7:29 OK, I think Blogger is back to working now.
Yes, those last two pitchers to Hafner were outside. But none of those pitches to Manny were even close.
7:31 Ah, there's the real Ryan Garko.
Bases loaded, nobody out. Varitek up.
7:36 Well, this isn't going to work for very long, but Westbrook gets Coco to roll into the 6-6-3 DP, and somehow gets out of the jam without a run scoring.
Rockies turned DPs in each of the first three innings last night, didnt' they? (I am not comparing the defenses of Cleveland and Colorado. Or Peralta and Tulowitzki. I am not insane).
Scoreless after 1.5.
7:42 Garko may be completely useless in the field, but the man can hit.
22 pitches, 12 strikes from Matsuzaka. He was at about 4.5 BB/9 in the last two months of the year. Something to keep an eye on.
7:45 Peralta goes down without much of a fight. Two dead, Kenny up.
7:46 LOFTON HITS ONE OUT TO RIGHT CENTER.
7:47 I normally hate these silly nicknames they come up with, but you could do worse than "The Mayor" for Kenny.
That ball just got out.
7:49 Nice play by Lugo. Needless to say, Mr. Peralta does not make that play.
2-0 Indians after two. That's enough of the "Cleveland Rocks" nonsense. I think they've played that after each inning the Indians have scored.
7:54 A 1-2-3, "two-minute" top of the third from Westbrook.
Next inning will be different, with Ortiz-Ramirez-Lowell. Although maybe he'll pull a "Mastny".
Probably not.
7:56 Keith Law is doing a chat during the game. Sample question:
"joshua (florida): are the indians for real or is it just luck!"
So yes, I would suggest you stay here.
7:58 "It's amazing that "pulling a Mastny" has been redefined away from "giving up four runs after you've come in with the bases loaded"." -Brian
I enjoyed that.
7:59 Eh...maybe, hoody. I guess there's a chance Gutierrez gets to that.
8:00 By the way, the comments are "moderated" only so e-mails pop up on my Google Talk thing every time someone comments. You would have to say something really dumb for me to reject it. Consider that a challenge, I guess.
Two outs, nobody on for Asdrubal.
8:02 Asdrubal swings at ball four, but ropes it into center anyway.
8:03 Please let me know if Buck or McCarver says something unusually dumb, I'm really not listening.
29 strikes, 22 balls for Matsuzaka. 2-0 on Pronk.
8:06 'Man, poor Keith Law. One has to wonder if "joshua (florida)" isnt' really "Steve P (Bristol)""-NSchaef
Victor up with two outs and two on. This works.
8:10 After falling behind 3-1, Matsuzaka gets Victor on some kind of crazy offspeed pitch.
Big inning for Westbrook coming up.
8:11 More from the Law chat:
Will (NJ): Who is the most overrated player in baseball?
Keith Law: (8:06 PM ET ) David Eckstein.Nathan (Seattle): OMG give Eckstein a break! I can think of a ton of people who deserve "the most overrated" tag!
Keith Law: (8:08 PM ET ) I'll take nominations.8:14 Ortiz lofts a ball of the monster, terribly played by Lofton, but Ortiz isn't about to go for three. Manny up.
8:15 Matsuzaka's 3-2 pitch to Victor was a slider, apparently. A pretty damn good one, too.
8:16 That 0-2 pitch to Manny was a strike. That's ridiculous.
1-2 pitch was close, but that's a ball. 2-2 now. Uh oh.
8:17 Well there's a break. Manny's GB hits Ortiz, who shouldn't be running on that to begin with. The non-strikeout actually helped the Indians.
8:19 Lowell crushes the 1-1 pitch down the LF line, but foul.
8:20 Go ahead, send Ramirez. Please.
8:23 Lowell's GB catches, Garko, inning over.
8:24 Agreed on the Buck comment, NSchaef. I'd say he's pitching more like a 7-8 pitcher right now. Buck was WAY off.
8:25 Gameday screen grab on the right is Manny's AB.
No, this is not at all necessary. But look at "3". Come on.
8:29 Stop wasting everyone's time, Jhonny.
8:30 More ESPN.com chat (re: Ortiz, obviously):
Hank (Texas): Was he called out because it hit him? Are these kickball rules now?
8:31 Kenny rolls out weakly to second.
7-8-9 coming up for the Sox.
8:37 "Opportunity for Grady Sizemore to have a coming out party on national TV."
He was on the cover of SI in May. That is all.
8:38 Five shutout innings on 63 pitches from Westbrook? Really?
