Player of the Game
Josh Tomlin wins tonight’s ‘Player of the Game’ for being a real renaissance man. Not only can he pitch, but he can also hit. Tomlin is the first pitcher this season to have a positive ‘POG’ score from the plate, earning 1.92 points from hitting alone. That puts within 9 points of the season total for some other guy on the team who’s been on the team all year. Tomlin’s final score was 4.92 as he pitched 7 innings, striking out 4 and only allowing 3 more hits than he got himself. It is his 6th award of the season, tying him for 3rd most on the team.
Feathers Up
For the first time in the 5 interleague games played in NL parks, the pitchers showed up to hit. Josh Tomlin had the first hit for an Indians pitcher this season on a bunt single in the first and the second hit with a line drive up the middle to knock in a run. Daniel Hudson also hit well for the D-Backs, sacrificing twice and hitting an RBI double.
Josh Tomlin has now tied the Major League record for most consecutive starts over 5 innings pitched to begin a career. He has 28 in a row and is tied with Daisuke Matsuzaka, who came to the Majors as a veteran already, signing with the Red Sox from Japan. The only thing that can keep Tomlin from owning this record all for himself is Manny Acta, who should probably leave him in for 5 no matter how poorly he pitches in his next start.
Chad Durbin has not played in the last 7 games for the Tribe and has only made appearances in 2 of the last 15 games. Apparently this is how the Indians are choosing to deal with their players that are performing poorly. Adding Durbin to the list, the Indians now have two players they will never use, unless the game is already decided. Managing can be harder than it needs to be when you limit yourself to a 23 man roster.
Feathers Down
The bullpen faltered for the second night in a row, but it probably isn’t too much to worry about. Rafael Perez allowed two runs today as did losing pitcher Tony Sipp. The hittability of the relievers pitches tonight could have stemmed from some over use, as Perez, Sipp and Joe Smith have each made appearances in 3 of the last 4 games. It would probably help everyone in the pen immensely if Manny Acta would either trust Frank Herrman and Chad Durbin, or find some one to replace them that he can trust.
Lonnie Chisenhall is ruining his batting average and if he keeps having games like this, he will never hit .500 for the season. He’s now hitting .375 after his one hit effort against Arizona.
The Tigers lost tonight so the Indians missed out on a chance to regain first place in the Central Division. Not that it really matters at this point in the season, but it is always nice to gain a game on the opposition.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 – Arizona Diamondbacks 6
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