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Cleveland's march to 18,000
When the Indians take the diamond at U.S. Cellular Field tonight, and Mat Latos fires the first pitch of the day, it will mark the beginning of the 18,000th game in Cleveland's franchise history.
For a moment, though, there was a bit of confusion over the timing of this milestone. One research outlet had the Indians at 17,998 games, while another had them at 17,999. The Indians reached out to Elias Sports Bureau to confirm that Game 1 of tonight's twin bill in Chicago would indeed be No. 18,0000.
Elias confirmed as much. Cleveland enters the day with 9,119 wins, 8,791 losses and 89 ties. There was, however, a slight caveat. Elias also noted that, "It's 18,001 if you include the two games which the Indians forfeited in 1918."
It turns out that Cleveland did not show up to a scheduled doubleheader in St. Louis on what was the planned final day of the war-shortened 1918 season. For some time, those two games counted as losses for Cleveland in the American League record books, and two wins for St. Louis. Public websites have since removed those games from the win-loss records.
Jeremy Feador, the Indians' team curator, sent along this nugget from the Plain Dealer back when this happened:
"At the next American league meeting," said [Red Sox owner Harry Frazee], "six clubs are going to ask why Cleveland did not play two games at St. Louis. It was the greatest violation of the league constitution in the history of the league. Cleveland cannot hope to escape with a fine of $1,000 per game. Such a fine is too trivial for such an offense."
Jim Dunn, president of the Indians, says that Frazee can go as far as he likes as he announced his intention of allowing his team to disband prior to Labor Day after a conference with his players who declined to make the trip to St. Louis. At the office of the American League it was said that Dunn would have no cause for worry as the Cleveland magnate had merely obeyed Secretary Baker's [Newton Baker, U.S. Secretary of the War during World War I] order to the letter and no one could criticize him or his players for so doing.
Them's fightin' words!
Anyways, today marks Cleveland's 18,000th game, whether Harry Frazee — the guy who sold Babe Ruth to the Yankees, by the way — likes it or not. Game 2 of tonight's doubleheader in Chicago will also be the 18,000th game in the history of the Chicago White Sox.
As it happens, Cleveland took on Chicago in the first-ever American League game — Game No. 1 for both franchises — way back on April 24, 1901. They met for this base ball affair at the South Side Grounds.
Bill "Chick" Hoffer to the mound for the Cleveland Blues against Roy "Boy Wonder" Patterson of the Chicago White Stockings. Based on which publication you believe, there were between 9,000-14,000 fans at this game, which was won by the White Stockings by a count of 8 to 2.
Baseball History Daily has a lot of info on the game, along with this nugget from the Chicago Tribune:
"Under the fairest skies the weather clerk could select from his varied stock of April goods; with a championship pennant floating high above them from the proudest pine of all Michigan forests; with 9,000 fans to cheer them from a pent-up enthusiasm that burst forth at every possible opportunity, the White Stockings open the American League baseball season on the South Side Grounds yesterday with a clean-cut victory over the aggregation from Cleveland."
And from the Chicago Inter Ocean:
"As a grand opening it was an unqualified success, something which Charles Comiskey can look back upon in after years with all the serene satisfaction of a baby who has just swallowed a tin Indian. As a ball game it was a hideous nightmare, a cold and icy vision of the darksome night, a living horror, let loose to stalk adown a diamond field, hooting hoarsely…With pomp and ceremonial, with braying of bands and braying of fans, with an enormous audience gathered in the frapped stands, the American League season of 1901 was duly opened in Chicago, and the real champions, Comiskey's White Stockings, began their campaign by giving the Clevelands all that was coming to them. The afternoon was cold; the stands were Greenland, and the bleachers bore nets of icicles. Yet 10,000 cranks and crankesses, keen devotees of the game."
Also from the Chicago Inter Ocean, on Dummy Hoy's attempt to steal third in the sixth:
"[Catcher Bob] Wood threw wild, and [Bill] Bradley scooped up the ball way off from the cushion. As Bradley, with no thought of the runner, turned to return the ball to the pitcher, Hoy, losing his balance as he ran, slid clear over third, out into the field and right into Bradley, his knee striking the ball clasped in Bradley's hand. It was possibly the first case on record of a man's forcing a put-out on himself, and the crowd marveled greatly, perceiving that the science of the game had much advanced, and that there were new freckles every day."
Man, old base ball writing was the best.
Enjoy No. 18,000. Here's to 18,000 more.
(top photo from baseballhall.org)
Covering the Bases: Game 41
Some notes and quotes from Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Red Sox.
FIRST: Danny Salazar gushed about Davis Ortiz on Saturday. The pitcher spoke about growing up a Red Sox fan and pulling for Big Papi. With Ortiz retiring, Salazar wanted to face him one last time.
Salazar even went as far as saying: "I don't care if he gets a home run or I strike him out. I just want to do it."
Well, that statement was put to the test on Sunday.
Ortiz hit that home run — the 514th of his career — in the fifth inning. He also knocked in a run with a single in the first and drove in another with a double in the second. After Salazar exited the game, Ortiz shot a pitch to deep center, where the ball rattled around the wall in Fenway's dirt triangle. Had it not then bounced up into the seats, Ortiz might have had a triple to complete a cycle.
So, was Salazar still happy he got to face Ortiz?
"Yes, yes," said the pitcher.
Facing Ortiz is no easy task right now.
"He's kind of on a different level right now," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "It looks like he's playing softball."
In their first battle, Salazar stayed away from the strike zone. He started with a fastball inside and way low for a ball. He came back with a 96-mph heater up and away for a swinging strike. The third pitch was a low changeup that lacked its usual break and wound up pulled through the hole on the right side for a single.
Salazar mostly stayed out of the strike zone in their second meeting, too. Only twice did he go into the zone: On a 3-1 fastball (Pitch 5) and a 3-2 fastball (Pitch 7). Following a first-pitch changeup in the dirt, Salazar suck with 96-97 mph fastballs. Ortiz fouled off three of them, but yanked the last one (97 mph) to right-center for a ground-rule double.
Salazar fell behind in the third confrontation and paid for it again. After a ball-one heater that sailed high and outside, the pitcher came back with a 94-mph fastball. Ortiz smacked the low-and-away offering over the right-field wall for his homer.
"He doesn't swing at balls," Francona said. "And, the ones he swings at, man. Even the ones he fouls off, you kind of take a deep breath. We tried not to pitch to him whenever we could, but they've done a good job with their lineup. If you end up walking people, they're going to score. They've got a good thing going right now."
Salazar added: "He's hot right now. When you get behind in the count, you know you have to come back to the middle to throw a strike. He's a guy that makes quick adjustments and I have to give him credit. He's a really talented player and he's been here for a long time."
The pitcher said — given how well Ortiz is playing — he is surprised that the veteran is hanging up his spikes after this season.
"I was wondering, 'Why is he retiring?'" Salazar said. "I know he has way more to give."
Francona wasn't as polite.
"I wish he would've retired last year," quipped the manager.
SECOND: The Indians had a slight scare in the first inning, when Salazar was struck by a sharp comebacker off the bat of Hanley Ramirez. The baseball flew off Ramirez's bat at 114 mph (per Statcast), hit the grass and then caromed off Salazar's left leg just under his calf muscle.
Salazar walked off the mound, dropped to a knee and then rolled onto his back while in clear pain. He was checked by head trainer James Quinlan and remained in the game after doing some walking, stretching and warm-up throws.
"It hit him hard," Francona said. "I don't think it's anything other than it's going to be a nice bruise."
Salazar issued a walk to the next batter, but then escaped a bases-loaded jam with back-to-back strikeouts of Travis Shaw and Blake Swihart. All told, Salazar threw 40 pitches — the most he's ever thrown in an inning. That helped run his pitch count up over 100 quickly and he was chased after 4.1 innings.
"A 40-pitch first inning. That's hard," Francona said. "Part of it was he wasn't commanding. Part of it is that lineup is, from top to bottom, about as dangerous as you're going to see. Whether they sustain it or not, I don't know, but when you're catching them at a time like this, in that streak that they're in, they take some pretty good swings.
"There's some days maybe against a different lineup, or because of Danny's stuff, you can get by with it. But, the way they command the strike zone and the way they swing the bat, man, they make you work hard. Every pitch. Every out. Every inning is like a high-leverage, high-intensity inning."
THIRD: Mike Napoli had a nice moment on Friday night, when the Red Sox aired a video tribute and the Fenway faithful gave him a standing O. Nap tipped his cap to the crowd in appreciation.
It was all downhill from there.
"For him to come back here, I know was pretty special," Francona said. "But you can't
just flick the switch the way you're going to hit and the way you're not."
Napoli finished the three-game set with an 0-for-13 showing, which included nine strikeouts. From the ninth inning on Friday to the fifth inning Sunday, the first baseman struck out in eight consecutive plate appearances.
On the season, Napoli has a 37.8-percent strikeout rate, which is the highest in the Majors. His 62 strikeouts are tied for second-most in MLB, as of this writing. His 25 called strikeouts also lead baseball. Cleveland is counting on power to off-set that trend.
"That's going to happen sometimes," Francona said. "We've kind of said all along: We know there's some swing and miss in there. But, shoot, man, he's a tough kid. He'll be right back in there tomorrow and he'll be letting it fly."
HOME: Before the game, the Indians promoted Austin Adams from Triple-A Columbus and sent lefty Kyle Crockett back to the Minors. Adams logged the final two innings for Cleveland and impressed Francona with his work.
"That was probably the highlight of the day," Francona said. "Shoot, two innings against that lineup on 20 pitches. He got a couple quick outs. And I know the game's late and it's getting hard to see, but he also worked ahead and he threw his breaking ball, even when he was behind the one time. That was really god to see."
Adams went through seven batters on 21 pitches with his lone hiccup being a ground-rule double to Ortiz. The righty fired 14 fastballs, averaging 97.5 mph and topping out at 98.7. He featured a pair of 90-mph changeups and mixed in five sliders (four getting whiffs).
"It's great just to get up here and get back into the groove of things," Adams said, "and go out and relax and attack hitters."
In 14 appearances with the Clippers this year, Adams posted a 1.10 ERA with 18 strikeouts and five walks in 16.1 innings.
"Really, I've been just focusing on first-pitch strikes," Adams said, "and not shying away from contact at all. It's just, if they hit it, they hit it. And, if they don't, keep throwing."
Programming note: I will not be making the trip to Chicago for the upcoming series. I can't believe I won't be there for the 18,000th game (Game 1 on Monday) in team history! So, this space will be quiet for a few days. Catch you from Cleveland on Friday.
