SB Nation Cleveland - Soggy Sunday: Indians, Twins Rained Out; Tribe Gains A Half-Game On Detroithttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/48841/cleveland-fave.png2011-08-14T16:01:44-05:00http://cleveland.sbnation.com/rss/stream/21231032011-08-14T16:01:44-05:002011-08-14T16:01:44-05:00Indians Vs. Twins: Sunday's Game Washed Out, No Makeup Date As Of Yet
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S1PZRfbbcqX-SubjcYEgfnVn28c=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828107/large_cleveland.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a>’ game with the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> has been postponed after a rain-delay of almost three hours this afternoon. No makeup date has been announced at this time.</p>
<p>The Tribe had grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning on an <span class="caps">RBI</span> single from <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span>, but the hits and run will not count in anyone’s statistics.</p>
<p>That includes Indians’ left-hander <span>David Huff</span>, who worked two scoreless innings and threw two pitches in the third before the rains forced the grounds-crew to bring out the tarp.</p>
<p>Cleveland did win (in a way) by not playing when Baltimore defeated Detroit 8-5. With the loss, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a>’ lead over the Indians is cut to 2.5 games, and better still, the Tribe now trails Detroit by only a game in the loss column.</p>
<p>The Twins play tomorrow on the Indians’ day off, so the game could not be played tomorrow. On the Tribe’s next day off on August 25 Minnesota is again scheduled. Minnesota has four scheduled days off in September, and one of them corresponds with a Tribe day off — September 12th. However, as there are only two scheduled days off for the Indians for the rest of the season after tomorrow, it is more likely that a doubleheader will have to be played on the Twins’ final trip into Cleveland, which will also be the final home series of 2011 for the Indians, on September 23-25.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2011/8/14/2362968/tribe-twins-final-8-14-indians-vs-twins-sundays-game-washed-out-no-make-up-date-as-of-yetAncientMariner2011-08-14T08:06:07-05:002011-08-14T08:06:07-05:00Tribe Goes For A Sweep Of Minnesota Sunday At 1:05
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S1PZRfbbcqX-SubjcYEgfnVn28c=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828107/large_cleveland.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>After seeing Detroit snatch victory from the jaws of defeat last night to maintain their three-game lead over the Tribe, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> will try to keep the pressure on and sweep the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> when the two clubs face off at Progressive Field this afternoon at 1:05.</p>
<p><span>Kevin Slowey</span> (0-0, 4.91 <span class="caps">ERA</span>) will go for Minnesota. Slowey is 6-2 in his career vs. Cleveland in 10 starts, with an <span class="caps">ERA</span> of 3.52 in 61.1 innings of work, but he will be making his first start of an injury-plagued season this afternoon. Slowey has worked only 14.2 innings in 2011, with a six-inning relief appearance on May 15 his longest outing of the year.</p>
<p>Today will mark Slowey’s first action in the Majors since May 20 at Arizona, when he worked only two-thirds of an inning against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.azsnakepit.com/">Diamondbacks</a>.</p>
<p><span>David Huff</span> (1-1, 0.51 <span class="caps">ERA</span>) will be getting the start for The Good Guys after being recalled from Columbus. Huff last pitched for the big club on August 2, when he went five innings and gave up only an unearned run but got no decision against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.overthemonster.com/">Boston Red Sox</a>.</p>
<p>Of Huff’s three outings in 2011, one was vs. the Twins. Huff went seven scoreless innings in his first time on the mound this season at Minnesota on July 18, and got the victory in a 5-2 Tribe win.</p>
<p>That triumph moved Huff to 3-5 lifetime against the Twins, with a 5.52 <span class="caps">ERA</span> in 44 frames worked.</p>
<p>Today’s game will be the 12th meeting of 2011 between the Twins and Indians, and a Cleveland win today would even the season series at 6-6.</p>
<p>The Tribe is off tomorrow, and will next play on Tuesday night in Chicago against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a>, who are only two games back of Cleveland, in third place in the AL Central. The game on Tuesday will begin a stretch of 44 games in the season’s final 44 days, with only two scheduled days off in over six weeks, which will be balanced out by two doubleheaders.</p>