Top of the order for the Sox next inning still terrifies me. Nixon-Blake-Sizemore coming up for CLE. Matsuzaka at 73 pitches, 42 strikes.
8:43 BREAKING NEWS FROM KEN ROSENTHAL: Bill Stoneman out as Angels GM. Stepping aside, will become a consultant with the club.
Wow, I started typing that as a joke, but that is actual news.
8:46 Sorry, haven't had a post about the *game* in eight minutes.
Blake singles sharply to left, Sizemore up.
8:47 Wow, excellent job by Blake. Gets down to second on a ball that barely got away from Varitek.
8:48 In Firefox, I have all my bookmarks right above the "tabs", and am constantly clicking bookmarks when trying to switch tabs. Does this happen to anyone else, or am I just an idiot?
Full count to Grady.
8:50 Brian, re: wild pitch: it bounced, didn't it? If it hits the dirt before getting to the catcher, it's always a WP, regardless of whether he should have made the play or not.
Grady walks. 91 pitches, 51 strikes for Matsuzaka. Timlin starts to get loose.
8:51 Yeah, Hermano, but it's so much easier to just click the buttons on the toolbar, as opposed to clicking on "Bookmarks", then finding it.
2-1 on Asdrubal.
8:53 Brian I'm not saying this is *fair*, this is just how it works. It's also not really fair to penalize the SS when he makes a decent throw and the 1B misses an easy pick, but that's what happens.
Asdrubal singles up the middle. Blake scores, Sizemore to third. Pronk up. Timlin?
8:55 That first pitch to Hafner was a foot outside.
8:56 Wow, unbelievable play by Pedroia. Called safe at first, but it was really, really close. I hate to agree with McCarver, but I think that's the right call.
8:57 Does telling Youk to play behind Hafner really make Francona "clued in". I mean, I guess? Isn't this something he's getting paid a lot of money to do?
8:58 Victor throws the bat at the ball and drops one into left. That's it for Matsuzaka.
8:59 "Thank you for registering for a chance to purchase tickets for potential 2007 World Series games at Jacobs Field. Unfortunately, your entry was not selected for this ticket offer."
Damn it!
9:02 "Joel Skinner, the third base coach, reminding the base runners there are two out."
This man is clued in!
9:03 "Garko with a .500 average with two out in this postseason."
Meaningful. I'm sure that's a large sample. 3 for 6?
9:06 Garko strikes out on a good pitch moving down and away from Garko. Ball four, but hard to lay off that one.
Big inning here for Westbrook.
9:10 Oh, and "Cleveland Rocks" again after the Indians' half of the inning. Necessary.
Pedroia grounds out.
9:13 Hermano: Yeah, that bothers me as well. I tried to fix it. Failed. I'll try again between innings.
9:14 Ortiz walks, after swinging 3-0. Two on, one out for Manny.
Could be 4-3 by the time you read this.
9:15 That is the correct pronunciation of the Indians' GM's name, hoody. It's usually "sha-pee-roh", but not for him.
2-0 on Manny.
9:16 Lewis and Perez warming in the Cleveland 'pen. 3-1 to Manny.
9:17 To be fair, the 3-0 to Manny was inside.
9:18 "Joe Buck's huge analysis - 'Manny Ramirez is really good.' I am stunned." -NSchaef
Manny fouls off the 3-2. This is not a fair fight.
6-4-3 DP. To quote someone (Brian?) from G2: What are the lottery numbers for tomorrow, Jake? He does get a lot of GBs, but tonight has been quite the high-wire act.
"Blogger is currently unavailable." Great.
9:25 I'm going to keep blogging, even if I can't "Publish" anything now.
The game better not get rained out tomorrow. That would be horrible.
I missed it, but apparently they said Wakefield had a "great year". 4.76 ERA. Right.
9:27 In case I somehow haven't made this clear, I think the Red Sox are idiots for not pitching Beckett tomorrow. And the D'Backs not pitching Webb tonight is even better. Does anyone disagree on this?
9:29 Timlin pitches a 1-2-3 sixth. They should definitely put Gutierrez in right now. Good point, Hermano. (And Gameday now says that's what they're doing. Nice.)
Westbrook at 82 pitches. Lowell, Drew, Varitek coming up. He'll obviously come back out, but he's got to be on a short leash here. He had to be pulled if the Sox get two on.
9:31 A little late, but final line on Matsuzaka: 4.2IP, 6H, 4R, 4ER, 2BB, 6K, 1HR, 101 pitches, 59 strikes. I obsess about K:BB ratio, but that's really, really misleading. I don't know how he only walked two guys. He's was pretty bad tonight.