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 40
Some notes and quotes from Saturday's 9-1 loss.
FIRST: Joe Kelly didn't give the Indians many chances on Saturday evening.
The Boston right-hander had been on the disabled list for the past month with a right shoulder issue, which appeared to be just fine against Cleveland. Kelly held the Tribe to an 0-for-21 showing before Juan Uribe ended the no-hit bid, and the pitcher's day, with a no-doubt double in the seventh.
Beyond that hit, the Indians' only real chance at breaking through came in the fifth inning. Carlos Santana and Marlon Byrd drew back-to-back one-out walks, and Lonnie Chisenhall later worked a free pass to load the bases with two away. That set things up for Chris Gimenez, batting ninth in this one.
One thing to know about Gimenez is that he has been victimized by high fastballs over the course of his career. With the exception of an up-and-in heater in the strike zone, the catcher has clearly had troubles with elevated fastballs.
Kelly would eventually get to that approach, but the righty first tried to entice Gimenez to chase. He fired a first-pitch slider way outside for ball one. Kelly then came back with a 97-mph heater into the dirt. From there, Kelly worked up.
"He threw me a breaking ball down and away — ball one," Gimenez said. "I thought he was trying to overthrow a little bit and I got to a 2-0 count. I was sitting dead-red fastball middle away."
The third pitch was a 96-mph fastball over the middle, but high in the zone, and Gimenez fouled if off for strike one. Kelly came back with another fastball (this one at 97 mph) and went high and outside. The catcher fouled it off again, pulling the count even, 2-2.
"I put two really good swings on those fastballs," Gimenez said. "It just didn't work out."
"Gimenez took a couple really good swings," Indians manager Terry Francona agreed.
For the final pitch, Kelly came back with an 89-mph slider, which he sent up and in. As Gimenez watched the pitch spinning towards the strike zone, he weighed his options.
"It's a borderline pitch," Gimenez said. "If I take it, it gets called a strike. If I swing, I can't do much with it. I just tried to put the best swing I could on it."
Gimenez chopped the pitch to the left of the mound and Kelly made a great play to snag the ball. The pitcher then fired it to catcher Ryan Hanigan, who got his foot on the plate just ahead of Carlos Santana scoring.
"Today was one of those days when not much went our way," Gimenez said. "Especially on offense. Kelly was good today. He had his curveball working early."
SECOND: The Red Sox carried a four-run lead into the seventh inning. It was a solid advantage in light of how Kelly was pitching, but it was hardly a hole too deep to overcome for the Tribe.
On Friday, the Indians were down 2-0 early and won 4-2. On Wednesday, Cleveland was down 6-4 and came back to win 8-7 against the Reds. Cincinnati had a 4-0 lead on Monday and then watched the Tribe pull off a 15-6 win. Those comebacks have fueled confidence among Cleveland's hitters.
But, a mistake by Uribe in the seventh turned a 4-0 hole into a 9-0 cavern.
With one out and the bases loaded, Joba Chamberlain induced a grounder off the bat of Christian Vazquez. Uribe scooped up the ball, but hesitated after initially take a step towards third base. Had he kept going, he may have been able to step on the bag to start a potential inning-ending double play.
"It's bases loaded and we get a doubleplay ball," Francona said. "He ends up going home and it turned into [a situation where] we just couldn't stop it after that. It's unfortunate."
Uribe tossed the baseball home and Gimenez stepped on the plate for the inning's second out. Then, Chamberlain issued a bases-loaded walk and allowed a grand slam.
1. Where Uribe was when the ball was hit:
2. Where Uribe was when he fielded the ball:
What's funny is Uribe had a similar play earlier in the game and tried to turn two when turning two wasn't necessary. With the bags full and two outs in the third, Uribe fielded a grorunder from Hanigan, stepped on third and then flipped it to Gimenez at the plate as David Ortiz jogged home.
"He threw to me and is yelling at me to tag him," Gimenez said with a laugh. "I'm like, 'We play three outs in this league.' I just walked up to Papi and tagged him and said, 'You're out.' He said, 'What are you doing?'"
"Yeah, I thought there was one out," said Uribe, shaking his head.
The veteran didn't make any excuses after the loss, either.
"I was thinking of going to third base, and I moved a little bit over there," Uirbe said. "I talked to a couple guys and they told me I could've [tried for a double play]. This is my fault. It's my fault. I could go to third base and go to first. When I saw I was a little bit late, I wanted to make one out, so I went to home plate. This is my fault."
THIRD: Trevor Bauer was hung with a loss in this one, but he didn't pitch as poorly as his line might suggest.
The righty went five innings, in which he was charged with four runs on eight hits. He walked one and struck out none. It's the first time in Bauer's career as a starter that he ended an outing with no punchouts (with at least one inning logged).
"I threw the ball really well," Bauer said. "They blooped a lot of balls in. They didn't hit them hard. It was one of those days."
Three of the runs allowed by Bauer came in the third, when he gave up five straight hits. One of those — a two-run single by Hanley Ramirez — nicked off Jason Kipnis' glove and dropped into shallow right field.
"What did Hanley's go, a foot on the outfield grass?" Bauer said. "Two runs or whatever happened on that. It's an unfair game."
Francona added: "Early on, they were squaring some balls up. We got the bullpen up early — I think in the third inning — and he found a way to kind of wiggle out of it. To his credit, he kind of reeled it in and stayed out there until he started the sixth."
HOME: Let's wrap up today with another episode of Francisco Lindor Theater.
In the sixth inning, Blake Swihart lofted a pitch down the left-field line. Lindor tracked it down on a sprint between Uribe and left fielder Marlon Byrd. Per Statcast, the shortstop hit a top speed of 17.8 mph and traveled 101 feet to make the catch with a 97.1-percent route efficiency.
One game earlier, Lindor made a running, over-the-shoulder catch in center field between Rajai Davis and Kipnis. After the game, we talked to him about his preparation and communication for those types of plays.
"I usually tell my center fielder and my left fielder every time, every day, 'I'm going until you call me off,'" Lindor said. "That's kind of like letting you know that I'm going. I'll be there. If I can get to it, I'll be there. But, as soon as you call me off, that's your territory. I'm not going to invade it."
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 39
Some notes and quotes from Friday's 4-2 win over the Red Sox.
FIRST: Francisco Lindor brought his traveling magic show to Fenway Park on Friday night.
In the first inning, Red Sox fans got to see him not only make a barehanded grab-and-throw for an out, but also pluck a would-be bloop single out of thin air for a long running catch. They saw Lindor draw two walks and collect two singles. They watched as he stole second base and skipped to third on the play due to a throwing error by the catcher.
And, they saw this…
Yes, Lindor pulled off the ol' swim-move slide once again. But, rather than stick to doing that move at second base, the shortstop tried it out at the plate. He slid, rolled, maneuvered and then jumped and yelled in celebration.
We first saw this particular play from Lindor on Sept. 1 in Toronto last season:
Lindor has done it a handful of times since. He actually tried the same move in the third inning on Wednesday in Cincinnati. On a single to center, the shortstop tried for a double, did the swim-move slide at second base and looked safe on the replays. He was called out on that one, though, and Lindor said he thinks he did pop off the bag for a split second during the tag.
On Friday night, the play came about in the third inning, when Lindor was on third and Jose Ramirez was at the plate. Ramirez skied a pitch to center, where Boston's Jackie Bradley Jr. made the catch. He came up firing and Lindor tagged and sprinted for home.
Catcher Christian Vazquez received the ball on a one-hopper from Bradley, who uncorked an incredibly strong and accurate throw. Vazquez was set up in foul ground, though, so Lindor moved to the inside of the plate and decided to go in head first. Sliding that way into home isn't typically advised, but Lindor didn't feel like he'd be in harm's way.
"I didn't think he was going to get to me," Lindor said. "I didn't think it was going to be that close. I knew the tag was going to be there, but I didn't know his body was going to get there. … I saw the video and I'm glad I took my hand out of there."
Indians manager Terry Francona was fine with Lindor's approach, too.
"If he was diving into the catcher, that's one thing," said the manager. "But, he sees where the catcher is. It's really like going into second. It's not like there's going to be contact."
And, there wasn't. Lindor rolled onto his side, pulled his right arm away from the tag and touched the plate with his left hand as he slid through.
"I was very, very pumped, as you saw," Lindor said. "As soon as I hit the ground, all I thought was try to get that right hand up. I screamed, 'Safe!' And, as soon as I saw [the umpire] moving his hands and saying safe, I just went crazy."
Lindor has been on a tear of late for the Tribe, too.
Since going 0-for-7 against Houston on May 11, Lindor has turned in a .486/.538/.657 slash line in eight games for Cleveland. In that time period, he has 17 hits, including one homer and three doubles. He has six RBIs, eight runs, four walks and three steals. Lindor has a multi-hit game in seven of those eight games, including the past five in a row.
"I'm just loading early and letting my eyes do the work," Lindor said. "I let my eyes tell me what I want to do, and then let the hands release and whatever happens after that, it happens. Just load early, see the ball, let it travel and just release the barrel."
Added Francona: "Since last June, he's been pretty good. Sometimes, players kind of get through a period where maybe they're getting a little tired and then get their second wind. I think the timing is really good. He looks like he's got another step back where he's got some life in his legs, which is good."
SECOND: Corey Kluber was solid in this one for the Tribe, but the encouraging element to the outing was the fact that he locked in once he got a lead.
Kluber allowed one run in the first and then gave up a leadoff homer to Bradley in the second, spotting Boston a quick 2-0 lead. Cleveland's offense then responded with a four-run showing in the third and the Indians starter made the lead stick. After Bradley's blast, Boston went just 2-for-20 with 10 outs via grounders and six strikeouts.
"When we scored," Francona said, "he went out there and really started getting after it. He used his changeup. He pitched in. That was good to see. That's what your ace is supposed to do, but it's easier said than done. That's a heck of a lineup and he really did a good job."
One at-bat in particular stood out to me in this one.
In the fifth inning, the Red Sox had two outs, a runner on second and David Ortiz at the plate. Kluber walked Big Papi in their first meeting and struck him out in the next confrontation.
For this third matchup, Kluber said: "The game plan for that at-bat was really to kind of make him go out of the zone, if we were going to get him to swing. Otherwise, be just patient and, if he took his base, we'll take our chances with the next guy."
Kluber's first pitch was a 92-mph cutter low and in the dirt for a ball.
For the 1-0 offering, Kluber went to his sinker. Papi fouled off the 94-mph away pitch.
Now 1-1, Kluber returned to the cutter (90 mph this time) middle-in. Ortiz pulled it foul.
