The Indians come off a bitter-sweet series victory over the White Sox. The Twins are fresh off of taking 2 of 3 from Baltimore. Joe Mauer left their game yesterday with back spasms and is questionable for tonight. Doesn't look like a trip to the DL will be in order but I would be fine if he sat out a couple of games this series.

Pitching Probables

Monday Gibson (3-2 4.34) v McAllister (3-2 3.82)
Tuesday Deduno (0-1 2.89) v Tomlin (0-0 0.00)
Wednesday Nolasco (2-3 5.82) v Salazar (1-3 5.93)
Thursday Correia (1-3 6.09) v Masterson (1-1 4.01)

For the game tonight, the Indians will look to keep the Twins winless on Mondays so far this season. Games 1-3 will be night games with a getaway nooner on Thursday. The Indians are 8-7 in night games so far this year but the Twins prefer the sunshine. They are just 3-7 in night games this year. They average 5.1 runs per game overall, but just 4.4 in night games. As a team they hit .248 with an OBP of .341 but during night games they are just hitting .239 with an OBP of .325.

Go Tribe. 3 of 4 would be nice.

Win the bookends and try to take 1/2 with Tomlin and Salazar. Salazar has been much better his last 3 outings, and, while Tomlin wont overpower you, he was awesome before surgery. Very crafty. Love that he just throws strikes.

Too bad we blew that game yesterday....5-2 would have been a lock and 6-1 a possibility.

HitsRus;1612735 wrote:Too bad we blew that game yesterday....5-2 would have been a lock and 6-1 a possibility.

Agreed.

But, I said it all of last year as well. I go into a series/roadtrip/homestand with a goal. If we accomplish that goal, I will be happy, even if it sucks the way it ended. I wanted 2-1 and 3-1 and while we blew the game yesterday, I am still pleased with a 2-1 showing.

The biggest thing from yesterday is not the loss, its makign sure the guys dont get too upset over it and have it effect the next 4 games. We are in last place. We cant focus on the Tigers, we just have to focus on climbing one step up the ladder. 2/3 from Chicago was a start, now you need to focus on the Twins, another rung in the ladder.

Laley23;1612744 wrote:Agreed.

But, I said it all of last year as well. I go into a series/roadtrip/homestand with a goal. If we accomplish that goal, I will be happy, even if it sucks the way it ended. I wanted 2-1 and 3-1 and while we blew the game yesterday, I am still pleased with a 2-1 showing.

The biggest thing from yesterday is not the loss, its makign sure the guys dont get too upset over it and have it effect the next 4 games. We are in last place. We cant focus on the Tigers, we just have to focus on climbing one step up the ladder. 2/3 from Chicago was a start, now you need to focus on the Twins, another rung in the ladder.

I am not worried about the guys at all. They are fine. They have been playing baseball a long time, they understand blown saves happen. Tito gets it and he will have these guys in chicken suits keeping them loose.

It is the OC who is on the ledge after every loss.

Blown saves happen to every team over the course the season. There is never a good time for them to happen and they all suck. Hopefully they are in that spot again tonight and Axford can get right back out there and get bad taste of out his mouth.

TBone14;1612757 wrote:I am not worried about the guys at all. They are fine. They have been playing baseball a long time, they understand blown saves happen. Tito gets it and he will have these guys in chicken suits keeping them loose.

It is the OC who is on the ledge after every loss.

Blown saves happen to every team over the course the season. There is never a good time for them to happen and they all suck. Hopefully they are in that spot again tonight and Axford can get right back out there and get bad taste of out his mouth.

Well, Id like to agree, but the shit defense leads me to believe they are pressing a bit.

If you remember they had a series last year in Boston where Pestano and Perez blew three gamnes in the last/late innings....yesterday's blown save is survivable.

TBone14;1612757 wrote:... Hopefully they are in that spot again tonight and Axford can get right back out there and get bad taste of out his mouth.

Agreed.

The guy isn't Rollie Fingers but he does lead the league in saves. He's at least performing at or better than average ....unlike most of the rest of the team in their respective roles.

Laley23;1612778 wrote:Well, Id like to agree, but the shit defense leads me to believe they are pressing a bit.

I hope that's all it is, and not that they just plain suck.

McAllister with 4 Ks in the first 2 innings.

Con_Alma;1612833 wrote:Agreed.

The guy isn't Rollie Fingers but he does lead the league in saves. He's at least performing at or better than average ....unlike most of the rest of the team in their respective roles.

I don't think a 4.38 ERA is performing at or above average when talking about a closer.

Footwedge;1612837 wrote:I don't think a 4.38 ERA is performing at or above average when talking about a closer.

A closer can give up 50 runs per game so long as he doesn't lose the game or blow the save.

Footwedge;1612837 wrote:I don't think a 4.38 ERA is performing at or above average when talking about a closer.

Im not going to argue one way or the other. But a closers ERA is the most overrated thing to look at. In fact, most of a relief pitchers numbers will be inflated after a few bad outings.

Ill take a guy who is lights out 9/10 games, but has a bad outing and gives up 4 runs (now has an ERA over 3.00) over the guy who has an ERA over 3.00 giving up 4 runs over 10 games (1 in 4 different games).

Missed the start. Go Tribe.

a lot of goose eggs thus far

Somebody is going to need to get lucky and run into a solo homer for the Tribe and hope the staff can keep throwing up 0's. Indians look like they could play two games today without scoring.

And here we go. Twins get leadoff man thanks to a Santana error to start the 8th. He let that one just eat him up.

TBone14;1612868 wrote:Indians look like they could play two weeks without scoring.

fixed for accuracy

vball10set;1612871 wrote:fixed for accuracy

LoL.

Great job by Shaw to work out of that.

TBone14;1612870 wrote:And here we go. Twins get leadoff man thanks to a Santana error to start the 8th. He let that one just eat him up.

Aviles has this on lock.

Closers in non save situations are just awful. You think after blowing it yesterday he would come out focused but he makes a mistake to a punch n judy bench player and makes him look like the Great god damn Bambino.

Gonna have to comeback in extras. Axford serves up a gopher ball. Maybe they will get one tonight and negate last night.

They have to find a way to win this game.

How do you have 2 starts like we have seen from Kluber/McCallister the last 2 days and not have at least one win to show for it.

If they don't pull it off though, it is high time for someone on that staff to start calling out the offense.

This is bullshit, nothing more nothing less.

Have to win this game.

Another night Axford will be the goat but the blame lies equally or more on the offense. They were given 9 innings of shutout baseball by the staff. You have win when you hold the other team scoreless for 9 innings. They can't keep them off the board forever.

1-0 final. Chris Perez has a 1.88 ERA in 14.1 innings this year.