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2020 Series # 6 Tribe Hosts the Cubs -- Aug 11-12
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DCTribefan
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Criznit
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Hey! Marlins aren't playing too bad of ball right now lol. It's a sprint, no one is out right now. Any team that can put a 10ish win streak together starting now.. Looks pretty good..
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Well, that was a fun series. Cubs 14, Indians 3. The Tribe was totally outplayed in every phase of the game. However, it should be pointed out that the Cubs are now 12-3 and had five days off before playing the Indians which means they could go with their 1 and 2 starters. The Tribe hitters couldn't touch Lestor and Hendricks, who threw slow, slower, and slowest. The softer they toss the more the Tribe hitters flail helplessly away.
The Indians went with their #6 and #3 starters. Cookie struggled, walking five in 4.1 innings. The ump squeezed him and the Cub hitters were amazingly patient, taking pitch after pitch just a eyelash off the plate, even with two strikes. They wouldn't chase anything. Tribe pitchers ended up walking nine Cubs which is surprising given how stingy the Indians have been with walks this year.
Ollie Perez, Adam Cimber, and James Karinchak all saw their perfect 0.00 ERA's messed up by the Cubbies, who scored off every Indians pitcher.
Wierd stuff was happening in addition to the nine free passes. An Indians catcher got a base hit - the first one of the month. They won't go 0-for-August after all. Lindor got a two-out hit with RISP. He was 4-for-18 coming in. Carlos Santana did not draw a walk or even get on base. Very strange.
But some things were more familiar. The Indians outfield combined for one hit - a bloop single. Zimmer went 0-for-3 and is down to .188, so now we have six Indians outfielders below the Mendoza line: Zimmer, Mercado, Allen, Johnson, Luplow, and Domingo Santana. That has to be one of the most astonishing stats I've ever seen.
Reyes got three more hits and now has 12 in the last six games.
The team batting average is down to .192. Something is wrong with their preparation. They can't actually be this bad, right?
Another day off and it's nine straight against Detroit and Pittsburgh with six of those against Detroit. Time to find out if the Tigers are for real.
The Indians went with their #6 and #3 starters. Cookie struggled, walking five in 4.1 innings. The ump squeezed him and the Cub hitters were amazingly patient, taking pitch after pitch just a eyelash off the plate, even with two strikes. They wouldn't chase anything. Tribe pitchers ended up walking nine Cubs which is surprising given how stingy the Indians have been with walks this year.
Ollie Perez, Adam Cimber, and James Karinchak all saw their perfect 0.00 ERA's messed up by the Cubbies, who scored off every Indians pitcher.
Wierd stuff was happening in addition to the nine free passes. An Indians catcher got a base hit - the first one of the month. They won't go 0-for-August after all. Lindor got a two-out hit with RISP. He was 4-for-18 coming in. Carlos Santana did not draw a walk or even get on base. Very strange.
But some things were more familiar. The Indians outfield combined for one hit - a bloop single. Zimmer went 0-for-3 and is down to .188, so now we have six Indians outfielders below the Mendoza line: Zimmer, Mercado, Allen, Johnson, Luplow, and Domingo Santana. That has to be one of the most astonishing stats I've ever seen.
Reyes got three more hits and now has 12 in the last six games.
The team batting average is down to .192. Something is wrong with their preparation. They can't actually be this bad, right?
Another day off and it's nine straight against Detroit and Pittsburgh with six of those against Detroit. Time to find out if the Tigers are for real.
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The A.L. Central now has four teams over .500. Looks like our division may not be the creampuff some folks thought. The A.L. West has one winning team.
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I know some of you are ok with the platoons in the OF but you can't have all 3 spots be that. It's becoming a joke, every game there is a different trio out there. It's so bad they're even putting Freeman in the outfield. How soon will they give up on guys like Zimmer, Luplow, Santana? Will DJ or Bauers get a call up soon?
Deshields .300 in 10 ABs
D Santana .171 in 35 ABs
Mercado .119 in 42 ABs
Zimmer .207 in 29 ABs
Luplow .038 in 26 ABs
Hopefully Naquin plays every day and going forward and i'd love to get an extended look at DJ.
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Luplow had a back injury in summer camp so that may have affected him in the early going.
sportscoach
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Domingo has a really good arm when healthy. (He had good assist numbers in the minors, not sure why he hasnt gotten more in the pros). He didn't have that last season, with the below range out there, he was put into a bad spot when he hurt his elbow. He still isn't good at all, but way better when people don't try to get an extra base on him.
Out of the Rafters at the Q
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I've been pleasantly surprised with his play in the field. I expected him to be a DH-only player based off his numbers, but he's looked like an adequate RF.
ncinthenext3
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Zimmer sure made me look silly last night. If it weren't for a HBP, the bases might as well have been in New Mexico. He wasn't getting there.
