Player of the Game
Shelley Duncan was the only bright spot for the Tribe tonight, becoming only the 15th hitter in the history of the Roger’s Centre (Sky Dome) to hit a ball into the 5th deck of seats. Congratulations to Shelley. This solo shot earned him a ‘Player of the Game’ score of 3.53 and his third ‘Player of the Game’ of the season (also his third in the last 5 games). His home run accounted for all the Indians runs tonight, falling only 10 short of the Blue Jays in a close faught battle.
Feathers Up
Tim Fedroff (@fedheems on twitter) scored a run and knocked in another to help Akron win 3-2 over the Richmond Flying Squirrels. He seems like a genuinely cool guy, so everyone should give him a follow.
Minnesota and Kansas City lost tonight, keeping them each 9+ games behind the Tribe.
Feathers Down
Jo-Jo Reyes won his first game since June of 2008. It brings back memories of Scott Elarton. Both the win and the memories are feathers down.
Fausto Carmona’s last decent game was May 8th against the Angels in a loss. Since then, Carmona has pitched terribly in two games and was mediocre in his other two starts. He now has lost three consecutive starts. Mike says he is tipping his pitches, and I will let him expound on that if he feels it is necessary.
Orlando Cabrera’s defense has been sub-par most of the season, mostly because of his lack of range. It is inconceivable that he could possibly have played short stop this season. His deficiencies were brought to the forefront again today with his dropped ball error on what should have been an easy out and a possible double-play. This error netted two unearned runs, which did not really matter in this game, but could mean everything in a closer game. While Cabrera’s bat has still been productive, it wouldn’t hurt to start looking at other options for later in the season. Right now Cord Phelps (SS for AAA Columbus) is playing very well and can play above average defense at second. He might be worth a look when Grady Sizemore and Travis Hafner are back full time and the Indians won’t need three extra outfielders.
When the Indians faced the Tigers and Miguel Cabrera, Manny Acta used a secret strategy to keep the slugger from harming the Tribe. He walked him. Jose Bautista is the same type of player, only hotter right now and the rest of the Blue Jays, tonight not withstanding, are not very good hitters. At this point in the season, every single pitch that goes into the strike zone against Bautista is a mistake.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 1, Toronto Blue Jays 11
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