Indians Lose 4-0 To Rays, Exit Post-Season

A packed to the rafters Progressive Field witnessed it's first post-season game since 2007 last night. Everything was set for a historic and memorable evening. But it just wasn't to be. The Indians fell to the Tampa Bay Rays 4-0 in the Wild Card game and so the home team find their season over, eliminated from the Playoffs, as the Rays proceed to the ALDS to face Boston.

I'm not going to give you an in-depth recap of the game pitch-by-pitch. You already know how it ended so there's no need to rehash the disappointing events too much. It wouldn't make for the most exciting read anyway. But I am going to look at some talking points from the game, things I found interesting. Here we go:

Tribe Can't Capitalize On Opportunities

After a couple of innings this game looked as if we were set for a good old fashioned pitcher's duel. Danny Salazar and Alex Cobb were lights out to begin the game but after Delmon Young took Salazar's first pitch of the 3rd inning over the left field wall for a 1-0 Rays lead, the hits started to mount up on both sides. By the 4th inning, after a smashed liner down the third base line by Desmond Jennings put the Rays ahead 3-0, the Indians started to crawl back into the game.

It began with a crushed double by Carlos Santana, then Michael Brantley beat out an infield hit, followed by a Ryan Raburn walk to load the bases. Down 3-0, this was the key moment in the game to get back into the contest. The Indians were perfectly primed to score, with only 1 out in the inning. Asdrubal Cabrera, who struggled all season with runners in scoring position, had the chance to redeem himself for his sub-par 2013. Instead Cabrera swung weakly and grounded into an inning-ending double play, killing the rally and the momentum at the same time. The home crowd, previously so raucous for the first few innings, were silenced. I think this was the biggest turning point in the game. The fans inside Progressive Field were vocal all night but were never quite the same after that 4th inning. I think that effected the team to a degree, as you could feel the Rays had gotten away with a lucky escape. Cobb was on the ropes and could have been chased from the game if Cabrera had gotten a hit. It never happened.

The Tribe had another opportunity to get on the scoreboard the very next inning. To open the 5th, Yan Gomes smashed a double to start things off. Lonnie Chisenhall, selected to start over Mike Aviles at third base due to his success at hitting right-handers, lined a single to put runners at first and third. Michael Bourn struck out in his at-bat then Nick Swisher was lucky not to get caught in a double play after his weak grounder. Gomes was left standing at third and Chisenhall had moved up to second when Kipnis strode to the plate with 2 outs. Unfortunately Kipnis, perhaps trying a bit too hard on the big stage of the post-season, chopped the ball in front of the mound to Cobb to end the inning. Again the Indians couldn't capitalise against a reeling Cobb, stranding runners once more and allowing the pitcher to settle in and recalibrate. It was incredibly frustrating to see the home side squander these chances, especially against a pitcher like Cobb who looked very good all night and wasn't likely to give up many more scoring opportunities. So it proved.

The Indians had further chances to score as the game progressed but I felt like they never fully recovered from those wasted 4th and 5th innings. The Rays seemed to grow in confidence from then on and the Tribe hitters never put together another rally like those two in the 4th and 5th.

Moments Of Interest

• Terry Francona made the bold decision to start Chisenhall over Aviles and it paid off handsomely. Aviles slumped somewhat in September and, although Chiz didn't set the world on fire himself, he was better suited to hit right-handers than Aviles. It worked a charm as Lonnie went 3-4 on the night, and saved a run in the 8th inning when he made an amazing diving grab on a Evan Longoria line-drive which had the left field corner written all over it. Chiz did have an error in the 9th inning after a sharp Delmon Young groundball hopped off his glove, but overall I was thoroughly impressed by his poise and confidence in the first post-season game of his career.
• Danny Salazar deserves a round of applause. The rookie took the mound for the Tribe's biggest game since 2007 and didn't show an ounce of nerves early on. The first 2 innings were incredible as Salazar was simply untouchable. If the national baseball audience didn't know about him before, they do now. He looked like a 10 year veteran out there as he racked up some early strikeouts, not a guy who started the year at AA Akron. Francona pulled the young fire-baller in the 5th after Salazar walked Jose Molina to start the inning. I felt Salazar could probably have gone a bit longer but Francona probably saw something we didn't, plus the confident Tribe bullpen pitched very well as a unit in September. Salazar finished with 4 innings pitched, giving up 4 hits for 3 runs, walking 2 and striking out 4. It wasn't how Salazar pictured the night ending but he showed some glimpses of his immense talent. He has a promising future ahead of him that's for sure.

