Player of the Game

Zach McAllister had an outstanding outing tonight, winning him his only "Player of the Game" award of the season. McAllister's score of 4.37 comprised of 5 innings pitched. He allowed 6 hits, just one for extra bases. McAllister struck out 4 and walked only one batter. The one run that was given up while McAllister was on the mound was not earned due to a fielding error by Ezquiel Carrera.

Feathers Up

The Indians struck first tonight with a run in the 3rd inning. Matt LaPorta reached on a walk and the next batter, Ezquiel Carrera, tripled him home. The Indians had a runner on third with just one out and were unable to add any more runs.

The Indians were able to add to their one-run lead in the 4th inning. Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis Hafner led the inning off with singles. Carlos Santana walked, and Jack Hannahan drove in a run on a single. The Indians scored a second run in the inning when a double-play ball off the bat of Matt LaPorta was poorly played by the Detroit defense. The ruling was an error, all were safe, and a run score. After 4 innings, the Indians had a 3-1 advantage.

The Indians were able to tie the game in the top of the 8th inning after Travis Hafner doubled, both Carlos Santana and Shelley Duncan walked, and Jack Hannahn hit a sacrifice fly.

Feathers Down

I guess Manny Acta did not want to see the last game of the season. Acta was ejected in the middle of the first inning after arguing about a called third strike on Asdrubal Cabrera. Maybe Acta was paying tribute to bench coach, Tim Tolman, allowing him to manage his last game as a coach in baseball. Tolman is retiring at the end of the season, mostly due to his battle with Parkinson's Disease. First base coach Sandy Alomar, Jr., will probably replace Tolman as bench coach in the 2012 season.

Joe Smith and the rest of the bullpen had a great season, but pitched horribly tonight. Smith came on in relief in the 6th inning. He gave up 3 singles, walked 2, and gave up 2 runs. Zach Putnam didn't pitch much better in the 7th inning. Putnam gave up a lead-off triple to Wilson Betemit, who scored on a wild pitch. Putnam pitched 0.2 innings, and gave up one run on 2 hits. Between the two relievers tonight, a 2-run lead was blown and the Tigers were able to take a 4-3 lead after 7 innings. The Indians were able to tie the game in the top of the 8th, but that didn't last long. Vinnie Pestano pitched in the bottom of the 8th inning and gave up a lead-off home run to Jhonny Peralta.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Detroit Tigers 5

Player of the Game

Jim Thome provided the Tribe with some offense tonight as he won his 2nd "Player of the Game" award since rejoining the Indians. Thome singled, doubled, and walked. He also scored 2 runs and drove in one, giving him a PoG score of 4.06.

Feathers Up

The Indians provided some offense tonight, scoring in 4 consecutive innings. They scored one run in the fourth inning on a Shelly Duncan double. Their run in the fifth inning on a wild pitch by Max Scherzer. In the sixth inning, the Indians scored two runs on a Jason Donald single. The Indians scored 2 more runs in the seventh inning. Jim Thome doubled in a run and Lonnie Chisenhall hit an RBI single.

Once again, Nick Hagadone looked strong in relief for the Indians. Hagadone pitched 1.2 innings. He did not allow a hit, struck out 2, and picked a runner off of first base. Hagadone has been fantastic in his last 5 outings.

Zach Putnam also had a good outing out of the bullpen. Putnam pitched the 8th inning, retiring all three Tiger hitters he faced and struck out one.

Feathers Down

The Indians fell behind early when starting pitcher Jeanmar Gomez gave up 3 runs in the first inning. Gomez pitched to 8 batters, giving up 4 hits and hitting a batter. The Tigers were able to add one more one in the second inning when Wilson Betemit hit a solo shot off of Gomez. In the fourth inning, Gomez gave up 2 more runs on a line drive that cleared the fence off the bat of Delmon Young. Gomez ended the night pitching 4.2 innings, giving up 8 runs on 10 hits.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Detroit Tigers 9

Player of the Game

The Indians total team score of -17.17 made this game the worst of the season for the Tribe and I don't think anyone can really question that. With that in mind it is hard to give anyone a 'Player of the Game' award, so I will just mention the two players who came out of the game with a positive score. Matt LaPorta lead the team with a score of 0.72 for his 2 singles, while Jered Head had a single of his own for a score of 0.33 as a pinch hitter. It was a great effort by everyone on the team.