Said Kluber: "Once you get to two strikes, we got him with a pitch in the pitch before that [fourth pitch], and we were just trying to expand in again."
Catcher Yan Gomes moved into a higher crouch and positioned his glove well above the strike zone and inside. Kluber sent a 94-mph fastball high and tight with precision. Ortiz swung through the pitch for an inning-ending strikeout.
"On the 1-1 pitch, he threw a good fastball in that David pulled foul," Francona said. "And I just think making him aware that you will come in there gives you a better chance. I'm not saying that you're going to get him out, but it gives you a better chance.
"And then he elevated by design. I just thought he made some really good pitches to some really good hitters."
THIRD: It's been well-documented that Jason Kipnis plays well in his hometown of Chicago, but the second baseman has also done exceptionally well in his career at Fenway Park.
In Friday's win, Kipnis belted a three-run homer in the third inning to put the Indians ahead for good, and ended the day 2-for-5. His .329 average at Fenway is his second-best mark among American League stadiums. His .603 slugging percentage here is his best showing in AL parks. With Friday's effort, his Fenway OPS is up to .983, too.
More important is the fact that Kipnis has — to this point — been more consistent than streaky for the Tribe. He hit .274 (.760 OPS) in April and is now batting .297 (.827 OPS) in May. He also has six homers after having nine in all of last season.
"I might beat nine," Kipnis quipped. "I put in the work in the offseason and got stronger. I've got my swing going right now. I'm more consistent. I don't think you're seeing those cold spells and hot streaks that I had in the past, where April would be .180 and May would be .420. Hopefully, lets hover around .300 the whole year.
"I've got a good approach. Good things are happening right now. I'm going to try not to change too much."
HOME: An odd situation came up in the fourth inning on Friday night. Boston righty Clay Buchholz sent a 1-2 changeup inside to Rajai Davis, whose right fingers were hit by the pitch as he tried to check his swing. Davis went to take his base, but was ruled out via strikeout by the umpires.
The reasoning? The umpires deemed that Davis swung, so it's a strike, even though he was hit by the pitch.
"I committed to swing. Therefore, it was a strikeout," Davis said. "I thought I checked it up. I think it's a call that can go either way. It was a tough break. Fortunately for me, my finger is fine."
Before the strikeout call, Francona met with all four umpires for a lengthy on-field discussion. The manager said he was talking to crew-chief Jim Joyce about what, if anything, could be challenged in such a scenario.
"Jimmy Joyce was explaining to me the whole thing," Francona said, "and I didn't have a problem with his explanation at all, actually. I was just trying to ask him, and ask them, what my options were if the ball had hit the bat. That's where we just had a little bit of confusion.
"I don't think the ball did anyway, but there was just some confusion in either the way I was understanding it, or the way they were explaining it. But I had no issue with Jimmy Joyce, the way he explained it."
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 38
Some notes and quotes from Thursday's 7-2 win over the Reds.
FIRST: Well, that was something.
I'd wager that five days ago you, loyal Indians fan, were worried about Cleveland's offense. After four games against the Reds, your concerns should be lessened by at least a modest margin. Yes, Cincinnati's pitching staff is in shambles, and its bullpen is historically bad at the moment, but the Tribe, as good teams should do, took full advantage.
"The guys are feeding off each other," Indians outfielder Rajai Davis said. "One guy gets a hit and it's, 'Oh, let me do that.'"
Cleveland did that a lot over the past four days. On Monday, the Indians scored 15 runs. On Tuesday, it was 13. Wednesday saw eight more cross the plate. Thursday? Seven. That's 43 runs for the Indians to 16 runs for the Reds. The Tribe collected 56 hits, including 20 extra-base hits, and turned in a .346/.423/.556 slash line.
So, go celebrate, Cleveland. The Indians have won the 2016 Ohio Cup!
"We've been playing really, really exceptional," Davis said. "Our offense has been dynamic. A lot of guys are hitting. A lot of guys hitting extra-base hits. We're just very, very competitive right now."
Cincinnati's troubles, combined with Cleveland's hot streak, had quite the impact on the Indians' overall offensive showing this season.
Heading into this four-game, home-and-home series, Cleveland was sporting a .247/.307/.388 slash line. Now? It looks like .259/.322/.408. That team batting average and on-base percentage each ranked fourth in the American League, as of this writing. The Indians' 186 runs scored were tied for the second-most runs in the AL.
"We seem to get contributions all over the place," Indians manager Terry Francona said, "which I think is kind of how we have to be. We've got to keep the line moving and play like that. We did OK, but now we'll move quickly to the next team, because we've got a good team to play tomorrow. So, we'll be ready to do that."
SECOND: The Ohio Cup would not be complete with the MOP. That would be the series' Most Outstanding Player, which is voted upon by media members from the Reds and Indians each year.
[Handed envelope]
And Most Outstanding Player for the 2016 Ohio Cup goes to…
[Opens envelope]
… Rajai Davis!
Over the past four games, all Davis did was reach base 15 times in 22 plate appearances. He reached four times on Monday, five times on Tuesday, belted a pair of homers Wednesday and then doubled twice Thursday. The outfielder had two steals, five extra-base hits, six walks, nine RBIs and 10 runs scored.
After his day off Sunday, Davis said he honed in on a certain mind-set.
"I think it's more of a one-on-one battle," he said. "Just me against the pitcher. May the best man win."
In four games, Davis raised his season OPS to .763 from .578. His on-base percentage climbed to .323 from .248 in that span. Francisco Lindor (11-for-21) also had a great series, but Davis deserved to be named the MOP.
Davis joins an esteemed list of past MOPs that includes Jason Kipnis (2015), Kristopher Negron (2014), Asdrubal Cabrera (2011), Shin-Soo Choo (2010), Ramon Hernandez (2009) and Adam Dunn (2008). No, I don't know why the voting stopped from '12-13. I do know that the MOP used to come with a little trophy. If I remember correctly, it used to plug in and light up, too.
"That's exactly what I wanted," quipped Davis.
THIRD: With no designated hitter in the National League setting, Francona is forced to choose between Mike Napoli or Carlos Santana for first base. Napoli got the nod on Wednesday and Santana was picked for Thursday.
Tito certainly made the right call.
"Santana, he went ahead and hit two bombs today," Davis said. "That's stepping it up."
Back in the cleanup spot, Santana launched a two-run home run in each of the fourth and fifth innings. The first one spotted Cleveland a 2-0 lead and the next one punctuated a four-run outburst to give the team a 6-2 advantage.
"I feel comfortable right now and I'm working hard," Santana said. "I was trying to come back and help my team. Right now, I feel comfortable. I understand it's a long season, so I have to keep it up."
On April 19, Santana's season line was at its low point: .154 average and .594 OPS. In the next 25 games, the switch-hitter posted a .261 average and an .818 OPS, while bouncing between leading off and hitting in the middle. That showing came before his multi-homer outburst on Thursday, when he also drew a walk.
"We just want him to hit wherever he is [in the lineup]," Francona said. "Tonight, he stayed nice and short. Hopefully, he can continue that, because if he starts doing that, man, it's just such a connector in our lineup wherever he's at."
HOME: Am I burying the lede tonight, or what?
You've read 800 words and I haven't even mentioned the best part of tonight's win for the Indians. Josh Tomlin — statistically one of the best hitters in Indians history (more on that in a second) — delivered two (!) hits for Cleveland in the victory. He singled. He doubled. He scored a run.
"It's fun to be a part of the whole game," Tomlin said with a smirk.
Tomlin became the first Cleveland pitcher to have two hits, including a double, in a game since Steve Dunning did so against Milwaukee on Sept. 6, 1972. Do you know who the last Indians pitcher was to get two hits in a game? No? Well, don't feel bad, Tomlin didn't know, either.
"I would guess either Kluber or Sabathia," Tomlin said.
Nope. It was JOSH TOMLIN, back on June 28, 2011, against Arizona.
"Oh, really?" Tomlin said with a laugh. "Cool."
Here are the greatest hitters in Indians' history (min. 10 at-bats):
- Matt Carson, .636 average (11 at-bats)
- Josh Tomlin, .600 average (10 at-bats)
- Sam Horn, .455 average (33 at-bats)
I mean, Shoeless Joe Jackson is 10th on that list. Tris Speaker is 15th. Nap Lajoie? Try 24th. They've got nothing on Joltin' Josh Tomlin.
The only problem now is that Cleveland is traveling to Boston for a weekend series. That means the DH is back in play for the Tribe. Francona was asked if Tomlin will be considered for that job on Friday.
"He will probably want to, but no," the manager said with a laugh.
Tomlin agreed that a day off was a god idea.
"My legs are shot," he said.
Oh, and Tomlin also logged 7.2 innings, in which he struck out seven, scattered five hits, issued one walk and held the Reds to two runs. He's 6-0 on the season for the Indians. That makes him the first Tribe starter to begin a season with a 6-0 ledger since Cliff Lee did it in 2008.
"He's easy to pull for," Francona said. "He's one of the better teammates I've ever seen. He'll do anything to try to help you win. That's all he cares about is trying to win. … We're pretty fortunate because early on, he's giving us a big lift coming out of the gate."
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 37
Some notes and quotes from Wednesday's 8-7, 12-inning win.
FIRST: Before Wednesday's game began, Indians rookie Mike Clevinger began heading out to the bullpen to get warmed up for his Major League debut. The pitcher started to walk to the 'pen behind the center-field wall.
There was only one problem: That's Cincinnati's bullpen.
"He was going to the wrong bullpen," Indians manager Terry Francona said with a smile. "Nap kind of grabbed him. He was pretty good. He goes, 'I was just checking it out.'"
During his debut, if Clevinger was feeling any rookie jitters, the right-hander didn't display it on the mound. In fact, following a leadoff single by Zack Cozart in the first inning, Clevinger held the Reds to a 2-for-17 showing through five innings.
"He looked like it was almost business as usual," Francona said. "I'm sure on the inside it probably wasn't."
Clevinger confirmed as much.
"I felt the 30 minutes of puking of nerves got me really composed for when I went back out there," quipped the pitcher. "That calmed me down."
Clevinger had a large (and loud) cheering section behind the visitors' dugout at Great American Ball Park for his big league debut. His parents, and a pair of step-parents, were on hand, along with Clevinger's girlfriend and their newborn daughter. Both of his brothers were also there, alongside even more relatives.
"It was fun," Clevinger said. "It was definitely something that's indescribable. I won't forget it."
Over 5.1 innings, Clevinger was charged with four runs on five hits, and he ended with five strikeouts and one walk. He threw mostly four-seamers (45), but mixed in a changeup, slider, curve and cutter. The righty generated a dozen swings and misses, averaged 93.7 mph with his four-seamer and topped out at 96 mph on the day.
