Tribe hosting Royals April 26-28

• BRF

  

  Well, good old BRF is going to start this one in the hopes of getting our team back on track. Our Tribe is still in first after a lack luster road trip in which we lost two very close games that all us stalwarts would say that we should have won. Oh, well, that's how it goes.....and, like in life, you pick yourself up and get back in the game.
  
  Monday is an off day and then all 3 games start at 7:05 at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.....with Jim Rosenhaus probably making a guest appearance or two on the radio!
  
  I believe that the Tribe is coming out first with Justin Masterson who is looking for his 5th straight win of the year in what is one of the best starts for a Cleveland pitcher in team history. (hopefully, he will not be traded)
  
  BRF thinks it is kind of nice that the talk about who should lead off has subsided. HOWEVER, I still agree with those who say that Brantley should be leading off. The point people make that sticks with me is that the lead-off spot gets ONE MORE at bat. It seems as though some "poo-poo" this as irrevelant. I do not. Have your number one on base percentage guy up first. That one extra AB is important.
  
  Go Tribe!
• Laley23

  

  Ill be tuning in, as always. Tomorrow will probably be split with the first couple innings on the radio, and the end on TV.
• BRF

  

  Laley23;749090 wrote:Tomorrow will probably be split with the first couple innings on the radio, and the end on TV.

  You mean Tuesday, Big Dawg! And don't ever mention the word soccer on a Tribe thread!
• Laley23

  

  BRF;749098 wrote:You mean Tuesday, Big Dawg! And don't ever mention the word soccer on a Tribe thread!

  
  I did mean Tuesday, tomorrow I would be able to watch all game. Oh well.
  
  ...and soccer is how I stay in shape. Play at least 4 times a week in the winter, less in spring/summer/fall cause less outdoor leagues than indoor. Ill be sure not to mention it on a Tribe thread, instead ill just PM you every time
• HitsRus

  

  I'm glad someone else started this thread...my thread was a disaster. As for the leadoff spot...I'm looking to the future...Brantley.
• Con_Alma

  BRF;749084 wrote:...HOWEVER, I still agree with those who say that Brantley should be leading off. The point people make that sticks with me is that the lead-off spot gets ONE MORE at bat. It seems as though some "poo-poo" this as irrevelant. I do not. Have your number one on base percentage guy up first. That one extra AB is important.
  
  Go Tribe!

  I continue to be one of those people. It's not just a one more at-bat thing in my mind. It's when a person gets on that matters. Getting someone on base in front of your best contact hitters is the key. You can have a .500 OBP guy at they bottom of the line-up and he becomes irrelevant if you don't move him to third and get him in. The best chance of getting a guy in is by having your best contact hitters up when he's on base. Those guys usually hit second and third.
• burt07

  At this point, it doesn't necessarily matter who's in the leadoff spot if the 3 guys behind him aren't hitting. Cabrera, Choo, and Santana have been less than stellar lately, they need to start picking it up if this team is going to continue its success.
• royal_k

  

  burt07;749292 wrote:At this point, it doesn't necessarily matter who's in the leadoff spot if the 3 guys behind him aren't hitting. Cabrera, Choo, and Santana have been less than stellar lately, they need to start picking it up if this team is going to continue its success.

  
  Exactly
• HitsRus

  

  Ideally, your leadoff guy should be a guy with high OBP and speed. High average is a plus....power, an extra bonus. With Sizemore coming off that knee injury, I think his base stealing ability is down, and hence, they should bat him down in the order. 6th would be a good spot IMO....although I don't know if he is ideal there either.
• OQB

  

  Well, OQB checking in here.....BRF, the heat is on pal! haha! Let's hope we can get another winning streak going.
  
  I have been a fan all season of Brantley leading off for us and I will leave it at that. Grady should be down to 6 and Santana needs moved out of the 4 hole, even if you just swap him and Hafner. We haven't been getting those early leads like we saw the first few series of the season, Let's hope the offense can get it going again.
  
