\o/ What a nice comeback win. But before we get to that..
To be honest, I expected to lose this game. Going against Sabathia, whom we’ve never beaten, and our general malaise the last 10 games or so, I expected to get blown out.
The game started off a bit shaky. In the first, Drese gave up a couple of singles, and a run on a groundout, but didn’t look all that great. Then after a very bizarre 10 MINUTE rain delay, the game got back underway. Not much happened until the top of the fourth. We had tied the game at that point on a Rod Barajas HR, but in the fourth, three singles with a double mixed in scored three runs to put us up 4-1. It was 5-1 after the next inning, but then the Indians started back. They matched our one in the fifth inning, and then Drese kind of fell off the wagon a bit in the sixth, giving up three runs to tie the game at five.
Drese’s line wasn’t terribly great, giving up 5ER in 6.1 innings. But his pitching wasn’t the story of the game. It was our bullpen. In the 5.2 innings the pen pitched, our six relievers (Mahay, Powell, Shouse, Francisco, Ramirez, Cordero) gave up ONE HIT and no runs with 4BB & 3K. That’s one HELL of a line. Especially when you put it against the Cleveland bullpen who has been dead last in just about every bullpen pitching category there is. Cleveland’s pen was equally impressive, going 6 innings and 3 hits, but they made one mistake we didn’t. They gave up a home run ball.
To the new star of the moment, Rod Barajas. This is another game he’s won for us, and his signing is starting to look more and more like a brilliant move, and not just to bring in one of “Showalter’s boys”. Barajas had two home runs this game, including the game winner. He had a hand in the bases loaded bottom of the 11th play that saved the game – an attempted squeeze bunt with the bases loaded that Blalock/Barajas thwarted.
A nice game, even if I missed part of the 11th due to a power failure at my house from a huge thunderstorm over Garland. Great great win – and tomorrow’s game starts at 11AM – what’s with that?