Clevinger's first career strikeout came in the first, when Joey Votto swung through a slider. In the fourth inning, Votto was called out on strikes on a good changeup that started inside, but tailed back over the edge. The veteran eventually got the best of the rook, though, delivering a two-run double to deep center in the sixth.
Clevinger exited with a 4-3 lead in the sixth, but a three-run homer by Eugenio Suarez (off Zach McAllister) later in the inning saddled the rookie with a no-decision. Clevinger also allowed a homer to Jay Bruce in the fourth.
"I thought he was good," Francona said. "I thought he followed the glove pretty well. I thought he kept his composure real well. I thought his pitches were good. He made a couple mistakes late, but I don't care if you're coming up from Triple-A or you're a [veteran], that's Major League stuff. And he's only going to get better with experience."
SECOND: After the Indians scored 28 runs on 36 hits in the previous two games against the Reds, Wednesday's game was mostly the Rajai Davis and Francisco Lindor show.
Davis reached base three times, including launching a pair of home runs. The outfielder belted a solo shot in the third to give Cleveland a 2-0 lead and then came through with a two-run blast in the ninth to tie the game, 7-7. Lindor, who had three hits for the third game in a row, delivered a go-ahead, solo home run in the 12th inning.
Since getting a day off "to take a deep breath" on Sunday, Davis has gone 7-for-12 with three extra-base hits, five walks, seven RBIs and nine runs scored for Cleveland. That's the kind of work he used to do against the Indians.
"It's nice when he's in our uniform," Francona said.
In a 72-hour span, Davis has increased his season slash line to .250/.311/.420 from .211/.248/.330. I'd say that deep breath worked out just fine.
"Absolutely," Davis said. "It's always nice to step away and just not get in your mind so much and take a break and think about what has made you successful and get back to that focus that helped you to be successful at the start."
As for Lindor, he's gone 9-for-17 over the past three games. Through 37 games now, the shortstop is sporting a .325/.376/.437 slash line with 11 extra-base hits, 18 RBIs and 25 runs scored for Cleveland.
Francona was stunned by Lindor's 12th-inning shot to center.
"That ball, I'll tell you what," Francona said, "he hit that ball and that had a little different sound. That was just a rocket. We needed something like that, because there was a lot of frustation."
THIRD: Davis' game-tying shot in the ninth inning doesn't happen without the work one plate appearance earlier by Lonnie Chisenhall.
Facing the left-hander Cingrani, Cleveland's outfielder worked 10 pitches. He saw eight fastballs and two sliders (Pitch 1 and Pitch 6). He fouled off five pitches, including two with the count full before finally taking the final fastball for ball in and off the plate.
"That was impressive," Davis said. "I was really impressed with him and I had to let him know: 'Hey, that's an at-bat right there.' He's a tough lefty on lefties. The good thing is he got to see him a day before. It's not like he hadn't seen that arm angle. A big, tall guy. Lanky. He has a good fastball.
"He put some good swings and some tough swings on it, just to fight. He just kept battling. That's all we can ask far, to have guys go up there and battle. That's what he did."
HOME: Another play that could go easily overlooked from Wednesday was the highlight-reel running grab made by second baseman Jason Kipnis in the bottom of the 12th inning.
Zack Cozart sent a pitch arcing high beyond first base and down the line in shallow right field. Kipnis sprinted to his left and tracked the fly ball, lunging and falling to the grass after snaring it from the sky.
"It's one of the best plays I think I've ever seen him make," Francona said. " Considering the time of the game and where he started and where he ended. That was a great play. That play there, that's a double. He closed a lot of ground. It's like he willed himself to catch that ball."
According to Statcast, Kipnis had a first step time of 0.12 seconds and he hit a top speed of 18.9 mph while on the run. In the process, he covered 81.2 feet with a route efficiency of 97.8 percent. That's all technical mumbo jumbo for: It was really freakin' good.
Lindor loved it.
"As soon as it was hit, I'm like, 'Get it! Get it!'" Lindor said. "I just was watching him have his eyes on it the whole entire time, and the next thing you know he extends his glove and just boom, catches it. It was pretty cool and a game changer, a game changer at that point."
EXTRAS: While there were a few hiccups (Kyle Crockett, Jeff Manship and McAllister didn't have banner nights), the Indians' bullpen played a big role in this win. Joba Chamberlain, Bryan Shaw, Cody Allen and Dan Otero combined for five shutout innings to help pave the way for the comeback and eventual win. After Shaw worked a clean ninth, and Allen retired all six batter he faced between the 10th and 11th, Otero held Cincy in check in the 12th. That meant he notched his first save since 2014.
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 36
Some notes and quotes from Tuesday's 13-1 rout over the Reds.
FIRST: After Monday's 15-6 romp over the Reds, I'm sure a lot of you at home were thinking, "Gee, Tribe. Save some runs for tomorrow." Well, it turns out that Cleveland saved up plenty more for Tuesday, too.
Thirteen more runs. Seventeen more hits. Another rout.
"We did it one through nine. Everyone chipped in," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Everybody got some hits and took some walks. It allows us to be aggressive on the bases. Good things happen. It's kind of rare. So you take it and you enjoy it. We will move on quickly, because we got to play them again tomorrow."
Sticking with what we did here Monday, here's a look at Tuesday's production…
Carlos Santana: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Jason Kipnis: 1-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Francisco Lindor: 3-for-6, 2 2B
Mike Napoli: 2-for-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB
Jose Ramirez: 1-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB
Yan Gomes: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI
Lonnie Chisenhall: 3-for-4, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 2B
Marlon Byrd: 1-for-4, 1 R
Rajai Davis: 3-for-3, 4 R, 3 RBI, 2 BB, 1 2B
The Indians have scored 13 or more runs in consecutive games for the first time since May 17-19, 1999, when they did so against the White Sox. This is only the second time since 1937 that Cleveland has had 13-plus runs with 17-plus hits in back-to-back games. The only other occurrence was May 4-5, 1991, against Oakland.
DISCLAIMER: This is where it's only fair to point out that Cleveland's production came against the worst pitching staff in baseball. Cincinnati's 5.56 ERA ranks last in the Majors, and that is ballooned by the highest bullpen ERA (6.46) in the game, too.
That said, Cleveland's hitters definitely needed a confidence boost and the group is going to enjoy this two-game flourish. Consider this: Cleveland had a .247/.307/.388 through Sunday's action. Now? Try .260/.323/.403. That's an OPS jump of .031 points in a span of two games. Not bad at all.
"It's not just how many hits we got, it's the way we got them," Kipnis said. "A lot of walks, getting to the next guy. That's what we've been preaching. A lot of two-strike hits, going the other way. Guys are having good at-bats. You don't want to see what was going on before, where we got a lot of hits with two outs and no runs to show for it. It's getting the first guy on and [going] to the next guy."
SECOND: That brings us to the bottom of the fifth inning…
With one out and runners on the corners, and the Indians already holding a commanding eight-run advantage, Cincinnati handed the ball to reliever Steve Delabar. The righty faced six batters, and walked five of them. Four of those came consecutively with the bases loaded.
Think about that for a second. That's a grand slam via walks. That's…
"Unexpected," Gomes said with a laugh.
Napoli (8.6 BB%, entering Tuesday), Ramirez (6.9 BB%), Gomes (4.4 BB%)and Chisenhall (5.6 BB%) each drew a walk to drive in a run. Kipnis earned the first free pass from Delabar, so the Tribe's second baseman got to make the entire 360-foot trek around the bases via jog.
"That might have been the easiest run scored that I've had," Kipnis said with a chuckle. "I worked on my leads. I was very professional. I got some stuff done there. Some good crow hops and secondary leads. That doesn't happen often."
No, it doesn't.
Kipnis became the first Indians player to walk around the bases since Lou Klimchock way back on June 25, 1969. That was the last time Cleveland drew four straight walks with the bases loaded. And, following a 47-year wait for that rare feat to occur, Napoli did the same thing a few minutes later!
THIRD: Let's not forget about Danny Salazar tonight. It'd be easy to do that after another night of overwhelming offense. Here was Salazar's line vs. Cincy: 7.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 95 pitches (67 strikes).
"He was good," Francona said. "He was real good."
With the exception of some occasional command issues, Salazar has been great to this point this season for the Tribe. He was asked after the win if — after watching Corey Kluber win the Cy Young in '14 and then seeing Carlos Carrasco's breakout showing in '15 — he has felt a drive to take a huge step forward this year.
"Yeah," Salazar said. "I think this one. And the next one. And the next one after that. I think I've been working really hard to be what I am right now. I'm going to keep working."
Salazar now has a .156 opponents' average, which is the best mark in the American League and ranks second to only Cubs ace Jake Arrieta in baseball. Salazar's 31-percent strikeout rate also leads the AL, trailing only Jose Fernandez, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Noah Syndergaard. Only Jose Quintana and Chris Sale have a better ERA than Salazar (1.80) in the AL at the moment. Only David Price has more strikeouts than him in the AL.
Look at that company Salazar is keeping right now.
"He's a stud. He's definitely taken the next step forward," Kipnis said. "He's pitching like a top-of-the-rotation guy, which he is. He's not just a thrower anymore. He's not just a guy coming out, throwing 97. You're seeing him work really well off of his changeup and his slider and he's really figuring out what he is as a pitcher. It's fun to watch."
That changeup — technically a split-change — has been a huge key to success for Salazar. And, the pitch has gotten better and better in terms of results each season for the hard-throwing right-hander:
On Tuesday night, Salazar held the Reds to a 1-for-11 showing with six strikeouts against his split-change. That one was Tucket Barnhart, who doubled off the pitch in the eighth inning. That made Barnhart the first left-handed batter to get a hit off Salazar's changeup this season.
Francona said the split-change is a critical part of why hitters are having such a tough time against Salazar this season.
"When he's throwing that for strikes," said the manager. "He's having a tough time working ahead at times. That's probably the one thing he's still continuing to work on. But, when he does, that changeup is filthy. It's almost like a forkball. It's so hard, but it's got so much deception."
HOME: A lot of Indians batters have enjoyed strong showings the past two games, but let's hone in on a pair to finish things off for tonight.
First, Davis. Over the past two games, the outfielder has gone 5-for-7 with four walks, four RBI and six runs scored. In the process, he has seen his season on-base percentage rise from .248 to .302 in a span of 48 hours. On Tuesday, Davis was on base five times.