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Five walks and five HBP's so far. That's all that keeping him afloat because his BA is under .200 with no power and he's no longer an elite fielder now that he is shying away from walls and diving for balls.
At the plate he has perfected the Brandon Guyer method of not moving on inside pitches below the belt. That and taking a walk is his best shot at getting on base. When he doesn't get walked or plunked he's 6-for-32 with five singles, a couple of them of the infield variety. He's definitely not squaring up the ball. I was hoping the new stance and approach at the plate would salvage his career but so far it's not looking like it's helping at all. He's still striking out in 40% of his at-bats.
He really needed to play every day in Columbus for half a season. The pandemic has hurt him more than maybe anybody.
Urban
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We would be so lucky to see Zimmer flash the offensive potential that Buxton has the past 2 seasons...when healthy.
TFIR
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Jason Kipnis’ Cleveland homecoming conjures up memories of World Series and more
By Zack Meisel 3h ago 9
CLEVELAND — Jason Kipnis stood on the right-field line and gazed at the scoreboard, where the Indians were flipping through a virtual scrapbook of his nine seasons with the franchise.
They featured his first major-league hit, a walk-off single that Sandy Alomar Jr. chased down so Kipnis could save the keepsake. They compiled his game-ending home runs, his diving stops at second base, his introduction at All-Star Games, his participation in postseason Budweiser bashes, his three-run homer at Wrigley Field in front of his family and a collection of conflicted but supportive friends who double as Cubs fans.
They replayed his mad dash from second base on a wild pitch during Game 7 of the World Series, a 180-foot scamper that jolted awake a sea of Tribe fans at Progressive Field. They capped the two-minute montage with highlights of his dugout dance sessions with Francisco Lindor and his 1,000th career hit, a walk-off grand slam.
When the tribute reached its conclusion, players and coaches in both dugouts stood and applauded. Kipnis spread his arms wide, then raised his cap in the air to thank the cardboard cutouts in attendance.
This wasn’t the homecoming he envisioned — on several levels. He dreamed of playing for his hometown Cubs, but he had no idea it would materialize in 2020 or that he’d be wearing that renowned royal blue upon his first visit to Cleveland as the enemy. And, of course, he never would have guessed he’d do so in an empty ballpark.
There was no standing ovation Tuesday night, aside from the people lining each dugout railing. The Indians played his walk-up song, Ookay’s “Thief,” but not until Adam Plutko had received the sign from his catcher. That only left time for a couple of swift saxophone notes. Kipnis proceeded to smack a double to right field.
Kipnis walked to the ballpark on Tuesday afternoon and was directed to hallways he never knew existed. For nearly a decade, he had grown accustomed to parking in the players’ lot, walking down a narrow staircase and navigating the tunnel that led to the home clubhouse.
“I’m like, ‘Aw, that’s what this looks like, this place?’” Kipnis said. “I’ve been in the visiting clubhouse but not the cages or the weight room or any of these little hallways, these nooks and crannies.”
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo even offered him a tour.
“(He walked) me through where ‘I celebrated here. I celebrated here,’” Kipnis said. “I’m like, ‘Thanks, buddy. I get it.’”
In the 120-year history of the franchise, only 22 players have appeared in more games in a Cleveland uniform than Kipnis. The Indians drafted him in the second round in 2009 out of Arizona State, an outfielder who ultimately converted to second base. He earned a pair of All-Star nods and regularly found his name near the top of the batting order, whether it was constructed by Manny Acta or Terry Francona.
Prior to the 2014 season, Kipnis signed a six-year, $52.5 million contract extension. The pact included a $16.5 million club option for 2020, but by the time the 2019 season arrived, both sides knew it would be Kipnis’ swan song in Cleveland.
The Indians declined the option and, well, that was that.
“My phone never rang — I’ll put it that way,” Kipnis said.
They moved on to César Hernández, who signed a one-year deal to hold down second base until Nolan Jones arrives. Kipnis signed with the Cubs in mid-February.
“I get it. It’s a business,” Kipnis said. “The longer you play, the more you learn about the business side of things. If you’re going to take everything personally, you’re going to have a lot of grudges and just have that weigh down on you.”
When Kipnis broke into the majors in 2011, he shared a clubhouse with Jack Hannahan, Matt LaPorta, Shelley Duncan, Ubaldo Jiménez and the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona. He supplanted Orlando Cabrera at second base. He forged friendships with Lonnie Chisenhall, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Carlos Santana and Josh Tomlin. He developed a close bond with Vinnie Pestano, who became his locker mate and roommate.
