Cleveland Indians Report

September 30, 2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 30, 2005

NEW YORK 94-65
CLEVELAND 93-66
BOSTON 93-66

Cleveland: 3 games remaining, 3 home (43-35), 0 road (50-31)
New York: 3 games remaining, 0 home (53-28), 3 road (41-37)
Boston: 3 games remaining, 3 home (52-26), 0 road (41-40)

SEPTEMBER 29
Cleveland 6 Tampa Bay 0
New York 8 Baltimore 4
Boston 5 Toronto 4
Chicago 4 Detroit 2

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago (96-63) at Cleveland (93-66)
Mark Buehrle (16-8, 3.19) vs Kevin Millwood (9-11, 2.92)

New York (94-65) at Boston (93-66)
Chien Ming-Wang (8-4, 4.02) vs David Wells (14-7, 4.47)

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Matchups to be determined

Posted on 9/30/2005

September 29, 2005

CIR UPDATE: White Sox Clinch Division Title

With their 4-2 victory over the Tigers today, the White Sox clinched the AL Central Division Title. From mlb.com..."The reason the White Sox and Indians wouldn't play a one-game playoff is because, with the Red Sox and Yankees playing each other this weekend, one team would be guaranteed to finish out of the playoffs if the Indians swept the White Sox. And in instances in which two teams from the same division are guaranteed to make the playoffs, MLB does not use a one-game playoff, instead relying on head-to-head records to break the tie." It will be interesting to see how the White Sox play these three games this weekend (resting players, limited starter innings, etc.). In a strange way, could the White Sox clinching today ultimately work in the Indians favor? We'll see.

Posted on 9/29/2005

CIR UPDATE: Scoreboard Watching

I'd much rather just watch the scoreboard this afternoon than talk about SETH FREAKING MCCLUNG. White Sox and Tigers first pitch at 1:05.

2:45 PM: White Sox up 4-0 in the top of the 7th. Freddy Garcia is flipping a gem.

2:55 PM: Tigers pushed across a run in the bottom of the 7th. It's 4-1 Sox.

3:11 PM: Magglio Ordonez doubled in a run and the Tigers have cut it to 4-2 with one out in the 8th.

3:17 PM: Neal Cotts struck out Carlos Pena and Bobby Jenks got Craig Monroe to ground out to short. Ozzie Guillen plays the percentages well. 4-2 Sox as we head to the 9th.

Posted on 9/29/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 29, 2005

CHICAGO 95-63, 3 up
NEW YORK 92-66
CLEVELAND 92-66
BOSTON 92-66

Cleveland: 4 games remaining, 4 home (42-35), 0 road (50-31)
New York: 4 games remaining, 0 home (53-28), 4 road (40-37)
Boston: 4 games remaining, 4 home (51-26), 0 road (41-40)
Chicago: 4 games remaining, 0 home (47-34), 4 road (47-30)

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay 1 Cleveland 0
Chicago 8 Detroit 2
Toronto 7 Boston 2
New York 2 Baltimore 1

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay (67-91) at Cleveland (92-66)
Casey Fossum (8-11, 4.65) vs CC Sabathia (14-10, 4.20)

New York (93-65) at Baltimore (71-87)
Aaron Small (9-0, 3.25) vs Erik Bedard (6-7, 3.74)

Toronto (78-80) at Boston (92-66)
Scott Downs (4-3, 4.35) vs Matt Clement (13-6, 4.50)

Chicago (95-63) at Detroit (71-87)
Freddy Garcia (13-8, 3.91) vs Jason Grilli (1-0, 2.00)

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 3
Cleveland at Boston (wildcard tiebreaker)

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Matchups to be determined

Posted on 9/29/2005

September 28, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Wednesday, September 28, 2005

.
STATUS QUO
n : the existing condition state of affairs

Or, rather, as I prefer, it's deja vu all over again. That's the existing condition again this morning as the Indians, Red Sox, Yankees, and White Sox all lost last night to keep the standings and the races exactly as they were entering Tuesday night games, except we now have five games to play instead of six. Note that the Sox joined the Indians and Yankees in a three-way tie based on their game one double-header win on Tuesday afternoon. It's not surprising to me that the Devil Rays, Orioles, Blue Jays, and Tigers would take one from any of the contending teams. The laws of baseball just make it so; taking two games in a three-game series is a very healthy .667 winning percentage. Of course, that also means there is a loss in there somewhere as well. What is surprising (amazing) is that it all happened on the same night. Which leads to our next definition...

OPPORTUNITY
opÂ·porÂ·tuÂ·niÂ·ty ( P )
n. A favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances. A favorable or suitable occasion or time. A chance for progress or advancement.
Synonyms: opportunity, occasion, opening, chance, break

These nouns refer to a favorable or advantageous circumstance or combination of circumstances, such as the Yankees, Red Sox, and White Sox all losing on the same night. Or getting five runners on base in the second and third inning against a young pitcher. Or getting ahead in the count against a hitter who had grounded into 16 double plays and throwing a splitter he can hit into the dirt.

(sigh)

The first two opportunities the Indians sadly did not take advantage of, which led to the final opportunity of which Danys Baez (after struggling early, think he was pumped up?) did take advantage of in getting Ronnie Belliard to ground into the game-ending double-play and a 5-4 Indians loss.

Wasted Opportunities. You don't get many in the final week of the season and when they present themselves you have to take advantage of them. That's ultimately the difference between teams playing in October and watching in October.

Cliff Lee takes the mound tonight against Seth McClung. On paper, advantage Indians. Big advantage Indians. In his last three starts, McClung has allowed 17 earned runs in 9-1/3 innings. That's a 16.40 ERA, my friends. Meanwhile, Cliff Lee has run 47 in a row en route to Cy Young consideration. Take a closer look, however. McClung has started twice against the Tribe this season. Both wins. Three runs in seven innings at the Trop and one run in 5-1/3 innings at the Jake. Inexplicably, McClung has had the Indians number. Lee has struggled in his last two starts (both wins) and has shown a penchant for serving up the big fly in the middle innings (three run jack to Emil Brown in the 6th and a salami to Mark Teahen in the fourth in his last outing). The Tribe needs a Cy Young type of performance from Lee tonight. It's another opportunity that cannot be wasted.

Keep in mind, that with five games to go, the Indians simply need to win the final two series of the year to win the wildcard. That means taking the final two from the Rays and two of three from White Sox. Easier said than done, I realize, but as noted yesterday, the Indians have done an exceptional job of winning series in the second half. Remember, with the Yankees and Red Sox facing off this weekend, one of those two teams is going to lose twice. The best one of them will finish is 3-2 the rest of the way. If the Tribe goes 4-1 (wins both series), we're dancing.

Posted on 9/28/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 28, 2005

CLEVELAND 92-65
NEW YORK 92-65
BOSTON 92-65
CHICAGO 94-63, 2 up

Cleveland: 5 games remaining, 5 home (42-34), 0 road (50-31)
New York: 5 games remaining, 0 home (53-28), 5 road (39-37)
Boston: 5 games remaining, 5 home (51-25), 0 road (41-40)
Chicago: 5 games remaining, 0 home (47-34), 5 road (47-29)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay 5 Cleveland 4
Detroit 3 Chicago 2
Boston 3 Toronto 1
Toronto 7 Boston 5
Baltimore 17 New York 9

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay (66-91) at Cleveland (92-65)
Seth McClung (6-11, 7.11) vs Cliff Lee (18-4, 3.90)

New York (92-65) at Baltimore (71-86)
Shawn Chacon (7-10, 3.49) vs Daniel Cabrera (10-12, 4.58)

Toronto (77-80) at Boston (92-65)
Ted Lilly (9-11, 5.72) vs Bronson Arroyo (14-9, 4.29)

Chicago (94-63) at Detroit (71-86)
Jose Contreras (14-7, 3.66) vs Sean Douglass (5-4, 5.62)

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 3 (I think)
AL East Division Tiebreaker

OCTOBER 4 (I think)
Wildcard Tie breaker

OCTOBER 5 (Divisional Series)
Matchups to be determined

Posted on 9/28/2005

September 27, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Scoreboard Watching

They've started at Fenway.

1:45 PM: Sox up 2-0 after two. Ortiz and Manny knocked in a pair of runs in the bottom of the first.

