Roster Update: Indians starter Scott Kazmir was recalled from the 15 day DL just before the game and infielder Cord Phelps was sent back to AAA in his place. Phelps was only on the team to help out at second while Jason Kipnis was recovering from his elbow injury. Now that Kipnis is back, Phelps is not needed. Other moves expected in the near future include Brett Myers possibly going to the DL, Lou Marson returning from the DL and Matt Albers coming back from paternity leave.
Player of the Game
Jason Giambi did what he does best and hit his second home run of the season to win him his first Player of the Game for 2013. He also hit a double, making all three of his hits on the year extra base hits. In a very productive game, Giambi lead all Indians with five RBI and three runs scored and walked twice as well. His score of 10.42 gives him the second best single game of the year.
Feathers Up
Following an out by Michael Brantley to lead off the game, the next nine Indians batters reached base, scoring 8 runs on 8 hits. The eight runs scored in the first represent the same amount the Indians have scored in total in the past three games and more than they have scored in any one game in the past week.
The Indians didn't stop scoring in the first inning as they batted around again in the second, scoring another 6 in the second. They kept scoring and put up another five, giving them 19 runs before it was all over. They scored in each of the first five innings and didn't go down in order until the 7th inning.
Milestone Alert: Jason Giambi's 4th inning home run was not just his first home run against Houston, giving him home runs against every single team in Major League Baseball, it was also career number 431, tying him with Cal Ripken, Jr. for 42nd all time in baseball history.
Other offensive notes: Nick Swisher set career highs in hits (4), runs scored (3) and doubled his doubles for the season with another career high of three.Every hitter on the Indains roster (except Ryan Raburn) had a hit within their first two at bats, including early replacement Mike Aviles who hit an RBI single. Along with Swisher, Jason Giambi, Carlos Santana, Michael Branltey and Mark Reynolds each knocked in multiple runs. Each of the Indians starters (and Aviles) scored at least one run with Giambi, Swisher and Santana each scoring three. The Indians walked 8 times in addition to their 22 hits. They were also helped out by three Astros errors.
Feathers Down
Asdrubal Cabrera hurt his wrist after his second at bat in the first inning and left the game before ever getting into the field. He is day to day.
Lost in all the run scoring, Scott Kazmir had a fairly terrible game, giving up six runs in four innings. He lucked out by the barrage of offense, keeping him in a game that he probably would have lost on any other day this year. Even so, he wasn't able to earn his first win in two years as he was pulled from the game during the fouth inning. His high pitch count forced to use a lot more of their bullpen than the Indians would have liked to in a game that was almost a guaranteed win by the second inning.
Nick Swisher was unable to grab a fifth hit tonight, despite three at bats after his fourth. The first four spots in the lineup batted 7 times each tonight, essentially giving them two nights worth of offensive stats.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 19 – Houston Astros 6
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