2020 Series #11 Indians @ Cardinals, Aug. 28-30

[Phil Mixtape]

Sloppy game from both teams. Sole possession of first for the moment . . .

 

[bob2the2nd]

Cards are exhausted and it shows

 

[Chris]

Missed it of course.

Anyone smelling a WORLD SERIES baby?!

 

[xmasbuck]

Another one

Does anyone teach baserunning anymore?

i think it's an internet course - ball clubs ask you to take it and show them the certificate you got at the end

 

[LL3]

Seriously — that is pretty awesome to pull out this victory today. Ugly in lots of places on the bases and at the plate, but the Tribe found a way. Excellent pitching and defense, again. Hand deserves credit for getting it done after that wild pitch...Handled yet again.

 

[Out of the Rafters at the Q]

And that is a cop out to let players off the hook for not being able to execute one of the most fundamental parts of the game. I understand what you are saying because the bunt is not a part of the game any more but that doesn't make it right. And, as you have seen, it may cost us.

I don't understand what you're saying.

It's not a cop out. I never said players shouldn't be better at bunting.

But managers often assume that a bunt is automatic. It's not. Even if you put the bat on the ball, there's still a chance the defense stops what your intention was.

 

[xmasbuck]

Missed it of course.

Anyone smelling a WORLD SERIES baby?!

one of our posters did it last january?

 

[xmasbuck]

batters 4-the end went 1 for 24 today for us (we win!)

Hand - 3 pitches, 3 outs (cough, cough)

 

[MirORich]

Cardinals somehow found a way to out-mistake us in situational hitting/baserunning

0 out, runner at third and both guys pound first pitch ground balls on pitches that were set up to be ground balls/swings and misses/or low balls

Didn’t give the pitcher, who had just wild pitched the baserunner to third, a chance to sweat and make his own grave.

 

[Derek]

I don't understand what you're saying.

It's not a cop out. I never said players shouldn't be better at bunting.

But managers often assume that a bunt is automatic. It's not. Even if you put the bat on the ball, there's still a chance the defense stops what your intention was.

To add, there’s also a non-insignificant chance that an crested by swinging away will result in the runner moving over.

Or that the next guy gets a hit that would have scored the guy from second anyways.

If the hitter is so bad that you think they should be bunting in that situation, then they probably shouldn’t be in the game regardless.

 

[ncinthenext3]

Don't agree. He got a good pitch in a 3-1 count, and made decent contact.

I was referring to them taking off the bunt when the count reached 3 0. I guess that's baseball though. Your a genius if he gets a hit. You're not if he makes an out and you don't move the runners over. Which is of course what happened.

 

[Urban]

Perhaps the discussion of the demise of Starter Carlos Carrasco was premature?

I get the concern especially with his condition and one good start doesn't swing it all the way back per se, but Cookie seemingly has a 3-4 game rough stretch every season where he gets beat up on. Hopefully this year is much of the same and the worst of it is behind him.

 

[Otsego Mar]

Perhaps the discussion of the demise of Starter Carlos Carrasco was premature?

I get the concern especially with his condition and one good start doesn't swing it all the way back per se, but Cookie seemingly has a 3-4 game rough stretch every season where he gets beat up on. Hopefully this year is much of the same and the worst of it is behind him.

Agreed

 

[petes999]

Cards are exhausted and it shows

Yeah, when Molina gets caught off base ... he should know better to not wait on (or argue) an umpire call and then get back on base when the call is made by two of them. He was just frustrated/tired. They barely give him a break with all the games.

I almost feel bad for them as their bullpen is just taking a beating. 67 pitches on Thurs, 190 yesterday and 120 today. Now, they rotated many of the relievers from Friday night and they have Wainwright going tomorrow (has thrown 2 90+ pitch games vs 40/60 pitches before today from Flaherty). Yet, they are not going to have much left come playoffs if they wear them all out over the next 4-5 weeks.

There comes a time though for the Indians that you are going to have to give Johnson and Mercado another chance (if they don't pull a trade in 2 days).... You can say that we don't have time to develop our youngsters in a 2 month season but putting D Santana out there to put up (his best BA that I could find) 8 for 32 over the last 11 games (so .250 BA) is not helping either. This is generous as as if I added 3 games before that (for 14 games) he is 8 for 40 for .200 BA and 3 for 22 over past 7 games for .136 BA and .152 for the month. Kind of hard to figure out why we keep on putting him out there when you got to squint really hard to find evidence and some hope that he can find his original swing.

And, as I am finishing this, Akiyama just got doubled up (as he stopped between 1st and 2nd) on a foul ball that rolled back fair just in front of 1st ... When will these guys learn what we teach our kids ... run it out till you hear the Umps can fair or foul. This is the basics that we teach 8-10 year olds ...

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Fortunately for us the Cardinals are idiots. First, in the bottom of the 10th DeJong failed to tag and move to third base with nobody out on Goldschmidt's 400-foot drive to the warning track in center. Unbelievable. Then the brain fart on the game's final play where the runner just froze between third and home. Their manager must be ready to dump a load of bats in the shower like in Bull Durham, except that nobody is showering at the ball park this year.

On top of that was the pitching to Naquin leading off the 12th. If they had any scouting report on Tyler they would know he loves the low breaking ball but can't square up a fastball up in the zone. They got a pitcher throwing 98 who gets two strikes on him with heaters. So what do they do on a 2-2 count? Throw him a changeup at the knees, which he deposits into the gap in right-center to drive in the winning run.

Same formula; pitching, defense, and a little timely hitting. The defense came on Lindor snagging that short-hop screamer in the 12th to save a run and on Allen alertly dropping that foul ball that would have ended the game with a Cardinals' win. Yeah, right. I was screaming at him to let it drop because even if he catches it in fair territory the runner scores easily from third.

We got lucky. They picked up Karinchak who got his first blown save, if I'm not mistaken. Awesome job by Maton, Ollie, Wittgren and Hand. And Cookie was outstanding, allowing only two hits in six innings, a huge improvement over his last three outings. It came against a really weak offense, though.

I'm getting tired of seeing the Indians get a run in the first inning and then going eight scoreless. Only today it was 10 scoreless and they needed to start the inning with a runner on second to get a run in. By the way, if not for that rule this game might still be going in the 18th inning with the score 1-1.

It's time for Sandy Leon and Berto to stop trying to take an extra base. Berto got thrown out last night trying to stretch a single into a double and Leon got thrown out at the plate when he should have been stopped at third, loading the bases with one out and Lindor coming up. The ball was in the centerfielder's glove when Leon was still two steps from third base. He had no chance. Ridiculous to send him there with the 3-4-5 coming up. The centerfielder threw a 91-mph heave that cut Leon down by 10 feet. Memo to the Indians - Berto and Sandy are S-L-O-W.

This has been quite the series for boneheaded decisions on the basepaths by both teams.

DeShields tried to steal third and was out by a mile. WTF?

The Indians are now 17-0 in games where they lead after six innings. And they are alone in first place in the A.L. Central. Woo-hoo!