Drew singles up the middle. One on, one out for Varitek. A ground ball here would be a nice way to end Westbrook's night.
9:35 Varitek hits a two run bomb to straight away center. I didn't think it would come from him, but something like that was going to happen eventually.
And they're leaving Westbrook in. Why? I do not know.
9:37 Westbrook gets a questionable call on a 3-1 pitch to Coco. That ball was outside.
9:39 Crisp strikes out; the Sox really got screwed on that 3-1 call. Strike zone has been inconsistent both ways all night. Which is fine- not like these games are important.
9:42 Lugo reaches on an infield single. That's it for Westbrook; Lewis coming in to face Pedroia as the tying run.
9:43 And yes, Hermano, Asdrubal probably makes that play.
9:47 Hoody, my problem with Webb not pitching tonight is that you KNOW you have to win four more games, so why not have your ace pitch two of them, even if one is one three days' rest?
9:49 I actually get up to get water/go to the bathroom/pace around between most innings, SportsGirl (see how many hits you get from THAT. Three?).
9:50 After fouling off four 2-2 pitches, Pedroia Ks on a 93mph fastball. Lewis for the 8th, Betancourt for the 9th, with Perez matching up with a lefty in between?
I can dream, no?
9:57 I know he can't hit, but Lugo seems pretty good at short. Or maybe I've just been watching Peralta for too long.
10:00 Sizemore crushes one, but to dead center. Coco catches it on the run.
10:01 Asdrubal pops up.
Youk-Ortiz-Manny coming up. Don't know if they'll go with Lewis or Betancourt.
I would probably keep Lewis in there, and play it batter by batter from there. He's pretty damn good.
10:03 Although, if JoeBo is coming into the ninth regardless, I bet Wedge goes with Betancourt.
And yes, Gameday says that's exactly what he's doing.
10:06 "Rumor has it that Joe Morgan just explained that he is in "the mistake by the Jake". Sorry, but the only mistake by the Jake is sitting in the ESPN Radio booth, and was a hall-of-fame second baseman." -Brian
I am so confused. What did he refer to as the "mistake by the Jake"?
10:07 Freaking Youk and these long ABs. Five straight foul balls, four with two strikes.
10:09 Jon Miller: "It's 10 o'clock here in Cleveland, right near the shores of Lake Erie."
Joe Morgan: "The Mistake by the Jake."
Someone send this in to FJM, please.
Betancourt strikes out Youk. Finally. Now Ortiz doesn't come up as the tying run.
10:10 Ortiz lines one to right, but Gutierrez is there. Now Manny doesn't come up as the tying run. This lineup is so absurd.
10:13 Betancourt leaves one over the middle of the plate, but Manny pops it to Asdrubal.
Will be Lowell, Drew, Varitek in the ninth. Trying not to think about that.
How about some insurance? Hafner-Victor-Garko coming up. Against Delcarmen? I have no idea. Probably Delcarmen.
10:15 " He Mastny'd 'em!" -Brian
That he did. I really like this new term.
10:18 Okajima threw 12 pitches last inning, and threw 30 in G2. Surprised by this, but not that much so.
One out. 3-0 on Victor.
10:22 Catching up on Law's chat...
Keith Law: (9:03 PM ET ) This strike zone is comically bad.Pratik (Seattle): What do you think of Fox's broadcast team??
Keith Law: (9:05 PM ET ) I have the sound off. Next question.10:22 "they could find better announcers but Buck's a legacy and i dunno for mccarver but theres gotta be something political there. god knows its not based off skill or knowledge." -hoody
Completely agree. I think they know these guys are terrible, but what do they really have to gain by getting somebody better?
There's still a game going on, by the way. Delcarmen in to face Garko.
10:24
Dane (Cleveland): How does Jacobs Field rank among best home crowds?
Keith Law: (9:19 PM ET ) Near the top - especially because when I was there, there were a ton of good-looking women in the stands who were there with other women, not there with boyfriends.That's awesome.
Garko isn't going to get a hit because there aren't two outs. Remember, he's a .429 hitter (or something) with two outs. In the postseason.
See! Garko Ks on a 95mph FB. Peralta.
10:26 Shockingly, Peralta Ks on three pitches. 3Ks tonight for Jhonny.
These last three outs are going to be miserable. If they even happen, that is.
10:29 I HATE this he has "gotten the job done" nonsense. He led the league in saves, yes, I know. He led the league in opportunities by even more!
10:31 One out.
10:32 Drew isn't exactly getting fooled. 1-2.
10:33 Drew lofts one into center. Two outs.
I'm not even a little bit confident.