Feathers Up

We got to see Corey Kluber in his first extended action tonight as he went 2+ innings against the Central Division Champion Tigers. The first two innings went very well as he struck out 2 and didn't allow a hit. His attempt at a third inning wasn't so successful as he allowed hits to all four batters he faced and all scored without an out being recorded. Josh Judy allowed two of those runs when he gave up a home run to Delmon Young

Relax, tonight's Indians team that got killed by the Tigers will not be the 2012 Cleveland Indians. Absent from the lineup today were a plethora of starters including Carlos Santana, Michael Brantley, Grady Sizemore and Shin-Soo Choo. While the bullpen mafia is still available in the pen, the relievers who pitched tonight have nothing to do with them. Josh Judy and Corey Kluber are both AAA caliber players that are just using up innings waiting for the season to end.

Feathers Down

Lou Marson tries to block the plate from behind it. Maybe he is actually trying to keep the player from going back to the dugout after they score. He did it once early in the game to day and has done it on multiple occasions in the past. Anyone who thinks Marson is defensively superior to Carlos Santana is lying to their self. The numbers have shown that as Marson has played more, his caught stealing percentage has decreased to a more normal .377. More noteably he has allowed 5 passed balls in 72 starts, more than Santana has in 87.

Every Indians pitcher allowed at least 4 runs tonight, so you'll have that.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 0 - Detroit Tigers 14

Player of the Game

Shelley Duncan won his 2nd "Player of the Game" in 2 games with a score of 4.48. Duncan singled in the first inning and hit a 2-run home run in the third. Duncan now has 11 award on the year, tying him for 2nd best on the team. This is very impressive seeing that he spent part of the year in the minor leagues and was never really considered to be an everyday player.

Feathers Up

The Indians came out swinging in the first inning. They scored 2 runs on 4 hits, singles by Kosuke Fukudome, Travis Hafner, Shelley Duncan, and Lonnie Chisenhall.

Shelley Duncan continues to stay hot. Duncan homered on a line drive to left field, giving him 2 more RBI on the season. This was Duncan's 7th home run in the month of September.

Fausto Carmona concluded his 2011 season, pitching 6.1 innings. Carmona didn't exactly have his stuff today, but he kept his team in the game. Carmona gave up 4 runs on 7 hits, striking out 3.

The Indians paid tribute to Jim Thome by letting him play third base in the top of the 9th inning. Thome started his career as an Indian at third base in 1991. Thome only played third base today for one pitch as the fans gave him a standing ovation both when he entered the field and when he ran off the field.

Feathers Down

The Indians began their last home game of the season with a horrible play. Shelley Duncan came in too far on a fly ball, which then went over his head, allowing Denard Span to get a double. The was a routine fly ball that should have been caught. Span would later come around to score in the inning.

Tony Sipp was unable to keep the Twins from scoring in the top of the 10th inning. Sipp gave up a home run, a double, and a single, allowing Minnesota to score 2 runs and win the game.

Final Score: Minnesota Twins 6 - Cleveland Indians 4

Player of the Game

Game 1:

Jason Kipnis won the 'Player of the Game' in game one with 2 hits, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI. Kipnis walked to start off the 6 run 6th inning. Shelley Duncan also had a great game with 3 RBI on a double and a sac fly.

Game 2:

Shelley Duncan won the second 'Player of the Game' of the day with a score of 5.14 derived from his 3 RBI knocked in with a double and a single. He also scored a run Duncan's score of 9.37 was the highest total score for the day.

Feathers Up

The Indians swept the double header and will look to sweep the series with a win in tomorrow's game. Their current 4 game winning streak is the Tribe's best since May. In Game one Zach Putnam earned his first Major League win and in game two, Nick Hagadone matched him with his first Major League win.

The Tribe benefited from the big inning in both games as they scored 11 combined runs in the two 6 innings. Shelley Duncan was integral in much of the Indians scoring, knocking in 3 of those 11 runs in the 6th and 6 total runs over both games.

