Recap
Box Score
Win Probability Graph @ Fangraphs
Highest WPA:
Travis Hafner .356
Jeremy Sowers .277
Grady Sizemore .273
Lowest WPA:
Roberto Hernandez -.212
Ryan Garko -.133
Kelly Shoppach -.132
In this case, WPA did an excellent job in assigning today's heroes. Jeremy Sowers pitched seven strong innings. Jeremy still isn't getting strikeouts, but in this start he didn't allow any walks, and seemed to have the hitters more off balance than in his season debut.
Grady Sizemore is now hitting .364/.500/.909. He hit his fourth home run of the season today, and has 6 walks to 3 strikeouts. It's way too early to start making grand proclamations, but from a purely observational point of view, his approach at the plate thus far is better than it was last year. That's scary, in a good way.
Travis Hafner won the game by hitting a majestic home run off Scot Shields, one of the game's best setup men. Shields left a fastball up in the zone, and Pronk got on top of it. If you didn't watch the game on TV, check it out on the Indians' website - it's jaw-dropping.
Defensive miscues were the reason why the Indians were down in the eighth inning. Casey Blake, making his first appearance of the season at third, made a throwing error on a ball he had to run in on.
[Aside: Blake was playing at the hot corner because Ryan Garko pinch-hit for Andy Marte the inning before, a move that was a no-brainer at the time. Because the score remained tied, Garko went out in the field the following inning in case his offensive services were needed later, and also because he's currently the backup catcher.]
Later in the eighth, the Indians committed another error on a botched double play. Roberto Hernandez couldn't corral a high Jhonny Peralta toss to first. Hernandez didn't get the bag quick enough, which caused Peralta to alter his throwing motion.
The Indians took their second series in as many tries, and for the most part played pretty good baseball after going through some tough circumstances. The atmosphere in Milwaukee was fantastic, but it's going to be nice to finally have the Indians play an official and geographically correct home game.
Next Up: Back home to Cleveland to face the White Sox. Vazquez vs. Carmona, 7:05 PM.