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Indians lose quietly under clear blue sky

By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sports writer

POSTED: 08:58 p.m. EDT, Jun 28, 2009

CLEVELAND: If it was peace and quiet you were seeking on a warm and breezy afternoon, Progressive Field was the place to be Sunday.

With nary a cloud in the sky, the Ohio State alumni band breaking into Hang on Sloopy and as many hot dogs as the human digestive system can tolerate, it was hard to beat the atmosphere.

Granted, there was one annoying distraction that kept almost 24,000 folks from enjoying the total pastoral experience: the noise of ball hitting bat, as the Reds pummeled the Indians 8-1.

But don't blame the home team. When Tribe batsmen made contact, they disturbed as few people as possible. It was almost as if they wrapped their bats in swaths of cotton to muffle the sound.

No, it was Cincinnati making most of the racket, jacking 15 hits around the premises, including a home run by Jonny Gomes and doubles by Jay Bruce, Ramon Hernandez and Willy Taveras. Hernandez even had a triple.

So this was not another rung up the ladder for aspiring starter David Huff. In fact, after shutting out the Pirates for eight innings on four hits in his last start at PNC Park, Sunday's sad outing was a definite step backward for the Tribe rookie.

''David was working ahead in the count early, then he started getting behind a little,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ''That's when they got to him. He had perfectly good command early but started to lose it.''

Who knows what might have happened, if Chris Dickerson's leadoff bloop hit in the third inning had somehow traveled far enough to be caught and Taveras' bunt single had been placed with somewhat less precision?

It is a pitcher's job to limit damage, and Huff failed to do that. With runners on second and first and nobody out, Jerry Hairston Jr. bunted the runners to second and third, and Huff walked Joey Votto to load the bases.

Brandon Phillips followed with a two-run single, and one out later, Hernandez whacked his triple to score two more runs for a total of four in the inning, quite enough to vanquish the Indians for the rest of the game.

Sunday was Phillips' 28th birthday, and he celebrated in style, collecting three hits and three RBI against his former team.

''I have to get ahead on hitters,'' Huff said. ''It's tough when you have to come back from behind in the count.''

Catcher Kelly Shoppach explained what goes on in a pitcher's head.

''When a young pitcher starts to get hit a little, it's only human nature to try and be too fine,'' he said. ''And then you get behind and have to throw it down the middle. That's when bad things happen.''

Huff gave up three more runs in the fifth, which he finished, then headed for the showers. He was charged with seven runs (six earned), nine hits and one walk.

The game ended a string of six capable starts for Huff, who over that span posted a 3.41 ERA and 3-1 record.

When a young pitcher has messed up a start, when can his catcher try to lead him back to the straight and narrow?

''You try not to do a lot the day of the game,'' Shoppach said. ''He has a lot on his mind. We'll talk tomorrow, maybe when we're out shagging. I'll address why things went in that direction. But now, he's already frustrated, so you just want to reassure him that he's fine.''

Huff will try to take what he can from Sunday's start and move ahead.

''It's a learning experience,'' he said. ''You have to look at it after it's done and hopefully do better the next time.''

It didn't take long to figure out that the Tribe attack was operating in neutral. Micah Owings (5-8, 4.63 ERA) worked six innings and gave up only one run and five hits, walking four and striking out four.

''He did a good job of keeping the ball out of the middle of the plate,'' Wedge said. ''I don't think he made too many mistakes.''

The Cincinnati bullpen — Danny Herrera and Josh Roenicke — didn't have to work any harder than Owings in allowing two hits in three innings.

Aside from Asdrubal Cabrera, who scored the Tribe's run on Victor Martinez's sacrifice fly in the first inning, only three Cleveland runners reached second.

CLEVELAND: If it was peace and quiet you were seeking on a warm and breezy afternoon, Progressive Field was the place to be Sunday.

With nary a cloud in the sky, the Ohio State alumni band breaking into Hang on Sloopy and as many hot dogs as the human digestive system can tolerate, it was hard to beat the atmosphere.

Granted, there was one annoying distraction that kept almost 24,000 folks from enjoying the total pastoral experience: the noise of ball hitting bat, as the Reds pummeled the Indians 8-1.

