Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
Byrd bashed, bullpen bombed in blowout
By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Published on Saturday, Jul 05, 2008
MINNEAPOLIS: Now that the Indians' season has entered a new phase — focusing on player evaluation and mental discipline — maybe it doesn't matter that Paul Byrd leads the American League in home runs allowed.
Byrd is in the final year of his contract and probably won't be asked to return in 2009. Jensen Lewis and Brian Slocum, on the other hand, have an excellent chance of competing for jobs next spring.
But even though the combined populations of China and India couldn't care less about Byrd's future, it makes for an unpleasant evening in the dugout when the veteran starter leads the way to a 12-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins, as he did Friday night at the Metrodome.
Byrd (3-10, 5.53 ERA) gave up his 22nd and 23rd home runs of the season to force the Tribe to come from behind early, and this is not the kind of team likely to put together multirun rallies. To put Byrd's penchant for giving up the long ball in perspective, he has been dinged for almost twice as many as the pitcher with the next most on his team, C.C. Sabathia, who has given up 13.
Moreover, Byrd has made only one effective start in his past seven. During this span, he has posted a 7.85 ERA and given up 11 home runs in 362/3 innings. If Byrd were to give up the long ball at that rate over a 200-inning season, he would allow 60 for the season.
''This is as tough a month or month and a half as I've ever had in the big leagues,'' Byrd said. ''My arm feels good, and I have a good fastball. But I'm not able to get through a game without giving up a bunch of runs.''
Friday night, Byrd lasted 51/3 innings and yielded eight hits and six runs. The Twins did not get their second single until the sixth inning, when Byrd gave up two. But who needs a stinking single, when doubles and home runs are sailing around the ballpark?
''It looked like his pitches were running up over the plate,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ''A couple of times he was a pitch or two away from getting out of it. Paul just has to command his fastball. He knows that's his game. He's been just a touch off.''
Nick Punto ripped a 3-and-1 pitch over the wall in left with one out in the
first inning to start Byrd on his slide. Not only was it Punto's first homer of the year, but he had not gone deep since June 6, 2007, a span of 356 at-bats.
Byrd also allowed a two-out double but escaped further damage in the first inning, only to give up a single and double in the second to put runners on second and third with nobody out. Still, he gave up only one run that inning, a triumph, to be sure.
In the third, a two-out walk to Justin Morneau, a double to Jason Kubel and Delmon Young's three-run homer gave the Twins a 5-2 advantage. Young, by the way, had hit only two home runs coming in.
''I don't mind the solo homers,'' Byrd said. ''Punto's didn't break our backs, but the three-run homer did. I hung a curveball, and he put it in the center-field seats. In general, everybody is seeing the ball real well right now. The reason I've been able to stay up here so long is that I have enough deception that the hitters don't pick up the ball until the last instant. But that's not working for me, and it's very frustrating.''
So Byrd set the tone for the rest of the game. When Lewis and Slocum followed him, not a whole lot changed, though Lewis initially did his job well.
He replaced Byrd with one out, one run home and runners on first and third in the sixth, striking out the next two batters.
But in the seventh, Lewis gave up two runs and failed to get the third out. That was left to Slocum, who retired the final batter of the seventh before getting into a horrid mess in the eighth. By the time he left, he had given up four runs and five hits, and he hit a batter, retiring only two Twins.
''Jensen has been up here enough to know that you have to have the same intensity and drive when you go back out there to start the next inning,'' Wedge said.
The Indians were permitted to bat, though there wasn't much to report in that regard. The exception was Kelly Shoppach, who whacked a two-run homer in the third and singled twice.
''We had that one inning when there were runners on first and second with nobody out and we got nothing,'' Wedge said. ''That's what kills you.''
Sheldon Ocker can be reached at socker@thebeaconjournal.com.
MINNEAPOLIS: Now that the Indians' season has entered a new phase — focusing on player evaluation and mental discipline — maybe it doesn't matter that Paul Byrd leads the American League in home runs allowed.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