10:34 2-2 on Varitek.10:35 Foul.
10:35 Full count.
Come on, don't walk him. Coco on deck.
10:36 Foul.
10:36 Ugh. I thought that was it. Varitek pops one up but it gets out of play.
10:37 Foul. That was the ninth pitch, I believe.
10:38 Varitek pops it up to Blake.
Exhale.
10:41 Never got around to this, but final line from Westbrook: 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2R, 3BB, 2K, 1HR, 104 pitches, 66 strikes, 3 GIDP.
The DPs (which aren't exactly rare for Westbrook, a GB pitcher, but three is a lot), allowed him to get by while allowing ten base runners.
Rockies game has started over on TBS.
10:57 "See y'all tomorrow. (...right?)" -Brian
Yeah, sure, why not. Tomorrow at "8pm". Wakefield vs. Byrd, unless the Sox change their mind about starting Beckett on short rest.
Boy, I hope they don't.
Thanks for all the comments, and sorry I somehow missed seven of them, which ended up never getting moderated.
69 comments:
I'd love to see that corner called for Westbrook. Because, he got it twice.
That sucked, but it looked really comical.
Gotta love the Lofton finger-wag at Manny Being Manny.
The risk guy was funny the first million times. Now? Enough, already.
And he's followed by Dane Cook. This could be the worst one-two punch of pitchmen in the history of commercial broadcasting.
It's bad when Tim McCarver is explaining arithmetic, isn't it?
KEN-NY! KEN-NY! KEN-NY! KEN-NY! KEN-NY!
Game of inches.
And the two-out RBI machine strikes again. Maybe they should just put two outs on the scoreboard every time Lofton comes up to bat no matter how many men really are out.
Actually, it sounds like they play it after almost every inning. Very annoying.
It's amazing that "pulling a Mastny" has been redefined away from "giving up four runs after you've come in with the bases loaded".
that ball woulda been caught if drew could run
My life is enriched by knowing that Asdrubal was Hannibal's brother. So now we have McCarver teaching arithmetic and Buck with world civ...what's next, a home ec lesson from Chris Myers?
Man, poor Keith Law. One has to wonder if "joshua (florida)" isnt' really "Steve P (Bristol)"
McCarver: That's Pedroia of course.
Of course.
Are the umps extra miked? I can hear them scratch themselves just about.
What's with the Dice-K hump before he throws from the windup? I know Japanese pitchers are required by contract to have an abnormal delivery. But really, the mid-air hump?
Just in this half-inning, Buck and McCarver have talked to Myers (who was talking off the air) even though viewers couldn't hear what Myers was saying, we've learned that Asdrubal is a B-list historical figure, and McCarver's called Pedroia "Asdrubal Cabrera". And this is in a half-inning! They're really en fuego tonight.
I know Victor was just trying to make it 5-0, but we could have really lived with 3-0.
I mean, the 3-1 pitch he clearly was going for the fences, but that pitch on 3-2 was some crazy japanese voodoo shit I've never seen before.
What? COME ON!
Ortiz not clutch in the slightest
That hurt Ortiz more than it hurt us.
"Westbrook was 6-9 this season, not pitching like those numbers at all." - Joe Buck.
I don't even know where to begin.
Here's an idea:
2006 Roger Clemens: 7-6.
ERA: 2.30
I realize this is a bit of an exaggeration but what the fuck duders
From someone on another blog: "Big Papi got hit in his little papi."
My wife is still in stitches for some reason over that line.
Spelling lessons from McCarver. T-H-A-N-K-S.
Kickball rules. Because it would have been fair for Ortiz to just grab the ball and run away with it, daring the diminuitive Asdrubal Cabrera to forcibly take it from him.
Also, thrilling interview with the Red Sox pitching coach. "Well we had the day off yesterday, our bullpen is at full strenghth."
MY GOD! THE INSIGHT!
hank is my hero
do people really not know who sizemore is? i mean sure people who only watch the playoffs or something, but anyone who has seriously watched baseball in like the last three years will know who he is. is it just the announcers who have no idea who he is? maybe im just unaware as to how much people dont pay attention.
I could live without ever seeing the Garmin commercial with the dork who wants to date his GPS again, if for no other reason that my wife inevitably breaks into "Total Eclipse of the Heart" every freakin' time.
Can I get a job as a "team consultant"? That has to be one of the best jobs ever.
So, what do you think of this, Bob?
Sounds okay.
Great, we'll take your vote into consideration.
Did he really have to show up to the team picture stoned?
How in the world was that scored a wild pitch when Varitek had it in his glove and it fell out?
