Cleveland Sports Forum

Mike Napoli - 1B - Indians

Mike Napoli finished 4-for-4 with a home run, four RBI and three runs scored in the Indians' 14-4 drubbing of the Angels on Thursday.
Napoli belted a three-run home run in the fifth inning of the beatdown, his 29th dinger of the year.

That's good for fourth-best in the American League, as are his 83 RBI. All in all it's been a heck of a bounceback year for the 34-year-old, who also has 75 runs scored to go with a .261/.346/.531 line. He's going to win a lot of owners fantasy titles this year.

OK HB, I'll certainly concede defeat on Uribe, if you will now concede defeat on Napoli. Oh, and we can call Rajai a tie.

As for Almonte, hard to think about moving him off the team at this point:


Abraham Almonte - OF - Indians

Abraham Almonte went 3-for-4 with an RBI double and a run scored in a win over the Angels on Thursday.

Almonte had three of the team's 14 hits against Jhoulys Chacin and company, plating a run with a double in the fourth inning.

The 27-year-old has hit well in 25 games since returning in early July from an 80-game suspension for PED use. Through Thursday, Almonte is batting .292/.314/.477 with a homer, seven RBI and 11 runs scored overall.

I've already conceded on Napoli, where ya been?

I guess hiding in the same place Marlon Byrd has been since being busted for doping. I guess you think his signing was gold too?

Not going to call Davis a tie. Signings like Davis, Byrd, and Uribe is what drives me crazy about the Tribe. Like I've said a million times, they nickel and dime it with a bunch of guys like that, instead of spending the whole dollar on a stud.

Almonte is not eligible for the post season so they need to work someone in at some point.

How come Almonte is not eligible for the post season? Part of the 80 game suspension?

Davis, Byrd, and Uribe's salaries combined do not equal the average salary of a MLB position player.

Baseball players suspended during the season for a performance-enhancing drug violation will not be eligible for that year’s postseason under changes to the sport’s drug agreement announced Friday. (3/28/14)

The average MLB salary is less than 4 mill.

Juan Uribe signed for 5 mill himself.

Byrd made 1 mill.

Davis signed for 5.25 mill plus incentives for AB's that would push it to 6.4 mill.

Add all of it together it's about what Daniel Murphy signed for last offseason.

Again, to be fair, I thought the Tribe had lost their damn minds when they signed Napoli for 7 mill too. That signing truly has been gold. But when shopping at the bargain bin we usually end up with Jason Giambi instead of lightning in a bottle.

I am going to tonight's game. I will try to bring home a win. Hope the weather doesn't mess with the fireworks or game.

Gaylord did her job.

A small thing, but I'm liking the lefty hitting tendencies of Guyer! As advertised.

Another sign of the different team

8 steals tonight. Jose Ramirez, Lindor, Rajai etc.

Good job, GAYLORD! The fireworks look great on TV.

Hey, I thought this team needed more offense? How are we scoring all these runs???

Jose is clicking on all cylinders right now. He's spraying the ball all over the park and he's even developed a power stroke. He's stealing bases and showing off his base running skills. He's playing well at third base. At the moment, Jose is playing with a ton confidence. He has been one of MLB's hottest hitters in August (.459) batting average with almost as many doubles (4) as strikeouts (5). He is also currently riding a 16-game hitting streak and has seen his average rise to .313.
The way things are looking at present, I believe we have our third baseman. At present, it's Jose's job to lose.

CLEVELAND --

It is often said that a team runs away with a win. On Friday night, the Indians did so in a literal sense, equaling a franchise record with eight stolen bases to help claim a 13-3 victory over the Angels at Progressive Field. Rajai Davis and Jose Ramirez led the charge with three steals apiece.

"I thought our baserunning tonight set the tone," Indians manager Terry Francona said. "We had hits to get on, and it was early in the innings, but our baserunning, they did a good job. We stole bases. We didn't just run with abandon. We were intelligent. I thought it set the tone for the whole game."

The Indians last stole eight bases in a game on Aug. 27, 1917, against the Washington Senators. The Rangers were the last Major League team to steal at least eight in a game, doing so on April 20, 2010, against the Red Sox.

Cleveland capitalized on the combination of Angels lefty Tyler Skaggs and catcher Geovany Soto, running away with seven of its eight thefts. The steals helped the American League Central-leading Tribe churn out seven runs on 10 hits in Skaggs' five innings for Los Angeles. Jason Kipnis (four hits, two RBIs) and Francisco Lindor (three hits) each added a steal for the Tribe.

