Turns out the pressure got the best of Cruceta after all, so it's a good thing Adrian Beltre had more RBI tonight than Ichiro has since August 14th. Which I guess is sort of damning with faint praise, so forget it. Yay, a win!
Biggest Contribution: Adrian Beltre, +30.3%
Biggest Suckfest: Francisco Cruceta, -34.3%
Most Important At Bat: Beltre homer, +25.6%
Most Important Pitch: Shealy grand slam, -21.4%
Total Contribution by Pitcher(s): -15.7%
Total Contribution by Position Players: +37.0%
(Can Jake Woods create a rock so heavy even he can't lift it?)
Joel Pineiro makes his triumphant return to the rotation tomorrow afternoon, replacing the guy who, uh, threw six innings today. This is the advantage of having a bunch of crappy pitchers - if need be, you can audition six starters in five days. Joel's opponent will be Mark Redman, who's been so terrific since making his first All Star Game that opponents have failed to reach base in more than 50% of their plate appearances. The first pitch is scheduled for 4:10pm PDT, but this is the sort of matchup you want to have some friends over and make a day of.