2:15 PM: Sox still up 2-0 after four. Tim Wakefield has not allowed a hit through four inning. Did you hear that, he has a NO-HITTER. I can't believe he has a no-hitter. Throwing a no-hitter would be cool. Hey, did you hear that Tim Wakefield has a no-hitter going?

2:18 PM: Sweeeeeeeet. Frank Menechino leads off with a single for the Jays.

3:08 PM: Fast Game. It's 3-1 Sox in the top of the 8th. Wakefield tossed seven innings of three-hit ball. Jon Papelbon just walked Gregg Zaun to start the 8th. It's rally time Toronto!

3:15 PM: Alexis Rios singled. One out, first and third. Eric Hinske at the plate.

3:17 PM: My bad, that was Vernon Wells at the dish. Much better matchup but he popped out to first. Shea Hillenbrand up with two outs.

3:19 PM: Hillenbrand goes down swinging. Nice work by Papelbon in working out of the jam. 3-1 Sox, middle of 8.

3:29 PM: Blue Jays held. Timlin's on in the top of the 9th. One out. Russ Adams, Aaron Hill, and Gabe Gross due up.

3:34 PM: Well, the Indians are now tied with both the Red Sox and Yankees at 92-64. Corey Koskie delivered a pinch-hit single but Mike Tinlin got Gabe Gross to ground out to Alex Cora to end the game. Sox win 3-1. Game 2 of the double-header is tonight.

Posted on 9/27/2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, September 27, 2005

And then there were six. As in games. As in to go in the season. As in left on the schedule. Ahh heck, you know what I mean.

Yeah, the White Sox lost last night (thanks Curtis Granderson, remember that name, he's going to torment the Tribe for years in center for the Tigers) to narrow their lead to two games, but let's not lose sight of the Devil Rays.

Those same Devil Rays who just happen to have a 37-30 record since the All-Star Break. Those same Rays who boast a young dynamic lineup of Jorge Cantu (.834 2nd Half OPS), Carl Crawford (.873), Aubrey Huff (.815), Jonny Gomes (.951) with veterans Travis Lee (.889), and Julio Lugo (.818) thrown in for good measure. (Did you see those second half OPS's?). And, yes, those same Rays who strolled into Cleveland in mid-August and swept a three-game series (August 12, August 13, August 14 from the Tribe after the Indians had just won 12 of 14 to climb back into the race. Sound familiar? Like I said, let's not look past the Rays. I don't think Eric Wedge is going to let this team do that, do you?

Since being swept by the Rays, the Indians have gone 29-9 and won 11 of 12 series. Since the All-Star break, the Indians are 45-23 and have won 16 of 20 series (three losses, one split). If they continue to win series, the Tribe will finish with 96 victories (4-2 min over the final six games) and (at the minimum) a wildcard tie. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but either the Yankees or Red Sox are going to lose at least two more games the rest of the way (they play each other the final weekend) meaning that the best (or worst, however you want to look at it) one of these two teams can finish is 96-66 (they both have 64 losses right now). Of course, the Indians can make things very easy by simply winning.

Update on the tie-breaker sites (if needed):

Chicago at Cleveland (Central Division)
New York at Cleveland (Wildcard)
Cleveland at Boston (Wildcard)

Note that the White Sox and Indians would only play a tie-breaker game for the division title if that's the only way that either team can qualify for the playoffs. If the loser of such a game would make the playoffs as the wildcard team, the game would not be played and the White Sox would be crowned division champs due to their better head-to-head record against the Tribe. The Indians would then enter the playoffs as the wildcard.

What could be interesting is if the Indians, White Sox, and/or Yankees and Red Sox all end up tied at 96-66. Would there then be a division champion tie-breaker game on Monday with the loser playing a wildcard tie-breaker game on Tuesday? Hmmm...

Travis Hafner was named American Player of the Week for the week ending September 25 in recognition of his sizzling performance at the plate in which Pronk hit .385/.529/1.192/1.721 with six homeruns, 16 RBI, and 31 total bases. Ouch. For the season, Hafner is now hitting .305/.412/.597/1.009 with 39 doubles, 32 homeruns, and 106 RBI. Einar Diaz and Ryan Drese are not having quite that good of years.

Saturday's start time against the White Sox has been changed to 1:25 PM so the game can be televised on Fox. That means no fireworks for those of you who bought the ducats earlier in the season with the kids in mind. Both Saturday and Sunday's games are sold out and approximately 7,000 tickets remain for Friday nights contest. There are more than 10,000 seats available for each of the games against the Devil Rays this week.

No Indian farmhands were named to the South Atlantic League's Top 20 Prospects by Baseball America. I had hoped that Chuck Lofgren (93 IP, 73 H, 43 BB, 89 K, .218) and/or Tony Sipp (69 IP, 47 H, 18 BB, 71 K, 2.22 ERA) might have found their way onto the list. In Sipp's case, it may have been that the left-hander simply didn't spend enough time in Lake County (he was promoted on June 21). Keep in mind that the Sally League is a 16-team circuit so making the Top 20 list is a more difficult feat than making the 8-team Carolina League list.

Posted on 9/27/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 27, 2005

CLEVELAND 92-64
NEW YORK 92-64
BOSTON 91-64, 1/2 out
CHICAGO 94-62, 2 up

Cleveland: 6 games remaining, 6 home (42-33), 0 road (50-31)
New York: 6 games remaining, 0 home (53-28), 6 road (39-36)
Boston: 7 games remaining, 7 home (50-24), 0 road (41-40)
Chicago: 6 games remaining, 0 home (47-34), 6 road (47-28)

SEPTEMBER 26
New York 11 Baltimore 3
Detroit 4 Chicago 3
Cleveland (off)
Boston (rained out)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay (65-91) at Cleveland (92-64)
Scott Kazmir (9-9, 3.85) vs Scott Elarton (11-7, 4.38)

New York (92-64) at Baltimore (70-86)
Mike Mussina (13-8, 4.20) vs Bruce Chen (12-10, 3.60)

Toronto (76-79) at Boston (91-64)
David Bush (5-10, 4.45) vs Tim Wakefield (15-11, 4.09) (Game 1)
Gustavo Chacin (12-9, 3.66) vs Curt Schilling (7-8, 5.89) (Game 2)

Chicago (94-62) at Detroit (70-86)
Brandon McCarthy (2-1, 4.20) vs Nate Robertson (6-15, 4.52)

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at New York
California at Chicago

Posted on 9/27/2005

September 26, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Granderson is Grand for the Tribe

Curtis Granderson belted a solo homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Tigers a 4-3 victory over the White Sox. The Chicago loss moves the Indians to within two games of the Sox with six games to be played.

The Red Sox and Blue Jays were rained out in Boston and will play a day-night double-dip tomorrow, thus guaranteeing that the Indians remain at least a 1/2 game lead in the wildcard through this evening.

The Yankees are leading the Orioles 1-0 through four. Due to the rainout, if the Yankees win, they will take over the AL East lead by a 1/2 game over the Sox with Boston remaining a 1/2 game behind the Indians for the wildcard. If the Bombers lose, the Sox would take over the AL East lead, leaving the Yankees one game behind the Indians in the wildcard.

Posted on 9/26/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 26, 2005

CLEVELAND 92-64
NEW YORK 91-64
BOSTON 91-64, 1/2 out
CHICAGO 94-61, 2-1/2 up

Cleveland: 6 games remaining, 6 home (42-33), 0 road (50-31)
New York: 7 games remaining, 0 home (53-28), 7 road (38-36)
Boston: 7 games remaining, 7 home (50-24), 0 road (41-40)
Chicago: 7 games remaining, 0 home (47-34), 7 road (47-27)

SEPTEMBER 25
Kansas City 5 Cleveland 4
New York 8 Toronto 4
Chicago 4 Minnesota 1
Boston 9 Baltimore 3

SEPTEMBER 26
Cleveland (off)

New York (91-64) at Baltimore (70-85)
Randy Johnson (15-8, 3.90) vs Rodrigo Lopez (14-11, 4.79)

Chicago (94-61) at Detroit (69-86)
Jon Garland (17-10, 3.51) vs Jason Johnson (8-12, 4.57)

Toronto (76-79) at Boston (91-64)
Dave Bush (5-10, 4.45) vs Curt Schilling (7-8, 5.89)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at New York
California at Chicago

Posted on 9/26/2005

September 23, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Cliff Lee on MLB Radio

Cliff Lee is scheduled to appear on MLB Radio this afternoon at 2:40 PM ET.