• It was not a good night for our big free agent acquisitions. Michael Bourn had an awful game in the lead-off spot, going 0-4 with 2 strikeouts. He was fooled by Cobb's breaking ball too often. Nick Swisher also had a miserable evening, going 0-4 as well with 2 strikeouts of his own. Swish was really trying out there, taking some huge hacks and only just missing at times, but ultimately lived up to his reputation as a guy who struggles in the post-season.
• Let's give some credit where it's due: The Indians bullpen did a brilliant job at keeping the home side in the game. Marc Rzepczynski took over in the 5th inning in relief of Salazar and did well, striking out David DeJesus before being pulled for Bryan Shaw. Shaw pitched fantastically, striking out 2 Rays, before turning the ball over to Justin Masterson in the 7th inning. Masterson pitched so well in 2 innings of relief that it made you wonder if Francona could have rolled the dice a bit and started the big right-hander instead of Salazar. Nonetheless, Masterson got the Indians to the 9th inning with the score still at 3-0, recording 2 strikeouts. Cody Allen started the 9th and was unlucky to have an unearned run charged to him, after Lonnie's error and Swisher's missed catch at first base saw Yunel Escobar score Ben Zobrist to put the Rays up 4-0. It was Joe Smith who Escobar hit off but Joe settled down after that and struck out Molina before getting DeJesus to fly out to right. Overall I was really impressed with the bullpen's efforts and they were unlucky not to have the offense pick them up.

Still A Season To Be Proud Of

So the Indians season is now over but do not despair Tribe fans. Despite the disappointing loss last night, there is still a lot of pride to be had in this 2013 season. When you lose 94 games in 2012 and then make the Playoffs with 92 wins the next year, that's something to shout about. The improvement this squad made was remarkable and there is a lot of positives to take away: the development of our starting pitchers, such a question mark before Spring Training. The amazing value and production provided by 'The Goon Squad' (Aviles, Giambi, Gomes and Raburn if you didn't know already - shame on you). That's just two examples of many and there's even more to look forward to in 2014. I can't wait to see Salazar again, as he'll be aiming to complete his first full season in the majors. Next year should see the beginning of the Francisco Lindor era in Cleveland, as we should hopefully catch our first glimpse of the shortstop prodigy at some stage in 2014. So don't wallow in sorrow for too long fellow Tribe fans. 2014 will be here before you know it. Until then, take pride in this Indians team and their superb against-the-odds season.

The game began at 1 am here in the UK last night and I didn't get to bed until 5 am. I'm shattered from it but I feel it was worth staying up for. It's not every day your team plays a high stakes Playoff game. Even though we lost I'm glad I made the extra effort to watch it.

I'll have my season review and player ratings up over the course of the next week or so. It could be rather large so it might take some time to work out. Watch this space.

Until then, thank you to everybody who has read this blog during this fabulous season. Go Tribe!

(All photos courtesy of Zimbio)

White Sox Swept As Race Nears End

There are just 4 games left of the 2013 regular season. I'm struggling to believe it, that the season is nearly over already. It's gone pretty fast for me. And the Indians have played some incredible baseball throughout. As we near the finish line, the Tribe are now so close to clinching a post-season berth through the Wild Card. 4 games left to get the job done...

With the Indians' two-game sweep of the Chicago White Sox last night, they still hold onto the second spot in the Wild Card race, 1 game behind Tampa Bay, 1 game ahead of Texas. Both the Royals and the Yankees were finally eliminated from contention last night, so it's just the three of us now, and we all know three is a crowd. As it currently stands the Indians would face off against the Rays in a one-game playoff to determine who would go on to play Boston. It's exciting times Tribe fans. 

Anyway, let's take a look at some of the talking points from this series:

Giambi Silences His Critics Once And For All

Coming into Spring Training, most Cleveland fans were unsure quite what to make of Jason Giambi and his role on the team. 42 years-old and a shell of the power hitter he used to be, his effectiveness as a player was questioned routinely, especially after he so nearly gave it all up to be manager of the Colorado Rockies just a few months before. A few among us believed the roster spot he inhabited could have been put to better use. In fact, as the season progressed, I saw calls for Giambi to be removed from the big league roster a lot. Well now, finally, the big man has proven his worth. 

