No, it wasn't yet another Paul DeJong homer text you sent me this morning at 8:26 central daylight, it was news of today's HotCut: KluberCut.
There are no day games today, baseball fans. It'll be another six hours and twelve minutes until tonight's first pitch. So long then, for just a little while.
Tapia, 7. Trevor Story, on my brother's 36th birthday. Story fouls one down the first base side and it's 2-and-2. Breaker in the dirt, away at 85. Story watches it. Harder breaker away, fouled. Something offspeed high at 85, it just kind of backed up but Story got under it, 7. Fastball to Blackmon at 93, high. A breaker at 88, center-cut, 1-3. It looks to me like Kluber has a breaking ball spectrum, say 85-89, where at the lower speeds it's got more of a curve to it and he tends to throw it lower in the zone. At the higher speed it bends less, call it a cutter, and it catches more of the zone.
On a 2-and-2 to Austin Jackson, Márquez pours in 98. Foul ball. Then he breaks off a respectable bender at 85, low and away, foul. Heat at 97, a little in, K. Márquez looks like a two-pitch pitcher to me but they look both to be plus offerings. Gomes, 5-3. Inning over.
Don Baylor's jersey hangs in the Rockies dugout.
Kluber gets Arenado to offer at a ball a little up, which Arenado pops up, playable behind the plate. FO 2. Parra puts a fine swing on one, but 8.
Lindor doubles with one out in the bottom of the fourth.
But it led to nada porque estamos la baja de cinco y COL 1 - CLE 0. Zimmer, LO 4. Santana is on first via single. Austin Jackson sends 95 down the right field line. CarGo tracks it and contains it. CarGo: when's the last time I mentioned him here? Through five innings the 'Cut is a certifiable pitchers' duel, one of a few around the league tonight. There's also Marlins - Nats tied at one, top five. And Red Sox 1 - Rays 0, bottom five in Tampa.
Change one letter in "Tampa" and move that new letter to the right one spot. The result is who just stole his fifth base of the year in 128 spotty plate appearances. It's the elbow-knocker himself, Raimel Tapia. He singled to reach base. Blackmon now, and I realiZe it was Blackmon who done the scoring, padding his RBI and runs numbers on the same play with his 26th home run of the year, which led off the game. Blackmon goes after a ball a little out and a little up, K.
Up and away at 90 to "The" DJ, 2-and-1. Hard breaker away at 91, a cutter for sure, hadn't seen one at that speed yet from Kluber. A fastball at 93 catches just a little, or maybe none of the outside corner but Kluber gets the call. DJ has a heck of a good batting eye. His batting average from last year and again this year reflects a skill, not luck. LeMahieu, 6-3.
Kipnis got out somehow, a groundout I think. I have gotten so embroiled in deconstructing Kluber I lost focus on the play-by-play. Lindor again. Márquez is at 84 pitches in the bottom of the sixth.
There's a shot of an older guy on a flip phone who initially looked kind of unhappy he was put on camera. Abraham Almonte now. I'm not a fan. He's is Jaso territory for me, hitting .238. A big, sloppy 12-6 breaker, high. 93 down, a pitch that had no chance of being called a strike. 94 over and in, fouled away. Almonte, who is in the game because Michael Brantley left with an apparent leg injury, rips one down the first-base line that Mark Reynolds snares! Reynolds races back to the bag and dives with the gloved ball but Lindor gets back just in the nick of time.
The feed froZe, I exited out. As I return, there's a sunset shot of a sailboat on what I guess Lake Erie. Beautiful. It was an incredibly pleasant August 8 in St Louis today, mid eighties, low humidity, a breeze. I could not ask for better weather in early August. Back to the game. Kluber is 2-and-2 to Arenado. 91 away with that cutter twist, Arenado chases. That pitch is like a slider thrown hard away but it catches a lot of the zone, initially. A hanger at 85 to Parra, it catches a lot of the plate, but 8. Reynolds up. The cutter, out at 90. 93 low and over, 1-and-1. 90 bending away, Reynolds just observes. Up and in at 93, a message sent? I have not seen Kluber throw any pitch like that yet. 90 bending out and low, Reynolds tries to check but he's ruled to've offered. 86 away, which somehow looks a lot like 90 away, Reynolds can't help himself. Reynolds K.