Posted on 9/23/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 23, 2005

CLEVELAND 90-63
NEW YORK 89-63
BOSTON 88-64, 1-1/2 out
CHICAGO 91-61, 1-1/2 up

Cleveland: 9 games remaining, 6 home (42-33), 3 road (48-30)
New York: 10 games remaining, 3 home (51-27), 7 road (38-36)
Boston: 10 games remaining, 7 home (50-24), 3 road (38-40)
Chicago: 10 games remaining, 3 home (44-34), 7 road (47-27)

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland 11 Kansas City 6
New York 7 Baltimore 6
Minnesota 4 Chicago 1
Boston (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland (90-63) at Kansas City (52-100)
CC Sabathia (14-10, 4.07) vs Jose Lima (5-16, 6.95)

Toronto (75-77) at New York (89-63)
Ted Lilly (9-10, 5.46) vs Shawn Chacon (6-10, 3.70)

Boston (88-64) at Baltimore (70-82)
Bronson Arroyo (13-9, 4.31) vs Daniel Cabrera (10-11, 4.68)

Minnesota (78-74) at Chicago (91-61)
Kyle Lohse (9-12, 4.16) vs Jose Contreras (13-7, 3.79)

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Boston at Baltimore
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Boston at Baltimore
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Chicago at Detroit
Toronto at Boston
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at New York
California at Chicago

Posted on 9/23/2005

September 22, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Thursday, September 22, 2005

.
Two out of three ain't bad.

In fact, that's pretty darn good when you can go into the den of the first place team, in your division, in September, and take two of three.

Yeah, it coulda (shoulda) been three but you never, ever, argue with the wise bard Meatloaf. Two out of three ain't bad.

Now, if we can just take three in KC, two from Tampa, and two from Chicago, that's seven of 10, a final record of 96-66, and a likely spot in the post-season. Sure, I would love to catch the Sox but what's getting in is what's important.

Mr.September (a.k.a. Scott Elarton) continues to roll, tossing 7-1/3 scoreless innings last night. In four September outings, Elarton now has a 0.89 ERA and a 0.857 WHIP in 30.1 innings while allowing just three earned runs on 20 hits and six walks. Eric Wedge looks pretty good right now in maintaining his rotation and not skipping Elarton in the rotation on recent off days, huh? Looking towards the winter, how much has Elarton bumped up his 2006 (and beyond) salary these past four weeks? I've said it before and I'll say it again, the decision on Kevin Millwood may well be very easy for the Indians this winter if he's offered 3 years and $30 million by the market. The decision on Elarton may well not be that easy. I have to believe that his agent is going to strongly push him to test the market given his recent performance and good health the past two seasons and it will be interesting to see what kinds of offers he receives and how that fits into the Indians budget. Still, let's just enjoy the ride over his next two starts, shall we? FYI, that last one will just happen to be the final game of the season against the White Sox.

Speaking of an off-day, think Bobby Howry needs one tonight? Thanks to the Tribe's blowout victory last Sunday over the Royals, he got his day of rest and (as speculated) ended up working all three games against the Sox.

How crazy is it that the Indians win and yet the Yankees go from out of the playoffs to hosting the Tribe in the Division Series on the same night? Thanks to a Yanks win and a Red Sox loss, that's exactly what happened as the Bombers took over the AL East lead. Two changes I would like to see made for the playoffs: An additional wildcard team replaces a division champion under .500 and playoff seedings are based solely on record, not division champion and/or wildcard status. Once the four playoff teams are established, the two teams with the best record should be given home-field advantage in the first round.

I didn't think AJ Pierzynski stepping on Aaron Boone was that much of a big deal on Tuesday night. It was just a crazy play with bodies all over the place. I was surprised, however, that more was not made of it during the broadcast.

The White Sox face Johan Santana tonight. The Tribe faces Runvelys Hernandez.

Posted on 9/22/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 22, 2005

CLEVELAND 89-63
NEW YORK 88-63
BOSTON 88-64, 1 out

Cleveland: 10 games remaining, 6 home (42-33), 4 road (47-30)
New York: 11 games remaining, 4 home (50-27), 7 road (38-36)
Boston: 10 games remaining, 7 home (50-24), 3 road (38-40)
Chicago: 11 games remaining, 4 home (44-33), 7 road (47-27)

SEPTEMBER 21
Cleveland 8 Chicago 0
New York 2 Baltimore 1
Tampa Bay 7 Boston 4

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland at Kansas City
Cliff Lee (17-4, 3.75) vs Runvelys Hernandez (8-12, 5.24)

Baltimore at New York
Bruce Chen (12-9, 3.51) vs Mike Mussina (12-8, 4.34)

Minnesota at Chicago
Johan Santana (14-7, 3.05) vs Brandon McCarthy (2-1, 4.72)

Boston (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Boston at Baltimore
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Boston at Baltimore
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Boston at Baltimore
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Chicago at Detroit
Toronto at Boston
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Toronto at Boston
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at New York
California at Chicago

Posted on 9/22/2005

September 20, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, September 20, 2005

.
6 in a row

13 of 14

34 of 45

1-1/2 up

2-1/2 out

12 left

88-62

Thanks Dirty Kurt!

Unbelievable. I was in full playoff mode last night. My arm almost fell off it was so "asleep" after being wedged behind by head for the last two innings because the Indians started to rally. Nah, I'm not superstitious or anything.

What does Bob Wickman have that Paul Shuey didn't? Why can Bob Wickman get Paul Konerko to pop up a 82 mph slider up in the zone while David Riske (early 2004 version) throws a 91 mph slider on the outside corner that gets poked through the hole for a single? Call it pitchability, call it guile, call it luck, call it fortitude, call it talent, whatever it is, it's something (and god bless him for it). New school thought (which I tend to lean towards) will have you believe that anyone with good stuff can close out games. Old school thought will have you believe that you need the "closers mentality" to own the end of the game. Wickman has far from the best numbers (or stuff) in the Tribe 'pen but that "closers mentality" or whatever you want to call it just gets the job done. 44 times and counting after he "huffed and puffed" (thanks Jayson Stark) his way to another one last night. As good as Grady, Travis, Jhonny, and the starters have been this season, is there any doubt (after last seasons bullpen struggles), that Wickman is the MVP of this team? Not in my mind.

Sneaking a peek into the winter, how important is it for the Indians to re-sign Wickman for another season? While watching the game last night, did you realize that four of the five Indians hurlers (Millwood, Sauerbeck, Howry, and Wickman) will all be free-agents this off-season? What priority in which they are placed will be one of the more interesting developments to follow this winter. I hate to say it but I can see the Yankees throwing a lot of money at Bob Howry, especially if they fail to re-sign their own free-agent Tom Gordon. But let's save that discussion for November.

Is it just me or does Wickman look like he's passing a kidney stone after each pitch?

It's not often you can say "that was a great one-pitch at-bat" by a hitter but that's exactly what Ben Broussard did last night in the third inning. With Freddy Garcia struggling and Ozzie Guillen chewing him out, you just sensed that Garcia's first pitch was going to be down the middle for a strike. So did Ben, and he crushed it to dead center. Unfortunately, it was an "at'em" ball and couldn't find a gap (still brought home a run on the sac fly) but that's a hitter who perfectly understood the situation at hand, was prepared for it, and took advantage of it with a good swing. Great one-pitch at-bat.

Ronnie Belliard (strained abdominal muscle) could return to the lineup tonight after sitting out the last four games. Good thing too, Belliard is slugging .526 against Buehrle according to espn.com. In his absence, Ramon Vasquez and Jose Hernandez have combined to hit .200 (3-for-15) with a walk and two RBI while, most importantly, playing solid defense.

The combination of last nights win and the Red Sox' loss gives the Indians the third best record (88-62, .586) in baseball trailing only the White Sox (90-59, .604) and Cardinals (95-56, .629).

Jayson Stark reviews the impossibility of the Indians (potentially) overcoming a 15-game deficit to win the AL Central.

According to Baseball Prospectus, the Indians have a 93% chance of making the playoffs via either the wildcard (54%) or division title (39%). Interestingly enough, BP gives the Red Sox and Yankees both a 5% chance of making the playoffs as a wildcard. Second behind the Indians in terms of wildcard chance? The White Sox (35%). BP simulates the remainder of the season 1,000,000 times to determine the odds on a daily basis.