Feathers Down

Game 1:

Trevor Crowe hurt his shoulder on an attempted diving catch in the first inning of the first game and has been declared out for the season. Kosuke Fukudome was supposed to get the first game completely off, but was forced into action due to the injury. He did play well on short notice though with an RBI single that he ended up scoring on.

Game 2:

If Crowe's injury in game one wasn't enough, Asdrubal Cabrera was forced to leave the game early in game 2 after taking a pitch off his elbow. There has been no further news at this point as to how severe the injury is.

Final Scores

Game 1: Cleveland Indians 8 - Minnesota Twins 2

Game 2: Cleveland Indians 7 - Minnesota Twins 6

Player of the Game

Jim Thome won 'Player of the Game' on his night with a score of 5.86 powered by an opposite field double and a deep home run to center field. Thome also hit a single and knocked in three runs. Matt LaPorta also had a nice night with 3 hits, 2 RBI and a score of 3.70.

Feathers Up

Tonight was Jim Thome's night as the Indians celebrated his career with the team and announced plans for a statue of him in center field placed in approximately the same spot as his momentous 511 foot home run. This honor has been a long time coming as Jim Thome is the greatest power hitter in Indians history.

Tribe relievers improved in a stat they have been struggling with of late by stranded every runner that was left on base by a previous pitcher. Frank Herrmann left the bases loaded when he came in for Justin Masterson and both Rafael Perez and Joe Smith stranded their inherited runners. Chris Perez also pitching well, earning the win and pitching a clean inning where all three batters popped out in the infield.

Feathers Down

Justin Masterson didn't exactly finish the season strong, pitching in one of his least memorable starts this season. Masterson walked 6 and hit 2 batters giving him 8 extra base runners he shouldn't have had to deal with. Regardless of how his season ends, he has proved this year that he has become exactly what everyone involved with the Indians hoped he would turn in to and will be the ace going into 2012. Masterson is scheduled to start the last game of the season, but does not have to make that start due to the extra starting pitchers on the Indians roster.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 6 - Minnesota Twins 5

Player of the Game

Asdrubal Cabrera stole this 'Player of the Game' away from Kosuke Fukudome with an RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. Before this single, Cabrera hit another single and a 3 run home run. The home run was the final nail in the coffin for the White Sox. Fukudome had just about as good a night as he can, started off with a home run to lead off the game. He ended the game with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored along with a fantastic diving catch in right field. In any game that a team wins by 9 runs, there are always multiple heroes and Jeanmar Gomez deserves some credit as another one. Gomez pitched 6 innings, only allowing one earned run and earning the win. Gomez earned 5.49 'POG' points while Fukudome scored 6.94 and winning player Asdrubal Cabrera scored 7.20.

Feathers Up

Jeanmar Gomez has pumped his own value up as of late, making him a late season favorite for next year's starting rotation. In his 5 starts since coming back from AAA on August 30th, Gomez has pitched 6 innings in every game but one and has been the winning pitcher in each start. In those starts he has never given up more than 2 runs in a single game. Gomez has been on the Indians radar since he pitched a perfect game in AA Akron a few years ago and although he has had mixed results over his first two big league seasons, he looks to be becoming a strong option at starter.

With a double in the 7th inning, Travis Hafner became the 35th player to acrue 1,000 hits while playing for the Cleveland Indians. Pronk has more hits than any current member of the Tribe. Congratulations to Travis Hafner, the greatest hitter in Indians history who was unable to play a position on the field.

Feathers Down

The Indians won't be going to the playoffs in 2011. Overall an extremely positive outing against the next best team in the Central.

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 11 - Chicago White Sox 2

Player of the Game

The Indians did not have any offense until the 6th inning. That all changed when Pronk slammed a 2-run shot over the right field wall. This was Travis Hafner's 13th home run of the year, earning him the "Player of the Game" award tonight with a score of 4.43. This is Hafner's 10th award of the year, tying him for 4th place on the team.

Feathers Up

Ubaldo Jimenez pitched deep into the game and had a very good outing until the 7th inning. Jimenez ended up pitching 7 complete innings, giving up 4 runs on 6 hits. He went into the 7th with a 2-1 lead and left the game trailing 4-2. Jimenez struck out 7 White Sox batters and walked just 2.