Márquez had gone full to Edwin. 97 down and in, BB. Uh oh, here comes the other BB, Bud Black. That's gonna be all for Márquez. He can be the winner, he cannot be the loser.
It looked like CarGo just got into one but it went 4, fly-out. Kluber is at 99 pitches and will face Tapia now. Tapia looks at a strike on the outer half; looks at a ball up and out; fouls one back, 1-and-2. Elbow knock. He slaps at 94 over and a little in, foul ball. While he's waiting for the pitch Tapia also does a little bit of a Thome, holding the bat out like he's pointing to center field with it. Now a foul pop into the camera well down the third base side. José Ramírez, casual as candy, reaches in and gets his glove on it, that's out number three. Food, water, internet....
I just found my green Pilot G-2 05 in the seat cushion crack. I was wondering where it had gone. Austin Jackson to face Pat Neshek. Jackson is in the hole. 82, way away. I watch Neshek throw and it's surprising every pitch doesn't end up being a ball outside. Jackson cranks one but the park is playing big tonight, 8. A Gomes shot back up the box de-gloves Neshek. Here's Bud Black; Neshek is lifted. Black wants a lefty. This game has downshifted. Anjelica Huston, disguised as a fee, again. I shifted in my seat, pressured the remote, and now I'm looking at the General Console.
Twins 2-1 Milwaukee, top 4; Jays 4-1 Yanks; Boston 1-0 Tampa, that's Sale. I peeked at the box score: Sale is at 102 pitches through seven innings, one hit, one walk, 11 strikeouts.
Holland is on. José Ramírez. Up and out, called a strike. Ramírez fouls away down and in; he is in the hole. A foul. I am probably self-selecting but it sure seems like a lot of hitters get into the 0-and-2 account, i.e. find themselves "in the hole". A ball high. Ramírez, PO 6. Here's Edwin. Can a Trog help a Trog? Ball one high. A check foul. A near miss on a huge swing, 1-and-2 on Edwin. Foul back. Inside and full. Foul back. Foul back. Inside and Edwin is on. Francona opts to run Guyer for EE. This is Carlos Santana. A 77 mph 12-6 curve that wasn't a strike for a strike. Similar pitch at 88, a ball. Santana strikes out. Zimmer is it for them. A ball, bending away. 85 away, a bad slider. 85 in the dirt, maybe Holland prefers to work to Austin Jackson. Four-pitch walk.
Jackson is in the hole. He catches just a slight piece of the third pitch, foul. A ball. A ball. Foul back on 95. A bender at 77 that Jackson pulls into the third-base camera well. Jackson, a flare, Guyer scores from second and this game is tied. I thought for sure that the third pitch was strike three but Jackson got just a sliver of it and this game is tied. Wow! The 'Cut abides.
It dawns on me that Kluber gets that win. No one else pitched for Cleveland, so who else could get it. The back door win, and Kluber is 10-3.
I'm a Trout Fishing in America.
Maybin, Trout, and Pujols to face Jeremy Hellickson.
Maybin is in the hole. Slider at 81, away, junky. Same pitch over, fouled back. Maybin, 8. Here's Trout. Trout, 8.
Preview
The HotCut hands Kluber the ball tonight at 18:10 in Cleveland where the Indians will face German Márquez and the Colorado Rockies. The Indians maintain a three-game lead on Kansas City in the AL Central while the 64-48 Rockies are the first Wild Card in the NL, six games clear of the first outside team looking in, the Milwaukee Brewers.There are no day games today, baseball fans. It'll be another six hours and twelve minutes until tonight's first pitch. So long then, for just a little while.
The Klubot Pitches Good
Most extra-base hits in the majors this year, top five: Arenado, Blackmon, Stanton, Duvall, and José Ramírez. José Ramírez, 8, on a flyout to Blackmon on the warning track in Cleveland. That's right, we're 'Cutting the rug on a Tuesday, Roku-style. The Klubot had a minor glitch and gave up a run to the Rockies in the first, not sure how. "Edwin, you suck." Encarnacion, K. German Márquez, of Venezuela, was involved in that Corey Dickerson deal between Colorado and Tampa Bay two offseasons ago. Santana, LO 5. That's three line-outs to Arenado in two innings. The horrible commercial with Marky Mark and Anjelica Huston is back. Márquez, though: I can remember some podcast pundits panning the Rockies return when they traded C-Dick but it looks adequate now. Márquez is 23 years old and capable.Tapia, 7. Trevor Story, on my brother's 36th birthday. Story fouls one down the first base side and it's 2-and-2. Breaker in the dirt, away at 85. Story watches it. Harder breaker away, fouled. Something offspeed high at 85, it just kind of backed up but Story got under it, 7. Fastball to Blackmon at 93, high. A breaker at 88, center-cut, 1-3. It looks to me like Kluber has a breaking ball spectrum, say 85-89, where at the lower speeds it's got more of a curve to it and he tends to throw it lower in the zone. At the higher speed it bends less, call it a cutter, and it catches more of the zone.