Jason Stanford was arrested Saturday morning for aggravated disorderly conduct and resisting arrest. As expected, the Indians limited their comments "out of respect to the judicial system". Stanford posted a 2.42 ERA in 15 appearances covering 24.1 innings in four stops in the Indians system this season as he continues to recover/rehab from Tommy John surgery. What effect this incident has on Stanford's future with the Tribe remains to be seen. I would think he remains a candidate for removal from the 40 this off-season depending on how the roster is shuffled. Much more on that in the off-season.

To end on a high note, Division Series tickets go on sale this Saturday at 10:00 AM (ET).

Posted on 9/20/2005

CIR UPDATE: Drennan #12 in Appy

Burlington's John Drennan is ranked as the 12th best prospect in the Appalachian League in Baseball America's annual Top 20 League Prospects review. Drennan, who hit .238/.325/.435/.760 with 7 doubles, 8 homeruns, 18 walks, and 37 strikeouts in 168 at-bats after being selected by the Indians as a supplemental first rounder, was noted for having "excellent bat speed (and that) he should hit for average and power." Defensively, BA notes that "he's an average runner with good defensive instincts and solid-average range, and the combination may be enough for him to stick in center field. His arm rates as average." At this level, these kids are so far from the big leagues, that any prospect rankings need to be treated more for their entertainment and discussion value than for any indiciator of future performance. Still, it's better to be on the list then off, right? One reference note, Corey Smith was the number three prospect five years ago.

Posted on 9/20/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 20, 2005

CLEVELAND 88-62
NEW YORK 86-63, 1-1/2 out
OAKLAND 83-67, 5 out

Cleveland: 12 games remaining, 6 home (42-33), 6 road (46-29)
New York: 13 games remaining, 6 home (48-27), 7 road (38-36)
Oakland: 12 games remaining, 9 home (42-30), 3 road (41-37)
Chicago: 13 games remaining, 6 home (43-32), 7 road (47-27)

SEPTEMBER 19
Cleveland 7 Chicago 5
New York 3 Baltimore 2
Oakland 7 Minnesota 6

SEPTEMBER 20
Cleveland (88-62) at Chicago (90-59)
Jake Westbrook (15-14, 4.560 vs Mark Buehrle (15-8, 3.21)

Baltimore (70-79) at New York (86-63)
John Maine (2-1, 3.27) vs Aaron Small (8-0, 3.28)

Minnesota (76-72) at Oakland (82-67)
Francisco Liriano (0-0, 3.86) vs Joe Blanton (10-11, 3.57)

SEPTEMBER 21
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland at Kansas City
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Chicago
Oakland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at Boston
California at Chicago

Posted on 9/20/2005

September 19, 2005

CIR UPDATE: 2006 Schedule

The Indians released the tentative 2006 schedule this afternoon. Like this season, the Tribe will open 2006 in Chicago against the White Sox with the first game scheduled for Monday, April 3. The home opener follows against the Twins on Friday, April 7 followed by a 5:05 start time on Saturday. I like that start time, into the evening but not so late that it will be 40 degrees at game time (or maybe it will, who knows in early April). The Cubs, Pirates, and Reds visit the Jake for interleague series while the Indians will visit the Cardinals, Brewers, and Reds. 2006 ends the same as 2005 with a homestand against the White Sox and Devil Rays although next season will see the series flipped with the Tribe finishing the season against the Rays.

Posted on 9/19/2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Monday, September 19, 2005

.
5 in a row

9 of 10 on the homestand

12 of 13

33-11 since July 31

1-1/2 games in front for the wild card

3-1/2 games behind the White Sox.

13 games remaining.

87-62

No matter how you look at it, the numbers look very, very good for the Tribe right now.

Kevin Millwood opens the biggest series of the season tonight in Chicago. In three appearances this year against the Sox, Millwood has pitched very well (1.29 in 21 innings) with little to show for it (0-2 record and one no decision). Taking you back, the no-decision came back on game two of the season when the Sox scored four times off Bob Wickman in the bottom of the 9th inning. Remember that one? Who would have envisioned the Tribe sitting at 87-62 and Wickman leading the AL with 43 saves after that one? Millwood also lost the home opener 2-1 on April 11 and a 1-0 duel with Jose Contreras right after the All-Star break. Things have definitely changed, however, for both clubs since those games were played.

For the Indians to have a shot at catching the Sox, they need to take two games. Doesn't matter which two, doesn't matter how they win them. Just win two and prepare to make up ground against the Royals and Rays before the final three games against the Sox to end the season. Winning the division would be nice, but getting in is what's important. I'm not so worried about catching the Sox as I am about the Yankees catching us. A sweep would be nice, though ;-).

Anyone else enjoying all the Tribe talk on ESPN and MLB radio? Crazy.

The best thing about CC's dominant outing yesterday? A full day of rest for the Bobs, Howry and Wickman. If needed, they could both probably work in all three games now against the White Sox. Great outing by CC and the offense in giving the regulars in the 'pen a day off.

They almost had that day of rest the day before against the Royals except for one mistake pitch by Cliff Lee. Not to mention some baserunning blunders that have been obscured by the wins but continue to haunt this club and is something you should keep in the back of your mind as October nears.

That mistake by Lee to Emil Brown (on a 0-2 pitch, no less) came right after a masterful at-bat against Mike Sweeney in which Lee dialed it up to 92 mph on the strikeout pitch in a four-pitch at-bat in which Sweeney really had no chance. Great pitchability by Lee in that situation.

From Will Carroll's Under the Knife on Baseball Prospectus: "Want to feel good about something? Not only is Grady Sizemore becoming one of this year's breakout performers, he's also one of the most tested athletes in baseball. His time with the U.S. National Team resulted in three random tests just from the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency--all negative".

Ryan Garko (strikeout) and Franklin Gutierrez (line out) had their first trips to the major league dish yesterday. Garko, who hit .303/.384/.498/.882 with 25 doubles and 19 homeruns for Buffalo, could figure prominently in the Indians plans next season depending on what the Tribe does with the right-field/first base situation in the off-season. Gutierrez, who hit a combined .260/.321/.420/.741 with 31 doubles and 11 homeruns for Akron and Buffalo, likely will return to Buffalo to start the season with the anticipation of being major league ready by mid-summer.

Speaking of Garko, he's been named as a replacement for Michael Aubrey on the Indians Arizona Fall League contingent. Aubrey, still nursing his back, will prepare himself for spring training. Joining Garko in the Valley of the Sun will be Brad Snyder, Adam Miller, Javi Herrera, Brian Slocum, Travis Foley, and Pat Osborn.

Congrats to the Akron Aeros on winning their second Eastern League championship in three years after the good guys knocked off Portland 4-1 on Saturday to take the EL Championship series three games to one. Jake Dittler tossed seven shutout innings while Nathan Panther went 4-for-4 in leading the Aeros to the win. Panther was named the playoffs MVP after hitting .380 (12-for-31) in the two series. Dittler's seven scoreless frames were parts of a 23-2/3 scoreless streak put together by Aeros hurlers that included a 2-0 shutout win in Game by Brian Slocum and the relief trio of Travis Foley, Chris Cooper, and Edward Mujica.

Congrats also to the Kinston Indians who put forth a valiant effort that ended a game short in their quest to repeat as Carolina League champions. They had their chances, however, as the K-Tribe left 13 runners on base, including 11 in the first five innings, in the decisive 2-0 game five loss to Frederick.

Starting September 20 (tomorrow), you can vote for Bob Wickman for the DHL Major League Baseball Delivery Man of the Year Award. Wickman is one of 10 finalists for the inaugural award that includes Chad Cordero, Dustin Hermanson, Trevor Hoffman, Brad Lidge, Joe Nathan, Mariano Rivera, Jason Isringhausen, Todd Jones, and Mike Timlin (I thought he was a pitching coach? Sorry, inside joke). Inaugural? What happened to the Rolaids Relief Man Award Winners? R-O-L-A-I-D-S, man. In the name of Dan Quisenberry and Jeff Reardon, what's going on here?

Don't forget that you can also vote for Wickman for the Comeback Player of the Year Award as well. I like the idea of the fans voting but shouldn't the fear be that this will turn into nothing more than popularlyty contest? We'll see.

What happened to Todd Wright on All Night on ESPN Radio? I miss the Tussle. And like that, he's gone.

