A Quest Called Tribe

Something that you may not know about baseball writers is that they begin composing their pieces in the 6th or 7th inning and if something happens late then they pretty much have to scrap it and start over.  While I am not delusional enough (close) to count myself as one of the brethren, I have been forced to rewrite this about six times.  The first draft led with Hammerin' Jack Hannahan, the middle few with the paragraph below and now, well, I am sure that you agree that Asdrubal Cabrera has earned it.  Breaking out of an 0-for-13 skid AzCab delivered three hits including the game winning shot, on cue from Underwear.  Take a second and drink it in.


(double-click to play)

I do believe that Jim Thome simply being on the field makes it feel like a playoff game and nothing is better than a playoff win.  It took Jimmy seven Indians plate appearances to make solid contact for the first time, but the result was, simply, beautiful.  The sixth inning solo home run, #602 for Thome, tied the game at four and commanded a curtain call from the future Hall of Famer.

Hannahan came through twice with two outs, an RBI single in the second and a two run triple in the 4th.  Since August 12th Jack is rapping at .429.  He also gained the ignominious distinction of becoming the 1000th Tribe hitter to strike out this season.  That leads the league.  Lou Marson quickly followed with #1001 as the Wahoo's squandered a fantastic opportunity to take the lead in the bottom of the 6th.  Or was it the 7th?  Yeah, no, the 7th was two K's and a pop-up to strand ducks on the pond.  Classy.

And if you want the textbook definition of ignominious ("deserving or causing public shame") just look at the top of the 7th.  HBP + E3 + "Gas Man" Sipp = 7-4 Royals.  I know Tony has been solid all season, but 8 gopher balls in 53 innings?  Good grief.

Shin-Soo Choo left the game in the middle of the 5th inning after aggravating his strained back or maybe it is "left side soreness."  Regardless, Choo is currently listed as the infamous "day-to-day."  We should all hope that Choo can play again soon, as the Indians have exactly zero additional healthy outfielders left on the 40-man roster.  With September 1 right around the corner, I would not expect him to land on the DL.  Should Choo be sidelined for an extended period the organization will be forced to DFA someone and add an extra outfielder.  Unless Grady Sizemore would be ready (doubtful), either Jerad Head or Travis Buck could be called on with Luis Valbuena the probable odd man out.

In case you missed it earlier, Jeanmar Gomez was scratched from his scheduled start at AAA.  The Clippers brought Paolo Espino back on 3 days rest, so the change was not on a whim.  All signs point to Gomez getting the start on Tuesday against Oakland.  Should Zach McAllister take the ball for Columbus tomorrow, this becomes a foregone conclusion.

Best game of the season.

Here's to PFP.

Cheers.