MLB Final Score: Baltimore Orioles 6, Cleveland Indians 3

June 25, 2013

Orioles 6, Indians 3

So the game started well and got better and better until it got really awful no-good horrendously bad in the span of time it usually takes for Alexi Casilla chop off home plate to come down.

The Indians had opportunity after opportunity off Baltimore starter Chris Tillman, but either hit the ball right at a Baltimore fielder or couldn't get the bat on ball at all. Still, the team led 3-1 thanks to Jason Kipnis' opposite-field two-run blast in the fifth, and Justin Masterson was pitching so well that a two-run lead even in that ballpark and against that lineup would be safe.

But then.....

everything.....

just.....

fell.....

apart.....

On his first pitch of the seventh inning, Masterson lost his grip on a breaking a ball and hit Adam Jones. Chris Davis obliterated the second pitch of the seventh inning. In two pitches, an outstanding game turned into mush. But it gets better. After walking Matt Wieters and allowing a swinging-bunt single to Chris Dickerson, Masterson uncorked a wild pitch, then things just got weird: Alexi Casilla went deep.

Alexi Casilla had hit 11 home runs in 1844 career Plate Appearances. From 2009 through 2013, a span of 1197 Plate Apperances, he's hit 4 home runs. That's a home run every 300 Plate Appearances.

Alexi Casilla took Justin Masterson deep after the wild pitch. If you don't believe me, go check the replay. And here's the kicker: the last home run Casilla hit was against Justin Masterson last August as a member of the Minnesota Twins. Baseball has some weird stats, but Casilla hitting 2 of his 12 career home runs off Justin Masterson, who owns a career 0.7 HR/9 ratio tops the weird meter.

(Another weird Alexi Casilla stat: until tonight, each of his 11 home runs had come against a a different opponent. This coming from a career AL player.)

That was it. The Indians put together some rallies, but those fell apart thanks to either at-em balls or tailor-made double plays. As mentioned on Twitter, this loss belongs in the special WTF category: I'm not going to explain how it happened, just that it did happen, that this is the baseball at its ugliest, and that there is another baseball game tomorrow.

Source: FanGraphs

Roll Call (27 Commenters)

Game Thread (261 Comments)