After Chris Perez gave up two solo home runs in the 9th inning of Tuesday night's game to gift Chicago a late 4-3 lead, Giambi stepped to the plate as a pinch-hitter with two outs, with Michael Brantley patiently stood at first base as the winning run (who promptly stole second base). As White Sox closer Addison Reed unleashed his pitch, Giambi got his bat on it perfectly, sending the ball deep into the right field stands. You could tell he knew where the ball was going as soon as it left his bat. The crowd erupted as the Indians emerged victorious 5-4, people going crazy having just witnessed another walk-off win, Cleveland's 11th walk-off this year, and Giambi's 2nd. It was a magical and symbolic moment of the Tribe's 2013 campaign. Just as you thought it couldn't get much worse (Perez's blown save), the Indians rally back and pull you back in. Giambi's mammoth walk-off 2-run shot will probably end up as one of the defining images of the 2013 regular season, such is the brilliant way it captures what this Indians team is all about.

I have to say it feels nice to see Giambi come through with such an important hit in such a crucial moment. Rightly or wrongly, there were times this season when he was criticised a lot but to Terry Francona's credit, he stuck by Giambi all year, never wavering. Speaking about Giambi's game winning homer, Nick Swisher said, "I almost started crying when he hit that ball." I'm sure a few of the diehards did too Nick, thanks to Giambi's heroics. He certainly earns the Player of the Series award this week. Fully deserved.

Ubaldo Poised For Playoffs

As the scheduled rotation currently stands, Ubaldo Jimenez is set to pitch against the Twins on Sunday 29th September, the final day of the regular season. If the Wild Card race is still alive and the Indians haven't yet sealed their post-season place, then I can't think of anyone else on the Tribe staff right now who I'd rather have out there for us.

However, should the baseball gods be kind and the Indians wrap it all up before Sunday's game, then Ubaldo will be rested in preparation for the one-game playoff on October 2nd, against Tampa Bay in all likeliness. The team and Francona are refusing to think that far ahead, and rightfully so, but it's worth discussing should events turn out this way.

If I'd said to you before the start of the season that Ubaldo Jimenez would become the best pitcher on the team and would be our first choice to start a playoff game, you would have laughed in my face. In fact, you'd probably have punched me, so ridiculous was the idea of Ubaldo being anything but a total mess.

Well folks, here we are, with October just days away Mr Jimenez has indeed established himself as the most effective pitcher on the Indians pitching staff. With all due respect to Justin Masterson, who has had a hell of a season and who I still consider our "ace" of the staff, Ubaldo has pitched far and above anyone's expectations and deserves the mantle of being our best pitcher. Especially given Masterson's recent injury, there is no doubt that right now, today, Ubaldo is number one. 

After yet another solid outing on Tuesday against the White Sox (6 1/3 innings, 5 hits, 2 runs, 7 strikeouts, 3 walks), let's take a quick look at Ubaldo's numbers. He currently sits with a 12-9 record with a 3.38 ERA after 176 innings pitched. But it gets better: In the month of September, Jimenez has a minuscule 1.04 ERA and an amazing 1.84 ERA since the All Star break. That puts him in the company of the elite pitchers in the game. Astounding.

So lets cross our fingers that the Tribe can ride this 6 game winning streak they're currently on and secure that playoff spot before Sunday's game. It would help if the bloody Rays and Rangers would lose some games too. Because I for one would really love to see Ubaldo on the mound for us on October 2nd, pitching for post-season glory. Make it happen Indians.

Thanks for reading.

Tampa Tops Tribe, Takes Two

That's some serious alliteration in the title huh? Unfortunately it's not in the Indians favour as the Tribe lost the rubber game yesterday afternoon, losing the series to Tampa Bay two-to-one. It began on Friday night in a bizarre rain-delayed game which the Tribe couldn't muster enough energy for, losing 9-2 in the early hours of Saturday morning. Cleveland didn't let the lack of sleep bother them Saturday afternoon though, shutting down the Rays offense in a 5-0 win to even the series. Despite getting plenty of hits yesterday, the Indians couldn't turn them into runs and lost the game 11-3 after McAllister ran into some early trouble, and lost the series overall. Luckily the Tigers haven't taken advantage and we are still just a 0.5 game behind them in the AL Central. Let's have a look at what I liked and didn't like against the Rays:

