Boom.
Jhonny Peralta. Matt LaPorta. Lou Marson. Michael Brantley. Asdrubal Cabrera. Grady Sizemore. Luis Valbuena. Marson again. Brantley again. Travis Hafner. Colby Lewis struck out 10 for the first time in nearly seven years – unless you count a 13-punchout effort against the Yokohama BayStars two years ago. Lewis's 10-strikeout game on August 15, 2003 came against the White Sox, whose leadoff hitter Roberto Alomar struck out looking in the first and again in the third, after which he was ejected. Alomar's brother Sandy Jr. managed not to get tossed tonight. He's Cleveland's first base coach. On that 2003 night, Lewis threw 119 pitches, 82 for strikes. Tonight: 117 pitches, 74 for strikes. Lewis's ERA after the 2003 gem was 7.57. After tonight's: 2.19. I love watching a pitcher who can locate a two-plane breaking ball. There haven't been a lot of those in this franchise's last 20 years. I love Kevin Millwood for Lewis, Rich Harden, and Chris Ray. You already know how much I love opposite-field hitting, which we saw a lot of tonight. I love early night game start times. I love dependable backup catchers. I love watching Neftali Feliz grow. Love you, too, John Schuerholz. I had much love for Eddie Guardado, who was what he was, but not as much I have for Darren Oliver. I love the small sample size. Remember when there were two hitters on this entire roster hitting their weight? Tonight's lineup had four players who finished the game at .414 or higher, a fifth at .346, a sixth at .308. I love that this team has developed a bend-don't-break character. And, man, I love Nelson Cruz. And he doesn't really like pitchers. Boomstick. =========================================================== To join the free Newberg Report mailing list so you can get e-mail deliveries of every edition of the newsletter, daily minor league game recaps, and frequent Newberg Report News Flashes, go to www.newbergreport.com and click the "Mailing List" link on the top menu bar. (c) Jamey Newberg http://www.newbergreport.com Twitter @newbergreport