  
  GO Tribe!
• grodt

  

  grodt checking looking for a new winning streak and to exact some revenge on the Royals.
  
  I'd be ok with Brantley at 1 but I want Grady at 3/4/5. 6 is too low IMO.
• OQB

  

  Grodt what about this lineup:
  
  I think you could easily put Choo and Sizemore in the 3 or 5 hole
  
  Brantley
  Druby
  Choo/Sizemore
  Hafner
  Sizemore/Choo
  Santana
  LaPorta
  O Cabrera
  Hanahan
• Laley23

  

  OQB;749634 wrote:Grodt what about this lineup:
  
  I think you could easily put Choo and Sizemore in the 3 or 5 hole
  
  Brantley
  Druby
  Choo/Sizemore
  Hafner
  Sizemore/Choo
  Santana
  LaPorta
  O Cabrera
  Hanahan

  
  Ideal for me. Dont lose much (if any) with Brantley going to leadoff, and you can take advantage of Sizemores Extra-base power more in the 3/5 hole. Santana at 6 will be helped, because he really seems to be pressing a lot right now at the top of the order in clean-up. Choo at 5 can work out his issues, and depending on what Grady does at 3 switch him with Choo or leave them be.
• grodt

  

  OQB;749634 wrote:Grodt what about this lineup:
  
  I think you could easily put Choo and Sizemore in the 3 or 5 hole
  
  Brantley
  Druby
  Choo/Sizemore
  Hafner
  Sizemore/Choo
  Santana
  LaPorta
  O Cabrera
  Hanahan

  
  I'd be ok with that line-up. Right now I'd have Grady at 3 and Choo 5. Also, whenever Hafner gets an off day I'd move Santana back to 4 and put Duncan at 6.
• OQB

  

  That would be my lineup.....only right now I would have Grady at 3 just because he is hitting the ball and Choo is still trying to work it out so put him at 5. Santana just has loads of pressure on him and you can tell when he swings the bat, he's trying to rip the cover off the ball. Move him to 6 and let him do his thing down there.
• OQB

  

  What kind of crowds do you think the Tribe will come back to? This young team needs support and fans that are willing to come to the ballpark and watch them play. I think we see the same kind of numbers so far especially with this 3 game losing streak.
  
  We should have an Ohio Chatter day up at a game. haha man would that be fun!
• grodt

  

  Once I'm done with school I'm going to try to go up for some games. Maybe some of the Friday School ID games.
• Laley23

  

  Well, if the rain doesnt stop, we may not even play the Royals lol.
  
  Thats for Toledo of course, but I assume Cleveland is getting soaked as well all week?
• grodt

  

  If the stuff on the radar in Toledo is moving straight west then Cleveland will be soaked. I'm kinda hoping the river that runs through campus will flood over and take out Carlson.
• BR1986FB

  It's been raining on the East side (Solon) all day.
• Laley23

  

  grodt;749737 wrote:If the stuff on the radar in Toledo is moving straight west then Cleveland will be soaked. I'm kinda hoping the river that runs through campus will flood over and take out Carlson.

  
  Im not sure it is moving directly west, as we are getting the stuff moving NE from the SW, though I dont claim to be a meteorologist, so I have no clue how the patterns work once past Toledo.
• riders1

  

  60 TO 70% chance of rain Tuesday and Wednesday with severe storms on Wednesday, so doesn't look like baseball weather this week in Cleveland So either flash crowds or flash floods possible.
• OQB

  

  This spring has been the worst! I can't remember a spring where it has rained pretty much every single day.
• Laley23

  

  OQB;749835 wrote:This spring has been the worst! I can't remember a spring where it has rained pretty much every single day.

  
  Mother Nature has cost me close to a grand in under 2.5 weeks from work cancellations. I assume it will be getting worse this week (today already canceled).
• OQB

  

  Yeah it's nearly impossible for are high school baseball/softball teams to play...I am interning in a high school athletic dept and the AD hasn't had to cancel/reschedule this many games since he has been the AD.