Just another night at the ballpark
It was a normal night on Friday at Progressive Field – at least for the Indians.
The Tribe won its sixth consecutive home game in their last at-bat, beating the Reds, 5-4.
There seems to be no obstacle the team can’t overcome right now, especially at home.
The opposing pitcher is throwing a no-hitter into the sixth inning and you are losing 4-0? No problem.
A couple of hits, a hit batter, a few walks, a sacrifice fly and the score is tied.
“These guys are not going to give up,” manager Manny Acta said in published reports. “We’ve done that a few times now. They do feel they are never out of it and that’s a good feeling to have.”
Runner on third with two outs in the bottom of the eighth? No problem.
Just send rookie Ezequiel Carrera to the plate and have him bunt for his first major-league hit, driving in Shin-Soo Choo with what would turn out to be the winning run.
“It was a perfect spot for Carrera,” Acta said. “We needed a hit. We didn’t need an extra-base hit. Even if he hits a ground ball, he might beat it out.”
Need the bullpen to shut down the opposition so you can get back into the game? No problem.
Joe Smith, Tony Sipp, Vinnie Pestano and Chris Perez combined for four innings of shutout ball.
Just another night of the Tribe being the Tribe.
The Indians have baseball’s best record at 27-15, and lead the Central Division by six games over Detroit and Kansas City.
Acta has the players believing anything is possible. With more than 30,000 in attendance Friday night and a sellout in place for today’s game, the fans are starting to believe as well.
After Friday night’s win, is there any reason to doubt?
Red Right 88 