The Struggling Cleveland Indians

Winners of six of their last 40 games, but they don't look like a bad team when they play the Pretenders. They, in fact, play like the team that wants to advance to post-season. 

Justin Masterson (11-12, 4.84 ERA) allowed two runs in six innings.Four relievers finished off the P's. Their one-man offense (Miguel Cabrera, two-run homer) wasn't enough. 

Fortunately for the Pretenders, the White Sox don't want the division either. They lost to the Minnesota Vikings 18-9 at Soldier Field,  and keep their one game AL Central lead. But the Orioles beat the team they had to (12-0 over the Toronto Argos at CNE Stadium) and moved into a first place AL East tie with the Yankees; while playing like they're the ones who want that bridesmaid's dress.

Al Alburquerque, back after blowing his arm out throwing too many sliders, retired all four hitters he faced. His presence on the roster creates another amazing, incredible major league first: first ever team in the modern era with a battery whose initials are AA.

-----------------------------------------

Before the game, The Resident Managerial Genius suggested that the fans, if they didn't like his batting order (Fielder at DH, Jackson sitting, Delmon Young their hottest hitter sitting), submit their own. 

Okay, then: 

Jackson, CF, no more sitting, that's why you give him days off in July and August

Dewayne Wise, RF

Cabrera, 1B

Fielder, DH

Young, LF, no more sitting your hottest hitter, days off in Jul and Aug

Placido Polanco, 2B

Peralta, SS

Infante, 3B

Rob Brantly, C

It's Tribe Time Again

They let Corey Kluber off the hook in the first inning, and it cost them the game. 

Delmon Young had singled in a run, and the sacks were filled for Brennan Boesch. BB hit into a double play. Inning over. 

Kluber settled down, gave up one additional run in six innings, and got his first major league win. Final 3-2 Indians; yet another winnable game that the lack of a timely it or two turned into yet another one run loss. 

Alex Avila hit into a double play to end the game, the Pretenders' MLB leading 132nd DP of the season. He's too nice a guy to appear on a wanted poster, but he's getting there (.241 at day's end, and in a slump that started in April).

Allowing unearned runs is something else the P's lead MLB in, and baseball's 20th best defense let in two more today, the only two runs Anibal Sanchez allowed in six innings. Pitched Well Enough To Win But Didn't.

Put It On The Board, Yeeeesss !!!

Delmon Young's three run homer in the sixth, that is, that broke up the pitching battle between Verlander and Sale and gave the Tigers a 4-1 lead. 

Brennan Boesch, owner of the only homer Sale had allowed to a lefty this season, inserted in the lineup for that exact reason, hit another in the fifth to tie the score at one. 

Verlander and Scherzer have become a latter-day Koufax and Drysdale rotation pairing, insuring trouble for any opponent in a short series. JV's line tonight: eight innings, four hits, two walks, 11 strikeouts. Amazing, as always.

K and D had Ron Perranoski to close out the enemy. V and S have Jose Valverde splashing paint remover over their masterpieces. After retiring the first two Sox in the ninth, he allowed three singles and a run. ("It's ALWAYS this way ..." -- Iggy Pop, "Not Right."). If Austin Jackson hadn't been fast enough to chase down Orlando Hudson's liner, the game would have been tied, and JV's work of art in the trash can. 

A win by any other name is still a win,  and the three game sweep gets the Tigers back even with the Pale Hose, in first with identical 72-61 records.

 

Haha White Sox! Schadenfreude!

There exists the temptation to start every post for a Scherzer game with his pitching line, since each one lately has been so amazing. Stats often don't tell the story. His are the exception.

Tonight's: eight innings, four hits, no runs, one walk, nine strikeouts, win number 15. Tigers win 5-1, and cut the Pale Hose's lead in the AL Central to one game.

Delmon Young stayed hot, going 2 for 4 with a triple -- one of four Tiger three-base hits -- and a solo homer in the seventh that provided the always vital insurance run.

Right fielder Avisail Garcia, the first player in MLB history with that first name, went 1 for 3 with one RBI in his Show debut. 

Tomorrow, it's Sale vs. Verlander in the Sunday night ESPN game with first place on the line.