Indians Confidential

Eric Wedge called it the worst approach at the plate he had seen all season.  That’s how bad it was Monday night in game two of the doubleheader between the Indians and Blue Jays.  Toronto, a team that is about as offensively challenged as any in the league right now, put some hits together and combined with a shot off Rafael Betancourt’s elbow, they beat the Indians 3-0 at Progressive Field.  What made Wedge so mad was the Indians offense, which clearly took a step back into the same lame struggling bermuda triangle it was about 10 days ago when they could do nothing to get runners on, or runners across the plate.

The team wasted another super outing by Cliff Lee, who did what it seems he’s done all season - throw nine innings of shutout ball, walking two, striking out five, and giving up seven hits.  Lee now has an ERA of 0.67, and he has not allowed a run since a three-run homer to the Mariners on April 30th.  He has allowed four earned runs in 53.2 innings pitched, and has given up three runs in 39 innings.  It was all for not.

Also for not was the Tribe’s first unassisted triple play since Game 5 of the 1920 World Series.  The play came from Asdrubal Cabrera, who in the fifth inning pulled off the play after Kevin Mench and Marco Scutaro began the inning with singles, Lyle Overbay lined out to Cabrera near second base.  Cabrera alertly tagged Scutaro, who was running toward second base, before stepping on the bag before Mench was able to return to complete the triple play.  Not even that could put a silver lining on a night that saw the team manage just three hits.

Toronto scored their three runs in the 10th, when Betancourt took over for Lee, and after a single, a ball was hit up the middle that Betancourt tried to backhand, but it smacked off his elbow for a single to third.  A sac, an intentional walk later, Shannon Stewart hit a sac fly to center to make it 1-0.  Then a ball was hit up the middle by Aaron Hill to bring home two more runs to make it 3-0.

The loss drops the Indians back to 19-19 on the season.  They will kick off a three-game set vs the Oakland A’s on Tuesday night, as Paul Byrd (1-3, 4.28) takes on Justin Duchscherer (3-1, 2.45) at 7:05pm.