Written by Steve Buffum

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The Indians’ offense was truly a one-man show last night, and it wasn’t Shin-Soo Choo.  Instead, Shelley Duncan played One Man Scott Kazmir PWNer as the Tribe won 4-3, and today’s B-List focuses on Duncan’s productive game, the good and bad of Josh Tomlin, a landmark save for Chris Perez, and some nice arms in the outfield.  It also wonders whether Matt LaPorta owns a bat, how hits with RISP don’t produce runs, and why certain players are trying to steal.

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Angels (70-74)	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	3	9	0
Indians (59-85)	1	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	X	4	9	0

W: Tomlin (4-3)              L: PWNed (8-14)            S: C. Perez (20)

The Indians now need 4 wins in 18 games to avoid 100 losses.  They can do this.

1) Command Performance

It must have been the kind of game that keeps you playing professional baseball.

Shelley Duncan began the year as a non-roster invitee, playing in AAA Clumbus for the first month and a half of the season.  After a call-up due to injuries and general malaise, Duncan showed some pop and lots of violent hustle as a right-handed “outfielder,” getting about 50 plate appearances a month in June and July.

In August, he was handed the proverbial keys to the car, but for whatever reason (possibilities include overexposure, trouble hitting righties, or simple random fluctuation), had a very tough month, hitting .194/.266/.319.  With September callups and other factors, Duncan is probably not going to get the 70-plus ABs he got in August.

Duncan still hits .286/.353/.558 against left-handed pitching, though, and regular playing time or not, Duncan does know what to do with an offering that isn’t exactly where the pitcher wanted it to go.  Scott Kazmir actually pitched pretty well against the rest of the Indians, but against Duncan, he gave up an RBI opposite-field single, a solo homer, and a two-run shot (after a walk to Choo).  Against hitters not named Shelley Duncan, Kazmir gave up 4 hits and no runs in 5 2/3 innings.  Against hitters who WERE named Shelley Duncan, Kazmir would have been more effective if he simply threw noting but pickoff tosses.

By the way, neither home run was a cheap shot: no glorified popups or balls hooking down the line for Mr. Duncan.  He CLUBBED those balls.

We’ve been through this: Duncan is 30 and has an OPS of .655 against right-handed pitching.  While it’s conceivable he might develop the skill more thoroughly, or that it’s the victim of small sample size, it just serves to reinforce the notion that Duncan is not truly an everyday player.  On the other hand, he would be a terrific platoon partner for a left-handed outfielder or DH with a pronounced platoon split (that is, for a team who could afford to use a roster spot in such a fashion).  I don’t see why he couldn’t be a taller, more-enthusiastic version of Matt Diaz of the Braves, for example.  A number of teams in West divisions would be upgraded by using Shelley Duncan against left-handed pitching.  And in a Division that includes Buehrle, Danks, Liriano, and assorted Thorntonesque relievers, he’s not a bad asset here, either.

Ultimately, though, I don’t see that this is an efficient use of a roster spot for the 2011 Cleveland Indians.  With so much other uncertainty around the diamond, a hitter who is so one-sided (in the smaller-frequency direction) is probably a luxury.  But Duncan can hit him a lefty.  Boy, howdy.

2) Good news, bad news

Look,this is going to have to just be one of those instances in which I have an intangible, hard-to-articulate aversion to a player.  I never warmed to Ramon Vazquez.  I could never fully appreciate the je ne sais plotz of Dave Huff.  Huff just pitched a whale of a game in the AAA playoffs, throttling the Mumbling Mumblers to win for the Clippers.  (Yeah, I don’t know who they’re playing.)  I, much like the Indians themselves, gave up on Eddie Moo, who is now the next best thing to the Pocket Fish-R-Man in San Diego.  (I maintain there are other factors involved.)  Huff might come back and be excellent.  Vazquez started for the Pirates and Rangers.  I am not always rational, and I am not always right.

But I am just scared to incapacitation by Josh Tomlin over a 30-start season.

Was Tomlin excellent against the Angels for the first six innings?  Well, it’s hard to argue with the results.  He gave up only 4 hits while walking 1 and striking out 3, including only 1 run (on a solo shot).  In fact,he quickly retired the first two hitters in the 7^th, one with his 4^th K.  So that’s pretty damned awesome.

Except ...

... the next hitter hit a ground rule double.