Vegas - Happens to me all the time, that's why I removed that toolbar. Otherwise I constantly browse away from pages that I want to be at.
Fair enough on the wild pitch. I just thought it was a little unfair to ding the pitcher with a wild pitch when the catcher caught it then lost it...but then again, that's why I'm commenting and you're blogging.
Vegas - I actually very rarely use the bookmarks. I bookmark stuff that I want to get back to later. Stuff that I go to often, I just type into the bar and use the Firefox history to get to pages.
Sounds a little asinine, but for some reason it works faster for me. And keeps me from accidentally clicking on those buttons.
"Garko with a 500 average with two out this postseason" - Joe Buck
What is that, Joe? 4 at bats? 6? 10 at most? God.
Could you update us more? I need a report from you every 23 seconds please.
what is on timlin's hat? that can't be sweat, can it?
If you're keeping score at home, Garko is now hitting .429 with two outs.
I'd expect Math Professor McCarver to return with that fact in the top of the 6th.
And that's huge, brian, because as we all know, runs scored with two outs count for three times as much as other runs.
Vegas, ever since you posted the clip from the email, your font has changed. I'm so OCD.
The Presidents of the United States of America are making a freaking fortune every time the Indians score in an inning.
is that really how you pronounce shapiro? i alway thought it was sha- pee-row as opposed to sha-pie-row
Manny Ramirez' strike zone has disappeared.
Joe Buck's huge analysis - "Manny Ramirez is really good."
I am stunned.
The 3-0 had me, as 50 cent would say, "puzzled" as well.
There was a news guy in Cleveland (he may still be there...not sure) named Adam Shapiro who pronounced name with the long I as well. Maybe it's a Cleveland thing.
Thanks Jhonny. Inning could have been over.
pitching wake over beckett is absolutely retarded. wake is coming off an injury. beck on three day rest is better than wake pitching without the whole injury problem. taking the risk is ill advised and doesn't get you anything even if it works out because beckett comes back on full rest regardless. its esspecially dumb if the sox lose tonight. i think the webb thing isn't quite as dumb, seeing as the rox beat him on full rest but its still the wrong choice in my opinion.
Well, I guess my envelope of money didn't get through to the umps. They cannot give borderline pitches, and when they do, it's random.
You must really have to pee right now.
no, i agree about webb, its better to throw him twice more but i mean he seems a lot more beatable than beckett right now. BUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!
This sideline reporting needs an emmy. Really, I love sideline reporting in general. Really helps out.
I saw that too. Lugo has made some really good plays out there. Sometimes it seems you can't get the ball out of the outfield on a ground ball.
Makes me really appreciate a slow fat shortstop.
OK, time to pull a Mastny. (It's painful to type that. Really, it is.)
Rumor has it that Joe Morgan just explained that he is in "the mistake by the Jake". Sorry, but the only mistake by the Jake is sitting in the ESPN Radio booth, and was a hall-of-fame second baseman.
Brian: Buuuuurn.
Jon Miller: "It's 10 o'clock here in Cleveland, right near the shores of Lake Erie."
Joe Morgan: "The Mistake by the Jake."
Decide for yourself what he meant.
Good Christ. That is the hardest hit liner I've ever seen.
How is it that Buck and McCarver is the best that Fox can do? Do they really think these guys are good?
I realize it's a really close call, but Manny Ramirez just doesn't have an outside corner - he has an enormous inside corener, apparently, though.
Nice job by Betancourt, although this sets up a Borowski 9th. I haven't eaten in 12 hours, but I'm really tempted to wait even longer to see the comedy that is Joe Borowski.
He Mastny'd 'em!
You know that new lingo gets traction during the playoffs, because...
...all together now...
THERE'S ONLY ONE OCTOBERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!
No Delcarmen, I think we're all surprised to see Okajima out there for the 8th.
they could find better announcers but Buck's a legacy and i dunno for mccarver but theres gotta be something political there. god knows its not based off skill or knowledge.
Oh God. Borowski time.
Don't forget, Garko won't have a chance to add to his .429-with-two-outs-in-the-postseason-under-a-full-moon-when-the-buzzards-are-in-Hinckley average tomorrow (at least, not early in the game) because Shoppach will be catching Byrd, in all likelihood.
i know i shouldnt complain but no one is saying anything (the announcers)
Can I get a defibrillator to Raleigh, NC stat? I need to restart my heart.
Joe Buck: "Perfect 1-2-3 ninth."
I guess if you want to call it that, Joe.
And the best news: I might actually be half-awake at work at 5:30 tomorrow morning.
See y'all tomorrow. (...right?)
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