<p>Get the win today and enjoy your rest tomorrow, Indians. You’re going to need both.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2011/8/14/2362357/tribe-twins-preview-8-14-tribe-goes-for-a-sweep-of-minnesota-sunday-at-1-05AncientMariner2011-08-13T21:08:23-05:002011-08-13T21:08:23-05:00Indians Vs. Twins Final: One Big Swing And Some Terrific Pitching Give Indians Another Win
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S1PZRfbbcqX-SubjcYEgfnVn28c=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828107/large_cleveland.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>All it took for the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> tonight was for two things to happen: one big swing of a bat and nine good innings of pitching.</p>
<p>The Tribe got them both when <span>Asdrubal Cabrera</span> belted a three-run homer in the third inning, and <span>Josh Tomlin</span> (12-5) and four relievers made it stand up in a 3-1 victory over Minnesota that keeps Cleveland three games back of Detroit in the AL Central.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a>’ <span>Brian Duensing</span> was the victim of the one mistake to Cabrera and fell to 8-11 on the season.</p>
<p>In the Cleveland third, <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span> walked leading off, and <span>Jason Donald</span> singled to put two on with nobody out. Cabrera then connected with a drive to the Home Run Porch in left for his 20th long ball.</p>
<p>The Indians played some solid defense tonight, and Tomlin had one of those gems when he got his glove on a liner right back to the mound and had the presence of mind to retrieve the ball after it dropped to the ground and got a force at second.</p>
<p><span>Matt LaPorta</span> had a fine play in the very first inning when he snared a hard grounder down the line that was headed for extra bases off the bat of leadoff hitter <span>Denard Span</span> and made the unassisted putout at first.</p>
<p>The Twins dented the scoreboard in the seventh with two outs when <span>Delmon Young</span> hit a flare to short right off of <span>Joe Smith</span> that scored <span>Justin Morneau</span>, but Minnesota’s rally ended with two on when <span>Rafael Perez</span> came on and struck out <span>Tsuyoshi Nishioka</span>.</p>
<p><span>Tony Sipp</span> worked a perfect eighth, and <span>Chris Perez</span>, for the second straight night, worked a one-two-three ninth to end it.</p>
<p>Tomlin worked 6.1 innings, allowing just four hits and the one run, to lower his <span class="caps">ERA</span> to 3.97.</p>
<p>The Indians collected ten hits but went only 1-for-6 with men in scoring position, but all is well that ends well. Donald, Cabrera, Fukudome and LaPorta all collected two hits.</p>
<p>Cleveland caught a tough break tonight when Detroit fell behind at Baltimore 5-0, but rallied to win 6-5, allowing the Tigers to retain their cushion over the Indians.</p>
<p>The Tribe will now wrap up this series on Sunday at 1:05 and go for the sweep when <span>David Huff</span> gets the start for The Good Guys.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2011/8/13/2361971/tribe-twins-final-8-13-indians-vs-twins-final-one-big-swing-and-some-terrific-pitching-giveAncientMariner2011-08-13T12:20:11-05:002011-08-13T12:20:11-05:00Indians Try To Reach 60 Wins On Saturday Night Vs. Twins
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S1PZRfbbcqX-SubjcYEgfnVn28c=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828107/large_cleveland.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<ul>
<li>Preview via SB Nation and Sports Network <strong>*</strong>
</li>
</ul>
<p>(Sports Network) – Despite getting first baseman <span>Justin Morneau</span> back into the lineup on Friday night, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> still saw their record against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Cleveland Indians</a> this season take a hit and now they have to protect themselves from falling even further behind in the American League Central as the two clubs continue a three-game set at Progressive Field.</p>
<p>Last night the Indians won for the third time in the last four outings as they kicked off the series against Minnesota with a 3-2 triumph. <span>Carlos Santana</span> doubled in a run in the bottom of the eighth inning and then scored himself on a double by <span>Matt LaPorta</span> to get the Tribe back into the win column. Santana finished with two of the team’s 12 hits, another three coming from <span>Ezequiel Carrera</span> in four at-bats.</p>
<p>“We just feed off each other,” LaPorta said of his team’s efforts. “We see one guy step up, and we want to step up, too, and help the ball club out. I don’t think we quit. We continue to go out there and give it everything we have.”</p>
<p>Cleveland starter <span>Justin Masterson</span> worked his way through 7 2/3 innings, allowing two runs on just five hits and a walk, striking out four, but he didn’t factor into the decision. Instead, it was <span>Rafael Perez</span> who logged his fifth win of the year by posting just a single out, while <span>Chris Perez</span> notched his 24th save.</p>