A .211 hitter smashed an RBI double.

A .205 hitter then cranked an RBI triple.

See, of the four hits he had allowed before this stretch, three of them were already for extra bases (2 doubles, 1 HR).  With this outburst, Tomlin ended up giving up SIX extra-base hits in the game.  It is a testament to Tomlin’s command that he emerged largely unscathed until this rat-a-tat-tat to the bottom of the order, but wowzers: Tomlin now allows hitters to slug .475000 off him, including a .210 ISO.  Just against right-handers, these numbers are .556 and .256.  If I admit that Tomlin has shown that he is a clever, composed pitcher with better command than most rookies, can you at least grant me that these numbers have to come down?  Consider: the numbers against right-handed hitters are worse than DAVID HUFF (.522, .222), who is LEFT-HANDED.  This is concerning, no?

Anyway, Tomlin won, and it was very nice, but now I have tunnel-vision confirmation bias on the slugging Tomlin allows and will have to let calmer heads make a decision as to where Tomlin fits next season.

3) Hitting his stride

Mike Brantley last night to go 2-for-4 out of the leadoff spot.  He also stole a base, which meant that Duncan’s bloop single to right was a run-scoring hit and not just a bloop single to right.

Is Brantley a flawless player?  He is not.  It’s worth remembering that he’s only 23 years old and posted OBPs of .337 in August and .356 thus far in September, though.  He certainly looks like someone who COULD be a productive leadoff hitter.

Here are the issues: he hits ..154 with a .190 OBP off left-handers.  I’ve seen the whole “leading off even though he can’t hit lefties” show with a much better player than Brantley, and I didn’t like that much, either, even if Grady Sizemore is divine.  And he doesn’t really walk, with an OBP-AVG of .046 in August and .035 in Sept, so if he’s not hitting .320, he’s not really a very good leadoff hitter.

I don’t see Mike Brantley as an every day, every year .320 hitter.

Now, Brantley did get a hit off Kazmir, who is left-handed, and the fact is that he IS hitting at a high clip right now.  There is promise there.  I’m not considering this a “filled hole” for a while, though.

4) Good eye!

Besides Brantley (and Duncan, of course), the only other players to reach base more than once were Choo and Matt LaPorta.  Neither man got a hit, but rather walked twice apiece.

I very much like that LaPorta is a disciplined hitter.  This appears to be a constant in his game, as he drew 9 walks in July, when he was hitting, and 10 walks in August, when he was not.  His 42 walks on the season nicely counterbalance his 72 Ks, so that’s a pretty good ratio for a power hitter.

Of course, LaPorta ISN’T really a power hitter, it would seem.  His .357 SLG and .135 ISO are actually quite lousy for a corner infielder.  (Actually, they’re pretty lousy for everyone.)  I do appreciate that he’s not going to “force things” or “try too hard” or “hit the ball,” but at some point, this must translate into some extra-base hits, especially since he’s got the 7-8-9 brigade behind him, meaning unless Tofu Lou gets one of his doubles, LaPorta’s walk isn’t as valuable as statheads would have you believe.

Choo ... Choo’s just damned awesome.  Huzzah!

5) The Bob Wickman Commemorative Save

Walk, hit-and-run single, and a passed ball.

On the other hand, with guys in scoring position: K, lazy fly ball.

So congratulations to C-Pez for his 20^th save of the season.  Now, keep those to a minimum, please.  Or gain fifty pounds and start throwing a sinker.  Your choice.

6) Around the bullpen

Raffy Perez pitched an inning of scoreless relief, getting out of Tomlin’s jam and striking out two in the next inning.

Joe Smiff retired the hitter he faced, throwing 4 strikes in 5 pitches.

7) Nice hose!

Shelley Duncan combined with Asdrubal Cabrera to get Torii Hunter at home trying to score from first on a double.  Duncan’s throw short-hopped Cabrera, and Cabrera’s short-hopped Marson, but both players did a fine job and Hunter was clearly out.

Peter Bourjos and company did the exact same thing to Matt LaPorta, but really now, who is faster, Torii Hunter or Matt LaPorta?

8) Credit Where Credit is Due Dept.

Trevor Crowe singled in his only plate appearance.

Travis Hafner did not ground into a triple play because there was one out.

Andy Marte was caught stealing by no more than the distance between first and second.