Monday, July 14, 2008

An unlikely sweep... and other thoughts

Well maybe the Indians are finally rounding back into form? Maybe the Rays really are just a fluke and are now crashing back to earth? Or maybe that team meeting before Thursday's game actually woke the Tribe up? We won't really know the answers until the second half of the season starts. But for now, the four-game sweep of Tampa Bay sure was a nice way to cap off an otherwise miserable first half of the 2008 season. And it was definitely unexpected coming on the heels of a horrendous 10-game losing streak.

Friday night's game featured more solid pitching from Cliff Lee, who notched his 12th win on the year with a 5-0 victory. With a 12-2 record and a tidy 2.31 ERA, today Lee did get the nod as the All-Star Game starter on Tuesday night in New York City. Quite a turnaround from his dismal performance in 2007. On Saturday the Indians won 8-4, behind Ryan Garko's career-high 5 RBI night. And yesterday's game featured a very bizarre stat line, one I thought I'd never see again to be perfectly honest. And Jhonny Peralta seems to be finally reaping the benefits of his laser vision correction surgery (7 hits and 2 home runs this weekend). We even had an Andy Marte sighting! And Ben Francisco is playing well again, raising his average by 14 points with a 12-for-19 series. The only bad news I could find after the Tribe's weekend was the fact that they allowed the Red Sox back into first place in the AL East...

A truly backwards weekend: Tribe sweep & a Mastny win!

More Tribe: American League home run leader Grady Sizemore takes his swing up against the short porch in right tonight in New York for the Home Run Derby. And we got a glimpse of the future with new prospect Matt LaPorta on Sunday in the Futures Game. And of course, I will miss seeing this in a Tribe uniform during interleague games. That is a hell of a swing for a pitcher.

Gladiators Update: The fun ride ended on Saturday afternoon as the Philadelphia Soul beat our Gladtiators 70-35 in the National Conference championship game. Early offensive mistakes and a turnover really put them in trouble in the first half and they just were never able to recover. But 2-14 to 9-7 and two playoff wins is nothing to take lightly. Good job by Bernie Kosar, the entire coaching staff, and the players. I'm now a fan and will be looking forward to more indoor football next spring.

Cavs Update: No news yet on the neverending James Posey saga. But Terry Pluto has some thoughts on what is happening behind the scenes in Cavalier-land.

5 comments:

sportsgirl132 said...

I am so proud of Cliff Lee. He's really turned the corner--at a time when the rest of the Indians have been either injured or underwhelming. The guy has been a huge boost. Now, if we can get Carmona back in form..life will be much better for Indian pitching.

I hope the Tribe has turned the corner. I don't like being so freaking negative. I also hope the break doesn't toy with what momentum they have established. Hey--maybe we'll claw our way out of the cellar. It would be fun to play spoiler for the White Sox and Tigers , too( I like the Twins though).

Sorry about the Gladiators. Kosar and Co. has to be pleased though with their presence in C-town.

chiefwahoo56 said...

I'd love for us to play spoiler - and stop looking up at the KC Royals too. Talk about depressing.

Did you miss my comment last week? I was wondering if this was your blog: http://www.sportingnews.com/blog/ferociousjane

sportsgirl132 said...

Sorry about that. I've been kinda sick with an ulcer ( go freakin' figure being a Cleveland fan).
Yes , that's me. My complaining must be legendary.

I used to have a HUGE blog on there but I scrapped it and started fresh.Lost all the groupies and the guys just wanting to see me naked. It got rather boring.

Are you thinking of coming over? There's some good folks there and we could always use another great Cleveland voice. I thought about linking you the next time I write.

You could just copy and paste what you do here--on there. Lots of folks have crossover blogs.

chiefwahoo56 said...

Wow, sorry to hear about that ulcer. Hope you feel better. I was checking things out over at the Sporting News site and I may start double-dipping just to attract some more readers. It makes me feel more important ;)

Hopefully I won't have guys wanting to see ME naked over there, LOL. And I won't be pestering you like that either...

sportsgirl132 said...

I think you should go for it.

Seriously, there is really a nice group of people over there. I was only semi kidding about the naked thing. I don't get that as much anymore. I complain too much--you have to know the effect that has on libido. LOL

Let me know if you do it and what your name is. I know several solid Cleveland people that will support you and many other folks who just like a good read. I'll hook you up.

They'll like you!

Hope you watched the derby. Hamilton was a beast!