Davis joined Manny Ramirez (Aug. 7, 1999) and Charlie Jamieson (Sept. 15, 1921) as the only Indians players in team history to have at least two walks, three hits, three RBI and four runs in a single game.
"He will be a guy too that gets hot in spurts," Francona said on Monday night. "You saw in Spring Training, he will get hits in bunches. And the way he runs the bases, he causes havoc. That will be really welcome."
Next up: Welcome back, Lonnie Chisenhall.
Chisenhall was away from the team for four days to be with his family, following the death of a close family member. To have that happen in the middle of a season has to be emotionally draining. And, what did Chisenhall do? In his first game back, he notched three hits, including two doubles, and he drew one of the bases-loaded walks.
"We're so heart-felt about what he's going through," Gomes said. "That's something that we can't even imagine. We're just standing behind him any way we can. He's such a big part of this clubhouse. We're all here for him and it was really exciting to see him have a good game."
Chisenhall, who dealt with forearm and wrist issues in the spring, leading to a season-opening stint on the disabled list, began the year in a 2-for-18 skid. In the 12 games since then, though, the outfielder has hit .378/.439/.486 in 41 plate appearances. His season slash jumped to .291/.339/.400 from .255/.296/.333 with Tuesday's outburst.
"When he starts getting base hits like he did to left field in that one at bat [in the fifth]," Francona said, "hopefully that shows that maybe he's going to get hot. He has a knack for doing that. Then, he also turned on a ball into right field. I thought that was a real good sign."
EXTRAS: In the second inning, Gomes sent a pitch rocketing high off the 19-foot wall in left field for a long single. When he reached base, Reds first baseman Joey Votto quipped: "Stipe's got more pop than you." That was because UFC champ Stipe Miocic hit a batting-practice home run over the same area before Tuesday's game. Click on the tweet below to read about his visit, his friendship with Gomes and to see video from his BP session.
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 35
Some notes and quotes from Monday's 15-6 win over the Reds.
FIRST: Five days ago, Yan Gomes was mired in one of the worst slumps of his career. The catcher was swinging at pitches he normally doesn't chase, the power had disappeared and he could not buy a hit to save his life.
"I know I can hit," Gomes said. "It's just been one of those things that my confidence has definitely got ahold of me. When you get to look up there and you're not seeing the numbers you're really wanting to put up, it definitely gets frustrating."
One step at a time. Or, one home run at a time, apparently.
Gomes ended an 0-for-20 skid with a home run on Friday night. The catcher then belted another homer on Saturday. Following a day off on Sunday, Gomes did it again. In the sixth inning against the Reds, he launched a three-run shot. Three homers in three games for the first time in his career.
And Gomes' confidence is surely up a few ticks.
"We need him offensively," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Like we've been saying: He will get hot. Just as cold as he was, he will get just that hot. The good news for us is, even though he's hitting whatever, he's got a lot of RBI. So whatever hits he's
getting, they seem to come up with people on base."
Gomes had four RBI on Monday night. Three on the long ball and one more on a sacrifice fly in the seventh. Over his past three games, Gomes has gone 4-for-11 at the plate with seven RBI. In his previous 11 games, he was in a 2-for-42 drought with no home runs and just two RBI.
"It's just a matter of putting in the work before and letting it work out in the game," Gomes said. "I've been a slow starter for the last few years. It comes to a point where you're trying to be productive in any way you can, and I've definitely tried to do something.
"And you've just got to know your confidence can't go away."
SECOND: This night wasn't just about Gomes, though.
After falling behind by four runs by the third inning, Cleveland finally hit the gas. The Indians scored four in the third, three in the fourth, five in the sixth and then three between the eighth and ninth. Ten players had at least one hit. Seven had multi-hit games. Five scored at least twice.
This was an overwhelming evening for the lineup.
"I think we needed that," Gomes said.
No kidding. One game ago, Cleveland went 7-for-16 with two outs, but didn't score a single run.
Here's what the Tribe 9 did tonight:
Rajai Davis: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB
Jason Kipnis: 2-for-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SH
Francisco Lindor: 3-for-5, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 2B
Mike Napoli: 2-for-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB
Carlos Santana: 1-for-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SF
Yan Gomes: 2-for-4, 1 R, 4 RBI, 1 HR, 1 SF
Jose Ramirez: 2-for-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 2B
Marlon Byrd: 3-for-5, 3 R, 2 RBI, 1 HR
Juan Uribe: 1-for-5, 1 R
"That was good for a number of reasons," Francona said. "A lot of guys relaxed a bit. It
was real good. We could always used those kind of games."
THIRD: The big night for the lineup pushed Cody Anderson's abbreviated outing to the background. That said, Cleveland has to be weighing what it can do to try to get the big right-hander going again.
Anderson lasted only 4.1 innings and was charged with six runs on nine hits, including a pair of home runs. The starter gave up nine homers in 91.1 innings as a rookie last year. So far this season, 10 homers in 32.2 innings. Anderson's 2.76 HR/9 rate is currently the second-highest in the Majors, among pitchers with at least 30 innings. Chris Young of the Royals is first (or last, really) in that category with a 3.62 HR/9 (13 HR allowed in 32.1 IP).
Francona pointed out that the park was "playing small," but it has seemingly played small all season for Anderson. The one thing I will say about tonight's homers is that the pitches were not terrible. This did seem more like a time when good hitting was more of the cause, rather than extremely bad location.
For example, let's start with the one-out solo homer that Adam Duvall hit in the second inning. It was an 0-2 fastball that zipped in at 93 mph. This was a case of elevation by design and Duvall sent the high heater out to left field.
Said Anderson: "A fastball up around the neck. That's pretty tough to hit out."
In the third inning, Anderson started Eugenio Suarez off with a 91-mph cutter. It was low and inside, but the Reds third baseman sent it out to center field for a two-run shot.
"The ballpark was playing awfully small tonight," Francona said. "The home run to center, I did not think was a home run."
But, it was. Just as the nine others before it were home runs.
"We have all been asking ourselves the same thing," Francona said in reference to Anderson's struggles. "The velocity is very good. I think at times his command is probably the biggest difference from what's been allowing him to succeed or not."
HOME: In a back-and-forth game like Monday's you never know how critical an early play will be when the smoke clears. In the fourth inning, runners were on the corners (Davis on first) with two outs for Kipnis, who singled to right-center field.
Davis was off to the races and reached the plate at the same moment as the relay throw. Reds catcher Ramon Cabrera gloved the ball and spun to make the tag, while Davis ran awkwardly by him and dropped down over the plate.
With his momentum carrying him forward, Davis actually dragged his right foot across the plate as Cabrera swung and missed with tag attempt. Home-plate umpire Paul Emmel ruled Davis out, but that call was overturned after another successful challenge by Francona and replay coordinator Mike Barnett.
"Rajai wanted to slide, but he got his feet mixed up," Francona said. "He actually did a really good job touching the plate. Such a heads-up job. … He's quick and his willingness to get somewhere — he allowed that to happen. That was a big play in the game."
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 34
Some notes and quotes from Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Twins.
FIRST: What's more frustrating: Getting a lot of hits without being able to cash in, or being totally overpowered and coming up with little to no hits?
Following Cleveland's loss to the Twins — a game in which the Tribe went 7-for-16 with two outs without scoring a run — that question was posed to Indians catcher Chris Gimenez. He said, in his view, it's the former scenario is the one that frustrates a team more.
"I think that's more frustrating, personally," Gimenez said, "just because we've got guys on base, and we're just not able to take advantage of it. That's the name of the game — being able to take advantage of it. Hitting with runners in scoring position. Unfortunately today, it just didn't really go our way."
That's putting it mildly.
First: Lindor draws a two-out walk. Napoli strikes out.
Third: Santana and Kipnis get two straight singles with two outs. Lindor strikes out.
Fourth: Naquin singles with two outs to put two runners on. Gimenez grounds out.
Sixth: Ramirez singles with two outs. Uribe grounds out.
Seventh: Martinez singles with two outs. Santana strikes out.
Ninth: Gimenez and Martinez connect for consecutive two-out singles. Santana flies out.
Cleveland's lone run came via a leadoff homer by Kipnis in the eighth.
"Early, I thought we squared up a couple real good," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "Carlos and Nap, I thought both [flyouts in the first inning] were probably home runs on normal days, but they [hit them] kind of right into that wind, knocked them both down.
"I thought after that, it seemed like we got frustrated and got a little big. On a day like today, you're going to have to string some hits together, unless you hit the ball like Kip did down into right field, and we weren't able to do that."
Gimenez echoed that take.
"We couldn't just get that one," Gimenez said. "I felt like we just needed that one hit. I came up a couple times with runners on. I give [Twins starter Tyler Duffey] a lot of credit. He did a good job. He could've told you his curveball was coming."
SECOND: About that curveball…
Duffey has a fastball mix that includes both a four-seamer and two-seamer. His main offspeed pitch is a knuckle-curve, which he uses more than 40-percent of the time. On Sunday, Duffey fired that pitch a season-high 49 times (45 percent). Of those, 29 (60 percent) were strikes.
Duffey struck out six overall, including four with the knuckle-curve, in seven shutout innings. The Indians went 2-for-10 against the pitch overall.
"Everybody knew in the ballpark it was coming, but he did a good job," Gimenez said of the curve. "He's very deceptive, because he's got kind of a long arm and he's a slinger. It's kind of tough to pick up a little bit. My second at-bat, I went up there looking for a curveball. First pitch, he threw it right down the middle and it was still [tough to hit]. I just didn't see it very good."
THIRD: Due to Cleveland's woes in the batter's box, Indians starter Trevor Bauer was hung with his first loss of the season.
"On a lot of nights," Francona said, "we're saying, 'Hey, man, he did a good job. He got us deep enough into the game where we could turn it over to the bullpen.' But, runs the last couple of nights have been hard to come by."
Against the Twins, Bauer struck out eight, walked two and allowed three runs on five hits over 6.2 innings. Since moving back to the rotation, the right-hander has a 3.47 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, .188 opponents' average and 23 strikeouts against nine walks in 23.1 innings.
"He looks strong," Francona said.
"Everything was pretty good, actually," Bauer said of his latest outing. "I need to throw more first-pitch strikes, but I got through it OK. … I thought I had a really good spring as a starter and I've continued that this season."
Two pitches, in particular, worked especially well against Minnesota.
Bauer had a very effective curve, which has been a weapon all season. Heading into Sunday's start, opposing hitters were 1-for-19 with 10 strikeouts in at-bats ending with the pitch. Bauer spun 15 of them and recorded five of his eight strikeouts with the breaking ball. Four of those were called third strikes.
