4 games out w/18 left...

[mscott59]

more excellent pitching (danny salazar-1 earned run in 7+ innings) and more impressive play from francisco lindor (3 hits, 1 hr, 4 rbi's) in a 5-1 win over kc. plus sparking defensive plays from lindor at ss and mike aviles at 3b. even though he didn't arrive in cleveland til mid june, and hit only around .210 til mid july, you have to start factoring lindor into the al rookie of the year discussion. 102 hits in 3 months. hit .370 in august and is hitting .365 in sept, .429 in the last week alone. he has raised his ba to .317, w/19 2b's, 9 hr's and 41 rbi's and 41 runs scored. plus his energy and persona, for someone so young, has been absolutely infectious on this club. odds are still against the tribe of making that 2nd playoff slot, although the team that occupies it now, houston, is slumping. cleveland still has to leapfrog the twins and angels but l.a. has played mediocre ball of late and the indians still have 7 games w/minnesota.

kluber goes tonite for his first game in about 3 weeks. he's not fared that well vs the royals (1-3) so you hope he can get into a groove tonite. i can still see that light in the tunnel.

[Buckeye Dale]

Sept 17, 2015 8:39:11 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

more excellent pitching (danny salazar-1 earned run in 7+ innings) and more impressive play from francisco lindor (3 hits, 1 hr, 4 rbi's) in a 5-1 win over kc. plus sparking defensive plays from lindor at ss and mike aviles at 3b. even though he didn't arrive in cleveland til mid june, and hit only around .210 til mid july, you have to start factoring lindor into the al rookie of the year discussion. 102 hits in 3 months. hit .370 in august and is hitting .365 in sept, .429 in the last week alone. he has raised his ba to .317, w/19 2b's, 9 hr's and 41 rbi's and 41 runs scored. plus his energy and persona, for someone so young, has been absolutely infectious on this club. odds are still against the tribe of making that 2nd playoff slot, although the team that occupies it now, houston, is slumping. cleveland still has to leapfrog the twins and angels but l.a. has played mediocre ball of late and the indians still have 7 games w/minnesota.

kluber goes tonite for his first game in about 3 weeks. he's not fared that well vs the royals (1-3) so you hope he can get into a groove tonite. i can still see that light in the tunnel.

We seem to be on the upside, while everyone else (at the moment) seem to be going in the other direction....when you look at the standings, at the last ten games...I think we have our fate in our own hands, for the most part. But we have to take care of business...as you said, hosting the Royals again tonight, & then the Chisox for 3...then 3 ea at Twinkies & Royals to end at home with 4 vs Twins & 3 with the Bosox...MAYBE a make up with Detroit. It is going to be an interesting two weeks, for sure...

[canefan]

Sept 17, 2015 8:39:11 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

more excellent pitching (danny salazar-1 earned run in 7+ innings) and more impressive play from francisco lindor (3 hits, 1 hr, 4 rbi's) in a 5-1 win over kc. plus sparking defensive plays from lindor at ss and mike aviles at 3b. even though he didn't arrive in cleveland til mid june, and hit only around .210 til mid july, you have to start factoring lindor into the al rookie of the year discussion. 102 hits in 3 months. hit .370 in august and is hitting .365 in sept, .429 in the last week alone. he has raised his ba to .317, w/19 2b's, 9 hr's and 41 rbi's and 41 runs scored. plus his energy and persona, for someone so young, has been absolutely infectious on this club. odds are still against the tribe of making that 2nd playoff slot, although the team that occupies it now, houston, is slumping. cleveland still has to leapfrog the twins and angels but l.a. has played mediocre ball of late and the indians still have 7 games w/minnesota.

kluber goes tonite for his first game in about 3 weeks. he's not fared that well vs the royals (1-3) so you hope he can get into a groove tonite. i can still see that light in the tunnel.

