Indians-Giants: Welcome Home Omar Vizquel

Thanks for coming back Omar. Thanks a lot. It was great seeing you. Well, kind of.

The Indians lost 3-2 Tuesday, and it was at the hands of ex-Indian Omar Vizquel. After a completely boneheaded play by the Tribe gave the Giants a 2-1 lead, Omar laid down a perfect squeeze bunt, giving San Fran a 3-1 cushion. That extra run was one they would end up needing.

Aaron Laffey was a victim yet again, pitching great and not getting the win, due to no run support. While Johnathan Sanchez of the Giants had a lot to do with that, the Indians just cannot seem to hit.

The entire contest was a microcosm of the success and failure of the Indians this season. The starting pitching was great. The offense was non-existent. The relief pitching was shaky. Game summary=2008 season summary in a nutshell.

Grady Sizemore led off the game with a single. He then gave the NL a taste of its own medicine. After stealing second, he moved to third on a wild pitch. After a Jhonny Peralta walk, Ryan Garko singled Sizemore home. 1-0 Tribe, NL style.  Peralta made it to third, but the Indians couldn’t plate him thanks to their usual lack of offensive production.

In the second, San Fran would answer back. Bengie Molina singled and Aaron Rowand was hit by a pitch, moving Molina over. Rich Aurilla grounded into a double play, but Jose Casillo came through with a big, two-out single, scoring Molina. Brian Horwitz walked, but Vizquel grounded out to end the inning. 

That was when Laffey and Sanchez took over the game, making it a pitcher's duel. Laffey went six-and-two-thirds, giving up four hits and one run. Sanchez lasted seven-and-two-thirds, giving up five hits and one run as well.

Laffey was pulled in the bottom of the sixth after getting in a spot of trouble.  Betancourt came on and got the third out, bailing Laffey from a bases-loaded jam.

He’d paint himself into a corner in the eighth. After walking Ray Durham with one out, Randy Winn singled, sending Durham to third. Betancourt struck out Molina, giving himself a way out of the inning unscathed.

Then "it" happened.

Winn stole second, and for some reason, Shoppach tried to throw him out. He got the throwing error, and Durham scored, breaking the 1-1 tie. Why, with two outs, the Indians didn’t just concede second is inexplicable. One pitch later, Rowand popped out, ending the inning. You can’t blame this one on Betancourt.

Masa Kobayashi came on in the top of the ninth and could not find the strike zone, unusual for Kobayashi. He ended up with runners on second and third and one out, when Vizquel delivered a beautiful squeeze-play bunt, scoring Aurilla.  This run proved to be the difference in the game.

The Indians threatened to tie things up in the bottom of the ninth. Fransico and Peralta had consecutive singles. After a Garko strikeout, Dellucci came on as a pinch hitter and hit a grounder that got Peralta out at second, although it did score Francisco. With two out, Shin-Soo Choo walked, but Shoppach struck out to end the game.

Wednesday is the second of the three meetings between these two teams.  Game time is 7:05 PM. Barry Zito versus Jeremy Sowers. Zito is 2-11 on the year, with a 6.32 ERA. Sowers is 0-2 with a 6.57 ERA. 

Seeing the ERA’s, you’d expect this one to be a high scoring affair, but after seeing the Indians' offense, probably not.