A season at a crossroads? Kitties @ Tribe

• HitsRus

  

  Both the Tigers and Indians are at a crossroads. The Tigers have slumped to just one game over the break even point, while the Tribe is just trying to find a combination that works. The Tigers have owned Francona and the Indians ever since Tito took the controls and hope to jump start their season and get back into it. The Tribe hopes to find some offense and be legitimate contenders. No more excuses exist... The rookies Lindor and Urshela are up. The pitching has been good, but the Tribe is having trouble scoring runs.
  
  I have asked Jobu to come and take fear from the bats. I offer rum, cigars... He will come.
  
  Trevor Bauer faces off against the Tiger's Ryan tonite in the lid lifter of the 3 game series.
  
  Go Tribe!
• TBone14

  

  Tribe playing the Tigers.
  Tigers jump on Tribe early.
  3-0 in the 3rd.
  
  It is rinse and repeat with these guys.
• TBone14

  

  Bauer was pretty awful tonight.
  
  Leaves game after 3+. 6 runs in and still 2 on and nobody out in the 4th.
• BRF

  

  Lordy Lordy,
  
  I think I'll drink a forty.
  
  Go Tribe.
• Dr. KnOiTaLL

  

  Just close your eyes and take a trip down memory lane... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/402111-1995-cleveland-indians-the-best-hitting-lineup-of-the-1990s/page/2
  
  Lofton: .310, 54 SB, 13 3B
  Vizquel: .266, 29 SB, 20 sac (bunt/fly)
  Baerga: .314, 15 HR, 90 RBI
  Belle: .317, 50 HR, 52 2B, 126 RBI
  Murray: .323, 21 HR, 82 RBI
  Thome: .314, 25 HR, 73 RBI
  Ramirez: .308, 31 HR, 107 RBI
  Sorrento: .235, 25 HR, 79 RBI (more RBI than hits (76))
  Alomar: .300, 10 HR
• Footwedge

  Death, taxes, tribe pummeled by Detroit.
• HitsRus

  

  Salazar on the hill tonite.
• IggyPride00

  

  The play in game wild card is starting to get away from us.
  
  When is Tito going to do something about Santana. He is just killing this team in the middle of the order. You can't have a total dead spot batting in the middle of the order.
• TBone14

  

  IggyPride00;1736917 wrote:The play in game wild card is starting to get away from us.
  
  When is Tito going to do something about Santana. He is just killing this team in the middle of the order. You can't have a total dead spot batting in the middle of the order.

  Nobody is hitting other than Kipnis.
  
  The starters can't pitch vs Tigers. It has to be some type of mental block. Other teams get these guys out.
• IggyPride00

  

  TBone14;1736944 wrote:Nobody is hitting other than Kipnis.
  
  The starters can't pitch vs Tigers. It has to be some type of mental block. Other teams get these guys out.

  This team hasn't hit consistently for 3-4 years now if we're being honest. They have those occasional outbursts that bump the averages a bit so Baghdad Bobby D can make the rounds and deny it, but year after year Shaponetti cripples this team by refusing to give them offensive help.
  
  Brandon Moss is a perfect example. They wet themselves thinking they were getting a deal, but this line-up can't afford to have a guy like Moss the way a consistent hitting team can. He will have those bursts where he's great, and then is a bum for 2-3 weeks. Great type of guy to have on a team with offensive anchors that can weather his droughts, but it was the absolute last thing this team needed when we already have a line-up of guys who don't consistently hit.
  
  Management needs to be overhauled. Their approach to offense doesn't work, as we have been trying for years to cobble weak ass line-ups together with much the same results.
  
  Tito is the only thing that has kept this team from being a 75 win squad the past few years. Imagine what he could do with some real talent.
  
  Get rid of Shaponetti. Keep Tito, and hope there is some young GM who is willing to deal with the Dolan's draconian budgets because he really wants to be a GM.
  