<p><span>Carl Pavano</span> scattered 10 hits for the Twins over 7 1/3 innings, leading to two runs — one earned — while fanning four. Saddled with the loss was reliever <span>Glen Perkins</span> who permitted the game-winning run.</p>
<p><span>Danny Valencia</span> and <span>Tsuyoshi Nishioka</span> both finished with a pair of hits, the former scoring one of the team’s two runs. Morneau, who underwent surgery to remove a herniated disk fragment in his neck on June 29, was hitless in four at-bats as his batting average sank to .221.</p>
<p>Minnesota entered Friday’s game with a 6-3 edge in the season series with the Tribe, but with eight losses in the last 10 games the Twins are now fourth in the division standings and 11 games out of contention.</p>
<p>Taking the ball for the Indians tonight, in search of his 12th win of the campaign, is righthander <span>Josh Tomlin</span>. The Texas native, now in his second year in the majors, has been stuck on 11 victories since the middle of July when he topped Baltimore on the road.</p>
<p>Most recently Tomlin was on the mound on Sunday against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lonestarball.com/">Texas Rangers</a> and permitted just two runs on four hits over seven innings of action. The hurler walked three, the most since his second appearance of the season, and fanned four in what turned into a 5-3 setback.</p>
<p>For the most part Tomlin has gained control over his pitches since the first two games of the season when he issued a total of six bases-on-balls, allowing a total of just 13 walks since then.</p>
<p>Countering for the visitors will be <span>Brian Duensing</span>, already 1-0 versus Cleveland this season and a perfect 3-0 for his career. The lefty out of Nebraska has lost three of his last four decisions, the Twins scoring just three combined runs in those setbacks.</p>
<p>On Sunday Duensing was pitted against the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.southsidesox.com/">White Sox</a> at home and was touched for four earned runs on nine hits — two home runs — and fanned four over 6 1/3 innings of work. Unfortunately, his teammates failed to give him any offensive support in what turned into a 7-0 loss.</p>
<p>With Morneau and <span>Joe Mauer</span> both spending time on the DL this season, its no wonder that the Twins have had trouble putting up strong power numbers. At this point in the campaign the team is second from the bottom in the AL in home runs with just 74, a total which is far off the pace set by the team last year when they produced 142 overall. Two years ago the Twins cranked out 172 home runs in 163 games.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2011/8/13/2361352/tribe-twins-preview-8-13-indians-try-to-reach-60-wins-on-saturday-night-vs-twinsAncientMariner2011-08-12T21:02:58-05:002011-08-12T21:02:58-05:00Indians Vs. Twins Final: Tribe Rallies In Their Last At-Bat To Down Twins 3-2
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S1PZRfbbcqX-SubjcYEgfnVn28c=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828107/large_cleveland.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> did something predictable tonight. Actually, they did two predicable things in front of a crowd of over 31,000.</p>
<p>The first thing was that they struggled offensively behind <span>Justin Masterson</span>, who left the game in the eighth inning down 2-1.</p>
<p>The second thing was that they rallied in their final at-bat and pulled out a win. A very big win, as they downed the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Minnesota Twins</a> 3-2 on a pair of run-scoring doubles — one each from <span>Carlos Santana</span> and Matt Laporta — to cap a night when the Tribe went only 2-for-12 with men in scoring position, but got the big hits when they were most-needed.</p>
<p><span>Rafael Perez</span> faced one batter and threw four pitches, but got the victory to move to 5-2. And <span>Chris Perez</span> set the Twins down in order in the ninth to earn his 24th save.</p>
<p><span>Glen Perkins</span> came into the game in the Tribe eighth in relief of <span>Carl Pavano</span> and took the loss (as well as the blown save), falling to 4-3.</p>
<p>For the longest time this looked as if it might be a bitter loss, especially with Detroit winning in Baltimore, 5-4.</p>
<p>In the Twins’ third, a throwing error by Santana on a steal of second by <span>Ben Revere</span> moved Revere to third with one out, and <span>Tsuyoshi Nishioka</span> delivered an <span class="caps">RBI</span> single to put Minnesota up 1-0.</p>
<p>It stayed that way until the sixth, when the Indians tied the game on a Nishioka error (the culmination of a nightmarish inning at short) on a <span>Travis Hafner</span> grounder with two outs. <span>Shin-Soo Choo</span>, who was appearing tonight for the first time since June, scored on the error, and the game was knotted at 1-1.</p>