Kipnis evolved into part of the team’s core, alongside players such as Santana, Brantley, Corey Kluber and Yan Gomes. By the end of his tenure, another class of young players had graduated into the club’s nucleus. Many of the veteran mainstays had departed. During spring training in 2019, Kipnis joked that he needed to go locker to locker to introduce himself to all of the unfamiliar faces.
Kipnis and Carrasco have long maintained a close relationship. When Carrasco was cramming for the U.S. Citizenship test in 2016, Kipnis constantly quizzed him at their lockers and on team flights. Last summer, when Carrasco was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, he called Kipnis, who reassured him everything would be OK as he frantically sifted through Google searches to locate simple ways to explain the disease.
After Carrasco made his emotional return to the mound last September, Kipnis handed him a couple of baseballs to store as souvenirs, told him how proud he was of him and the two embraced.
They still communicate, with Kipnis regularly checking in to ask Carrasco how he feels and if he’s been taking his meds.
“I got to witness the shitty part of it, the shitty days, and there’s no other word to describe it,” Kipnis said. “You just see an awful disease taking over someone’s body. He was getting skinny, his energy was down. You can attest when you see Cookie’s energy is down, there’s something wrong. This guy is a high-energy guy and a clown to go with it.”
For the first time, they squared off in a major-league game on Wednesday. Kipnis pleaded with Carrasco to gift him “a friendship fastball” that he could yank into the right-field seats.
“The funny part is, I think it’s going behind my head,” Kipnis predicted. “I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. He wants me to charge (the mound) so I can give him a hug.”
Instead, Carrasco walked Kipnis on four pitches in their first encounter.
Kipnis made one other declaration: “If he strikes me out, he’s going to pay for it some way or another.”
With a pair of runners aboard in the fourth, Kipnis chased a curveball in the dirt, allowing Carrasco to secure a critical strikeout. Kipnis put his head down and retreated to the visitors dugout. A few minutes later, he trotted out to his position at second base, jogging through the same patch of grass where many of his new teammates formed a dogpile four years ago.
When he walks around his new home ballpark, Kipnis can’t escape reminders of 2016. He said he has to “keep reliving it,” which “kind of sucks.” He also stressed how much he enjoyed the Indians’ voyage through October that year.
“It’s years ago, but that game is never going to go away,” Kipnis said. “It’s part of who I am now, and the memories that I have (will) last a lifetime.”
In Kipnis’ final trip to the batter’s box in the series, he slapped an RBI double to left field to spoil James Karinchak’s previously unblemished ERA. Francona used to prattle on about how Kipnis was at his best when he peppered the left-field wall with opposite-field hits.
When he reached second base, Kipnis peered toward the Indians dugout and tipped the lid of his helmet.
“He (was) a good Cleveland Indian,” Francona said, “for a long time.”
By Zack Meisel 3h ago 9
CLEVELAND — Jason Kipnis stood on the right-field line and gazed at the scoreboard, where the Indians were flipping through a virtual scrapbook of his nine seasons with the franchise.
They featured his first major-league hit, a walk-off single that Sandy Alomar Jr. chased down so Kipnis could save the keepsake. They compiled his game-ending home runs, his diving stops at second base, his introduction at All-Star Games, his participation in postseason Budweiser bashes, his three-run homer at Wrigley Field in front of his family and a collection of conflicted but supportive friends who double as Cubs fans.
They replayed his mad dash from second base on a wild pitch during Game 7 of the World Series, a 180-foot scamper that jolted awake a sea of Tribe fans at Progressive Field. They capped the two-minute montage with highlights of his dugout dance sessions with Francisco Lindor and his 1,000th career hit, a walk-off grand slam.
When the tribute reached its conclusion, players and coaches in both dugouts stood and applauded. Kipnis spread his arms wide, then raised his cap in the air to thank the cardboard cutouts in attendance.
This wasn’t the homecoming he envisioned — on several levels. He dreamed of playing for his hometown Cubs, but he had no idea it would materialize in 2020 or that he’d be wearing that renowned royal blue upon his first visit to Cleveland as the enemy. And, of course, he never would have guessed he’d do so in an empty ballpark.
There was no standing ovation Tuesday night, aside from the people lining each dugout railing. The Indians played his walk-up song, Ookay’s “Thief,” but not until Adam Plutko had received the sign from his catcher. That only left time for a couple of swift saxophone notes. Kipnis proceeded to smack a double to right field.
Kipnis walked to the ballpark on Tuesday afternoon and was directed to hallways he never knew existed. For nearly a decade, he had grown accustomed to parking in the players’ lot, walking down a narrow staircase and navigating the tunnel that led to the home clubhouse.
