Running Diary of Indians and Blue Jays

Game 2: Cleveland Indians vs Toronto Blue Jays

 

 

 

 

            Back in the Man Cave once again tonight ready for some baseball action. Tonight the Toronto Blue Jays open up at home against the Cleveland Indians. Both teams have rosters that look totally different than last year and both teams have improved tremendously. Should be a good pitching matchup as R.A. Dickey and his knuckleball face off against Justin Masterson and his sinker. Let’s get underway.

 

- We’re joined by Buck Martinez and Pat Tabler in the booth. Will be a much different announcing feel tonight as Martinez is one of the better play by play guys in the game and Tabler, while not providing any Earth shattering analysis, doesn’t say anything to make himself look bad or foolish.

- Catch 22 with Terry Francona this season as its great having him back in the dugout but means we lose him in the booth on Sunday Nights. As far as analysts and color guys go, he was at, if not near, the top of the charts.

- In the other dugout John Gibbons and his new hair style make him look like Vigo the Carpathian and yes I just made that reference. If Dr. Janosz comes out at any point to talk to Dickey the Blue Jays will become my new favorite team.

- Cleveland doesn’t score in the top of the 1^st but makes Dickey work, throwing 22 pitches.

- In the bottom of the 1^st Jose Reyes starts his Blue Jays career with a 4 pitch walk.

- Melky Cabrera comes up and we get some hometown spin on him. Buck Martinez informs us Melky started later in his career with going to all fields and shortening his swing with 2 strikes…he also started using performance enhancing drugs later in his career too Buck.

-Jose Bautista comes up and Joey Bats rockets one down the third base line that caroms off the wall so hard he’s held to a single.

- Masterson is struggling with his command as he hits Edwin Encarnacion with a pitch.

- Adam Lind comes up and we’re informed he’s 10 for 15 in his career on Opening Day. That is an absurd stat especially since he may be 0 for the rest of his career.

- Masterson gets out of the inning but needs 21 pitches to do so.

- Indians are being extremely patient.

- Arencibia through 1 1/3 has been charged with 3 passed balls. He needs to work on catching the knuckleball or Henry Blanco will be Dickey’s permanent catcher real quick.

- Indians strike first as Lonnie Chisenhall grounds out and drives in a run. If Arencibia doesn’t allow the passed ball it’s a tailor made double play and the Jays are out of it.

- Drew Stubbs is up next and hits an RBI single to make it 2-0.

- The Jays get out of the inning and threaten in their half but Reyes grounds out to end the inning. They’ve left 4 men on base.

- Next inning Melky Cabrera leads off and reached 2^nd on an error by Drew Stubbs with no one out.

- Back to back walks from Masterson loads the bases for Toronto, still no one out.

- Indians turn a fantastic double play as Asdrubal Cabrera dives to snag it. One run scores.

- Next inning Michael Bourn hits a leadoff single followed by an Asdrubal Cabrera 2 run home run that had no business leaving the park off the bat. That ball CARRIED and the look on Dickey’s face was priceless.

- Not much else follows as Cleveland fails to threaten and the Indians combine to retire 19 straight Jays.

- Bottom 9 Chris Perez comes in and other than a double to Arencibia to break up the hitless streak gets the Jays to end the game. It’s his 100^th save as an Indian.

 

The Indians have reason to be hopeful from a pitching standpoint as their bullpen was fantastic tonight and their defense was also great, making a lot of nice plays to kill any hopes of the Jays. Masterson pitched well but really had to work to get outs. His sinker was hit or miss tonight for the most part but it didn’t really cost the team. Toronto struggled out of the gate but the patience they showed is a positive sign. A lot of contact made that unfortunately went right to a fielder. Game 2 is in the books and Game 3 tomorrow night will see the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim taking on the Cincinnati Reds. Hopefully it won’t go 13 innings like their first game.