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Top 1: Apparently Cletus Thomas is going to be playing every single day now, and is batting third with Carlos Guillen on the DL. Ordonez is now DHing regularly I believe. Granderson leads off today, and batted 5th a few days ago. Jim Leyland is all over the place with this Tigers team. They just arent very good, I think. Granderson flies out to start, and Polanco does the same one pitch later. Lee is dealing strikes right now, as he did last year, getting batters to get themselves out, since he isnt a dominant strikeout guy. Thomas grounds one up the middle, weakly hit but enough to notch himself at first base. The best hitter in the AL steps up to bat now, Cabrera. After about 5 or 6 pitches on the corners, he pops out.
Bottom 1: Sizemore leads off the game for Cleveland now. Verlander has been on fire for a few starts now, but I will believe it is legit when he does it all year long, and on the road. He is a big phony. Sizemore k's on a letter high outside fastball. Nice pitch. Cabrera cracks a single to left field, slightly into the gap (but not really), he is thrown out by about 30 feet stretching. Bad move. Really bad move. Martinez works the count full, and cracks the hell out of the ball, but Polanco snow cones it, robbing him of a single.
Top 2: Ordonez singles down the 1st base line to lead off. Luckily, Inge is up next. The guy swings at anything. 3 pitches later, he is out on strikes. Par for the course, says I. Raburn ends the inning on one more pitch, 6-4-3 DP.
Bottom 2: Choo pops out to very short left field. The Indians would do well to work counts and get this guy out of here, and into that shoddy pen of Detroit. DeRosa strikes out on 3 pitches, and swings at a heater above his belt. Dellucci can't check his swing and thats 3 k's for Verlander, and less than 30 pitches. Not where the Indians need to be today.
Top 3: Everett leads off. Lee is also under 30 pitches, and he is throwing nothing but strikes so far. Full count fastball is driven on the ground to right, single for Everett. 1-2 breaking ball in the dirt, swing on and missed by Sardina, who made Lee work for that K. Granderson pops out to right. Polanco is up, trying to make somethng happen after the leadoff single. He drives one deep and almost gone, off the very top of the wall in left! Cletus Thomas pops out to left on the first pitch, threat ended.
Bottom 3: Francisco strikes out looking on a knee buckling curve. Valbuena walks on 4 pitches. Shoppach can't hold up on a breaking ball, K. Sizemore flies out to medium right. No score after 3.
Top 4: Cabrera grounds out to third to begin the inning. Ordonez walks on 5 pitches. Inge hits one to left field for a single. Raburn flies out to deep right, and with 2 down, Ordonez moves to third. Everett is up now, first pitch ground out to short, another threat over. Eventually, one would think the Tigers would break thru here...
Bottom 4: Cabrera comes up, Verlander is at only 45 pitches to start the 4th. Cabrera grounds out to first, another weak out for Cleveland. Another K for Verlander, his 6th, as Martinez goes down swinging. Choo hits one on the ground to short for the final out. Verlanders pitch count remains low.
Top 5: Sardina pops out on pitch number 60 for Lee. This game is flying by, in a bad way. Slow and not at all riveting like some 0-0 games. This one is devoid of any kind of scoring threats. Hell, both of the Tigers threats were with 2 down. Granderson goes down swinging on a down and away changeup. Lee is pretty much cruising, though not like Verlander. Polanco pops out to shallow center. Very fast inning.
Bottom 5: DeRosa leads off, Cleveland has yet to get a leadoff runner. Line drive out though, right at Cabrera at first. Nice swing though. Dellucci grounds out to second. This game may end up 1-0 or so. It all depends upon just how bad Cleveland's god awful bullpen is. Francisco hits a sinking bloop down the line, or near it, but he is robbed on a diving catch by LF Rayburn. Inning over.
Top 6: Cletus Thomas grounds out to second. Cabrera thru the left side hole for a 1 out single. Ordonez takes strike 3 called and Cabrera is thrown out on the hit and run.
Bottom 6: In the last 3 games, Lee has 1 run of offensive support. That is shameful for this offense, the best in the AL Central, I think. Valbuena is up now, looking to get on for the 2nd time tonite. He strikes out on a very very high fastball. Shoppach also K's, looking at a called strike three on the outside corner. Verlander is absolutely rolling. Sizemore up with 2 down now. He drives one to the wall but Granderson runs it down and saves a triple. Fairly routine play, but very well hit.
Top 7: Inge leads off the inning. 6 hits so far for Detroit, but only 1 for Cleveland. He flies out to centerfield. Other than Polanco, nobody on Detroit has hit the ball well at all, thus far. Rayburn with a very weak grounder to short. 2 down. Everett bloops a fly to center, 7 shutout for Lee.
Bottom 7: Cabrera swings and misses on another waist high outside fastball. That is 9 K's now for Verlander. Martinez hits one off the wall for a double, first time all day Cleveland has any threat whatsoever. Choo has a chance to get a run home here. Choo lines one to the hole at short but Everett robs him, and catches Martinez off the bag for a double play. 0-0 after 7. Good god.
Top 8: Sardina leads off the inning, Lee needs to get him out because the top of the order is up next. Strikes out looking on a fastball on the outside corner. Looks like the Cliff Lee of 2008 so far tonite. Granderson walks and I imagine he will be running soon. Granderson takes off and Shoppach makes a high throw, the call is safe at 2nd. He had Granderson by a mile if he made a good throw, but it was awful. Polanco now has a big chance here. Big trouble for Lee. Polanco grounds out to short, but Thomas is up and already has a single off Lee earlier. Slow grounder to second. Valbuena has it stick in his glove and the run scores on an error. The scorer gave him a single, but rest assured, it was a completely routine ground ball. It was an error. That will probably win the game with the way Verlander is pitching. Shameful way to lose, if they do.
Bottom 8: DeRosa leads off the bottom 8th with a strikeout. That is 10 now for Verlander. Dellucci grounds out to second, 2 down. Francisco pops up to 2nd, inning over. Shameful performance by the Tribe, at home, with a GREAT start by Lee, no less. This team is a joke.
Top 9: Rafael Betancourt is in for Lee now. Betancourt sucks. Ordonez flies out to center, 1 down. Inge up, and on an 0-2 breaking ball, swings and misses. Cliff Lee is steaming in the dugout, like someone took a dump on his porch. He is mad, rightfully so I would say. Rayburn pops out to shallow center. Inning over.
Bottom 9: Now or never for the Tribe. Verlander stays in to finish the shutout. No reason he won't. Valbuena leads off the inning. He is trying to make amends for his misplay, even though ruled a hit, it was not. Full count to Valbuena, HUGE pitch upcoming. He reaches base on the walk. Two walks today for Valbuena, 2 walks for Verlander. Strange but true fact of the day. Shoppach lays down a bunt, a bad one, and Valbuena is out at 2nd. Free out for Verlander. Bad bunt by Cleveland. Eric Wedge has done a shoddy job managing this year, I think. Josh Barfield pinch runs for Shoppach, and Sizemore is up now. Barfield may be running. 2-2 count to Sizemore here. It's a shame the Indians could not move the runner over with no outs. Sizemore hit one over the wall but Granderson pulls it back over the wall. WOW! What a play. Cabrera up now, last chance. Thats a top 5 play I have ever seen, I might add. Cabrera strikes out to end the game.
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