On a 2-and-2 to Austin Jackson, Márquez pours in 98. Foul ball. Then he breaks off a respectable bender at 85, low and away, foul. Heat at 97, a little in, K. Márquez looks like a two-pitch pitcher to me but they look both to be plus offerings. Gomes, 5-3. Inning over.
Don Baylor's jersey hangs in the Rockies dugout.
Kluber gets Arenado to offer at a ball a little up, which Arenado pops up, playable behind the plate. FO 2. Parra puts a fine swing on one, but 8.
Lindor doubles with one out in the bottom of the fourth.
But it led to nada porque estamos la baja de cinco y COL 1 - CLE 0. Zimmer, LO 4. Santana is on first via single. Austin Jackson sends 95 down the right field line. CarGo tracks it and contains it. CarGo: when's the last time I mentioned him here? Through five innings the 'Cut is a certifiable pitchers' duel, one of a few around the league tonight. There's also Marlins - Nats tied at one, top five. And Red Sox 1 - Rays 0, bottom five in Tampa.
Change one letter in "Tampa" and move that new letter to the right one spot. The result is who just stole his fifth base of the year in 128 spotty plate appearances. It's the elbow-knocker himself, Raimel Tapia. He singled to reach base. Blackmon now, and I realiZe it was Blackmon who done the scoring, padding his RBI and runs numbers on the same play with his 26th home run of the year, which led off the game. Blackmon goes after a ball a little out and a little up, K.
Up and away at 90 to "The" DJ, 2-and-1. Hard breaker away at 91, a cutter for sure, hadn't seen one at that speed yet from Kluber. A fastball at 93 catches just a little, or maybe none of the outside corner but Kluber gets the call. DJ has a heck of a good batting eye. His batting average from last year and again this year reflects a skill, not luck. LeMahieu, 6-3.
Kluber's Pitch Mix
I think I have Kluber figured out. He has just two pitches—a fastball and a breaking ball. He pitches all over the zone, anywhere, high and low, outside a lot, inside not as much. But the key to Kluber is in realizing that his two pitches are really just two antipodes at either end of a single spectrum. Anywhere from 85 to 94 mph he throws various degrees of the same pitch, and he covers every distinct mile per hour in that range. At 85 mph his offering is at its slowest and its most bendy. At 94 mph it is at its hardest and its most straight. The cutter at 90 is the neutral offering somewhere in between.Kipnis got out somehow, a groundout I think. I have gotten so embroiled in deconstructing Kluber I lost focus on the play-by-play. Lindor again. Márquez is at 84 pitches in the bottom of the sixth.
There's a shot of an older guy on a flip phone who initially looked kind of unhappy he was put on camera. Abraham Almonte now. I'm not a fan. He's is Jaso territory for me, hitting .238. A big, sloppy 12-6 breaker, high. 93 down, a pitch that had no chance of being called a strike. 94 over and in, fouled away. Almonte, who is in the game because Michael Brantley left with an apparent leg injury, rips one down the first-base line that Mark Reynolds snares! Reynolds races back to the bag and dives with the gloved ball but Lindor gets back just in the nick of time.
The feed froZe, I exited out. As I return, there's a sunset shot of a sailboat on what I guess Lake Erie. Beautiful. It was an incredibly pleasant August 8 in St Louis today, mid eighties, low humidity, a breeze. I could not ask for better weather in early August. Back to the game. Kluber is 2-and-2 to Arenado. 91 away with that cutter twist, Arenado chases. That pitch is like a slider thrown hard away but it catches a lot of the zone, initially. A hanger at 85 to Parra, it catches a lot of the plate, but 8. Reynolds up. The cutter, out at 90. 93 low and over, 1-and-1. 90 bending away, Reynolds just observes. Up and in at 93, a message sent? I have not seen Kluber throw any pitch like that yet. 90 bending out and low, Reynolds tries to check but he's ruled to've offered. 86 away, which somehow looks a lot like 90 away, Reynolds can't help himself. Reynolds K.