"He was able to throw his curveball for strikes," Gimenez said, "and he had a lot of strikeouts on that pitch. All in all, I know it wasn't obviously the result that we all wanted, but he still threw the ball pretty good today."
Bauer also threw 21 of 28 cutters for strikes, induced 16 swings on the pitch and generated six missed swings.
"That's the best I've seen his cutter," said Gimenez, who has caught Bauer's past three starts. "He had a little bit of depth to it."
HOME: In the ninth inning, the Indians were trailing, 3-1. The Twins added two key insurance runs when Eddie Rosario sent a pitch from Jeff Manship to deep center field for one-out double.
On the play, rookie center fielder Tyler Naquin sprinted back and to his left, closing in on the fly ball as he fell just short of the wall. Naquin tried to make a jumping catch, while bracing himself for contact with the fence, and the baseball hit off the heel of his glove before dropping to the warning track.
"It hit his glove. He's still learning," Francona said. "We've talked about it. Sometimes, you see a veteran outfielder, they'll see the ball and they'll kind of run to the spot. He's not able yet to do that. He has to watch the ball the whole way, or he gets a little bit messed up on his route. So, it's hard to run at full-tilt doing that. It's not like he's loafing, but it just takes a little bit away."
Heading into Sunday's action, Naquin's minus-six Defensive Runs Saved ranked last among the 86 Major League players who have logged time at the position this season. His minus-30.6 UZR/150 also ranked last among the 34 center fielders who have logged at least 100 innings at that spot.
Naquin's ongoing learning curve in center played a role in Cleveland's sending him back to Triple-A Columbus for a spell recently. Naquin has an above-average arm, but he has plenty of room for improvement with his first step and route efficiency. Bench coach Brad Mills continues to work with Naquin before games on those aspects.
"Every time we have [bad] weather," Francona said, "[Millsy] loves getting the time with [Naquin], because he'll put the work in. He's doing better and he'll continue to."
Stay tuned for more…
Covering the Bases: Game 32
Some notes and quotes from Friday's 7-6 win over the Twins.
FIRST: Yan Gomes didn't waste any time.
When the catcher received an 84-mph slider to begin his at-bat against Twins righty Ricky Nolasco in the second inning, Gomes jumped on it. He pulled it deep over left field and then over the 19-foot wall. Then, Gomes did something he doesn't normally do.
"If you see the replay," Gomes said, "as soon as I hit it, I've never done it before, but I kind of did a little [exhale], like, 'Shoot, man. About time,' going around those bases."
It's hard to blame Gomes for that reaction.
Heading into Friday's game against the Twins, Gomes was mired in an 0-for-20 funk in the batter's box. Since April 25, the catcher was only 2-for-42 with 11 strikeouts. His slump, which included an 0-for-7 showing in Wednesday's 16-inning marathon, reached a point where manager Terry Francona actually met with Gomes on Friday before the game.
"We were actually talking today a little bit," Francona said. "It's kind of the normal, [what] you see when a guy's struggling. Trying to do too much. Trying to maybe go 3-for-1 and you can't do that. When he lined out the other day in Houston, you could tell by his body language that it wasn't just the lineout, but it was the at-bats leading up to it the last couple days. That's never helpful. It's human nature, and I get it.
"I just tried to remind him a little bit that we know he's really good and he'll get every bit as hot as he got cold. And, just try to remember the things he does really well, because for a relatively inexperienced Major League catcher, he's done a fabulous job of running the staff, caring about the staff, hustling to first, blocking balls. I just wanted to remind him of that."
So, when Gomes launched his two-run home run in the second inning, it's safe to say that the blast included a sense of relief. The catcher ended the evening 1-for-3 with a walk in what was a much-needed performance for him mentally.
"The last couple of series," Gomes said, "it's been tough on the offensive side, just trying to help anything with the team. When that kind of thing happens, you definitely want to, in a way, try harder. I'm trying to take every at-bat for what it is, especially when you do something good. Getting some runs on the board definitely boosts your confidence a little bit."
Asked about Gomes' home run, Francona flashed a smile.
"Good for him. He's been working so hard," Francona said. "It's just nice to see him have something to show for it. It obviously helps us, but good for him. He's going to hit. He knows it, we know it. It's still good for him."
SECOND: Bryan Shaw was booed by the Progressive Field crowd as he walked off the field in the eighth inning on Friday night. It was in response to a rough day at the office, but it should be noted that it's been a while since the setup man had one of those.
Heading into Friday's appearance, Shaw had a 0.77 ERA and .135 opponents' average over his past dozen outings (11.2 IP). The right-hander had not given up a run yet in May. So, when Shaw allowed two hits (one home run) and walked a pair (one intentionally) in the eighth inning, it was his first setback in some time.
It also set up a huge situation for Zach McAllister. Bases loaded. One out. Cleveland losing, 5-4.
"Anyone who is a competitor wants to be in those situations," McAllister said. "It's fun to be able to get the ball. Tito had the confidence in me to get guys out in those situations. It's definitely a good thing."
Against Oswaldo Arcia, the sequence went…
97 mph fastball: Foul ball
97 mph fastball: Called strike
97 mph fastball: Ball
84 mph curve: Swinging strike
Against Kurt Suzuki, the sequence went…
97 mph fastball: Foul
96 mph fastball: Ball
97 mph fastball: Foul
83 mph curve: Ball
97 mph fastball: Swinging strike
"McAllister," Francona said, "a really good job there."
No kidding.
THIRD: McAllister's stop in the top of the eighth paid off in the form of a three-run outburst by the Indians in the home half of the inning.
"It was awesome," McAllister said, "sitting down there and seeing that. Shaw has done that for me a couple times already, where he's picked me up and gotten me out of a few jams. For us to be able to come out and score, it's an awesome feeling."
Francisco Lindor opened the inning with a single and later stole second. Jose Ramirez then drew a one-out walk. That set things up for Marlon Byrd, who drilled a pitch from Trevor May deep to center, where it fell just over the glove of Danny Santana. Lindor and Ramirez scored with a few steps of one another, and the Indians took a 6-5 lead.
"In that situation, I'm looking for him to hopefully make a mistake," Byrd said. "You're talking about a 96-mph fastball. You're talking about the changeup he threw me threw me the second pitch, which I thought he was going to wait until about two strikes. His breaking ball, he usually buries. He throws it, it looks like a strike and ends up being a ball. I think maybe that's the only one he wanted back — the breaking ball that he left up."
Juan Uribe followed with with an RBI single, which proved to be critical. In the ninth, Cody Allen allowed one run, but held on for the save.
"The add-on run ended up being huge," Francona said. "We talk about it all the time: Just keep playing, because you don't know what's enough. And we did just enough."
HOME: So much happened in this one offensively that it'd be easy to overlook the outing by Josh Tomlin. No, it wasn't great, but the fact that he lasted 6.1 innings was impressive, considering how his start began.
In the first, Miguel Sano turned a Tomlin pitch into a 464-foot home run, which was baseball's fourth-longest shot of the season, per Statcast.
"I'll pick it up on the way home," Francona quipped.
In the second, Byung Ho Park crushed a pitch from Tomlin 112 mph off the bat and sent it 458 feet. One inning later, Park came through again — this time sending Tomlin offering 411 feet for his second shot of the game.
"That team took some pretty big swings off of me today," Tomlin said. "So, I knew my margin of error was pretty slim. I feel like whenever I do try to make my stuff a little bit better than what it is, then that's when I do make mistakes. I get around the ball. My command is not as good. That's just a mental side of me that I lost a bit in those first three innings."
After that second Park bomb, though, Tomlin held Minnesota to an 0-for-12 showing, buying time for Cleveland to come back. Gomes came through with his two-run homer in the second. Jason Kipnis added a solo shot in the third. Byrd tied it up with a sac fly in the sixth. That set things up for the late rally.
"It was a good game to win, because it was a hard game to win," Francona said. "Josh, kinda uncharacteristically early, they were hitting him pretty hard. But then, to his credit, he stayed in there for a while, got us through 6 1/3, kept the game right where it needed to be."
EXTRAS: Oh, yeah, and Lindor did this in the fourth…
Said Tomlin: "I thought it was a hit. It was a slow roller and that guy is pretty fast. Seeing him come in, I knew he was going to make the play. I just didn't know if it was going to be in time, because of the runner. It was smooth. It was pretty impressive to watch. I had a front-row seat and it was pretty awesome."
Stay tuned for more…


text:
Justin Bieber was arrested late last week for several things, the most buzzed about though was he alleged drag racing. Well, there's some newly discovered surveillance video featuring all of the power players, but some things just aren't adding up anymore.
Chief Khalil doesn't look quite as happy as his drag racing accomplice Justin Bieber after getting arrested early Thursday morning.
Miami Beach Police have since released the rapper's mug shot, too.
But before the two appeared before the judge moments ago in their orange jumpsuits, where Bieber's bail was set at $2,500…

subset: commoncrawl


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Job Opening - CFO/Financial Manager
Chief Financial Officer/Financial Manager: Behavioral Health provider seeking an individual to serve as CFO and oversee all financial functions of CMHC MIS. Duties include the Centers financial management as well as supervision of nine support & IT staff. Knowledge and expertise in CMHC financial functions, such as A/P, A/R, Payroll is required. Working with the MIS Database, IRMS, PARMS, etc. is a plus. Family Recovery Center provides Mental Health and Substance Abuse outpatient counseling, IOP, and Education/Prevention services and has been located in Columbiana County for 40 years. Competitive wage and benefit package. Send resume with salary history or requirements to: HR Director PO Box 464 Lisbon, OH 44432
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NTST Acquires Seaquest
Acquisition is Key Step as Netsmart Leads Industry Transformation to Collaborative, Coordinated Care Netsmart, the leading provider of clinical solutions for health and human services organizations nationwide, today announced that it has acquired Sequest Technologies, Inc., based in Lisle, Illinois. Sequest provides the TIER® (Totally Integrated Electronic Record) family of clinical and practice management solutions, which will continue to be developed and supported as a Netsmart solution. The acquisition of Sequest supports Netsmarts commitment to deliver innovative solutions to providers across the entire human services continuum of care. The Complete ARRA-certified TIER solution is designed to meet the clinical workflow of substance use treatment and social services agencies, private inpatient psychiatric hospitals, child and family services agencies and smaller behavioral health provider organizations, helping all of these providers more quickly adopt an EHR and enhance quality of care. Our acquisition of Sequest aligns directly with the fast-evolving shift in the overall healthcare ecosystem to collaborative, coordinated care, said Mike Valentine, Netsmart chief executive officer. To continue to be the industry leader, we must provide our clients with leading-edge clinical and practice management solutions specifically designed for their care settings and with clinical support for those care settings.
