The Indians have had 10 or more hits in 10 of their 14 games this season. There is no truth to the rumor that Cliff Lee could be heard screaming into a pillow last night. (You couldn't hear him at all.) 1) Ducks on the pond, ducks on the shore, ducks on the window sill, ducks in the glove compartment ... where did all these goddam ducks come from?!
It seems kind of pointless to single out any one offensive player, offensive play, or even inning in a 15-run 20-hit attacked aided by two errors and an Incaviglian play in the outfield, but it's safe to say that leading 7-0 in the 4th and 13-0 in the 6th felt pretty good. I think the one stat that may sum up the offensive outburst is that Ben Broussard went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI ... and he entered the game in the fifth inning after the Tribe already had a 7-0 lead.
For those truly interested, we left 9 runners on base. They didn't fit anywhere else.
2) I know what the nametag says, I'm telling you, it's a misprint
Jason Johnson had a 5-hit shutout through six innings before losing interest or feeling sorry for the Orioles or really needing a crabcake, and ended up giving up a run in 7 with no walks (only 2 Ks, which seems like nitpicking). 70 strikes and 31 balls. Johnson is now 2-0 with an ERA of 1.83 and a WHIP of 1.02. Will you take that from your fifth starter? How about from your Ace? He went a little nutty with the fly balls instead of maintaining his 3+ GB:FB ratio, but Johnson might be the most pleasant surprise the Indians have had since ... well, Casey Blake's last two-out RBI. Which came in this game. So Johnson's fifteen minutes only lasted about four. But we love you anyway, JJ!
3) Everybody plays here! Well, except you.
Todd Hollandsworth got to take a couple hacks in place of Travis Hafner (not sure what the thinking was there), Ben Broussard came in after the lefty left (pretty sure the thinking was, "Man, that's a lot of games the old guy's been in"), and Ramon Vazquez got to hover near third base after Boone got hit. Why was Victor Martinez left to catch the end of a 15-1 laugher? (He'd already gotten a couple hits by the fifth) Um ... in case Kelly Shoppach got hurt? Dude, you could have let Blake catch and Westbrook play right at that point. I saw Lenn Sakata catch, for Pete's sake. (Well, actually, I got to see Lenn Sakata wear catching gear while Tippy Martinez picked three straight guys off first, but you see where I'm going with this.) You brought Victor in for Kelly the other night ... the only difference here is that you're not doing it to get an offensive boost (which is good, because that's what you would not get). Sheesh.
4) The wrist heard round the world
Ex-Indian (and ex-Red and ex-Giant and ...) Jim Brower plunked Aaron Boone on the wrist with a pitch. Last night, it wasn't clear how badly hurt Boone was, although I imagine that the decision to remove him was a little easier up 13-0. I don't think even Ramon Vazquez can produce negative ten runs. Still, the speculation immediately comes up as to whether the Andy Marte Era gets a head start here as Aaron Pipp ... uh, Boone ... heals up.
Worst-case scenario: Boone is out 7-10 days, not enough to go on the DL, and is rusty his first few games back, meaning Vazquezian performance for the next two weeks. Fortunately, the Royals are in there somewhere.
5) There's perfect, and then there's ...
6) Ho Hum Dept.
Victor Martinez: 3-for-6 including a 2-run HR (Vic's 2nd, and hit right-handed)
Which is more surprising? Um ... this season? Neither.
7) Power!
Grady Sizemore went yard. Off a left-hander. (Yes, Bruce Chen still counts.)
8) You might want to put a hold on that bust there, Clem
This is Leo Mazzone's handiwork? Hey, John Halama threw a scoreless inning, maybe he's the next Chris Hammond. Jim Brower gave up 2 runs in 2 innings ... and his ERA went down. (Chen's went up.)
9) Credit Where Credit Is Due Dept.
Brian Roberts: 4-for-4, 2 XBH (doubles), 1 RBI
Not so good. Everyone buys Roberts a crab and a beer. Huzzah!