But don't blame the home team. When Tribe batsmen made contact, they disturbed as few people as possible. It was almost as if they wrapped their bats in swaths of cotton to muffle the sound.

No, it was Cincinnati making most of the racket, jacking 15 hits around the premises, including a home run by Jonny Gomes and doubles by Jay Bruce, Ramon Hernandez and Willy Taveras. Hernandez even had a triple.

So this was not another rung up the ladder for aspiring starter David Huff. In fact, after shutting out the Pirates for eight innings on four hits in his last start at PNC Park, Sunday's sad outing was a definite step backward for the Tribe rookie.

''David was working ahead in the count early, then he started getting behind a little,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ''That's when they got to him. He had perfectly good command early but started to lose it.''

Who knows what might have happened, if Chris Dickerson's leadoff bloop hit in the third inning had somehow traveled far enough to be caught and Taveras' bunt single had been placed with somewhat less precision?

It is a pitcher's job to limit damage, and Huff failed to do that. With runners on second and first and nobody out, Jerry Hairston Jr. bunted the runners to second and third, and Huff walked Joey Votto to load the bases.

Brandon Phillips followed with a two-run single, and one out later, Hernandez whacked his triple to score two more runs for a total of four in the inning, quite enough to vanquish the Indians for the rest of the game.

Sunday was Phillips' 28th birthday, and he celebrated in style, collecting three hits and three RBI against his former team.

''I have to get ahead on hitters,'' Huff said. ''It's tough when you have to come back from behind in the count.''

Catcher Kelly Shoppach explained what goes on in a pitcher's head.

''When a young pitcher starts to get hit a little, it's only human nature to try and be too fine,'' he said. ''And then you get behind and have to throw it down the middle. That's when bad things happen.''

Huff gave up three more runs in the fifth, which he finished, then headed for the showers. He was charged with seven runs (six earned), nine hits and one walk.

The game ended a string of six capable starts for Huff, who over that span posted a 3.41 ERA and 3-1 record.

When a young pitcher has messed up a start, when can his catcher try to lead him back to the straight and narrow?

''You try not to do a lot the day of the game,'' Shoppach said. ''He has a lot on his mind. We'll talk tomorrow, maybe when we're out shagging. I'll address why things went in that direction. But now, he's already frustrated, so you just want to reassure him that he's fine.''

Huff will try to take what he can from Sunday's start and move ahead.

''It's a learning experience,'' he said. ''You have to look at it after it's done and hopefully do better the next time.''

It didn't take long to figure out that the Tribe attack was operating in neutral. Micah Owings (5-8, 4.63 ERA) worked six innings and gave up only one run and five hits, walking four and striking out four.

''He did a good job of keeping the ball out of the middle of the plate,'' Wedge said. ''I don't think he made too many mistakes.''

The Cincinnati bullpen — Danny Herrera and Josh Roenicke — didn't have to work any harder than Owings in allowing two hits in three innings.

Aside from Asdrubal Cabrera, who scored the Tribe's run on Victor Martinez's sacrifice fly in the first inning, only three Cleveland runners reached second.




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A Voice
Akron, , OH

Posted 08:08 AM, 06/29/2009

Jacobs may not approve of their record!!!


stevierayjuan
Cuyahoga Falls, OH

Posted 11:24 AM, 06/29/2009

Guess we can't have ALL our losses be 9th inning walkoffs on bullpen meltdowns. Nice that they never even built up our hopes Sunday. That was good old fashioned meat-and-potatoes arse kickin'.


empowermentone1
akron, oh

Posted 12:55 PM, 06/29/2009

As long as NO DO-LAN can get by on the cheap we will continue to be annoyed by this horrible terrible excuse for a base ball team. B.O.R.I.N.G


HuggieHall
Akron, OH

Posted 03:33 PM, 06/29/2009

There's a red moon rising
On the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

There's an oil barge winding
Down the Cuyahoga River
Rolling into Cleveland to the lake

Cleveland city of light city of magic
Cleveland city of light you're calling me
Cleveland, even now I can remember
'Cause the Cuyahoga River
Goes smokin' through my dreams

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on
Now the Lord can make you tumble
And the Lord can make you turn
And the Lord can make you overflow
But the Lord can't make you burn

Burn on, big river, burn on
Burn on, big river, burn on














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