Player of the Game
Jason Kipnis won his second Player of the Game of 2012 for his efforts in Oakland, tying him for the team lead with Carlos Santana. Kipnis either knocked in or scored every Indians run on the night (3 RBI, 2 runs scored). The only blemish on his night was a caught stealing which he more than made up for with his 3 singles and triple.
Feathers Up
Travis Hafner just keeps getting on base and now has been on base for 12 of his last 15 at bats. This kind of plate discipline and consistant hitting is possibly even more important than the power that he is famous for.
With another two steals on the night, the Indians continue to be surprisingly good running the bases. The team now has 10 steals on the season and has only been caught 4 times. Not only have they been successful, but many of the steals have come in key places in the game, including today’s by Jason Donald.
Even though he still has a batting average around .200, Michael Brantley has been picking it up as of late and is currently riding a 7 game hitting streak, the longest on the team. Today, Brantley was on base twice with a fielder’s choice and a single and scored a run.
The Indians were able to put the A’s away with authority tonight as they scored 3 with two outs in the 8th inning to make a close game not so close. Donald started with a single and took third on another single by Brantley. Jason Kipnis knocked both runners in with a triple to deep right center. Kipnis then scored himself on a wild pitch.
Feathers Down
Jeanmar Gomez was pulled out of the game in just the 6th inning even though he had not given up any runs and had only thrown 88 pitches. It’s a good thing Manny Acta doesn’t manage the White Sox or Philip Humber would have had an 8 inning perfect game followed by a shaky outing by Hector Santiago.
Play of the Game
Jason Donald stole second on first movement in the 6th inning. This steal made it possible for him to score the Indians second run of the game on a Jason Kipnis single.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 5 – Oakland Athletics 1
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