Roster Update: As if there weren’t enough obstacles in Jason Giambi’s way to return to the Majors (like the fact that the Indians have about 40 players better than him in their minor league system), there is now another. The aged slugger has been moved to the 60 Day DL, presumably because he is not very good and the Indians don’t want to release, but officially with right knee inflammation. The purpose for this move was that the Indians picked up left handed reliever, Nick Maronde, off waivers from the Angels yesterday and needed room on the 40 man roster. Maronde has pitched 17.2 innings and allowed 14 ER on 18 BB and 22 hits during his three year Major League career, all with the Angels. This move is a strange one as Maronde is one player who could actually hurt the team even more than Giambi.
Player of the Game
Trevor Bauer may have started slow, giving up four hits and a walk in the first two innings, but he turned things up a notch as the game went on, something that is becoming a sort of trademark for Bauer. From the third on, Bauer continued his shut out, but scattered just four more hits and two more walks while bringing his game strike out total to ten including five in a row across the fourth and fifth innings. The only hit allowed against him in the fourth, when he struck out the side was a fluke double that hit the bag at first and bounced over Carlos Santana’s head. He was pulled with two outs in the sixth after recording his career high 10th strike out all of which came swinging and most of which came on breaking balls.
Feathers Up
It looked like things could get ugly in the second for the Tribe, after Trevor Bauer gave up a single to start the inning, but things turned around very quickly. Gordon Beckham flew out deep down the left field line and Mike Aviles made the play. Conor Gillaspie took his time going back to first and Aviles threw him out on the fly by a step. This play was made even bigger as the next two White Sox hitters reached safely and they would have likely scored at least two runs without the double play.
It was the same batter who gave the Indians their only run through the first seven innings that regained them the lead in the eighth. After Bryan Shaw coughed up the slim one run lead in the top of the inning, Nick Swisher started the bottom with an opposite field single to start the bottom. Yan Gomes came up behind him and also went to the opposite way, taking right handed reliever Javy Guerra deep into the White Sox bullpen to give the Indians a new one run lead.
Feathers Down
A growing trend ever since Asdrubal Cabrera hit his bases loaded triple against the Yankees, the Indians were once again able to just put up a single run after loading the bases with just one out. In the bottom of the second, Ryan Raburn walked and Nick Swisher singled to start the offensive attack after Carlos Santana struck out. Yan Gomes then singled up the middle, scoring Raburn from second and putting runners on first and second again. After Lonnie Chisenhall was safe at first on an error that loaded the bases, both Mike Aviles and Jason Kipnis struck out on check swings. Each batter took just one pitch in each at bat and combined, the two K’s lasted seven pitches.
A similar situation with the same hitters came up two innings later and there was a similar result. In the fourth, Chisenhall walked, then Aviles moved him to third with a one out double. Kipnis then swung at the first pitch and hit a weak pop to the infield and Asdrubal Cabrera grounded out to short to end the inning with no runs scored.
It was Cabrera’s turn again in the sixth when he came to back with two outs and the bases loaded. Chisenhall and Aviles had both singled before Kipnis was hit by a pitch. Learning nothing from the exact same situation coming twice earlier in the game, Cabrera swung at the second pitcher and grounded out weakly to second base, ending the inning.
What may have been Bauer’s greatest career start went without a win, due to an unfortunate inning pitched by Bryan Shaw. Shaw came in to start the eighth and gave up two ground ball singles and a wild pitch to blow the save after retiring just a single batter. After the second out was retired, Shaw gave up one more seeing eye single to Leury Garcia on a play that looked like it could have been made by Kipnis. Beckham scored on the play that gave the White Sox the lead, if only for a short time. For his effort, Shaw received the very unearned win.
Final Score: Cleveland Indians 3 – Chicago White Sox 2
On Deck: The Indians are off for a few days for the All-Star break with Michael Brantley slated to play in the Mid-Summer Classic on Tuesday, then the rest of the team coming back for a four game series with Detroit starting on Friday.
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