Rock the (2015 MLB All-Star Game) Vote, fools
https://twitter.com/pikestaff/status/605141865642520578
https://twitter.com/peerishere/status/605125982614396929
What’s the Damage?
This week in “Only In Cleveland”: The Indians go 17-12 in May, have possibly the AL Pitcher and Player of the month, don’t have even close to the best month in the division, are still two games below .500 and in fourth place. Swag.
I don’t know what’s gotten into the Minnesota Twins lately but I’ll tell you one thing, I do not like it. Not one bit. Some people would probably argue they over-achieved in April when they went 10-12. I’m not sure how else to describe what this team did in May other than “the apocalypse”. 20-7. Only lost one series the entire month. They now sport the second best record in the American League behind the Houston Astros. What planet am I on?
And just like the last three weekly recaps, I’m at a loss as to how they’re doing it. Their starting pitching is just below average, sitting at 19th in the league with a 4.13 FIP. Kyle Gibson and Mike Pelfrey both have sub-3 ERAs, but they also both have sub-5 K/9s (!!!!!). The bullpen is probably where their greatest strength lies, between closer Glen Perkins (19 SV) and setup man Blaine Boyer (10 holds). Offensively, it’s the usual suspects of Dozier, Hunter and (did I say “usual”?) Plouffe. Other than that, not a whole lot. This team has to go away eventually, right? Not if top-prospects-waiting-in-the-wings Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and starter Ervin Santana, who’ll be able to pitch around July 4th after serving an 80 game suspension for PEDs, have anything to say about it.
It WAS kinda nice to not have to write about the Royals first though. Those sons of guns are finally starting to struggle a bit, 5-5 in their last ten and 1-5 in their last six. Even so, if the All-Star game was today they’d have five starters (Perez, Moustakas, Escobar, Cain and Gordon) and the American League’s leading vote getter (Perez). That, my friends, is absolutely absurd. Sally Perez having the most votes in the entire league makes me long for a world in which fans do not vote for shit. Also, this is still a thing:
Rios has played in one game in the past 48 days.
The Angels, in a momentary lapse of Catholicism, beat the living hell out of some Kitties this past weekend. Detroit was outscored 26 to 10 in a 4 game slaughter out west, an exclamation point on an abysmal stretch of 15 games where they scratched out just 5 wins. They’re now three-and-a-half games back of the motherloving Twins. Justin Verlander threw a rehab game in AAA Sunday and could re-join the rotation either this weekend in Chicago or next weekend at home against…Chicago. The Cubs.
The former Chicagoans from the sentence above took two of three from the best team in the American League this weekend in Houston. That was before they split a double-header in Baltimore, and won the final game of a 3-game series in Toronto. That’ll help in forgetting the fact they lost 7 of 8 before that. Chris Sale is finally getting into midseason form after struggling early due to a shortened spring training (7.2IP, 0 R, 12 K in his last start, 40K in past 4 starts), and left-handed rookie phenom Carlos Rodon has been cutting down his walks in an effort to stay in the big leagues. They’ve got some ground to make up, but don’t tell VP Kenny Williams that they won’t win the AL Central just yet.
In Other News
- Ask any Indians fan what their biggest weakness has been this season and you’re bound to hear about their bullpen struggles pretty quickly. But I got a tingly feeling in my tummy Sunday evening at the end of a 12 inning tango with Seattle, courtesy of rookie reliever Austin Adams (and the General Tso’s from Emperor’s Palace). Not only did he strike out one and notch his first career major league save, but he did this:
A 5th round draft pick in 2009 by the Tribe, Adams is 28 years old and just getting his first taste of the show. While Sunday was his first outing since May 16th and just his fourth all year, he’s struck out 13 in 8.1 innings in AAA this year and has a 9.24 career K/9 in the minors. While his career BB% is not great (9.7), if he can come in, hit triple digits and put it somewhere near the plate more often, he could prove to be a useful bullpen piece here in the near future.
- This cat who got on SportsCenter for catching a Robinson Chirinos dinger in the bleachers while holding a hot dog?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XJXY2EvNfM
…..literally one row behind my season tickets.
A season of missed opportunities.
- I don’t know what your plans were for this Friday, but I do know that they’re no longer your plans. TWO DOLLAR Miller Lites in the stadium from 5-7 before first pitch against the Orioles at 7:10. Oh ya it’s dollar dog and fireworks night too. And also Cardale Jones is throwing out the first pitch. Not sure what this jabroni’s deal is, but I’ll be there, and you should too.
KEEP THE CHIEF
Bottlegate 