I like your chances tonight. Ventura was lights out for a few starts, then the headcase Ventura popped up again in his last start. No idea who shows up tonight. If he stays within himself and focuses on pitching he is damn near unhittable, but, like Duffy last night, is just so maddeningly inconsistent. I had hoped for Kyle Zimmer to join the rotation by they decided to shut him down since this is his first year he has completed as a professional without a serious injury. Oh for those days of old when you had four guys who three twenty five to thirty complete games a year, three hundred innings and never seemed to get hurt.

[daleko]

Sept 17, 2015 15:43:36 GMT -5 canefan said:

Sept 17, 2015 8:39:11 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Oh for those days of old when you had four guys who three twenty five to thirty complete games a year, three hundred innings and never seemed to get hurt.

Spahn and Sain then pray for rain. All you need is two and a good rain dancer.
Different era I guess but...............
From Wiki:
 "Hitting is timing. Pitching is upsetting timing." W Spahn.

On July 2, 1963. Facing the San Francisco Giants, the 42-year-old Spahn became locked into a storied pitchers' duel with 25-year-old Juan Marichal. The score was still 0–0 after more than four hours when Willie Mays hit a game-winning solo home run off Spahn with one out in the bottom of the 16th inning.[11] Marichal's manager, Alvin Dark, visited the mound in the 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, and 14th innings, and was talked out of removing Marichal each time. During the 14th-inning visit, Marichal told Dark, "Do you see that man pitching for the other side? Do you know that man is 42 years old? I'm only 25. If that man is on the mound, nobody is going to take me out of here."[12] Marichal ended up throwing 227 pitches in the complete game 1–0 win, while Spahn threw 201 in the loss, allowing nine hits and one walk. Hall of Famer Carl Hubbell, who was in attendance that night, said of Spahn, "He ought to will his body to medical science."



Spahn threw his first no-hitter against the Phillies 16 September 1960, when he was 39. He pitched his second no-hitter the following year, 28 April 1961, against the Giants. By the last two seasons of his career, Spahn was the oldest active player in baseball. He lost this distinction for a single day: September 25, 1965, when 58-year-old Satchel Paige pitched three innings.[13]



Spahn's seemingly ageless ability caused Stan Musial famously to quip, "[Spahn] will never get into the Hall of Fame. He won't stop pitching."

[canefan]

That is just an incredible story. Can you imagine a pitcher today throwing two hundred pitches in one game? My favorite duo as a kid was Koufax and Drysdale. Then they got Claude Osteen in the three slot and the Dodgers were damn near unbeatable for awhile.

[canefan]

This plate blue tonight is driving the pitchers crazy, especially Ventura.

[mscott59]

Sept 17, 2015 18:42:48 GMT -5 canefan said:

That is just an incredible story. Can you imagine a pitcher today throwing two hundred pitches in one game? My favorite duo as a kid was Koufax and Drysdale. Then they got Claude Osteen in the three slot and the Dodgers were damn near unbeatable for awhile.

Koufax is the first mlb pitcher I remember. The Dodgers were playing the twins ('65?) and my great grand parents were staying with us. Pa paw was a huge baseball fan. Reds specifically. We sat and watched the games after I hit home from school. He said Koufax was the best pitcher in the game. I told him how is that possible if he's throwing with the wrong arm? Lol. That's where I learned that some folks were left handed.

[mscott59]

Sept 17, 2015 20:27:16 GMT -5 canefan said:

This plate blue tonight is driving the pitchers crazy, especially Ventura.

He's been able to dodge trouble. Think the tribe left 10 runners on base in TV first 5 innings. Just can't throw away that's my scoring chances vs a good team like kc. 8-3 royals in the 8th. Kluber didn't make it long.

[canefan]

Sept 17, 2015 20:51:03 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Sept 17, 2015 18:42:48 GMT -5 canefan said:

That is just an incredible story. Can you imagine a pitcher today throwing two hundred pitches in one game? My favorite duo as a kid was Koufax and Drysdale. Then they got Claude Osteen in the three slot and the Dodgers were damn near unbeatable for awhile.

