Cleveland Indians & MLB

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:21 pm

Rubber match in the series has a start time of 3:35 PM EST.

Pitching Matchup is favoring the Angels today, unfortunate for us. But hey, we've faced a load of adversity so far this season so hopefully the offense will rebound and give Sowers plenty of support.

Cleveland
Jeremy Sowers (0-2) 5.87 ERA. 8 K, 12 BB, 1.57 WHIP
...Career against LAA (0-0) 14 IP, 2.57 ERA, 5 K, 0 BB

Angels
Kelvim Escobar (3-1) 2.84 ERA, 22 K, 11 BB, 1.17 WHIP
...Career against CLE (5-3) 3.78 ERA, 56 K, 34 BB, 1.43 WHIP

Sowers has had success against the Angels but he is struggling this year and Escobar is pitching very well. He is a strikeout pitcher so he will be at his best against the Tribe, who strikes out plenty.

Clearly, the Indians don't hit Escobar very well (check today's starting lineup)

Starting Lineups

Cleveland (Career Vs. Escobar)
1. Grady Sizemore CF (2-5, HR, 2 BB)
2. Casey Blake 3B (3-16, 4 K)
3. Travis Hafner DH (6-14, HR)
4. Victor Martinez C (3-11, 2 K)
5. Trot Nixon RF (8-30, HR, 4 2B, 8 BB)
6. Jhonny Peralta SS (0-6, 4 K, ouch)
7. David Dellucci LF (1-10, 5 K, ouch)
8. Ryan Garko 1B (0-0)
9. Mike Rouse 2B (0-0)

Anaheim (Career Vs. Sowers)
1. Reggie Willitz LF (1-3)
2. Orlando Cabrera SS (2-7, 2B, SB)
3. Vladimir Guerrero DH (3-6, HR, SB)
4. Robb Quinlan 1B (2-6, 2B)
5. Gary Matthews Jr CF (0-3) K
6. Erick Aybar 2B (0-0)
7. Tommy Murphy RF (0-0)
8. Jose Molina C (1-3)
9. Chone Figgins 3B (0-0)

Weather Report
As of 1:45 EST, it is 68 Degrees with a high of 82 and Hazy in Anaheim with 56% humidity and looks to be precipitation free for days

Split Stats
The Angels best hitting batters against LHP are:
Reggie Willits (8-19) .421 AVG, 4 BB, 1 K, 1 SB
Maicer Izturis (8-20) .400 AVG, 1 HR, 7 RBI
Vlad Guerrero (9-29) .310 AVG, 2 HR, 6 RBI, 1 SB

The Indians have two hitters with an AVG over .300 against RHP
Victor Martinez .354
Trot Nixon .338

Three players with 4 HR homeruns against RHP
Jhonny Peralta
Travis Hafner
Victor Martinez
Grady Sizemore 2

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:30 pm

2 things...

(1) Swerb or Consig, you think you can put a sticky on this for a few hours??

(2) What sort of things would you guys like to see added to the game previews/threads, which I have been doing for the last several games.

by **Steve Buffum** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:37 pm

dmcdougal wrote:(2) What sort of things would you guys like to see added to the game previews/threads, which I have been doing for the last several games.

I should point out that this is greatly appreciated, thanks.

Any chance of a weather report, you know like the temperature and wind and chance of rain? I don't know if you have access to that.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 2:41 pm

You're talking to the king.. I'll edit my original post and put it in there

by **Get_Wedge_Out_NOW!** » Thu May 10, 2007 3:09 pm

so will sowers prove me wrong and show hes better then carmona?

I sure hope so

either way my opinion is this:

if sowers fails to progress this season and fails to CLEARLY be better then carmona id keep carmona if i was managing.

but thats just me

GO TRIBE

by **Get_Wedge_Out_NOW!** » Thu May 10, 2007 3:10 pm

dmcdougal wrote:2 things...

(1) Swerb or Consig, you think you can put a sticky on this for a few hours??