Indians outfielder Brandon Guyer (three hits, five RBIs) and Ramirez (16-game hitting streak) each belted a home run to back a solid effort by Carlos Carrasco. The righty was shaky at first, but he settled in and allowed three runs in seven innings, striking out eight and walking none. Among the damage against Carrasco was a solo shot by Kole Calhoun in a two-run first.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Rajai runs wild:

Davis set the tone in the first inning, when he drew a leadoff walk on 11 pitches, and then proceeded to steal second and third base. The fleet-footed outfielder then trotted home on a single to left by Kipnis. Cleveland continued to run -- and manufacture runs -- throughout the night, upping its AL-leading total to 92 stolen bases this year. Davis leads the AL with 31 steals.

"I think it was a little bit of just instincts with a bit of preparation," Davis said. "It's something you look for, and then just kind of go off that. You just trust your instincts, and you just go. It seemed like it kind of affected him on the mound."

Soto struggles behind dish:

Entering Friday, Soto had thrown out 29 percent (6-of-21) of baserunners this season. As a team, the Halos had denied 37 percent (35-of-94) on the year. Soto allowed three stolen bases in the first frame alone, two of which came by Davis. In the fifth, Davis stole second for his third steal of the game and came around to score the go-ahead run. The eight stolen bases allowed by Los Angeles marked a franchise record.

"I take pride in what I do," Soto said. "I need to make better throws and throw people out. They are runners. I take pride in my defense. I should have at least thrown a couple of them out."

What a Guy-er:

The Indians acquired Guyer from the Rays at the non-waiver Trade Deadline largely due to his success against lefties. Heading into Friday, the outfielder was batting .352 with a 1.092 OPS off southpaws. Guyer led off the second with a home run and later added a two-run single against the left-handed Skaggs. He drove in two more with a single in the eighth. The new addition has hit .500 (7-for-14) since joining the Tribe.

"[We've] been playing against him for a little bit," Kipnis said. "He's a really good guy to have in our clubhouse and our dugout. He's [who] you want to come in versus lefties, and you saw just how easily he can impact a game today."

First-inning jack:

For the second straight night, the Angels started out in front, but they did not finish there. In the top of the first, Calhoun went yard on a solo shot to right center on a 1-0 offering from Carrasco. Per Statcast™, the ball traveled an estimated 394 feet with an exit velocity of 105 mph. The Halos have now scored just 39 runs this month, with 24 coming via home run.

"This loss is on me today," Skaggs said. "We put runs up early, and I couldn't capitalize."

QUOTABLE

"It's frustrating. Nobody wants to come suited up and lose. But we are not cutting any corners. We are coming here today and working our [tails] off. We are trying to win ball games. It's frustrating." -- Skaggs, on the Angels' current eight-game slump.

"[Skaggs] just wasn't pitching very quickly, and he had a movement that was easy to read for us to know when to go. So we just took advantage of those opportunities." -- Ramirez, via a team translator.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Davis and Ramirez became the first Indians teammates to steal at least three bases apiece in the same game. That feat has only been accomplished 23 times in the Majors since 1913. Kansas City teammates Norichika Aoki and Jarrod Dyson did it on Aug. 10, 2014.
Davis is the first Indians player 35 years or older to steal 30 bases in a season. He is the first such Major Leaguer to achieve the feat since Ichiro Suzuki in 2011.

The Angels have now lost eight games in a row, including seven on this current nine-game road trip. The last time they lost this many consecutive games was in August and September 1999, when they dropped nine straight. Terry Collins resigned as the manager following that skid.

WHAT'S NEXT

Angels:

Right-hander Matt Shoemaker (6-12, 4.07 ERA) will take the mound for the Angels at 7:10 p.m. ET. Despite a 4-7 record in his past 15 starts, Shoemaker has posted a 2.80 ERA with 101 strikeouts across 103 innings over that span. Shoemaker is 1-0 with a 0.82 ERA and 31 punchouts over 22 innings in three career starts against the Tribe.

Indians:

The Angels traded righty Mike Clevinger (0-1, 6.97 ERA) to the Indians in exchange for reliever Vinnie Pestano in August 2014. On Friday, Clevinger will take the mound for Cleveland with a chance to show Los Angeles what it dealt away. The prospect has been a spot starter for the Tribe this year, filling in for the injured Danny Salazar in his most recent MLB stint.

TFIR: After scoring only 24 runs the last two days I hope it's becoming clear to you this front office has no idea how to build an offense!