<p>In the Twins’ eighth, Nishioka (who seemed to be in the middle of so much action tonight) again delivered a two-out base hit, putting Minnesota up 2-1 and knocking Masterson out of the game.</p>
<p>But then came the game-winning bottom of the eighth.</p>
<p>After Asdrubal Cabrera flied out leading off, Hafner walked and was lifted for pinch-runner <span>Michael Brantley</span>. That also brought Perkins into the game, and Santana greeted him with a double that split the gap in right-center, scoring Brantley all the way from first. After a <span>Kosuke Fukudome</span> grounder moved Santana to third, LaPorta brought in what turned out to be the game-winning run with a bloop double to shallow left that deflected off the glove of left-fielder Revere.</p>
<p>That was all that the Tribe needed as Chris Perez got <span>Matt Tolbert</span> to fly out, <span>Joe Mauer</span> to ground out and <span>Justin Morneau</span> to pop out, and Cleveland had moved back to two games over .500 at 59-57.</p>
<p>The middle game of this three-game series will be on Saturday evening at 7:05, with <span>Josh Tomlin</span> gunning for his 12th win of the year in a match-up with the Twins’ <span>Brian Duensing</span>.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/2011/8/12/2360500/indians-twins-final-8-12-indians-vs-twins-final-tribe-rallies-in-their-last-at-bat-to-downAncientMariner2011-08-12T07:25:18-05:002011-08-12T07:25:18-05:00Indians Cannot Afford To Relax Against Twins Beginning Friday Night
<figure>
<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S1PZRfbbcqX-SubjcYEgfnVn28c=/0x26:400x293/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47828107/large_cleveland.sbnation.com.minimal.0.png" />
</figure>
<p>No letdowns allowed as Indians need to see every series as crucial</p> <p>Now that the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.letsgotribe.com/">Indians</a> have completed their stretch of 10 games in a row against division leaders in the American League, they really cannot afford to relax when they take on AL Central nemesis Minnesota for three games starting Friday night at Progressive Field.</p>
<p>Although the Tribe swept a day/night doubleheader in Minnesota recently, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.twinkietown.com/">Twins</a> came back to take the last two games of that series and lead Cleveland six games to three in the season's series.</p>
<p>The Indians simply have to figure out a way to win at least two games this weekend against a Twins' squad that has fallen 10 games behind the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.blessyouboys.com/">Tigers</a> and is in truth not really in contention.</p>
<p>An interesting situation possibly presents itself this weekend. Former Indian <span>Jim Thome</span> is two homers short of 600 for his career, and you know that he would like nothing more than to get it against his old mates.</p>
<p>Can't say I would be happy to see him reach such a milestone here, but it would be...interesting, for sure.</p>
<p><span>Justin Masterson</span>, after working only two innings on Tuesday vs. the Tigers before the rains came and ended his night, will get the start for the Tribe in the series opener tonight.</p>
<p>Masterson (9-7, 2.71 ERA) will be facing the Twins for the third time this season, and will be looking for his first victory vs. Minnesota in 2011. Justin has gone 15.2 innings in those two starts, and has given up only two runs, but has been the victim of a serious lack of offense against the Twins.</p>
<p>On June 8 Masterson went eight frames and allowed two runs, but got a no-decision in a 3-2 Minnesota win in Cleveland, and on July 19 in the Twin Cities, Masterson tossed 7.2 scoreless innings, but again got a no-decision when the Indians blew a ninth-inning lead the day after their doubleheader sweep.</p>
<p>Hopefully, against <span>Carl Pavano</span> (6-9, 4.71 ERA) the Tribe can provide Masterson with enough runs to get a W.</p>
<p>Ex-Indian Pavano has been tough on his old teammates this season, going 1-0 in two starts and giving up just four runs in 14 innings of work. Pavano is 3-2 vs. Cleveland over his career, with a 2.72 ERA in 49.2 career innings against The Good Guys.</p>
<p>This series will continue with a 7:05 game on Saturday when <span>Brian Duensing</span> (8-10) takes on <span>Josh Tomlin</span> (11-5) before wrapping up on Sunday at 1:05 with <span>Kevin Slowey</span> (0-0) scheduled to get his first start of the season. <span>David Huff</span> (although it has not been officially announced yet) will probably come back from Columbus to get the start for Cleveland.</p>
https://cleveland.sbnation.com/cleveland-indians/2011/8/12/2359038/tribe-twins-preview-8-12-indians-cannot-afford-to-relax-against-twins-beginning-friday-nightAncientMariner