Koufax is the first mlb pitcher I remember. The Dodgers were playing the twins ('65?) and my great grand parents were staying with us. Pa paw was a huge baseball fan. Reds specifically. We sat and watched the games after I hit home from school. He said Koufax was the best pitcher in the game. I told him how is that possible if he's throwing with the wrong arm? Lol. That's where I learned that some folks were left handed.

Twins use to train in Orlando back then and my Uncle in Kissimmee became a huge Twins fan. Remember that series well. I was right handed so I always tried to throw like Drysdale.

[canefan]

Sept 17, 2015 20:53:17 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Sept 17, 2015 20:27:16 GMT -5 canefan said:

This plate blue tonight is driving the pitchers crazy, especially Ventura.

He's been able to dodge trouble. Think the tribe left 10 runners on base in TV first 5 innings. Just can't throw away that's my scoring chances vs a good team like kc. 8-3 royals in the 8th. Kluber didn't make it long.

I still got to sweat out the 9th with this new version of Holland. Opps, forgot it's a five run game. Okay, I like that version of Holly. Three pitches and three outs.

[oujour76]

Sept 17, 2015 20:51:03 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Sept 17, 2015 18:42:48 GMT -5 canefan said:

That is just an incredible story. Can you imagine a pitcher today throwing two hundred pitches in one game? My favorite duo as a kid was Koufax and Drysdale. Then they got Claude Osteen in the three slot and the Dodgers were damn near unbeatable for awhile.

Koufax is the first mlb pitcher I remember. The Dodgers were playing the twins ('65?) and my great grand parents were staying with us. Pa paw was a huge baseball fan. Reds specifically. We sat and watched the games after I hit home from school. He said Koufax was the best pitcher in the game. I told him how is that possible if he's throwing with the wrong arm? Lol. That's where I learned that some folks were left handed.

Casey Stengel said the "Jewish kid: was the best pitcher he ever saw...will go out on a limb here and assume he wasn't talking about Norm Sherry.

[canefan]

I always remember a picture of him on the cover of Sports Illustrated around 1965. On the mound, fully stretched out delivering a pitch. He was a drop and drive guy and his left knee got so long he actually always had clay from the mound on the knee. Great fat ball but the most unhittable 12 to 6 curve I've ever seen.

[oujour76]

Sept 17, 2015 23:46:39 GMT -5 canefan said:

I always remember a picture of him on the cover of Sports Illustrated around 1965. On the mound, fully stretched out delivering a pitch. He was a drop and drive guy and his left knee got so long he actually always had clay from the mound on the knee. Great fat ball but the most unhittable 12 to 6 curve I've ever seen.

Yes, Sanford Braun was one hell of a pitcher. Saw him pitch (and lose 5-2) to the New York Mets at Shea Stadium in 1965. Winning pitcher for the Mets was Tug McGraw.

[mscott59]

Sept 17, 2015 20:53:17 GMT -5 mscott59 said:

Sept 17, 2015 20:27:16 GMT -5 canefan said:

This plate blue tonight is driving the pitchers crazy, especially Ventura.

He's been able to dodge trouble. Think the tribe left 10 runners on base in TV first 5 innings. Just can't throw away that's my scoring chances vs a good team like kc. 8-3 royals in the 8th. Kluber didn't make it long.

getting a split w/kc normally would not be a bad thing. but w/the clock ticking, and houston losing again, this was a chance to get within 3 games. was a little surprised francona pulled kluber so early... he had one bad pitch in 4 innings. but our middle relief was bad. and how often does a .221 hitter get 7 rbi's in a game? the royals may have infante to thank for shaking them out of their september slump. tribe had their chances to make this a slugfest... but left 12 on base for the game... 10 in the first 5 innings.

on to the pale hose. a weekend sweep would be really, really nice. 4 games out w/17 left.

[canefan]

Must say I was quite pleased with MHDH last night. Davis is a cyborg. If not for one week when he came back from a bad back his era is .20. He went two years without giving up a HR. Just hope Holland can continue to be that effective with such lowered velocity.