  A fresh voice is so desperately needed at the corner of Ontario and Carnegie it isn't even funny.
• HitsRus

  

  Ehhh, I think those guys do a pretty good job working within the paltry budget that a team that draws 9000 fans when they are in contention has. The big problem is the lack of production by the guys they invested big bucks with....namely Swisher and Bourn. Swisher was a bit of a stretch from the beginning, but I don't know if anyone could have predicted the bottom dropping out on Bourn. In any case, those guys missed completely on the little money that they had. It's not that Antonetti is bad....all GMs are going to miss occasionally....but that they have so little room for error, everything is magnified.
  You can't blame it all on Doian either. The team was in contention late in the season the past two years and the crowds were embarrassingly small. Stuff like that doesn't swell the budget.
  You can't give Tito a free pass either. We would have won our division in 2013, IF we could have beaten the Tigers. We would have at least made the wild card in 2014, IF we would have beaten the Tigers. And we would be in contention NOW if we would just have played the Tigers even. I think that is on the manager. Other teams beat them, but since since Tito took over, the record against the Tigers has been abyssmal.
  
  Count me in on one who thinks we need to stop coddling Santana. He pulled the same shit last year, batting below the Mendoza line for the first half of the season. Santana needs to learn to hit the ball to all fields. We knew that last year. WTF did he do in the offseason?
  
  Even with a win tomorrow which would avoid the sweep, we will have lost another series to a division rival.
• Gardens35

  Chiz and Ramirez tearing it up at the plate for C-Bus.........building the trade value.
• Ironman92

  

  Miguel Cabrera is the best....he has a blast. Cleveland 12 year old giving him hell from the front row and he went back and forth with him a bit as the kid was really letting him have it.....next inning Cabrera comes out the next inning and tosses the kid his batting gloves and his bat. Kid gave him hell and he now owns the bat of a first ballot HOFer....the kid was impressed to say the least.
• Footwedge

  Santana plays every day while our 330 hitter rots away on the bench. Don't give a shit about left handers either. The guy is hitting 330. I've lost a lot of respect for Francona this year.
• TBone14

  

  Try not to throw up.
  
  The Tigers are 37-34 overall and 9-2 vs the Tribe. They are 28-32 vs all other teams.
• Ironman92

  

  Dr. KnOiTaLL;1736676 wrote:Just close your eyes and take a trip down memory lane... http://bleacherreport.com/articles/402111-1995-cleveland-indians-the-best-hitting-lineup-of-the-1990s/page/2
  
  Lofton: .310, 54 SB, 13 3B
  Vizquel: .266, 29 SB, 20 sac (bunt/fly)
  Baerga: .314, 15 HR, 90 RBI
  Belle: .317, 50 HR, 52 2B, 126 RBI
  Murray: .323, 21 HR, 82 RBI
  Thome: .314, 25 HR, 73 RBI
  Ramirez: .308, 31 HR, 107 RBI
  Sorrento: .235, 25 HR, 79 RBI (more RBI than hits (76))
  Alomar: .300, 10 HR

  those teams were so damn loaded
• Dr. KnOiTaLL

  

  Ironman92;1737011 wrote:those teams were so damn loaded

  It seems almost remarkable that we DIDN'T win the world series. Then I look at that Braves pitching staff with three HOF's... And likely would've been a 4th had Avery not had shoulder issues.
• BR1986FB

  Dr. KnOiTaLL;1737029 wrote:It seems almost remarkable that we DIDN'T win the world series. Then I look at that Braves pitching staff with three HOF's... And likely would've been a 4th had Avery not had shoulder issues.

  Still shake my head that they had a chance to trade Jaret Wright for Pedro Martinez and PASSED. Those 90's teams had ok pitching but no dominant #1.
• HitsRus

  

  Jason Kipnis has at least one hit today, Carlos Santana hit a 2 run double, and Carrasco is throwing a gem, and the Tribe is up 4-0 in the 6th.
  
  Missing from the Kitty's lineup today is Miggy Cabrera....Tiger manager Brad Ausmus explained that even Cabrera needs a day off every once in a while. (paraphrased: "I just felt so sorry for you"....)
• BRF

  

  ^^^^ His rib cage is probably sore from pounding out all those hits against the Tribe.
• Dr. KnOiTaLL

  

  HitsRus;1737074 wrote:Missing from the Kitty's lineup today is Miggy Cabrera....Tiger manager Brad Ausmus explained that even Cabrera needs a day off every once in a while. (paraphrased: "We will beat you without him"....)

  FIFY
• TBone14

  

  Tribe officially avoid being swept by the Tigers again at home.
  
  Off day tomorrow and on to Baltimore.
• HitsRus

  

  series lost....need someone to start the next Tribe thread!
• TBone14

  

  On it