#336---TB @ CLE, 6/22/2016

The Indians jumped right on Chris Archer with a walk and Jason Kipnis homer to lead off the game, and that would have been enough for Trevor Bauer in this game I attended on the day of the Cavaliers championship parade. He went the distance, allowing one run on three hits, one walk, and ten strikeouts. Tampa Bay’s only run came on Corey Dickerson’s two-out infield single in the sixth, on which Logan Morrison overran the bag at third and was tagged for the third out (“OVR65” on the scoresheet).

One of my lasting memories of the day was the inebriated man waiting to get on the rapid after the game, flush with euphoria over the Cavs’ victory, who kept shouting “Indians over the Cubs in seven”. So close yet so far. 

#335---CLE @ KC, 6/2/2015

 

The 2015 Royals, en route to the World Series title, were famed for their weak rotation and lockdown bullpen. But on this night, the roles were reversed and the Indians came away with a 2-1 victory. Both starters pitched well: Carlos Carrasco went seven, allowing one run on five hits, two walks, and eight strikeouts. Jeremie Guthrie threw one more pitch than Carrasco, but it only carried him through 5 2/3 in which he allowed one run on just two hits (Brandon Moss’ homer provided the run, and Carlos Santana’s double drove him from the contest), one walk, and one strikeout.

Kelvin Hererra fanned three Indians in the seventh, but in the eighth Wade Davis issued two walks and a two-out single to Michael Brantley. Meanwhile, Indians pitchers retired the last seventeen Royals in order. The eighth inning, facing the Royals most dangerous hitters, was a now obsolete masterclass by Terry Francona in milking the platoon advantage to the maximum possible extent: lefty Nick Hagadone to get Mike Moustakas, righty Bryan Shaw to get Lorenzo Cain, lefty Marc Rzepczynski to get Eric Hosmer. Three batters, three pitchers, three outs, never to be seen again.

#334---CLE @ TEX, 6/6/2014

 

The Rangers jumped on Trevor Bauer for four runs in the second, but a three-run homer from Lonnie Chisenhall and a solo blast from Asdrubal Cabrera pulled it even in the fourth, and it would stay that way into the seventh. Michael Choice hit the first pitch he saw from Marc Rzepczynski for a homer, and Texas tacked one on in the eighth for the final margin. Outside of the two homers, Yu Darvish was able to dodge the nine hits and three walks he allowed while fanning eight over seven innings.

Scoring note: in the fifth, Shin-Soo Choo made the third out at home trying to score on a would-be wild pitch, which I mark as “OA21” (for “out advancing”, which covers any time a runner is out attempting to voluntarily advance).

#333---TB @ CLE, 6/1/2013

 

This game would be very important in the final standings as Cleveland, Tampa Bay, and Texas went down the wire in the AL Wildcard race, but in the moment it was notable as a clean Ubaldo Jimenez start. It got off to an inauspicious start as he walked Matt Joyce to lead off the game, but that would be the only walk he allowed as he shut out the Rays for eight innings on four hits with seven strikeouts in a tidy 108 pitches. His counterpart Chris Archer was touched for two-run homers by Jason Giambi and Asdrubal Cabrera.

#332---MIN @ CLE, 6/1/2012

 

The Indians battered Carl Pavano for seven runs in 3 2/3 innings, with a Lonnie Chisenhall two-run shot and a Jason Kipnis grand slam as the big blows. This happened to be the last really good start of Derek Lowe’s career – he had four subsequent starts that officially qualified as “quality starts”, but they were all of the 6 IP/3 R variety (well, one was 6.2/3). He struck out just two and walked one, pitching to contact. After this game he had a 3.06 ERA which would balloon to 5.52 by July 31, after which he was traded to the Yankees and worked exclusively out of the bullpen for the rest of the season and all of 2013.

Leading off the fifth, Anthony Swarzak tagged the bag to record an unassisted putout of Casey Kotchman – not a particularly rare play, but one worth noting on a scorekeeping blog when it pops up organically.