WTF...yesterday's 8th inning was ridiculous

I normally don't rant about individual games...but I have had my moments where I do.

This is one of them.

Besides the lack of hitting, lack of timely hitting and, well, did I mention the lack of hitting, there was the 8th inning.

Twice, not once but TWICE, the Indians could have turned a double play just by catching a foul pop on a suicide squeeze.   The second time would have ended the inning, giving Corey Dickerson no chance to hit his 3 run HR.

Now these were suicide squeezes and, in each case, the runner on 3rd did not exactly sprint back to 3rd base once the ball was popped up.  He froze.   In each case if we catch the ball we easily double him up. 

Now, the first one was a difficult attempt by Urshela but, given that it is Urshela and given that replays clearly showed his glove got to the point where the ball was going to hit the ground (or just past it), I think it is a play that should be made.

But, OK, let's give that one to the Rays as a difficult play.

However, the next one was a joke.   Pop up that Santana muffs.   Now, maybe there is a rule in baseball that I don't know about that made this a dead ball as soon as Santana touches it, meaning the runner is allowed to return to 3rd.   However, if that obscure rule does not exist, then all Santana has to do is catch the freakin' easy popup and turn and lob to 3rd and we are out of the inning.  

Really, really bad play, unless that obscure rule truly exists. 

I would like to say it cost us the game but it was crappy hitting that cost us that game.  I watched the Cardinals at the same time as the Indians last night and the Cardinals put up a bunch of runs with rookies getting clutch hits.   In contrast, we have Edward Encarnacion making out after out. Perfect example was in the first inning yesterday.   Ramirez was on first and the Logan Morrison was holding him on.   The rest of the infield was on the left side of second base.   Encarnacion could have taken either of the first two pitches to right field for a hit just by rolling the ball in that direction and Ramirez would have made 3rd.   Instead he grounded into a double play once the count got to 0-2.   Snell was struggling all season and we had the chance to keep the pressure on.  Encarnacion was hitting .200 since the all-star break.   He should have hit the ball on the ground into right field.  Just bad managing and bad hitting, in my opinion.