A Sunny Saturday With Ubaldo

Ubaldo Jimenez took to the mound Saturday afternoon and pitched an absolute gem, one of his best games in an Indians jersey. I got home from work in time to catch it all and was overjoyed to see Jimenez pitching so well. He was dominant against the Rays offense, pitching 8 shutout innings, giving up just 4 hits and walking only 1, whilst striking out 7. What impressed me most was his level of control, his ability to get ahead in the count, and the way he made the Rays swing and miss so often. Ubaldo doesn't have overpowering stuff anymore but he's using what he's got left to outsmart the opposition and nowhere was that more evident than Saturday. Tampa Bay just couldn't figure him out. It was an almost perfect day for Ubaldo and it was great to see him go 8 innings, the first time he's lasted that long since his second game as an Indian, on August 10 2011 against Detroit. The win takes his overall record to 4-3 and gives him a much healthier looking 4.83 ERA, with 60 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched.

Jimenez has really turned his season around and I for one could not be happier. Credit must go to pitching coach Mickey Callaway as well, who has worked wonders fixing Ubaldo's herky-jerky mechanics and getting his head straight. Only a month ago we were debating whether to cut our losses with the Dominican pitcher, since he looked totally lost on the mound and there was no hope in sight. But Callaway and the Indians staff have performed a miracle on a Biblical scale and Jimenez looks like a new man, pitching with confidence and getting his command under control. He's a joy to watch now (most of the time, he's still a pitcher after all) and gives the Indians a legitimate chance to win every day he pitches, something you couldn't say with a straight face only a few weeks ago. I'm not ready to proclaim that Ubaldo is back, because we'll never see the dominant Jimenez of 2010 again, but at the very least I can say he's on the right path now and will have a successful future in Cleveland if he can maintain this level of performance.

Over The Hill?

Poor Rich Hill. Life as a major league relief pitcher is never easy, and is always full of inconsistencies but the 33 year-old left-hander is struggling mightily in 2013. After getting off to a decent start in Cleveland, getting us through some tough jams and pitching well in the clutch, Hill's form has nosedived off a cliff of late and he's become somewhat of a liability out of the pen now. Hill sits with a bloated 8.44 ERA, giving up 20 hits in 16 innings, with a 1.88 WHIP. He had a really tough series against the Rays; Hill got pounded Friday night after the rain delays, giving up 5 hits for 3 runs in just an inning of work. Then yesterday he came into the ballgame and gave up 3 hits for 3 runs in 2/3 of an inning, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Indians.

I know Francona levied hard to get Hill to Cleveland in the winter, and he earned his spot on the team out of Spring Training, but I think it's time the manager had a serious look at whether keeping Hill on the team is really in the Tribe's best interests right now. At the moment Hill is doing more harm than good, to himself and the team, and might benefit from a stint in Columbus to try and fix his problems on the mound. Watch this space...

Player Of The Series

I've already spoken at length about Ubaldo and I have a habit of choosing starting pitchers for this award. It would be easy to give it to Jimenez again and he's very deserving. But he wouldn't have gotten that win if it wasn't for a certain designated hitter and his big day at the plate. Our grizzled veteran Jason Giambi powered the Tribe offense on Saturday and provided the run support for Jimenez. Giambi has been red hot at the plate lately, and had a fantastic Saturday. He smashed a 2 run homer, his 5th of the year, in the second inning to give the Tribe the lead and then added an RBI single in the third to pad the lead a little bit more. Giambi now has a .203 batting average (it was a lot worse last week) with 5 HR and a pretty impressive 19 RBI in 69 at-bats. The 42 year-old has been really productive in that DH role lately and long may it continue. He's Player of the Series against the Rays, congrats old man.

The schedule doesn't relent for the Indians now, in fact it gets worse. Cleveland travel to New York today to face the Yankees and Justin Masterson (8-3, 3.07 ERA) will face-off against Andy Pettitte (4-3, 3.83 ERA), whose returning from injury. This is the start of a long and testing road-trip for the Tribe and I'm not expecting miracles; a clean split would suit me just fine. As long as we get back to Cleveland still in touch with the Tigers at the top of the division, I'll be happy.