Posted on 9/19/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 19, 2005

CLEVELAND 87-62
NEW YORK 85-63, 1-1/2 out
OAKLAND 82-67, 5 out

Cleveland: 13 games remaining, 6 home (42-33), 7 road (45-29)
New York: 14 games remaining, 7 home (47-27), 7 road (38-36)
Oakland: 13 games remaining, 10 home (41-30), 3 road (41-37)
Chicago: 14 games remaining, 7 home (43-31), 7 road (47-27)

SEPTEMBER 19
Cleveland (87-62) at Chicago (90-58)
Kevin Millwood (8-11, 3.02) vs Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.96)

Baltimore (70-78) at New York (85-63)
Erik Bedard (6-7, 3.82) vs Chien Ming-Wang (7-4, 4.18)

Minnesota (76-72) at Oakland (82-67)
Brad Radke (9-11, 3.91) vs Barry Zito (13-12, 3.75)

SEPTEMBER 20
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 21
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland at Kansas City
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Chicago
Oakland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at Boston
California at Chicago

Posted on 9/19/2005

September 14, 2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 14, 2005

CLEVELAND 83-62
NEW YORK 81-62, 1 out
OAKLAND 80-64, 2-1/2 out

Cleveland: 17 games remaining, 10 home (38-33), 7 road (45-29)
New York: 19 games remaining, 7 home (47-27), 12 road (34-35)
Oakland: 18 games remaining, 10 home (41-30), 8 road (39-34)
Chicago: 19 games remaining, 7 home (43-31), 13 road (45-24)

SEPTEMBER 14
Oakland (80-64) at Cleveland (83-62)
Barry Zito (13-11, 3.64) vs Jake Westbrook (14-1, 4.59)

New York (81-62) at Tampa Bay (60-85)
Chien-Ming Wang (6-4, 3.97) vs Mark Hendrickson (9-7, 6.06)

Chicago (88-55) at Kansas City (46-95)
Freddy Garcia (12-8, 3.75) vs JP Howell (2-5, 6.63)

SEPTEMBER 15
New York at Tampa Bay
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Kansas City
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 16
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 17
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 18
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 19
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 20
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 21
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland at Kansas City
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Chicago
Oakland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at Boston
Anaheim at Chicago

Posted on 9/14/2005

September 13, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Stephen Head on MLB Radio

Tribe prospect Stephen Head is scheduled to appear on MLB Radio this afternoon between 2:00 and 3:00 (ET) on Around the Minors with Mayo. Head, the Indians second round pick this year out of Mississippi, hit .286/.310/.419/.729 with 15 doubles and 4 homeruns in 203 at-bats for Kinston after terrorizing NY-Penn League pitchers to the tune of .432/.533/1.027/1.560 with six longballs in a 10-game stint to begin his professional career. He and his K-Tribe teammates staved off elimination in the Mills Cup last night with a 3-0 victory over Frederick. Head went 2-for-3 with a pair of ribbies but the star was right-hander Sean Smith who tossed 7-2/3 innings of three-hit, shutout ball while punching out seven and walking none. Adam Miller takes the mound tonight for Kinston in game four of the best of five series (Frederick leads 2-1).

In the Eastern League, Jeremy Sowers takes the bump for Akron against Portland in game one of the Championship Series.

Posted on 9/13/2005

September 12, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Coco Player of Week

Coco Crisp was named the American League Player of the Week for September 5-11 after hitting .571 (16-for-28) and slugging 1.036 with a major league best 29 total bases over seven games. Coincidentally, or not, seven games in which the Tribe went 7-0. For the season, Coco is now hitting .306/.352/.472/.824 with 38 doubles, 13 homeruns, 61 RBI, and 15 stolen bases.

Posted on 9/12/2005

CIR UPDATE: Tiebreakers at the Jake

MLB conducted a series of coin tosses today to determine the sites for potential two-team tie-breaker games and the Indians went three-for-three. If the Tribe and White Sox end up in a tie for the Al Central, the tie-breaker game would be played at the Jake. Likewise, if the Indians end up in a wildcard tie with either the Yankees or Athletics, the tie-breaker games would be played at Jacobs Field. Interestingly enough, a site was not determined for a potential Angels-Indians or Red Sox-Indians wildcard tie. Maybe the Athletics and Yankees tosses are considered runner-up AL West and East tosses? Tie-breaker games would be played on Monday, October 3. The official MLB release is here.

Posted on 9/12/2005

CIR UPDATE: Minor League Playoffs

Akron advanced to the Eastern League Championship Series with a 6-4, game five victory over Altoona yesterday. The Aeros will square off against Portland for the EL crown with game one being played in Maine on Tuesday.

Kinston has their backs against the ball in the best of five Mills Cup Championship in the Carolina League after losing 6-2 yesterday to Frederick to fall behind in the series two games to none. Game three is this evening with Sean Smith taking the mound for the K-Tribe against Orioles top prospect Adam Loewen. Keep in mind that the good guys were also down two games to none last year before sweeping the final three from Wilmington en route to the Mills Cup.

Posted on 9/12/2005

CIR UPDATE: Pitching Reinforcements

The Buffalo News reports that the Indians called up Jason Davis and Fausto Carmona last night after the Bisons were eliminated from the International League Playoffs in a game five loss to Indianapolis. The Indians (Indianapolis flavor, that is) swept up three games in Dunn Tire Park after the Bisons had won the first two on the road. Thus ends the Bisons quest to defend their 2004 Governor's Cup title. Davis and Carmona will likely support the big league club in the middle innings and blowout situations to help prevent the regulars from being overworked. Note that no position players (Brandon Phillips) were called up according to the Buffalo News.

Posted on 9/12/2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 12, 2005

CLEVELAND 82-61
NEW YORK 80-62, 1-1/2 out
OAKLAND 79-63, 2-1/2 out

Cleveland: 19 games remaining, 12 home (37-32), 7 road (45-29)
New York: 20 games remaining, 7 home (47-27), 13 road (33-35)
Oakland: 20 games remaining, 10 home (41-30), 10 road (38-33)
Chicago: 20 games remaining, 7 home (43-31), 13 road (44-24)

SEPTEMBER 12
Oakland (79-63) at Cleveland (82-61)
New York (Off)
Chicago (Off)

SEPTEMBER 13
Oakland at Cleveland
New York at Tampa Bay
Chicago at Kansas City

SEPTEMBER 14
Oakland at Cleveland
New York at Tampa Bay
Chicago at Kansas City

SEPTEMBER 15
New York at Tampa Bay
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Kansas City
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 16
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 17
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 18
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston
Chicago at Minnesota

SEPTEMBER 19
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 20
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 21
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland at Kansas City
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Chicago
Oakland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland
Minnesota at Chicago

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Chicago at Detroit

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 4 (Divisional Series)
Cleveland at Boston
Anaheim at Chicago

Posted on 9/12/2005

September 09, 2005

CIR UPDATE

SEPTEMBER 9, 2005

CLEVELAND 79-61
NEW YORK 78-61
OAKLAND 77-62

Cleveland: 22 games remaining, 15 home (34-32), 7 road (45-29)
New York: 23 games remaining, 10 home (45-26), 13 road (33-35)
Oakland: 23 games remaining, 10 home (41-30), 13 road (36-32)

SEPTEMBER 9
Minnesota (73-66) at Cleveland (79-61)
Boston (82-57) at New York (78-61)
Oakland (77-62) at Texas (69-71)

SEPTEMBER 10
Minnesota at Cleveland
Boston at New York
Oakland at Texas

SEPTEMBER 11
Minnesota at Cleveland
Boston at New York
Oakland at Texas

SEPTEMBER 12
Oakland at Cleveland
New York (Off)

SEPTEMBER 13
Oakland at Cleveland
New York at Tampa Bay

SEPTEMBER 14
Oakland at Cleveland
New York at Tampa Bay

SEPTEMBER 15
New York at Tampa Bay
Oakland at Boston
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 16
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston

SEPTEMBER 17
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston

SEPTEMBER 18
Kansas City at Cleveland
New York at Toronto
Oakland at Boston

SEPTEMBER 19
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 20
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 21
Cleveland at Chicago
Baltimore at New York
Minnesota at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 22
Cleveland at Kansas City
Baltimore at New York
Oakland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 23
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 24
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 25
Cleveland at Kansas City
Toronto at New York
Texas at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 26
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland
Cleveland (Off)

SEPTEMBER 27
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 28
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 29
Tampa Bay at Cleveland
New York at Baltimore
Los Angeles at Oakland

SEPTEMBER 30
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 1
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

OCTOBER 2
Chicago at Cleveland
New York at Boston
Oakland at Seattle

Posted on 9/09/2005

September 06, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Minor League Playoffs

Three of the six Indians minor league affiliates qualified for post-season play. Buffalo, winners of the International League North with a 82-62 record, open a best-of-five series at Indianapolis tomorrow. Akron, winners of the Eastern League South with a 84-58 record, open a best-of-five series against Altoona tomorrow. Kinston, winners of the Carolina League South 1st Half, open a best-of-three game series tomorrow against either Salem or Winston-Salem.

