| Highest WPA | Lowest WPA | ||
| CC Sabathia | .304 | David Dellucci | -.220 |
| Rafael Betancourt | .110 | Ben Francisco | -.216 |
| Ryan Garko | .053 | Victor Martinez | -.186 |
Sometimes you have to laugh when getting angry just won't do. Sometimes you just have to throw up your hands and walk away, though I wouldn't do it in front of Bill Hohn.
CC Sabathia pitched seven strong innings, his only blemish a high fastball to Ian Kinsler. Didn't matter, for the offense couldn't do anything worth a damn. I guess you could praise Doug Mathis' tenacity if it makes it feel you better, but those anecdotes of great pitching performances against the Indians are kinda piling up.
The bottom of the eighth was a microcosm of today's ineffectual offense. Michael Aubrey, who hasn't with the team long enough to catch whatever has infected the rest of the hitters, walked on four pitches. Jhonny Peralta was then asked to bunt. Whether you agree with the move or not is immaterial: Peralta should have been able to put the ball down in fair territory. After he took a strike, after he bunted a pitch foul, and after he struck out chasing a ball out of the strike zone, David Dellucci grounded into a double play, one of the things a correctly executed bunt would have taken away.
Then came the surreal tenth inning, when Ben Francisco let a rather routine single to right through his legs, and advancing both runners an additional two bases. The gaffe came at the absolute worst situation: Masa Kobayashi had just walked a batter, and the Rangers would have needed another two-out base hit to score the go-ahead run.
So, what is to be done with this team? The obvious answer is to trade everyone...well, at least within the Let's Go Tribe universe. Stay tuned.