Recap
Box Score
Win Probability Added @ Fangraphs
Highest WPA:
Fausto Carmona .609
Victor Martinez .139
Ryan Garko .046
Lowest WPA:
Grady Sizemore -.074
Josh Barfield -.069
Trot Nixon -.058
Terms like filthy and nasty tend to get overused today. Those appellations should be describing stuff that's several degrees better than the average MLB pitcher's stuff, which is really good by itself compared to all professional pitchers.
That being said, Fausto's sinker today was virtually unhittable, fully deserving of any adjective you can come up with. Carmona essentially threw one pitch the entire game, and Twins hitters couldn't do much with it even though they knew what was coming. His pitches moved extremely late in their trajectory, inducing weak contact all game long. Torii Hunter, who's faced Carmona twice this season, had this to say about his stuff:
<snip>
"That dude is filthy," Hunter said. "We've been struggling, but even if we had been playing good, we wouldn't have beaten him. If you've never played the game, listen to me, I'm a hitter. Right-handers have no chance unless they get lucky and get a hit on a broken bat."
And lest we forget, the Indians were facing baseball's best pitcher at the top of his game. Johan Santana mowed the Indians' offense down with similar efficiency, until the 7th. Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko hit back-to-back home runs to start the inning off, clearing the way for Carmona to finish what he started.
Fausto Carmona has come a long way since his misadventures as a closer, and it's to his credit that he put 2006 behind him so quickly. He's not going back to the bullpen, and he's not going back to Buffalo. He'll probably have to mix in another pitch or two to have success over the long haul, but that shouldn't be a big deal when he can work them off of such a dominant pitch.
Next Up: The excitement known as Interleague Play. Lee vs. Lohse, 7:05 PM