Posted on 9/06/2005

CIR UPDATE: Great Deal for Sunday Night

Check out this deal for Sunday night...

$5 SEATS FOR 9/11 COURTESY OF TRIV: WTAM's MIKE TRIVISONNO SHOW has made a deal with the Indians to take over the Tribe Box Office from 3-6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7 to sell tickets for the Tribe vs. Twins game at Jacobs Field on national TV (ESPN 2) at 8:09 p.m. on Sunday, September 11. During this short period of time, Fans can purchase TICKETS FOR ONLY $5 for ALL SEAT LOCATIONS (excluding Field Box, Club Seats and Suites) on indians.com (password: TRIV) and at the Jacobs Field Box Office ONLY.

Posted on 9/06/2005

August 31, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Gutierrez playoff eligible

The Indians called up Franklin Gutierrez today and optioned Brian Tallet to triple-A. The move adds Gutierrez to the 25-man active roster thus making him eligible for the playoffs in October. Mark Shapiro called him an "impact" defender on mlb radio and noted that Gutierrez' skills set profiles well for the potential addition to a playoff roster. This doesn't mean that you can pencil Franklin in for October ball but it does provide the Indians that option. Splitting time this season between Akron and Buffalo, Gutierrez hit .261/.322/.423 with 25 doubles and 11 homeruns for the Aeros while hitting .254/.320/.403 with six doubles for the Bisons in 67 at-bats. He also had swiped 16 bases in 22 attempts and significantly reduced his strikeouts from years past; 2003 (131 K / 492 AB), 2004 (88 K / 289 AB), 2005 (89 K / 450 AB). Hot recently, Gutierrez hit .422 (27-for-64) in his last 14 games before his promotion to Buffalo. Since he was already on the 40-man roster, the Indians current roster count remains at 39.

Posted on 8/31/2005

August 30, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, August 30

.
I love this team.

In a procedural move to open a spot on the 40-man roster, the Indians recalled Kyle Denney from Buffalo and placed him on the 60-day disabled list with post-concussive symptons. Denney, if you remember, suffered a fractured skull when he was hit in the head by a line drive on June 26. He's only recently begun a throwing program and will not appear in a game again this season.

Reports out of Chicago say the Indians are interested in Cubs second basemen Todd Walker with some papers suggesting that a deal is close. The left-handed Walker is enjoying a typical solid Todd Walker type of season, hitting .301/.353/.473/.826 with 21 doubles and 10 longballs. Pretty much limited to second, although Walker has played some third (60 games) and first (9 games) in his career, I'm not sure how Walker would fit into the Indians lineup, unless the intent is simply to add another bat to the bench (i.e., replacing Ramon Vasquez on the 25-man roster) for the playoffs, which is a pretty good intent. Such a move would, however, leave Jose Hernandez as the backup shortstop where he has played one game this season, although he is a natural shortstop. Not that that would be much of a concern in the playoffs where Jhonny Peralta would be playing every day. Looking forward, I believe that Walker signed a one-year deal with the Cubs this past off-season and would be a free-agent this winter.

At any rate, I would be surprised if the Indians went this route. More than likely, the open spot will be used on Thursday to add Ryan Garko to the roster to serve as the third catcher and an extra bat off the bench.

Arthur Rhodes and Matt Miller are both scheduled to work an inning tonight in Akron on a rehab assignment in preparation for their activation off the disabled list on Thursday when rosters expand to 40.

Both would be eligible for the playoffs as disabled players are included on the list of playoff eligible players as determined by the rosters on August 31. That is, all players on the 25-man roster plus players on the disabled list on August 31, are eligible for the playoffs in October. The actual roster for each playoff series is then determined prior to the start of that round. There is one loop hole, I believe, and that is that teams can add players to the list of eligible playoff players for each player on the 60-day disabled list provided that the player plays the same postion and was in the organization as of August 31. So, with Juan Gonzalez on the 60-day DL, the Indians could (in October) add an outfielder to their playoff roster who was not playoff eligible on August 31 (i.e., a non-40 guy in Buffalo). Yesterday's move placing Kyle Denney on the 60-day DL as noted above also provides the Indians this option with a pitcher if needed in October. I believe that this is how the Angels added K-Rod to their playoff roster back in 2002.

As ridiculous as this sounds given the destruction down south, let's hope the remnants of Katrina can hold off enough tonight and tomorrow so the Indians and Tigers can get these two games in. Should a rain-out happen, the next off-day for both clubs would be Thursday, August 8. Coincidentally, the two teams would just be finishing a three-game set at Comerica. With four off-days remaining on September 1, 8, 15, and 26, the Indians will have the luxury of resting their regulars, and more importantly, the bullpen, that their wild-card competitors do not enjoy.

At 74-58, the Indians would hold a 3-1/2 game lead for the NL wild card. With the Yankees win last night, they continue to trail the Bombers by 1 game.

Posted on 8/30/2005

August 29, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Adam Miller

The Daily Dish reports on a rough outing for Adam Miller on Sunday.

Posted on 8/29/2005

August 25, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Tribe AFL Contingent Announced

Adam Miller, Brian Slocum, Travis Foley, Michael Aubrey, Pat Osborn, Javi Herrera, and Brad Snyder will spend this fall in Arizona playing for Kinston skipper Luis Rivera and the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. Osborn is a taxi squad player, meaning he can play on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The AFL season runs from October 4 through November 10 with the championship game played on November 12.

Posted on 8/25/2005

CIR UPDATE: Tribe/Twins in PrimeTime

The Indians-Twins game on Sunday, September 11 has been moved from 1:05 PM to a 8:00 PM start time so the game can be broadcast nationally on ESPN2. Click the link above for additional ticket and promotional details if you have ducats.

Posted on 8/25/2005

August 24, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Wednesday, August 24

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The Indians did last night what good teams do. They found a way to win.

Trailing 4-0 after the first, Jake Westbrook battled the rest of the way, induced three double-plays, and held the Rays scoreless for the next 5-2/3.

The bullpen helped out with 2-1/3 scoreless innings of relief, highlighted by a dominant 8th inning by Bob Howry in which he displayed exceptional command of his fastball in striking out the side.

The offense pecked away at the lead, scoring once in the second, once in the third, and finally broke through for three in the seventh.

The offense, in the form of a Coco Crisp triple, came through with the big hit in the later innings.

The defense came through when needed with the three double-plays as noted above and a sensational catch by Grady Sizemore in center.

And finally, luck was on the Indians side, in the form of the no-call on Bob Wickman's balk in the bottom of ninth which would have tied the game if the umpires had called it. If you saw it, it was pretty obvious that he never came to a complete stop. The pitch floated in at 73 mph on the FSN gun and it almost looked like he was aiming it or somewhat soft-tossing it, almost like a throw to first where you don't want to make an overthrow (and then you usually do). I didn't realize until reading the papers this morning that Julio Lugo (on third) broke for home while Wickman was coming into his stretch, which, in my mind, only makes it more clear that Wick just wanted to get the ball to the plate to prevent a possible steal of home.

Anyway, good teams are good and they're also lucky. Last night, the Tribe was both.

The Indians 70-56 record would give them a 2-1/2 game lead in the NL wildcard.

The AL Central is the best division in the American League with three teams over .536 (Sox, Tribe, Twins).

Tom Hamilton on Mark Hendrickson: "When he throws strikes, he gets in trouble". LOL, how many pitchers can you say that about. If you listened to the radio broadcast last night, I think it's safe to say that Hammy hasn't enrolled in the Mark Hendrickson fan club.

Matt Miller threw a simulated game yesterday with another scheduled for Thursday. Expect Miller to rejoin the Tribe when rosters expand in September.