Thanks for reading.

A Tale Of Two Tribes In Tampa

When the Tribe bats came alive in the 10-8 loss to Toronto on Thursday 4th April, I expected them to continue their hot hitting and come out blazing against the Rays. What happened? The Indians offense were shut out two games in a row, 4-0 on Friday and 6-0 on Saturday. Our bats could not touch the Rays' pitching, going completely silent. However, in the third game of the series today the Tribe woke up and unloaded on the Rays for a 13-0 whoopin'. Here's my thoughts on this series in Tampa Bay:

Our Bats Go Slowly Into The Night... Twice

Game 1 against the Rays saw Matt Moore face off against our young righty Zach McAllister and it didn't go as planned for our boys. McAllister didn't pitch too badly, lasting 6 innings and only giving up 2 earned runs but he had trouble finding the plate at times and ultimately had no support from the offense, giving him the loss. The Tribe could only muster 2 hits all night, both by Michael Bourn. After all the good feelings the Tribe   lineup carried over from that final game in Toronto, they were gone just like that, a 2 hit shut-out. Game 2 didn't go well either. Trevor Bauer, called up to replace the injured Scott Kazmir in a spot-start, made his Indians debut and proceeded to walk the first 4 Tampa batters he faced, giving up a run. From my untrained eye it didn't look as if Bauer was missing by much. Sure he was nibbling the outside of the strike-zone but the umpire was tight all night, giving nothing on the outside edge. He squeezed the strike-zone the entire game and Bauer just couldn't adapt, finishing with 7 walks in 5 innings of work and taking the loss. Just like in McAllister's outing, the offense weren't there to support Bauer, recording only 4 hits against the Rays' Alex Cobb, 5 in total. Another shut-out, this time 6-0 to the Rays. All signs pointed to the Rays sweeping us today in the final game of this 3 game series, since they had reigning AL Cy Young winner David Price, historically very good against the Tribe, up against our Justin Masterson, historically very bad against the Rays. It didn't look good for us going in. But...

BOOM! The Bats Break Out!

I've just finished watching us destroy Tampa Bay 13-0, thanks to 17 hits and 5 home runs from the re-awakened Tribe lineup. What a way to answer back to two straight shut-outs by the Rays. Shut them out right back, but in style! Mark Reynolds had a monster of a game, hitting two enormous home runs and a double. His first was a 3 run bomb off of Price in the third inning to put us ahead 4-0 and it was game over after that really. Speaking of monster games, Carlos Santana went 5-for-5 at the plate this afternoon and couldn't miss, himself hitting a long home run to right field and finishing with 3 RBI. Lonnie Chisenhall and Michael Bourn also joined the homer club, both men hitting their first HRs of the season. Chisenhall's was particularly nice, a lovely 3 RBI effort, netting me some much-needed fantasy points! It was just amazing to see the lineup hit like this, especially against David Price. The star Rays pitcher collected his Cy Young award before the game and maybe the occasion got to him a bit, because we pounded him for 10 hits and 8 earned runs in just 5 innings. Out of all the games in Tampa the past three days, it was expected that today would provide the toughest test since Price is usually so good. But it just wasn't to be, the Indians batters had his number all afternoon. You don't often see an ace get rocked like this very often. Speaking of aces...

Magnificent Masterson

Justin Masterson, starting today 1-0 with a 1.50 ERA coming off his Opening Day win in Toronto, was pretty much perfect and pitched a beauty. He quickly retired the first two Rays batters in the first inning before getting sloppy, giving up a hit and walking two men to load the bases. Thankfully he escaped unharmed and was pretty much untouchable for the rest of the game. Masterson went 7 solid innings, surrendering only 2 hits and struck out 8 batters. He had his sinker working perfectly and attacked the strike-zone mercilessly. It was fantastic to watch, reminiscent of the Masterson of 2011, he flat-out dominated the Rays today. He's now 2-0 on the season and couldn't have started 2013 any better. Keep it up Masterson, you looked like an ace today.

So we're 3-3 after six difficult games on the road, against arguably the top two teams in the AL East. I would have taken that result before the start of the season to be honest. Up next we have the Yankees coming to Cleveland tomorrow for the Tribe's home opener but I expect you won't get a post from me re-capping the Yankees series since I'm going away this week and won't be able to post. Until then...

Thanks for reading.