Game 148: Indians 7, Twins 6

Finally, a team more in line with how the Indians are playing.

Ubaldo Jimenez threw 6.1 innings and gave up 1 earned run, but like many of his other outings, it seemed difficult. He allowed eight base runners to a lineup that's hit .216/.288/.325 over the last month. I guess I'm saying the results were there, but that it didn't look as easy as it should have been; this was a bad team's September lineup, and he struggled to get through six innings.

The Indians beat up Kevin Slowey for five runs in four innings. A lot of balls were hit hard, including a number on outside breaking pitches. Lonnie Chisenhall waited back on one of them and blasted it up the middle in the fourth inning to plate two runs, increasing the Indians lead to 4-0. Chisenhall would come through two innings later to drive in another one. I don't think Chisenhall is a finished product just yet, but you can certainly see portents of his potential.

Jim Thome hit his 603rd home run of his career in the ninth inning, a no-doubt shot over the wall in right-center. It was his second homer in his second stint with the Indians, and his 58th career home run against the Twins.

The Twins scored two unearned runs in the fifth when Grady Sizemore ran down a line drive only to have the ball inexplicably careen off the webbing of his glove. It's been another difficult season for Sizemore, and it has to be weighing on him. It's been three seasons since he placed 10th in MVP voting, and that seems a lifetime ago. He's still good enough to play center field (he made a fine diving catch earlier in the game), but not the same type of fielder he was before all the injuries.

Two runs scored on the three base error, and allowed the Twins to get back in the game. They'd score two more runs in the seventh, and two more off Chris Perez in the ninth. But Perez struck out Rene Tosoni (.173/.243/.266, 152 PA, 38 SO) to end the game.

via www.fangraphs.com