Speaking of expanded rosters, Eric Wedge told the media yesterday that the Indians would likely add a third catcher, infielder, outfielder, and a starting pitcher in September. With Miller and Arthur Rhodes likely to return from the DL, adding another reliever may not be necessary. At first thought, we're probably looking at Brandon Phillips, Jason DuBois, and one of Jason Davis, Fausto Carmona, or Jeremy Guthrie. Perhaps even Kaz Tadano if they go the long reliever route. The Indians don't have a third catcher on their 40-man roster so adding a catcher from Buffalo would require the removal of someone from the 40. Would the Tribe call up Ryan Garko for potential use down the stretch? Only his service time clock would start ticking. With the rosters expanded, they're not likely to have to option him back to Buffalo so his option clock would not start ticking until next spring (assuming he returns to Buffalo to start 2006 which may not be likely depending on what happens this offseason and next spring).

Matt Fornasiere shined in a losing effort as the NL Stars knocked off the AL Stars 5-4 in the inaugural

NY-Penn League All-Star Game. Fornasiere was the only player in the game with multiple hits as the Scrapper star rapped out two knocks, including a double. Jose Constanza and Omar Casillas also saw action with each going hitless in two trips to the dish. Neither Jensen Lewis or Joe Ness took the mound for the AL Stars.

Jake Gautreau was placed on the Bisons DL with a broken finger. After a good start, Gautreau has slumped in recent weeks to averages of .252/.323/.459/.782. He does have 28 doubles and 18 longballs for the season. Acquired from the Padres for Corey Smith this past winter, the two "traded-for's" started off in opposite directions but Smith has since heated up a bit and is now sitting at .260/.326/.430 with 26 doubles and 17 homeruns for the season. Keep in mind that Corey is back in double-A and has also struck out 134 times while Jake is a level higher at triple-A.

Aren't we creeping up on the end of Francisco Cruceta's 10 days of designated for assignment (8/17)?

Posted on 8/24/2005

August 23, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Tallet Up, Brown Down

The Indians called up Brian Tallet from Buffalo and optioned Andrew Brown back to triple-A today. For Tallet, this will be his fourth appearance with the Indians this year with just one appearance to show for it. For Brown, thus ends a big league debut that really wasn't. The right-hander did not appear in a game during his three days in the show.

Posted on 8/23/2005

CIR UPDATE: Talkin' B-Tribe

The Daily Dish offers some insight into the professional debut struggles of John Drennan (.231/.321/.441, 4-1-8), Nick Weglarz (.236/.315/.354, 11-0-2), and Nicholas Petrucci (.236/.315/.354, 8-1) in Burlington.

Posted on 8/23/2005

CIR UPDATE: More Scheduling

After last night's victory over Tampa Bay, the Indians now have 13 games remaining against the Devil Rays and Royals and 24 remaining against the rest of the league. If the Tribe can go 10-3 against TB and KC the rest of way (not too unrealistic, don't you think?) and play .500 ball (12-12) against the rest of the league, they would finish 91-71 for the season. Based on yesterday's post, that would have the Indians finishing out the season 23-15 (including yesterday's win). The question is, will 91 get you the wildcard? What's that magic number going to be?

Posted on 8/23/2005

CIR UPDATE: Francisco EL Player of the Week

Aeros outfielder Ben Francisco was named the Eastern League's Player of the Week for the week ending this past Sunday, August 21. In earning the honor, Francisco raked at a .500 (15-for-30) clip with five doubles, two trips, a big fly, and seven runs batted in. The big week is part of a 20-game streak in which Francisco has raised his average from .264 to .309 with supporting averages of .361 (OBP) and .474 (SLG). The healthy .835 OPS is backed up by 18 doubles, seven triples, and six longballs in 304 at-bats. Projecting that to 500 ABs, Francisco would be on pace for 30 doubles, 12 triples, and 10 homeruns this year.

Posted on 8/23/2005

CIR UPDATE: NYPL All-Star Game

The Valley will be well represented tonight in Brooklyn, NY for the NY-Penn League All-Star Game Five Scrappers were named to the AL Affiliates team, third rounder Jensen Lewis (4-2, 3.42, 50 IP, 49 H, 7 BB, 45 K) six rounder Joe Ness (3-1, 2.00, 45 IP, 41 H, 12 BB, 50 K, 0 HR), 12th rounder Matt Fornasiere (.271/.393/.362, 39 BB, 14 2B), 2002 16th rounder Omar Casillas (.296/.351/.434, 10 2B), and undrafted Dominican native Jose Constanza (.260/.331/.316, 25 BB, 22 SB). You can gameday, listen, or watch the game through the minorleaguebaseball.com website.

Posted on 8/23/2005

CIR UPDATE: Wildcard Tie

The standings tell it all. With last night's 11-4 pounding of the Devil Rays, the Indians have moved into a tie for the wildcard with the Yankees (who also won) and the Athletics (who were off). It's three more against the Rays in Tampa for the Tribe while the Yanks continue with three at home against the Blue Jays and the A's begin a three-game series in Detroit.

Posted on 8/23/2005

August 22, 2005

CIR UPADTE: Vote for Wick

Hey Indians fans, cast your ballot now for Bob Wickman for the 2005 MLB Comeback Player of the Year Award. You can vote up to 25 times and Wick is going to need every one of those votes with Jason Giambi, Roy Halladay, Barry Zito, Richie Sexson, and Jay Gibbons also on the list. Maybe it's just me but won't this essentially turn into a glorified popularity contest? Harrumph, maybe the fans will prove me wrong. On that note, Tribe fans, you can vote up to 25 times for Bob Wickman. Start clicking ;-).

Posted on 8/22/2005

CIR UPDATE: Schedule Breakdown

With 38 games to go, here's how the schedule breaks down the rest of the way...

20 games at home (Tribe 32-31)
18 games on the road (Tribe 36-25)

18 games vs above .500 teams
20 games vs below .500 teams

9 games vs above .500 teams at home
9 games vs below .500 teams at home

9 games vs above .500 teams at home
11 games vs below .500 teams on the road

8/22-8/25 (4) at Tampa Bay (51-73)
8/26-8/28 (3) at Toronto (63-60)
8/29-8/31 (3) vs Detroit (60-62)
9/1 Off Day
9/2-9/4 (3) at Minnesota (66-58)
9/5-9/7 (3) at Detroit (60-62)
9/8 Off Day
9/9-9/11 (3) vs Minnesota (66-58)
9/12-9/14 (3) vs Oakland (68-55)
9/15 Off Day
9/16-9/18 (3) vs Kansas City (40-82)
9/19-9/22 (3) at Chicago (75-46)
9/22-9/25 (4) at Kansas City (40-82)
9/26 Off Day
9/27-9/29 (3) vs Tampa Bay (51-73)
9/30-10/2 (3) vs Chicago (75-46)

As important as every game will be from here on out, that 12 game stretch from 9/2-9/14 in which the Tribe plays 9 games against the Twins (6) and the Athletics (3) looms as especially large on the horizon. If they get past that, look at the remaining schedule: seven games against the Royals, three against the Devil Rays, and six against a White Sox club that should have the division wrapped up by then (recent play notwithstanding). A strong finish would seem to be a strong possibility.

The Tribe is on pace to finish with a 89-73 (.549) record. Here's how they'll have to finish to achieve that...

89-73 = 21-17 finish (.553)
90-72 = 22-16 finish (.579)
91-71 = 23-15 finish (.605)
92-70 = 24-14 finish (.632)
93-69 = 25-13 finish (.658)
94-68 = 26-12 finish (.684)
95-67 = 27-11 finish (.711)

Posted on 8/22/2005

CIR UPDATE: No Fernando?

In the latest diamond notes from Peter Gammons, a survey of baseball insiders was conducted on which 2005 newcomers would be having the greatest impact on the game five years from now. Mysteriously enough, Fernando Cabrera failed to make the list. And by "the list", I mean the top 10, the next 10, and the others receiving votes list. Hmmm, maybe the big right-hander with the 1.15 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15.2 innings just hasn't been seen enough yet. For you non-insiders, the top ten consisted of Rickie Weeks (Milwaukee), Conor Jackson (Arizona, Tribe draft choice out high school who went to Cal-Berkley), Jeff Franceour (Atlanta), Huston Street (Oakland), Zach Duke (Pittsburgh), Felix Hernandez (Seattle), Dan Johnson (Oakland), Ryan Howard (Philadelphia), Ervin Santana (Anaheim), and Jon Papelbon (Boston). Not a bad crop, to say the least.

