Game 62: Texas vs. Cleveland

Well, C.C. Sabathia is not going to be the Cy Young winner this year. I wonder if he will even grab one vote... I doubt it.
Ponson and Sabathia... it is like a classic battle between gladiators. But it's not. It's just like one though... if you consider a washed up pitcher who is suddenly performing and a former Cy Young winner who isn't. If you consider that to be gladiators, well then this is right up your alley.

Anyway, I digress into weirdness. And my wife will tell you that I do that ALL THE TIME. And to believe I tone it down when I am online. I really do want a better, less painful looking picture of Ponson. My goodness, it really looks like he is in pain in that pic. Either that, or he is getting sick. Seriously, I am going to post some stats. Let's get to it.

Ponson has been looking like a stud of late. He's 4-1 with a 3.83 ERA (4.40 ERA at home). Four of his eight starts have gone longer than 6 innings, including a complete game victory in Minnesota. His ERA has gone up over his last two starts, from 2.95 up to 3.83. The Rangers are 5-3 when he takes the hill... and 3-1 in his last four starts.

Success has eluded him against Cleveland. I really think that is an understatement, but let's just look at it as "he's due". In 11 starts and 12 games, Ponson is 0-7 against the Tribe. His BAA is .342 and his ERA is an atrocious 9.47. And yes, I call that painful. Maybe the picture is fitting for today. I am afraid to see the batter vs. pitcher stats...

Indians to watch:

• David Dellucci: 2-8 (250 BA); 1 HR and 1 RBI
• Travis Hafner: 3-5 (600 BA); 1 double, 1 HR, 5 RBIs

I can't say that I understand it in the slightest, but the current roster is 7-23 (304 BA) with 1 double, 2 HRs, and 8 RBIs. With as many innings Ponson has put in against Cleveland, I would think that it would be a whole lot more...

The Indians have lost the last three games Sabathia has started, including the 7 inning stint against the Rangers on May 25th. Why has he lost? Run support. He pitched 7 innings in two of those games and 8 innings in the other. And the Indians have scored 4 runs for him. And that isn't per game, that is a total for his last three starts. In fact, when Sabathia takes the hill, the Tribe takes a vacation. The team is 4-8 when he starts. In the four games he started an Indians win, they scored 33 runs (8.25 runs per game in support). In the eight losses, they scored 16 runs (2 runs a game in support). What's a guy to do?

Still, Sabathia has twelve career starts on the Rangers and is 7-2 with a 4.38 ERA. The Rangers have hit a .273 batting average on Sabathia.

Rangers to Watch:

• Michael Young: 9-31 (290 BA); 3 doubles and 4 RBIs
• Chris Shelton: 6-19 (316 BA); 1 HR and 2 RBIs
• Ian Kinsler: 2-6 (333 BA); 2 HRs and 4 RBIs

The Rangers have a good shot at this. The current roster is 31-108 (287 BA) with 4 HRs and 15 RBIs. I like those numbers.

Millwood did not have any walks in his previous starts. He acted like he owned the game... and in a way, he did. Cleveland hits a .230 off Millwood and in his career, Milly is 2-1 in three starts. It is almost like this would be a candidate game for a "no-no". Millwood already owns one no-hitter in his career... just saying.

Indians to Watch:

• Jamey Carroll: 5-11 (455 BA); 1 double
• Victor Martinez: 4-8 (500 BA); 1 double

As a team, the Indians are 18-67 (269 BA) and sport 6 doubles, 1 HR, and 7 RBI off of Millwood. I really like the Rangers chances on this one. Yeppers. I just copied this from yesterday's post, since Millwood was supposed to start yesterday... and then didn't.

I guess I might as well start adding the dot race on here. This is the BLACK dot. It will not even show tonight. Mostly because they don't have a black dot in the dot race. But if they did... I would say that would be the one.

Forecast: The Rangers win for two reasons, good offense and poor offense. The Rangers have the good one and the Tribe has the poor one. Score: 4-1, Rangers.

A Change in the Weather: I think the score is still going to be in that neighborhood of 4-1... but my newest concern is that Cleveland's bats are gaining some confidence. What better way to shut them up with Millwood on the hill. Score: 5-3, Rangers.

Home Plate