Written by Steve Buffum

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The Indians squandered an early 3-1 lead and a middle-game 4-1 lead when Infuriausto Carmona went completely bananas and their late comeback bid was squelched by the worst call by a second-base umpire in the history of second-base umpiring.  In today’s B-List, Buff covers multiple facets of how you could tell it wasn’t the Indians’ night, while pointing out several excellent performances from unexpected sources.  None of those sources is Tofu Lou Marson.  He also mentions the Worst Plate Appearance in the World.

 

 

FINAL	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Rockies (36-36)	1	0	0	0	6	0	0	1	0	8	12	0
Indians (39-32)	3	0	0	1	2	0	0	1	0	7	12	1

W: Lindstrom (2-1)         L: Carmona (4-9)            S: Street (21)

 

I have enjoyed baseball games more than I enjoyed this one.

 

1) How you know it’s not your night, part I

 

After notching a pair of quick outs in the fifth inning, Infuriausto Carmona got ahead of 9-hole hitter Chris Iannetta, and I found my mind wandering to the bottom of the frame, when Tofu Lou would lead off before the top of the order would wrap back around.  It seemed like we would be able to do some more damage against Juan Nicasio and could potentially break the game open into a laugher.  After a shaky first inning, Carmona appeared to have his legs back under him, facing the minimum in the 2^nd through 4^th innings thanks to a double play, and retiring 12 of 13 hitters (for 13 outs because of the DP) from “1 out in the 1^st” to “2 outs in the 5^th”.

 

0-1 turned into 2-2 and Carmona lost Iannetta, who does have an excellent OBP but a lousy AVG, so it’s kinda maddening to walk him there.  Two singles and a bases-loaded walk later, Carmona was left to face All-Star Troy Tulowitzki with the bases loaded … but still two out.  Retire him and you’re out of the inning with one run in.

 

Toluwitzki hit a chopping ground ball down the third base line, and ersatz third baseman Orly Cabrera waited for the second hop.

 

He did not get the second hop.

 

Instead, the ball bounded off the third base bag into foul ground, and by the time Mike Brantley picked it up, it was a two-run DOUBLE.

 

2) How to tell it’s not your night, part II

 

After giving up an awful run in the top of the 8^th to extend the Rockies’ lead to two runs, the Tribe got one back in the bottom of the inning when Carlos Santana singled, stole (!) second, and scored on Bob Phelps’ single to left field.  After getting off to such a terrible 2-for-20 start, it’s interesting to note that Phelps’ OBP and SLG are now close to matching Orly Cabrera’s.  (They’re still awful, of course, but this is part of the point to be made.)

 

Seeing an opportunity, Phelps used some heads-up baserunning to make it to second on the play and put himself in scoring position as the tying run.  Sadly, the second-base umpire behaved as if he had swallowed Phelps’ weight in peyote, and the resulting twisted depth perception caused him to erroneously call Phelps out.

 

That was a seriously bad call.  For those who would complain that instant replay would “slow the game down,” I would simply point out that Raffy Betancourt was on the mound.

 

3) How to tell it’s not your night, part III

 

With one out in the bottom of the 9^th, Grady Sizemore looked to atone for The Worst Plate Appearance in the World by blasting a moon shot off closer Huston Street.  The ball easily travelled 379 feet in the air.  I could tell by the wall 380 feet away from home plate.

 

Boy, I thought he had that one.

 

4) How to tell it’s not your night, part IV

 

Infuriausto Carmona is your starting pitcher.

 

5) Pronk Smash!

 

In the bottom of the first inning, Nicasio tried to slip a nothingball past Travis Hafner.

 

He did not.

 

6) Everybody hits!

 

Every Cleveland starter had at least one hit.  In fact, the Tribe went 4-for-6 with runners in scoring position, and left only four men on base.

 

Of course, only two Cleveland starters had MORE than one hit, which is the same number of Cleveland starters who grounded into a double play.

 

Look, seven runs is enough to win.  The offense could have done a little more, but they scored 7 runs, collected 12 hits, and smacked a pair of homers.  Four guys reached base multiple times.  Offense is not why we lost this game.

 

7) The Worst Plate Appearance in the World

 

In the bottom of the 6^th inning, Lou Marson banged out a one-out single with the score still 7-6.  Grady Sizemore strode to the plate.  In his last plate appearance, Sizemore had taken a pitch away into left field for an opposite-field single.

 

Reliever Matt Lindstrom horked up a pitch low and away.  It was a good location for a pitch, especially for a first offering.  Sizemore swung at it … and pulled it all the way across his body for a 4-6-3 inning-ending double play.

 

It was bad enough to swing at a guy’s first pitch.  I mean, yes, Sizemore had singled on the first pitch in his last at-bat, but that was the third time he’d faced Nicasio.  This was the first time against Lindstrom.  But to pull that pitch … right after taking one the other way … well, the double play was hardly the most surprising aspect of that sequence.

 

8) Putting the “fu” in Tofu Lou

 

With runners on first and second, Tofu Lou uncorked a pickoff attempt to first that was so awful the man scored from second base.  Had he simply rolled the ball down the baseline it would have been a better result.  Shoot, had he taken an enormous bite out of the baseball it would have been a better result.

 

Did I mention that we lost by one run?

 

9) Yeoman’s work

 

Called on to stem the bleeding from the already corpse-like remains of Infuriausto’s outing, Chad Durbin struck out Ty Wigginton on three pitches.  He then proceeded to throw 2 innings of one-hit ball with 0 walks and 3 strikeouts, throwing 19 of his 25 pitches for strikes.  Durbin has not had a good season, but this was a remarkable performance.

 

Not to be outdone, Frank Herrmann gave up ZERO baserunners in his 1 2/3 innings of work, striking out two of his own, pumping 17 of his 24 pitches for strikes, and reportedly topping 95 on the gun.  I do not view Herrmann as a special arm in the ‘pen, but that, too, was an excellent performance.  Both guys were great.

 

10) For completeness’ sake

 

Raffy Perez was not great.