Posted by
on Tuesday, October 25 @ 11:33:05 UTC (3821 reads)
| Score: 1)
AR Enhancements This Summer
The AR Committee was notified at Connections that there are a couple of AR Enhancements scheduled to be released this summer: · AR Aging Report Default to Open Item Processing · Client AR Correction & Uscript
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ARRA Certification Completed
MEDIA CONTACT: Dave Kishler Netsmart Technologies 614.764.0143, Ext. 7252 email@example.com
CMHC/MIS Electronic Health Record Solution from Netsmart Technologies Attains Complete ARRA Certification
Complete ARRA ONC-ATCB Certification Demonstrates Netsmarts Commitment to Helping CMHC/MIS Clients Qualify for Meaningful Use Funds
Great River, N.Y., June 20, 2011 - Netsmart Technologies, Inc. (www.ntst.com), a leading provider of software and services for health and human services organizations, today announced that its CMHC/MIS 4.2 electronic health record (EHR) software for behavioral health provider organizations has achieved 100 percent ONC-ATCB ARRA Ambulatory Certification.
We are fully committed to providing clients of each of our enterprise platforms a direct, complete and comprehensive path to qualify for ARRA Meaningful Use funding, said Michael Valentine, chief executive officer, Netsmart Technologies. Meaningful Use can provide invaluable financial resources to help our clients better serve their consumers. Thats why we were a strong advocate for the programs establishment and are at the forefront of advocacy to provide behavioral health with the same full access to incentive funds as already provided to other healthcare entities.
CMHC/MIS 4.2 software is now designated as a Complete EHR on the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology Certified Health IT Product List. Netsmart was the first behavioral healthcare software provider to offer a Complete ARRA-certified EHR when it achieved Ambulatory and Inpatient certification for its Avatar® 2011 enterprise software in December 2010. In addition, Netsmarts Insight 7.0 public health solution achieved ARRA Modular Certification earlier this year and is expected to attain 100 percent ONC-ATCB ARRA Ambulatory Certification in the third quarter of 2011.
Testing was conducted under Drummond Group's Electronic Health Records ONC-ATCB program. Drummond Group, Inc., is an Authorized Testing and Certification Body (ONC-ATCB) named by the Office of the National Coordinator to provide Meaningful Use certification for EHR systems and applications.
We are pleased with Netsmarts commitment to the CMHC/MIS solution and their dedication to pursuing complete ARRA certification, said Dawn Stiles, president of Spurwink Services, a Maine-based, nationally accredited non-profit organization providing mental health, educational and residential services for children, adolescents, adults and families. With the frequent state and federal changes that behavioral healthcare agencies must adapt to, we have peace of mind that our software is fully certified and meets the requirements for Meaningful Use incentive funds.
Behavioral and public health organizations are currently eligible for Medicaid or Medicare Meaningful Use funds based on the number of Eligible Professionals (EPs), such as physicians and nurse practitioners, in their organization, assuming the organization meets criteria for Meaningful Use of a certified EHR and the professionals assign their incentives to the organization. The total benefit for Medicaid Eligible Professionals is $63,750 per EP over a six-year period a significant financial incentive for organizations.
In the first year of participation in the Meaningful Use funding program, healthcare providers need only adopt (purchase) an ARRA-certified EHR to meet the Meaningful Use requirement of using an ARRA-certified EHR. There is no requirement to demonstrate Meaningful Use in the first year, and no EHR reporting is required. Eligible providers who have already adopted, implemented or upgraded to an ARRA-certified EHR would also receive a first year payment.
In addition to the Meaningful Use monetary incentives, use of EHR technology can improve quality of care, advance patient safety, increase customer satisfaction and enhance office efficiency.
Netsmart is also working with national mental health associations to support passage of Senate Bill 539, introduced by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and the introduction of a similar bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. This corrective legislation would extend eligibility for Medicaid and Medicare Meaningful Use incentive funds to behavioral health, mental health, and substance abuse treatment professionals and facilities not currently included as eligible for Meaningful Use funds. For more information about this important corrective legislation, visit www.ntst.com/legislation.
To learn more about how Netsmart can help behavioral health and public health organizations qualify for Meaningful Use incentives, visit www.ntst.com/meaningfuluse.
About Netsmart Technologies
Netsmart Technologies is an established, leading supplier of software-as-a service (SaaS) and internally-installed software solutions for health and human services providers. More than 18,000 client organizations, including 350,000 care providers and more than 40 state systems, use Netsmart products to help improve the quality of life for millions of people each year.
Netsmart clients include mental health and substance abuse treatment agencies, psychiatric hospitals, private and group mental health practices, public health departments, vital records offices, and managed care organizations. Netsmarts products are full-featured information systems that operate on a variety of operating systems, hardware platforms, and mobile devices, and offer unlimited scalability.
Netsmart provides the solutions and expertise that help clients both meet all the criteria for Meaningful Use of an Electronic Health Record (EHR) under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 and avoid the costly, time-consuming process of integrating solutions from multiple vendors.
Building upon the complete EHR, Netsmart clients can also create a complete connected care environment using Netsmart OrderConnect for e-prescribing and order entry, Netsmart CareConnect to share clinical information and lab results, and the Netsmart ConsumerConnect Web portal to provide secure and private consumer access to care information.
For information about Netsmart Technologies full range of solutions for health and human services organizations, visit www.ntst.com or call 1-800-472-5509.
Posted by
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Data Warehouse Patch Reduces Export Time
"More Exciting Than March Madness!!!
Netsmart released a much anticipated enhancement to CMHC Data Warehouse.
Patch 421711 will now allow you to limit your export to a specified date range for the Accounting Detail, Journal Detail, Events and ISNs.
This could reduce the export time significantly for organizations that have been using CMHC for many years or have a high volume of accounting and do*****entation activity.
Thanks to the NUG AAI Committee for advocating for this enhancement!
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Crazy Substitute Teachers
Enjoy, NG4.03 / 5.00 2,387 Views
Vacuum Salesman
This dude and his Megazord vacuum cleaner4.00 / 5.00 2,700 Views
Markiplier Animated | Mark Of The Survey Corps
This took far too long to make...3.97 / 5.00 6,185 Views
Yeah, malice_knight, tutorials are new to ng. Where the F**K have you been? dumbass...
Anyway, for a "tutorial", I liked it. The instuction was there, as was a bit of humor. Most instructional movies are VERY short on humor. For that I say good job.
Good job
HAHA that was much more of a joke than a tutorial. I really would've liked it if there actually was a tutorial on how to really draw her somewhere in there. She was well drawn.
Very interesting indeed
It's somewhat new here, rather original, a tutorial of some sort. Other then that it pretty much depicts the basis of drawing, without actually telling all the petty details, but unfortunately these Petty details can come in handy...Other then that, nice jokes, and the girl who was drawn was pretty nicely done, but the face needs a bit of work, so does the arms, but if it was oekaki, I guess it's more then acceptable. Other then so, the timing is slightly deranged, and the humour was slightly crude but entertaining, The interactivity though is really up to the viewer himself.
Good try, needs improvement
The whole idea is pretty original. I guess the movie itself is helpfull to those wanting to learn how to draw anime girls.
It`s got a couple of good jokes too, although it would be funnier if one could actually understand what bob ross is saying. The sound needs lots of work.
wonderful cartoon character!
You made an interesting and engaging "person" out of a yellow oval with teeth! Excellent! The sound needs to be a little better, I couldn't hear all the words the character spoke clearly. Other than that, it's great!


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Belleville Vacation Packages
Belleville is situated approximately 120 miles (193 kilometers) north of Washington, the national capital, and approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Harrisburg - Hershey.
Belleville is not the only place in this popular region worth experiencing; travelers can also head off and experience the special qualities of the surrounding countryside, communities and cultural attractions. Places in the vicinity of Belleville are Bellefonte, 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the south, and Spruce Creek, 20 miles (32 kilometers) to the east.
While you are staying in Belleville, why don't you experience State College. Approximately 15 miles (24 kilometers) away, this regional transport and shopping hub is where you can find Penn State Ice Pavilion, Nittany Mall and Pennsylvania State University. Bryce Jordan Center and Beaver Stadium are also good places to visit.
Go to Central Pennsylvania's historically significant traditional villages, it's a good way to explore the region's rich history.
Why not combine a little learning with leisure during your stay by joining a group of like-minded travelers on one of Belleville's informative winery tours.
The nearest major airport, University Park Airport, is situated in State College, 18 miles (29 kilometers) to the north of Belleville, a handy point to remember when booking your trip.


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All Race Tips: Page 3
Are You Actually Ready For That Race?
- By Meredith Atwood
- Published Jul 7, 2015
Make sure you do these four things before you sign up for your next triathlon.
Coach's Note By Lance Watson: Tackling A Hot Ironman
- By Lance Watson
- Published Jun 26, 2015
- Updated Sep 1, 2015 at 1:15 PM UTC
Poor heat acclimation and hydration strategies can ruin even the best training preparation.
Study Finds Recalling Positive Memories Can Impact Performance
- By Mackenzie Lobby Havey
- Published Jun 25, 2015
Harnessing the good and blocking the bad can make all the difference during training and racing.
Insider Course Tips: TriRock Philly
- By Jené Shaw
- Published Jun 25, 2015
Last year's TriRock Philly winners Cameron Dye and Alicia Kaye give insight on how to approach each leg of this popular urban race.
Scout Your "A" Race Course
- By Bethany Rutledge
- Published Jun 18, 2015
Strategize for your specific course without leaving your house.
Nothing New On Race Day
- By Scott Fliegelman
- Published Jun 1, 2015
Avoid disaster by following this golden rule.
Ask A Ref: Why Do I Have To Wear A Shirt In Ironman Events?
- By Jimmy Riccitello
- Published May 15, 2015
Why do I have to wear a shirt during U.S. Ironman events when I can race topless in non-Ironman events?
4 "Free Speed" Tips For The Bike
- By Bethany Rutledge
- Published May 11, 2015
Want to gain an edge without draining your wallet? Apply these small details to your training and racing.
Why A Pre-Race Plan Is A Must
- By Tony Zamora
- Published May 8, 2015
Why you should have a set strategy for race morning—plus, a sample schedule for the hours leading up to the race start.
Triathlon Transition Basics
- By Dirk Bockel
- Published Apr 30, 2015
- Updated Apr 30, 2015 at 11:26 AM UTC
A smooth, quick transition can make a big difference in a race that comes down to the wire.