Márquez had gone full to Edwin. 97 down and in, BB. Uh oh, here comes the other BB, Bud Black. That's gonna be all for Márquez. He can be the winner, he cannot be the loser.
It looked like CarGo just got into one but it went 4, fly-out. Kluber is at 99 pitches and will face Tapia now. Tapia looks at a strike on the outer half; looks at a ball up and out; fouls one back, 1-and-2. Elbow knock. He slaps at 94 over and a little in, foul ball. While he's waiting for the pitch Tapia also does a little bit of a Thome, holding the bat out like he's pointing to center field with it. Now a foul pop into the camera well down the third base side. José Ramírez, casual as candy, reaches in and gets his glove on it, that's out number three. Food, water, internet....
I just found my green Pilot G-2 05 in the seat cushion crack. I was wondering where it had gone. Austin Jackson to face Pat Neshek. Jackson is in the hole. 82, way away. I watch Neshek throw and it's surprising every pitch doesn't end up being a ball outside. Jackson cranks one but the park is playing big tonight, 8. A Gomes shot back up the box de-gloves Neshek. Here's Bud Black; Neshek is lifted. Black wants a lefty. This game has downshifted. Anjelica Huston, disguised as a fee, again. I shifted in my seat, pressured the remote, and now I'm looking at the General Console.
Twins 2-1 Milwaukee, top 4; Jays 4-1 Yanks; Boston 1-0 Tampa, that's Sale. I peeked at the box score: Sale is at 102 pitches through seven innings, one hit, one walk, 11 strikeouts.
Kluber, Kloser
Kluber is back out there for the ninth. He is 1-and-1 to Story. Story whiffs at 85 falling away. That's 107 pitches for Kluber. A straight fastball is outside. A little harder and he gets the call, bad call, it was basically the same pitch. Here's Blackmon. He's out somehow. You just texted me about Stanton hitting his 38th homer. LeMahieu is in the hole. 87 bending away, strikeout. Kluber just went another nine innings.Holland is on. José Ramírez. Up and out, called a strike. Ramírez fouls away down and in; he is in the hole. A foul. I am probably self-selecting but it sure seems like a lot of hitters get into the 0-and-2 account, i.e. find themselves "in the hole". A ball high. Ramírez, PO 6. Here's Edwin. Can a Trog help a Trog? Ball one high. A check foul. A near miss on a huge swing, 1-and-2 on Edwin. Foul back. Inside and full. Foul back. Foul back. Inside and Edwin is on. Francona opts to run Guyer for EE. This is Carlos Santana. A 77 mph 12-6 curve that wasn't a strike for a strike. Similar pitch at 88, a ball. Santana strikes out. Zimmer is it for them. A ball, bending away. 85 away, a bad slider. 85 in the dirt, maybe Holland prefers to work to Austin Jackson. Four-pitch walk.
Jackson is in the hole. He catches just a slight piece of the third pitch, foul. A ball. A ball. Foul back on 95. A bender at 77 that Jackson pulls into the third-base camera well. Jackson, a flare, Guyer scores from second and this game is tied. I thought for sure that the third pitch was strike three but Jackson got just a sliver of it and this game is tied. Wow! The 'Cut abides.
Gomes walk-off!!!
Indians 4-1, that was amaZing.It dawns on me that Kluber gets that win. No one else pitched for Cleveland, so who else could get it. The back door win, and Kluber is 10-3.
Chaw Boy Discovers Gum
That's That Chris Davis, aka Chaw Boy, chewing not tobacco but gum. Is that gum? Now I'm not so sure. Parker Bridwell, on the mound, is definitely chewing gum. Yeah, Davis is chewing gum. The high strike at 93. Backwards-looking K for C-hris Davis.I'm a Trout Fishing in America.
Maybin, Trout, and Pujols to face Jeremy Hellickson.
Maybin is in the hole. Slider at 81, away, junky. Same pitch over, fouled back. Maybin, 8. Here's Trout. Trout, 8.
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