And the tailspin continues...

David Price strikes out 12 as Rays blank Cleveland Indians, 5-0, on 4-hitter

Published: Friday, May 27, 2011, 8:38 PM Updated: Friday, May 27, 2011, 9:45 PM

By Paul Hoynes, The Plain Dealer
Indians catcher Carlos Santana, left, tries to calm down starting pitcher Josh Tomlin after Tomlin gave up four runs to the Tampa Bay Rays during the second inning Friday at St. Petersburg, Fla.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- David Price struck out 12 and Casey Kotchman and Sam Fuld hit two-run homers as the Rays beat the Indians, 5-0, Friday night at Tropicana Field.
Price, Joel Peralta and Adam Russell combined on a four-hitter as the Indians lost their third straight game. After going 18-8 in April, they're 12-10 in May.

Kotchman and Fuld homered in the second inning off Josh Tomlin (6-2, 2.74) for a 4-0 lead. Tomlin has allowed 10 homers this season. Luke Hochevar and Colby Lewis have allowed 13 each to lead the AL.
Price (6-4, 3.54) went seven innings to improve to 4-1 lifetime against the Indians. He's 2-0 against the Tribe this year, striking out 19 in 15 innings. Price struck out Matt LaPorta three times Friday.

AL batting leader Matt Joyce started the second with a double off the glove of a diving LaPorta at first base. B.J. Upton struck out, but Kotchman drove a 1-0 pitch into the right field seats for a 2-0 lead.
Sean Rodriguez kept the inning going with an infield single to short despite a nice stop and throw by Asdrubal Cabrera. Fuld, who entered the game hitting .117 (11-for-94) in his last 23 games, delivered Rodriguez when he hit a 3-2 pitch into the right field seats for a 4-0 lead.

Price was just as effective as the last time he faced the Indians on May 11. In that game, he allowed two
runs in eight innings in a 8-2 victory to break the Indians 14-game winning streak at Progressive Field.

The Indians threatened in the sixth when Orlando Cabrera and Asdrubal Cabrera singled with one out. Price ended the threat by striking out Shelley Duncan and LaPorta. The strikeout of LaPorta was Price's 10th and meant fans in attendance received free pizza. The 10th K was greeted by a loud cheer.

Tomlin allowed four runs on 10 hits in six innings. It was his 22nd start with the Indians and the 22nd
time he's pitched at least six innings. The four runs were the most he's allowed in 10 starts this season.

The Rays, coming off a 2-5 trip, made it 5-0 on Joyce's two-out single off Chad Durbin in the seventh.
Price allowed four hits and two walks in seven innings. He threw 110 pitches, 76 for strikes.

The Indians, 30-18, have not scored more than three runs in their last four games. Carlos Santana, dropped to the seventh spot, doubled in the second inning to break a 0-for-19 skid.

It's not like it's some scrub, it's David freaking Price

TFIR wrote:It's not like it's some scrub, it's David freaking Price

Yeah! Who has him on his fantasy team, btw?

And we STILL lead the division by 6 full games.

KC is 8 out.

Chicago 8 1/2 out.

Minnie steady at 14 1/2 out.


We picked a pretty good time for a 3 game losing streak with regard to our division foes.

If we can win 4 or 5 of the next 9 against "The T Teams" (Tampa, Toronto, Texas) we'll be fine. Win more we'll be even better.

Staring with the Reds we were entering a 16-game stretch against good opponents. 7 games along, we're 4-3. I was hoping for 8 wins. Still quite doable, but we're out up against some very very good pitching.

LOL JR, I know allll about David Price. I drafted him on both my fantasy teams this year.

Certainly the kind of guy who could blossom into the Cy winner this year.

Carrasco matched up against a pitcher with ERA of 2.00. Doesn't sound too good for our side.

Ah yes.....A tale of two leftys drafted out of Vanderbilt....Rays get David Freakin' Price and the Tribe gets Jeremy Freakin' Sowers.

So the Indians passed on Price?

I just looked it up. and learned that Price was selected first overall in the 2007 Major League Baseball Draft by the Rays. So I don't see how you can fault the Indians on not getting him?

And Sowers was no slouch:

Sowers threw four no-hitters in high school. In both his junior and his senior year at Ballard, he led the team to consecutive appearances in the state high school championship game and was named All-State, All-Section, All-Region and County Player of the Year. As a senior, he was named to Baseball America's National High School All-American team, Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year, Mr. Kentucky Baseball and Kentucky High School Coaches Association Athlete of the Year. He was selected out of high school with the 20th overall pick in the 2001 Major League Baseball Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Rather than sign with the Reds, Sowers chose to attend Vanderbilt University where he was named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American team following the 2002 season and to their 2004 pre-season All-American team. He was second team All-SEC as both a sophomore and a junior and was also selected second team All-South Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association as a sophomore.

I know the Tribe had no shot at Price.

Sowers turned out to be a stiff.

Only thing they had in common was being leftys and playing for Vandy.

I don't know about being a stiff. He's had shoulder problems and had surgery this past offseason.

Sowers split most of the 2005 season between the Indians' Single-A (Kinston) and Double-A (Akron) farm teams, compiling a combined 13-4 record and 2.40 ERA. He finished 2005 with a single start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in which he was credited with a win. He was named the Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year (Bob Feller Award) for the 2005 season. Baseball America named him the #2 prospect in the Indians organization, the #6 prospect in the Carolina League and the #8 prospect in the Eastern League.

In 2006, he was a non-roster invitee at the Indians' spring training, but did not make the club's Opening Day roster, beginning the season with Buffalo. In 15 starts for the Bisons, he picked up where he left off in 2005, posting a sterling 9-1 record and 1.39 ERA. Baseball America named him the #3 prospect in the International League.

Major leagues

Sowers' performance for Buffalo in 2006 earned him a promotion to Cleveland on June 20 where he made his major league debut against the Reds on June 25, taking the loss (5 IP, 4 ERs, 5 Hs, 2 HRs, 3 SOs, 2 BBs). He tossed his first major league complete game shutout on July 22, 2006, against the Minnesota Twins, allowing 4 hits and 1 walk while striking out 4. Six days later, he threw another shutout—this one a 1-0 game against the Seattle Mariners—becoming the first Indians rookie to throw back-to-back shutouts since Dick Tidrow in 1972. In his next start against Boston, he extended his scoreless inning streak to 22 before yielding an RBI double in the fifth inning.