Veteran bats let Tribe down again

Just another typical one-run loss for the Tribe tonight. Absolutely ZERO clutch hitting.


While there is plenty of blame to go around, in my mind the game was lost in the eighth inning, thanks to two veteran batters (let's not call them hitters) who failed to get a runner in from third with just one out.


To refresh your memory, with one out Asdrubal Cabrera hit a shot to right field that Kay Cee's Emil Brown helped turn into a triple.


Up steps Kenny Lofton. Leadoff man. The guy who is up there just to slap the ball around and make things go. He strikes out on four pitches. Not even a sniff. With two down, my favorite No. 2 hitter hits a weak grounder to second.

I've asked this before - a million times - but I'll ask again. This is NOT a rhetorical question. Does anyone out there have any clue what Eric Wedge sees in Casey Blake that would make him think Blake is an effective two-hole hitter. Maybe I'm missing something.

The Tribe had their chances in the ninth as well, putting runners on first and second with one out, only to see Ryan Garko pop out meakly and Jhonny Peralta bounce to short.

Peralta, back to his swing-for-the-fences ways, left four runners on base to lead the way down the tubes. Garko and Blake left three.

Nine Indians hitters K'd tonight. I guess not getting into double figures is progress.

This team is way too tolerant of Sizemore's Ks. The same goes for Peralta and for Hafner.

The new-schoolers say Ks aren't such a big deal, but when you put the ball in play things happen. When you don't, they don't. It's that simple. Shorten up your goddamned swing and put the ball in play.


A TRAVESTY OF A DIFFERENT KIND


I started to write this at 11:05 EDT. At the very minute I was typing my first word, the first pitch in the Yankees-Tigers game was being thrown in MoTown.


That is a full four hours after the game was scheduled to start.


It's just another example of how the fan counts for absolutely ZERO in baseball.

There was a full house. Call the game you lose the gate. These damned people will want rain checks.


Better to keep everyone out in the rain for four hours, spending extra money on concessions since they will now be at the ballpark for at least seven hours instead of the expected three. Any ticket holder who leaves loses the $10-$65 he shelled out for each seat. (Price range listed on the Tiger Web site).


Yes this is the last trip for the Yankees into Detroit. But there are still three days remaining.

In the old days, the Friday rainout becomes the Sunday single-admission doubleheader (if there wasn't one already scheduled). At the very least they could have scheduled a seperate admission day-night doubleheader - another modern day invention to screw the fans.


Instead, six-year-old kids will either miss what might be the only game they have tickets for all year, or will be around 'til 2:00 in the morning. Ditto the guy who works on Saturdays and has to get up at 7:00. Or the guy who had to be in tonight for the midnight shift. It's wrong, and it sucks and baseball could give a damn.

FLICK MY WICK

Bob Wickman has been DFA'd by the Braves. They just decided they couldn't take the drama anymore, I guess. Wick was 3-3 with a 3.92 ERA this year and was 20 of 26 in save situations.


Could the Wick be that additional seventh or eighth inning guy the Tribe needs so badly?

They don't dare use Jensen Lewis, Aaron Fultz or Edward Mujica in any game that is closer than three runs.

And when exactly was the last time Tom Mastny pitched?

They have four guys right now simply taking up space in the pen. If they should limp (as in limp offense) their way into the playoffs we're going to actually have to see those guys in games, and it won't be pretty.