls Grady Sizemore is there to back up guys, with Ben Francisco new to center field that was not the case and Choo had to recover on his own. "Tonight, you seen why Grady is missed. If he's out there, that becomes a triple, at best." Said Choo.

That wasn't the only mistake though, Choo was also caught in a run down after being flat footed on a base hit, and on another occasion he was tossed out heading to third, just too slow to get to the bag as he was instructed. "Today was a day I wanted to forget, that's for sure. You have a lot of good days that you don't think about, this game will be with me for awhile."

All mistakes aside the Indians were able to rally in the bottom of the eighth to take the lead and seal the game with Kerry Wood on the mound for his fifteenth save. Hafner, Garko and DeRosa all made it on base when Victor Martinez hit a shot to center field, that dropped just before the wall but took such a nasty nick at the wall bounced well beyond play. Giving Vic his second triple of the year, one that cleared the bases. Peralta would bring him home on a hit, and later in the inning, Ben Francisco would complete the five running fifth.

The only thing nasty to say about the eighth inning was the ejection of Asdrubal Cabrera who reached safely on a base hit that advanced Peralta to third, however, the ump called him out. Cabrera argued, and was ejected. The Indians look to continue their dominance on the Rays as the series continues for three more games in Cleveland.

Lineup:

LF Crawford 2-5 |
CF Upton 2-5 | 3K
3B Longoria 2-5 | 2K
DH Burrel 2-5 | 1K
C Navarro 2-4 | 1K
2B Iwamura 0-4 |
RF Kapler 2-4 | 1K
1B Aybar 3-4 |
SS Bartlett 2-4 |

Batting:

2B: P. Burrell 2 (7)
HR: G. Kapler (1)
RBI: P. Burrell 2 (38), D. Navarro 2 (20), J. Bartlett (11), G. Kapler (6)
GIDP: A. Iwamura

Base Running:

SB: C. Crawford (14)

Pitching:

Kazmir | 5.2IP | 12H | 4R | 4ER | 4SO | 4.50 ERA |
Shouse (L, 0-3) | 2.0IP | 5H | 5R | 5ER | 4.45 ERA |
Balfour | 0.1IP | 1H | 3.04ERA |

Lineup:

RF Choo 3-5 |
2B Cabrera 1-4 |
2B Barfield 0-0 |
CF Francisco 1-5 | 1K
DH Hafner 1-4 |
1B Garko 2-4 |
3B DeRosa 2-4 | 1K
C Martinez 4-4 |
SS Peralta 2-4 | 1K
LF Dellucci 2-4 | 1K

Batting:

2B: V. Martinez (10), M. DeRosa (16), B. Francisco (7)
3B: V. Martinez (2)
RBI: V. Martinez 3 (23), J. Peralta (29), M.DeRosa (22), S. Choo (17), B. Francisco 2 (17), D. Dellucci (13)
SAC: J. Barfield

Pitching:

Carmona | 4.0IP | 9H | 2R | 2ER | 4SO | 2.37 ERA |
Meloan (W, 3-1) | 4.0IP | 8H | 4R | 4ER | 2SO | 3.28 ERA |
Wood (S, 15) | 1.0IP | 2SO | 2.50 ERA |

Player of the Game:

V. Martinez

4 For 4 - Triple, Double

Next Game:
May 26th, 2009

(23-22)

@

(25-21)​