Closing in While on Fumes...

[Alex]

Well, we barely beat Tampa Bay today, in extra innings, 5-4. It's an odd sight seeing Ben Broussard continue his Coco Crisp act. It's just as odd seeing Ryan Ludwick strike out at an alarming rate, yet drive in runs at just as high of a rate!

Ludwick has three game-winning hits in the last 8 games! At least two may have been in extra innings! Ludwick drove in three runs today on three singles. How come I get the feeling that if he had come up with no one on, he would have struck out?

I sure do miss not having a Matt Lawton or Milton Bradley in the Line-up. Matt seems to be taking his time, or are we taking our time with Matt?

Alex Escobar has a rocket arm, and seems to like to show it off. I can see this guy showing up for a little league game and pretending to be 12 so that he can gun some little leaguers out at first!

Hamilton pre-called a play in today's game, saying the ball wasn't hit far enough for the the Tampa Bay runner at third to tag, but he tagged anyway, and Escobar threw him out at home.

We somehow came back to tie the score in the extra-innings after Tampa Bay had scored in the top half of the extra frame, then we won it an inning or two later, the usual suspects, Hafner, Broussard, and Ludwick involved in both extra inning runs.

So if we can win Monday in the final against Tampa Bay, we may start to open some eyes. I just wish we had at least one guy in the line-up hitting over .300.

[Alex]

Why the tribe has a shot at winning the division...

Night after night, two of the three teams ahead of us lose, there will be very few nights where all three teams win because of head to head competition.

KC and Chicago battle each other another 10-12 times. We battle Minnesota another 4-6 times.

Texas and Anaheim match up very well against Chicago and Minnesota, and they have several games to play.

KC still must play New York, and I think also Boston. We have one of the best starting 6 in the A.L. Miracles can happen.

Lets win it for Herb Brooks, who unexpectedly passed this past week. We are the miracle team of this year, Mr. Brooks has passed the torch.

[Alex]

Just as it was about to happen, we were about to creep 9.5 games back of KC, we lose two nights in a row where we had the lead in the 8th inning in the first loss, and then we had the lead in the 6th the following night.

In both games, our suspect set-up men did us in.

Danys Baez blew a hold opportunity in the first loss, then we experimented with a pick-up from the Mexican league, but we kept Jason Davis in the game primarily because we didn't feel we had a legitimate option in the bullpen for so early in the game.

The Paul Shuey trade is starting to stink because we didn't maximize our return. RR should have been tried as a closer from the get go, and Baez should have been put back into the starting rotation.

RR would not have gotten injured as a closer, and I think his make-up is perfect for the closer role.

<font color="#a62a2a" size="1">[ August 20, 2003 01:03 AM: Message edited by: Alex ]</font>