(2) What sort of things would you guys like to see added to the game previews/threads, which I have been doing for the last several games.

have a sign up list for Game Time Threads

its real fun cuz ive volunteered to GT on other sports site for my teams and it fun to do cuz i decorate it with logos and pics and the MLB pregame and all that good stuff

its kinda like an art lol

by **swerb** » Thu May 10, 2007 3:21 pm

dmcdougal wrote:2 things...

(1) Swerb or Consig, you think you can put a sticky on this for a few hours??

(2) What sort of things would you guys like to see added to the game previews/threads, which I have been doing for the last several games.

McDoog ... I stickied it for you. Both Tony and I will make a point to sticky these every day as we see them go up.

On your second question, I love the weather report and lineups. I also like action shots of the starting pitchers, and a scouting report of the opponents starter if you can find one via a search engine.

Other things like starter stats vs the opponent, what has happened in the two teams previous games so far this year (more relevant as we get further into the season), who's hot/who's not ... etc.

Thanks again to everyone who has invested the time to start, enhance, and participate in these game threads.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 3:42 pm

Editing post to remove lineups since dmc edited the original.

I'd love to take two of 3 in Anaheim. Being 4-3 on this trip would be quite nice after today.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:18 pm

made some changes to my preview, included some of the things that you all requested.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:31 pm

Why is Barfield the only guy that ever gets a day off?

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:35 pm

Interesting note for those Victor Martinez defense haters....

Opponents are 21/21 against Josh Bard this season on SB attempts

Tribe has the Navy Blue on?? nice, my favorite.. too bad I can't watch the game

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:42 pm

That was quick.

I could deal with Grady's strikeouts last year, but this year they are really pissing me off.

Hafner's had some really pathetic swings lately. Can we please give him a day off?

by **StewieG** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:42 pm

Angels in red, Tribe in blue. No traditional colors today. But I do like those navy blue unis the tribe wears. Liked them even better in the mid-90's without the shadow letters. In fact, I liked the entire set of mid-90's uniforms better than the current ones. Wish they'd go back to them.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:43 pm

dmcdougal wrote:Interesting note for those Victor Martinez defense haters....

Opponents are 21/21 against Josh Bard this season on SB attempts

Tribe has the Navy Blue on?? nice, my favorite.. too bad I can't watch the game

I'd say 70% of the bases they take on Victor are the pitcher's fault. Some of our pitchers couldn't keep Cecil Fielder close to first.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:47 pm

Good inning for Sowers. Maybe he'll turn it around today.

by **pup** » Thu May 10, 2007 4:54 pm

Looks like the impatient Indians showed up today....

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:11 pm

I guess Rouse isn't used to being on base.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:15 pm

here comes the Sowers meltdown the second time through the lineup.

by **pup** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:20 pm

Walking Vlad here, correct?

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:23 pm

Sowers has no out pitch. At all.

by **pup** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:24 pm

Really, Rob Freaking Quinlan?

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:25 pm

Sweet, Gary Matthews hurts us again.

Come on Jeremy.

by **pup** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:26 pm

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:40 pm

Man, when Sowers is bad this year, he is bad. When he's good, he's mediocre.

by **Hoover** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:43 pm

Time to pull him, Wedge. What are you waiting for?

They steal home. This sucks.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:43 pm

This is a disaster. Let's just leave now for Oakland.

by **consigliere** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:44 pm

Growing pains. Sowers is getting a hard dose of it, almost like Cliff Lee did the 2nd half of 2004 when he was bombed start after start. Sowers needs to work his way out of it and make adjustments, because obviously the hitters have adjusted to him.

by **Steve Buffum** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:44 pm

I am ready to see Eddie Moo at this point.

by **consigliere** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:45 pm

Steve Buffum wrote:I am ready to see Eddie Moo at this point.

You'll get no Moo and like it.

According to Hammy, no one is warming up in the Indians bullpen.

