Saturday, April 22, 2017

#126---CLE @ DET, 6/7/2013



One of the most frustrating aspects of being an Indians fan in the last decade was the matter of Ubaldo Jimenez. Acquired at a steep prospect price in a deadline deal to prop up a team that pretty evidently was going nowhere, he was hard enough to watch given his tendency to, well Ubaldo. Consider the price and it was impossible not to be infuriated just by seeing him on the rubber.

So it certainly felt appropriate to include a typical Ubaldo game. Three walks in the third, including one to Miguel Cabrera with the bases loaded. Failing to record an out in the fourth inning, requiring lengthy work from the bullpen and needing 85 pitches to get nine outs. Wasting a decent offensive showing considering that Justin Verlander was his opposite number.

Note Rich Hill working in relief, surrendering a single to Francisco Pena but then picking him off. I’m not sure I’ve discussed my notation for this play previously--"CP” indicates a caught stealing/pickoff (e.g. one with the runner making a noticeable movement towards the next base before being picked off). I find the use of this notation (and “PC”, for a similar play in which I judge the pickoff portion to be more important than the CS, such as maybe just a twitch by the runner rather than a step in the direction of the next base) to provide more color by supplementing the standard “CS” and “PO” codes I use.

This was one of just thirteen major league appearances for Matt Langwell, all coming this season between Cleveland and Arizona. I’d completely forgotten his existence in less than four years until I picked up this scoresheet.

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