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|ESPN.com: Endurance
|[Print without images]
|Jason Hartmann overcame unseasonable heat and finished fourth in last year's Boston Marathon.
But there was a good reason: He had a job interview a few days before the race.
He didn't get the job, but, as it turned out, it was his Monday best that steered his career path over the past year. Amid temperatures that soared into the mid-80s, Hartmann ran arguably the best race of his career, finishing fourth in 2:14:31. Only two U.S. runners have placed higher than that since 1985 -- Meb Keflezighi was third in 2006 and Ryan Hall was third in 2009.
After a disappointing 2012 U.S. Olympic Trials race less than three months earlier, Hartmann revived his running with a gritty performance in one of the hottest Boston races in history. He had trained harder than ever in preparation for the trials in Houston and entered that race with the fifth-fastest seed time, but he had a bad day and finished 32nd in 2:16:44.
RELATED: First Boston Marathon brings Shalane Flanagan full circle
Heading to Boston about 10 weeks later, he kind of figured it would be the last race of his professional career. He was ready to get a job in the real world and move on with his life. But his strong performance and the subsequent notoriety of being the top American finisher gave impetus to stay in the game for another year.
"It got my excitement back into running," said Hartmann, who turned 32 last month. "Our sport is determined by whether you make the Olympic team or not. That's just what it is. My experience in Boston last year allowed me to move forward and get myself out of a dark place and focus on something else rather than being depressed."
"Suddenly, he went from a guy who ran in obscurity for years, even back home in running-crazy Boulder, Colo., to someone strangers would go out of their way to talk to. It's not that he hadn't run well in recent years; he won the 2009 Twin-Cities Marathon in 2:12:09 and then lowered his PR to 2:11:06 at the Chicago Marathon the following year.
I like to think of the marathon as like a big prize fight. Anything can happen. You can train perfectly for it and be hit by an uppercut and get knocked out." -- Jason Hartmann,
whose race in Boston on Monday might be his last as a professional
"You go from no one caring about you or what you do to people wanting to be your best friend," said Hartmann, a native of Rockford, Mich., who was a six-time All-America runner at the University of Oregon. "It's cool to get noticed more for my running, but it hasn't changed me as a person. More people recognized me at the grocery store and more people say, 'Nice job in Boston' or 'Good luck in Boston this year' when Im out running now. It's nice to have more people behind you that are invested in your success."
Still, his strong effort in Boston last spring did only so much for him. It didn't help him earn a big contract with a shoe company and it didn't change his stature among top American marathoners. His PR is still several minutes behind the trio of U.S. runners on last summer's Olympic marathon squad (Keflezighi, Hall and Abdi Abdirahman), but in a bit of odd irony it is Hartmann who represents the best chance of an American finishing in the top five in this year's Boston Marathon. Keflezighi, Hall and Abdirahman each withdrew from the race in the past month because of injury or illness. The only other U.S. runner in the men's elite field is Fernando Cabada (2:11:53 PR), who is a Boston rookie.
RELATED: Fernando Cabada ready to show his evolved self in Boston
The men's field is again loaded with talent, with nine runners who have run faster than 2:07. Among them are Ethiopia's Lelisa Desisa, who won the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon in 2:04:45 in January, and Kenya's Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, who won Boston in 2010 in a then-course record of 2:05:52.
"I try not to let it change my race plan of being patient," Hartmann said. 'I'm not trying to do anything crazy that I'm not capable of doing just because I had success here last year. I'll try to be patient and let the race unfold as it does and deal with certain situations as they come up. I like to think of the marathon as like a big prize fight. Anything can happen. You can train perfectly for it and be hit by an uppercut and get knocked out."
On the eve of the Boston Marathon, Hartmann found himself in a similar place to a year ago. He's fit and ready to run a smart race, but regardless of how he runs on Monday, it might very well be the last run of his professional career.
He's OK with that, though, perhaps more so than he was a year ago at this time. Despite not having made an Olympic team, he'll always been able to say he ran one the best races of his life in Boston.
"I have no plans for anything after this race," Hartmann said. "I'm approaching this race as if it's my last, but there is a certain level of comfort knowing you've done everything you can do to get ready for that day, and whatever happens, I'll be OK with it and won't have any regrets.


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Assassins Creed: Lineage gets a debut trailer
Ubisoft's announced that it'll be airing the first of several short films from the Assassins Creed universe, known as Lineage, from next Tuesday.
To celebrate the announcement, they've also released a short trailer on the films, which give the back-story to Assassin's Creed II.
Catch it after the jump, thanks to TLG. Assassin's Creed II itself is out on November 20 for PS3 and 360.
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. For more information, go here.


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Origin and evolution of life
Jul 12, 2016A scientist uses the evolution of Earth as a model to explore the likelihood of complex life existing elsewhere in the universe.
Jun 17, 2016New observations have revealed the fingerprint of gaseous methanol in a protoplanetary disc for the first time.
Jun 15, 2016A team of scientists using highly sensitive radio telescopes has discovered the first complex organic chiral molecule in interstellar space.
Jun 1, 2016Ingredients regarded as crucial for the origin of life on Earth have been discovered at the comet that ESA's Rosetta spacecraft has been probing for almost two years.
May 24, 2016Our sun's adolescence was stormy—and new evidence shows that these tempests may have been just the key to seeding life as we know it.
May 23, 2016Organisms can benefit from quick genetic changes of microbial pawnobiome.
May 18, 2016Biological evolution was preceded by a long phase of chemical evolution during which precursors of biopolymers accumulated.
May 16, 2016Molecule shown to increase stability in double helix bond.
May 6, 2016A gene found in this eight-celled green algae is responsible for the evolution of multicellular organisms.
Apr 26, 2016The crucibles that bore out early building blocks of life may have been, in many cases, modest puddles.
Apr 16, 2016New studies shed light on a curious group of bacteria that use iron in much the same way that animals use oxygen, yielding potential insight into the origin of life.
Apr 14, 2016Temperature gradients within pores in rock could have separated primitive biopolymers based on their sequences -- a vital precondition for the origin of life.
Mar 16, 2016A new study of the young, Sun-like star Kappa Ceti shows that a magnetic field plays a key role in making a planet conducive to life.
Mar 14, 2016Mysterious branch-like formations in clusters of rock show what microbial life once looked like.
Mar 7, 2016Chimney-like mineral structures on the seafloor could have helped create the RNA molecules that gave rise to life on Earth.


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Of Nightmare Reality
Features of This Trackpunk roots
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minor key tonality
a vocal-centric aesthetic
a gravelly male vocalist
an aggressive male vocalist
an unintelligible vocal delivery
abstract lyrics
use of odd meter
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Dissolved Oxygen Sensor System for Real-time, In-situ Subsurface Monitoring: Geospatial Mapping of DOE Field Sites
Award Information
Small Business Information
Opti O2, LLC
2174 Butternut Dr, Okemos, MI, 48864-3203
Principal Investigator:
Ruby Ghosh
(517) 290-6854
(517) 290-6854
Business Contact:
Gerald Roston
(734) 516-6715
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AbstractEnvironmental sensor networks capable of taking data quickly enough to capture minutescale fluctuations and durable enough to capture these data for entire seasons provide essential information for studying the seasonal and annual effects of microbial activity across complete ecosystems. Distributed sensors for subsurface dissolved oxygen (DO) concentration measurement are of particular interest because of the outsized role DO plays in catalyzing a diversity of environmentally important biogeochemical reactions. Commercially available DO sensors cannot provide the desired spatial and temporal density for resolving data over extended periods at the ecosystem level The overall goal of this proposed body of research is to develop a monitoring technology that provides insight into spatial and temporal variations in dissolved oxygen as a result of hydrological factors, such as seasonal infiltration events and excursions groundwater elevation. To accomplish this goal, a cost competitive DO sensor that can operate for months (or longer) in an uncontrolled, outdoor environment without the need for human intervention and/or recalibration will be developed. The sensor design will allow having multiple sensing sites within a single sensor probe. This will enable data acquisition from multiple probes to generate fourdimensional (space and time re solved) maps of oxygen concentration by the importing the timetagged data from the sensors into commercially available geographic information system (GIS) systems. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits: Recent USGS studies have shown that dissolved oxygen is a proxy for detecting a broad array of chemicals which would otherwise require an extensive suite of sensors to identify. Since the use of a single sensing modality device greatly reduces deployment costs, DO probes could be widely deployed, thereby providing realtime environmental assessment. The data gathered from an ecosystemwide network of DO probes will provide water system operators with the information they need to proactively respond to changes in the environment, thereby ensuring the publics access to safe drinking water.
* information listed above is at the time of submission.
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Arlington, VA (July 15, 2016) – Following today's roll-out of a new wireless broadband initiative by the Obama Administration, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA), the leading association representing the manufacturers and suppliers of high-tech communications networks, announced its commitment to provide technical and industry awareness support for the effort. The $400 million public-private Advanced Wireless Research Initiative (AWRI) is being led by the National Science Foundation (NSF) with participation from other federal agencies and more than 20 technology companies and associations, and aims to advance wireless technologies and services by up to 1000x over current wireless networks.
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Read the July issue of Petfood Industry!
July 2016
The July 2016 issue of Petfood Industry covers a Canadian specialty pet food company with a "quality first, pets first" philosophy behind all of its products.
PrimoWeigher 360 combination scales from CombiScale Inc. are available in configurations of 10, 14, 16, 20 and 24 heads, and multiple scales can be used together. The scales come in bucket sizes of 1.5, 2.5 and 5 liters, with operating speeds up to 200 cycles per minute, the company says. All electronics are located remotely from the scale in a NEMA 4 electrical panel, with an adjustable Smart hopper.


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Summer Hours:
Monday - Thursday
7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Friday, Saturday & Sunday
Online Bookstore
The El Camino College Bookstore is back open as of Monday, June 20, 2016.
The El Camino College Bookstore is now open 24/7. We can ship your books to your home or you can pick them up in the store. We are always open! Enter the Online Bookstore.
The Bookstore is located on the north side of campus, in the bookstore building, near the intersection of Manhattan Beach Blvd. and Lemoli Ave. (View Campus Map). The Bookstore is owned and operated by the El Camino Community College District. Its primary purpose is to provide, at the lowest possible cost, required textbooks and essential supplies to the El Camino College community. All net proceeds are used to support the Auxiliary Service Fund and site improvements on campus.


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I am unable to change my theme for my wordpress.
site is http://www.no-contact-rule.net
the error is "Are you sure you want to do this? TRY AGAIN"
when i click on try again it takes me back to the upload new theme page where i first started... anyway to solve this?
I am installing it directly to wordpress.