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 5:45 pm

Wedge is conceding this game. He's trying to save the pen for Oakland, though we haven't used them in the two previous games.

by **Steve Buffum** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:04 pm

Skating Tripods wrote:Wedge is conceding this game. He's trying to save the pen for Oakland, though we haven't used them in the two previous games.

I'm not sure that's the right interpretation: I think he is treating this as "Jeremy Sowers Development Time." That's not on its face a bad idea. He can develoop his pitches and get more work in.

I just prefer "Eddie Moo Development Time." I already know what Sowers is.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:05 pm

so how did Jose Molina steal home?

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:07 pm

dmcdougal wrote:so how did Jose Molina steal home?

Double steal. Victor threw down to second and Rouse was asleep at the wheel.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:07 pm

perhaps a bad time to toot my own horn but my preview was pretty much right on. I knew the Indians would struggle against Escobar. Wedge didn't help much by putting Dellucci, Rouse, and Garko out there...

by **skatingtripods** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:08 pm

Steve Buffum wrote:I'm not sure that's the right interpretation: I think he is treating this as "Jeremy Sowers Development Time." That's not on its face a bad idea. He can develoop his pitches and get more work in.

I just prefer "Eddie Moo Development Time." I already know what Sowers is.

That's what Hamilton and Hegan agreed upon. Sacrificial lamb theory. Mujica's coming in now.

by **consigliere** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:19 pm

Good God would Vlad look incredible in our lineup.

by **Steve Buffum** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:19 pm

What is this with the "get two quick strikes, then give up a hit" strategy? I'm not a big fan of this.

Edit: 0-2 to Quinlan, and it takes 8 pitches to get him to 3-2 and to fly out. It's Robbubbubbubbubb Quinlan! You're down 8-0! Throw strikes!

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:50 pm

I worked harder to make a good preview than the Indians did to make a good game.. A shame, isn't it?

by **consigliere** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:58 pm

Thank God that one is over. Tomorrow's game can't get here soon enough to wash that bad taste out of my mouth. That was easily the worst game of the year for the Indians.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:01 pm

I would argue for last Saturday's game against Baltimore... Hmm I believe they were both Sowers' starts

by **Hoover** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:02 pm

They sure phoned this one in.

Pablo is nowhere near that good. Tribe was very impatient, like their jet was waiting on the tarmac and running up a huge fuel bill. Delluci now at just .241, and his plate discipline does not impress.

Rouse is a waste of space. Call up Inglett, he's hitting .273 at Buffalo and is just as good a fielder as Rouse.

by **consigliere** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:15 pm

Hoover wrote:Rouse is a waste of space. Call up Inglett, he's hitting .273 at Buffalo and is just as good a fielder as Rouse.

While Rouse may in fact be a waste of space, he runs circles around Inglett defensively.

by **dmcdougal** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:18 pm

agreed.. good luck putting Inglett at SS

by **swerb** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:50 pm

Did I hear this right on the radio on the way home? Wedge pitched to Vlad The Impaler with guys on 1st and 3rd, two outs, down 6-0, with Rob F. Quinlan on deck?

by **pup** » Thu May 10, 2007 11:01 pm

Earlier in the game, they walked Vlad, loadinf the bases with 2 out and Quinlan singled before Gary Mathews jack to go up 5-0.

by **swerb** » Thu May 10, 2007 11:06 pm

Ahhh. I still walk him there.

by **Hoover** » Fri May 11, 2007 12:25 am

Consigliere wrote:
Hoover wrote:Rouse is a waste of space. Call up Inglett, he's hitting .273 at Buffalo and is just as good a fielder as Rouse.

While Rouse may in fact be a waste of space, he runs circles around Inglett defensively.

Problem is that hitting-wise, Rouse is somewhere south of Ramon Vazquez. It's not the defense that's killing this team these days. It's all the dead weight like Rouse, Delluci, and Blake. Those 3 are really doing a bad number on the offense.

Cleveland Indians & MLB

5/10 Indians @ Angels

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