Indians batters only struck out 4 times tonight. If you have been watching the Indians play all year, you know that this is a big deal. Games seem to be a lot less frustrating when a team can hit the ball into play.

Feathers Down

Chad Durbin entered the game in the 8th inning, relieving Ubaldo Jimenez. He gave up a home run to the first batter he faced, Alexei Ramirez. He also gave up a home run to the third batter he faced, Alex Rios. But that's not all. Chad Durbin was not satisfied with only giving up 2 home runs in an inning. He allowed Brent Morel to smash a 2-run shot into left field, giving up a total of 3 home runs in just one inning. Durbin continues his woes out of the bullpen, maintaining an ERA of over 5.00.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 8 - Cleveland Indians 4

Player of the Game

Nick Hagadone won his second "Player of the Game" award tonight with a score of 2.56. Hagadone pitched 1.2 scoreless innings with a walk and 2 strike outs. Zach McAllister was not far behind tonight with a score of 2.44. Jim Thome proved to be the best offensive player tonight. He had an RBI single, a run scored, and two walks, giving him a score of 2.35.

Feathers Up

The Indians offense put together some hits in the fourth inning to score a few runs. The inning started with singles by Jason Donald, Carlos Santana, and Jim Thome. Shelley Duncan walked and Grady Sizemore hit a sacrifice fly. Then Matt LaPorta doubled and Jack Hannahan hit a sacrifice fly. After three outs were recorded in the inning, the Indians found themselves up 4-0.

Indians starting pitcher Zach McAllister greatly improved form his last outing. Last time he pitched, on August 24th, he only pitched 3.1 innings and gave up 8 runs. Tonight, McAllister pitched 5.1 solid innings and gave up just 2 runs.

Feathers Down

Zach Putnam came out of the bullpen in the 7th inning with a one run lead and was unable to keep that lead. Putman only recorded one out before he was pulled from the game. Putnam gave up 2 singles, a double and hit a batter before giving up 2 runs and leaving 2 base runners for Nick Hagadone.

Final Score: Chicago White Sox 5 - Cleveland Indians 4

Player of the Game

Travis Hafner hit a two run home run early in the game to give the Indians a lead, and the winning margin. He also had a single later in the game as well. Kosuke Fukudome, Asdrubal Cabrera also scored well with home runs of their own, as did the relief pitchers, Joe Smith, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez, who all earned decisions.

Feathers Up

The Columbus Clippers won the Governors' Cup for the International League championship and will now play for the AAA championship in Albuquerque, NM. The game will be televised on versus if anyone would rather see a championship caliber team, than the Indians.

Jack Hannahan returned from the dead today to take over defensive duties at third from Lonnie Chisenhall late in the game. It's good that he got over his injury, but hopefully he will be relegated to this type of work for the rest of the season as Lonnie Chisenhall needs to get as many at bats as he can to prepare for 2012. The Indians made a couple of roster moves in the last two days as well, bringing back Zach McAllister and Corey Kluber from AAA. McAllister will start the night game tonight and Kluber will be available out of the bullpen. The Indians also announced that Josh Tomlin will be recalled in time to start next Saturday against Minnesota.

The Indians have found some offense over the last 5 games, scoring at least 6 in every game except today and hitting 3 home runs in today's game. The Indians even got the home runs from some expected run producers in Travis Hafner and Asdrubal Cabrera.

Feathers Down

Waste of space catcher, Lou Marson, struck out another 3 times today. That makes him 0 for his last 6 at bats with 6 strike outs over the last 3 games. If anyone thinks he is better than anyone currently on the Indians or Clippers they are sorely mistaken. Bet no one saw this coming, the "Bad stuff about Austin Kearns" section has now turned into bad stuff about Lou Marson. He's now batting .233 on the season.

Asdrubal Cabrera hurt himself swinging in his last at bat and was forced to leave the game for the 9th inning with an oblique injury. If the injury is serious at all we can expect Cabrera to sit out the rest of the season. He

Final Score: Cleveland Indians 4 - Chicago White Sox 3