“I’m like, ‘Aw, that’s what this looks like, this place?’” Kipnis said. “I’ve been in the visiting clubhouse but not the cages or the weight room or any of these little hallways, these nooks and crannies.”
Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo even offered him a tour.
“(He walked) me through where ‘I celebrated here. I celebrated here,’” Kipnis said. “I’m like, ‘Thanks, buddy. I get it.’”
In the 120-year history of the franchise, only 22 players have appeared in more games in a Cleveland uniform than Kipnis. The Indians drafted him in the second round in 2009 out of Arizona State, an outfielder who ultimately converted to second base. He earned a pair of All-Star nods and regularly found his name near the top of the batting order, whether it was constructed by Manny Acta or Terry Francona.
Prior to the 2014 season, Kipnis signed a six-year, $52.5 million contract extension. The pact included a $16.5 million club option for 2020, but by the time the 2019 season arrived, both sides knew it would be Kipnis’ swan song in Cleveland.
The Indians declined the option and, well, that was that.
“My phone never rang — I’ll put it that way,” Kipnis said.
They moved on to César Hernández, who signed a one-year deal to hold down second base until Nolan Jones arrives. Kipnis signed with the Cubs in mid-February.
“I get it. It’s a business,” Kipnis said. “The longer you play, the more you learn about the business side of things. If you’re going to take everything personally, you’re going to have a lot of grudges and just have that weigh down on you.”
When Kipnis broke into the majors in 2011, he shared a clubhouse with Jack Hannahan, Matt LaPorta, Shelley Duncan, Ubaldo Jiménez and the artist formerly known as Fausto Carmona. He supplanted Orlando Cabrera at second base. He forged friendships with Lonnie Chisenhall, Michael Brantley, Carlos Carrasco, Carlos Santana and Josh Tomlin. He developed a close bond with Vinnie Pestano, who became his locker mate and roommate.
Kipnis evolved into part of the team’s core, alongside players such as Santana, Brantley, Corey Kluber and Yan Gomes. By the end of his tenure, another class of young players had graduated into the club’s nucleus. Many of the veteran mainstays had departed. During spring training in 2019, Kipnis joked that he needed to go locker to locker to introduce himself to all of the unfamiliar faces.
Kipnis and Carrasco have long maintained a close relationship. When Carrasco was cramming for the U.S. Citizenship test in 2016, Kipnis constantly quizzed him at their lockers and on team flights. Last summer, when Carrasco was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, he called Kipnis, who reassured him everything would be OK as he frantically sifted through Google searches to locate simple ways to explain the disease.
After Carrasco made his emotional return to the mound last September, Kipnis handed him a couple of baseballs to store as souvenirs, told him how proud he was of him and the two embraced.
They still communicate, with Kipnis regularly checking in to ask Carrasco how he feels and if he’s been taking his meds.
“I got to witness the shitty part of it, the shitty days, and there’s no other word to describe it,” Kipnis said. “You just see an awful disease taking over someone’s body. He was getting skinny, his energy was down. You can attest when you see Cookie’s energy is down, there’s something wrong. This guy is a high-energy guy and a clown to go with it.”
For the first time, they squared off in a major-league game on Wednesday. Kipnis pleaded with Carrasco to gift him “a friendship fastball” that he could yank into the right-field seats.
“The funny part is, I think it’s going behind my head,” Kipnis predicted. “I can’t tell if he’s joking or not. He wants me to charge (the mound) so I can give him a hug.”
Instead, Carrasco walked Kipnis on four pitches in their first encounter.
Kipnis made one other declaration: “If he strikes me out, he’s going to pay for it some way or another.”
With a pair of runners aboard in the fourth, Kipnis chased a curveball in the dirt, allowing Carrasco to secure a critical strikeout. Kipnis put his head down and retreated to the visitors dugout. A few minutes later, he trotted out to his position at second base, jogging through the same patch of grass where many of his new teammates formed a dogpile four years ago.
When he walks around his new home ballpark, Kipnis can’t escape reminders of 2016. He said he has to “keep reliving it,” which “kind of sucks.” He also stressed how much he enjoyed the Indians’ voyage through October that year.
“It’s years ago, but that game is never going to go away,” Kipnis said. “It’s part of who I am now, and the memories that I have (will) last a lifetime.”
In Kipnis’ final trip to the batter’s box in the series, he slapped an RBI double to left field to spoil James Karinchak’s previously unblemished ERA. Francona used to prattle on about how Kipnis was at his best when he peppered the left-field wall with opposite-field hits.
When he reached second base, Kipnis peered toward the Indians dugout and tipped the lid of his helmet.
“He (was) a good Cleveland Indian,” Francona said, “for a long time.”
