Written by Steve Buffum

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The Tribe finally wins a game in which Derek Jeter was injured in New Yankee Stadium, where Derek Jeter was injured.  Carlos Carrasco, on the mound when Derek Jeter was injured, pitched brilliantly for a second consecutive 1-0 win, something a Tribe pitcher hasn’t done since Dick Tidrow in 1972, when Derek Jeter was not injured.  Chris Perez, not needing to face the injured Derek Jeter, was brilliant in the save, and Derek Jeter was injured.  I wish ESPN had mentioned that more times.

 

 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Indians (35-29)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	0
Plasmodium Falcipara (36-28)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	0

W: Carrasco (6-3)          L: Burnett (6-5)              S: C. Perez (16)

 

 

Given the team’s performance on ESPN’s Monday Night Baseball, I recommend ESPN show the Indians more often.  (Hey, it’d be good for them, too.)

 

0) Administrative Note

 

It is not my intention to make fun of Derek Jeter or make light of his injury.  I think Derek Jeter has been a great baseball player, a no-doubt Hall of Famer if he retires this afternoon.  I am firmly in the “Derek Jeter is now a defensive liability” camp, but this doesn’t diminish his talent or contributions to the Yankees.  But great Xena’s codpiece, ESPN talked about his injury a LOT.  I mean, a LOT.  A lot.

 

1) Columnist full of excrement, film at 11

 

Remember yesterday when I intimated that Mitch Talbot might be our second-best starting pitcher?

 

Yeah, that was nonsense.

 

Carlos Carrasco did not get off to a roaring start last night, putting the first three men on base for Alex Rodriguez, another no-doubt Hall of Famer (in my opinion) who has declined less-significantly than Jeter has.  His second pitch was lined into left for a single.

 

This was the hardest-hit ball off Carrasco all night.

 

If you look at the hit chart for the Yankees, all five of their hits fell in front of outfielders.  If I recall correctly, only one ball was hit in the air as far as the outfielders normally play, and that was caught for an out.  Three of the Yankees’ singles were bloops or blorts.

 

Now, this isn’t to say that Carlos Carrasco was perfect last night: he walked Mark Teixeira on five pitches to load the bases in the first, and walked Brett Gardner with a runner on first in the second for that “here we go again” feeling.  Carrasco ended up walking 3 in 7 innings of work, partially ruining a good K:BB ratio and ending up at 7:3.  He threw 60 of his 100 pitches for strikes, which is not a particularly good percentage.

 

But great googly moogly, after the third inning, he was just un-bloody-hittable.

 

After allowing two more baserunners in the third on a single and a walk, he got out of the inning with a double play, and then retired 12 of the next 13 hitters, the lone blemish another semi-weak single by Robinson Cano.  There was no point after the third inning that I thought the Yankees would score a run off Carlos Carrasco.

 

The Indians have gone 2-9 in their last 11 games.  They scored a grand total of two runs in those two wins.  Each game was started by Carlos Carrasco, who threw 15 1/3 innings of shutout ball across the pair.

 

No offense to Mitch Talbot, but that was better.

 

2) Adventures in (or simple Adventurous) Relief Pitching

 

Tony Sipp allowed Mark Teixeira to homer to deep right center, except that the ball was caught by Mike Brantley.

 

Vinnie Pestano struck out Alex Rodriguez twice (once on a 1-2 pitch, once on a 3-2 pitch), for which Rodriguez was awarded a “walk.”  He got Cano to line out on the next pitch.

 

3) My moogly has been googlied

 

Chris Perez is not necessarily my favorite relief pitcher of all time.  Part of this is nostalgic: Doug Jones is my favorite relief pitcher of all time.  But part of this is because Perez often throws a lower percentage of strikes than my spleen would appreciate.  Perez clearly has good stuff, but does not always pitch with the poise or command of, say, Captain Feathersword from The Wiggles.

 

Last night, however, Perez was bloody brilliant.  His command to Nick Swisher made Swisher angry, but was awe-inspiring nonetheless.  After falling behind to Jorge Posada 2-0, Perez threw him three pitches that Posada could not have hit if Tofu Lou had whispered the signs in his ear before they were delviered.  And Brett Gardner at no point looked as if he would be able to put a ball in play, which, in fact, he did not.

 

With three strikeouts, hitting 95 on the gun, I would have to term Perez’ outing a “success.”

 

By the way, this is the first game in which I considered Perez’ fastball, a nastly fader that bent about 0.4 Talbots from left to right, his better pitch.

 

4) A game of inches

 

The box score will tell you that Mike Brantley hit a triple to right center.

 

My eyes tell me that Nick Swisher is not a very good outfielder and Brantley should have been out.

 

I am not complaining as much as you might think.

 

5) Captain Clutch!

 

Asdrubal Cabrera drove Brantley home with a single to the Jeter Hole.  This ended a streak of six-and-a-half years without a hit by an Indians batter with a runner in scoring position.

 

6) Credit Where Credit is Due Dept.

 

Grady Sizemore hit a double.  It went for naught.

 

David Robertson is really quite good.  I don’t think Yankees fans in general appreciate this guy enough.

 

Frank Cervelli really shows a lot of poise while striking out every time he comes to the plate.

 

7) “Free Cord Phelps!” Revisited

 

Incarcerate Bob Phelps.