Posted on 8/22/2005

August 10, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Wednesday, August 10

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What a difference twenty minutes makes.

In that seemingly short span of time, we went from "why the heck did they pitch to Mike Sweeney" to one of the greatest comebacks in Indians history. From 4-1/2 games out and two teams behind to 3-1/2 games behind and tied with the Yankees for second in the wild-card race. And from a demoralizing loss to the Royals to an incredible surge of momentum and potential knockout blow to a devastated Kansas City club.

Incredible.

I would love to listen to Kansas City sports talk tomorrow. That is, if they're still talking about the Royals and haven't switched full attention to the health of Priest Holmes and a revamped Chiefs defense.

Is is just me or was Chip Ambres holding hands with David DeJesus in left-center in the ninth inning. I have never seen so many balls hit to left and the left-fielder seemingly playing 50-60 feet off the line. Memo to Chip, if teams are sitting on MacDougal's fastball, they can pull it.

If you saw a dork with a goofy smile driving home last night, that was me listening to Tom Hamilton and the highlights. Watching the game is great but nothing beats listening to Hammy nearly burst a blood vessel or two in a comeback. Simply outstanding.

How bad do you feel for Buddy Bell? No manager, ever, under any circumstances should have to place the call to "Get Gobble Up". And Buddy had to do it in the 9th inning with his closer rapidly turning to jello on the mound.

Speaking of Bell, how bad do you think he just wants to sit next to Eric Wedge tomorrow and pretend the last two months never happened?

The beauty of baseball, though, is that tomorrow is another day and another game. For the Royals, it's hope. For the Indians, it's the need to avoid a letdown after an improbable comeback. As tremendous as tonight was, if the Tribe loses tomorrow, they're still playing a rubber match on Thursday. Somehow I think Eric Wedge will try to get that point across tonight and tomorrow.

Did you catch in the post-game interview when Wedge was asked about Ben Broussard's status that he simply replied, "I wanted Lief at the plate in that situation". Interesting.

"Get Gobble Up"

Posted on 8/10/2005

July 30, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Hmmm...

From the (Jayson) Stark Market on espn.com..."Clubs that have spoken with Cleveland over the last couple of days report that the Indians are still aggressively trying to win, but also trying to be creative in marketing players people wouldn't expect them to deal. One of them happens to be their trusty closer, Wickman. And there was talk Friday he could end up in Boston -- or even be spun elsewhere in a three-team deal. The Indians also have been willing to talk about Kevin Millwood. But they've been telling teams they'll move him only for a young player who can be an every day player, a starting pitcher or a potential closer for them by next year. So while that probably won't happen, the sense is that the Indians are attempting to pull off something big this weekend. And if they do, Wickman almost certainly would be involved."

Posted on 7/30/2005

July 25, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Rumor Mill Turns

The Seatte Times notes this morning that "a recent report that the Yankees had a scout here watching (Randy) Winn is not exactly correct. New York had two scouts at Jacobs Field all of last week, watching Grady Sizemore, among others, on the Cleveland club. But a man from another club that has interest in Mariners pitchers noted that 'the Yankees paid a lot of attention when Winn came up to hit." I can't see the Indians trading Grady Sizemore under pretty much any circumstance, can you? Hey, you can look, but you can't touch. While the Yanks were likely lustfully watching Sizemore and, to a lesser extent, Coco Crisp, I suspect they were also in town to check out Arthur Rhodes, not to mention yesterday's starting pitcher Kevin Millwood, who certainly didn't help his trade value with another strong outing.

Meanwhile, NewsDay counts the Mets among those interested in Arthur Rhodes should the Indians decide to move him. This is the type of "sell" move I could see the Indians making. With Scott Sauerbeck remaining from the south side in the 'pen and Bob Howry (.191 BAA), and Rafael Betancourt (.217 BAA), and David Riske (.228 BAA) all having success against lefties this season, I could see the Indians using this as an opportunity to free up the $3 million plus owed to Rhodes next season. What they would/could get in return for Rhodes remains to be seen and may likely be determined by how much of his salary the Indians would be inclined to absorb this season and next.

Posted on 7/25/2005

July 24, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Rumor Mill

The Newark Star-Ledger notes that "Philadelphia is trying to package Ugueth Urbina and Vicente Padilla for a starter such as Cleveland's Jake Westbrook...". Ummm, no.

Newsday reports that "Damon Oppenheimer, a Yankees vice president of scouting, is in Cleveland this weekend for the Indians-Mariners series. If the Indians have a tough week, they could be sellers, and they have several pitching chips, including Kevin Millwood and Arthur Rhodes.". Of course, the Mariners also have some chips that could be moved, most notably Randy Winn as rumored for centerfield in the Bronx. But hey, weren't Tribe brass down in Columbus recently?

The Baltimore Sun says the "Orioles have also contacted the Dodgers about right-hander Jeff Weaver. Another possibility is Cleveland's Kevin Millwood". Sounds like speculation here.

Joel Sherman speculates in the New York Post that the Indians should trade Kevin Millwood to the Rangers for triple-A first basemen Adrian Gonzalez (actually, he was just called up to the bigs on Saturday). Gonzalez, the former #1 overall pick in the 2000 draft by the Marlins, was hitting .316/.379/.502/.881 with 14 doubles and 13 homeruns for triple-A Oklahoma City and is blocked by Mark Tiexiera and a host of corner outfielders in Arlington so you would presume he would definitely be available in trade. However, Gonzalez is a left-handed stick which the Tribe leans heavily towards and the Indians are also apparently grooming Ryan Garko for a shot at first base next spring with today's note in the PD that Garko is playing five games at first for every two behind the dish. The right-handed hitting Garko is hitting .283/.365/.476/.841 with 16 doubles and 13 homeruns for the Bisons. This one's not likely to happen.

Posted on 7/24/2005

July 21, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Tribe wins 10-1

It's a final. 10-1 Tribe. A seven-run seventh and a solid outing from Jake Westbrook gives the Tribe a split with the Royals. Seattle's up next with three games over the weekend.

Posted on 7/21/2005

CIR UPDATE: Tribe Pouring It On

Victor Martinez just blasted a three-run homer and it's 10-1 Tribe in the bottom of the 7th. This was a must win game for the Tribe and it looks like this one is going into the "W" column.

Posted on 7/21/2005

CIR UPDATE: Blake goes deep, Tribe up 4-1

Casey Blake just went deep. It's 4-1 Tribe in the bottom of the 7th.

Posted on 7/21/2005

CIR UPDATE: Peralta puts Tribe up 3-0

Jhonny Peralta belted a two-out, three-run homer to give the Tribe a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the 4th against the Royals. With the blast, his 12th of the season, Peralta is now hitting .294/.348/.528/.873. That .873 OPS ranks third among AL shortstops, trailing only Miguel Tejada and Michael Young and ahead of Bobby Crosby (.859), Derek Jeter (.804), Edgar Renteria (.719), and Orlando Cabrera (.659). And, he just turned 23 in May. 3-1 Tribe through five.

Posted on 7/21/2005

July 20, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Sowers and Head are HOT

Jeremy Sowers (#17) and Stephen Head (#18) crack the Baseball America Prospect Hot Sheet.

Posted on 7/20/2005

July 19, 2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Where Ryan Ludwick and Josh Phelps have gone before, so now goes Jason DuBois, power-hitting corner outfielder and potential solution to the Indians right-handed power woes. DuBois was acquired from the Cubs late last night after the Indians rain-shortened, but much needed, 6-2 victory over the Royals in exchange for Jody Gerut. The 6'5", 225 lb, 26-year old outfielder will slide into the outfield rotation and I would not be surprised to see him receive a considerable amount of playing time in right field over the next couple of weeks. If he can deliver some pop, DuBois could be a nice complement to Grady and Coco in the outfield.

Drafted by the Cubs in the 14th round of the 2000 draft out of VCU, DuBois debuted professionally in the MidWest League with Lansing in 2001 where he hit a robust .296/.366/.562/.928 with 28 doubles and 24 homeruns. Moving up to high-A Ball and Daytona of the Florida State league, DuBois continued to mash, posting averages of .321/.422/.562/.984 with 25 doubles and 20 longballs. Left unprotected in the offseason by the Cubs, DuBois was selected in the Rule 5 draft by the Blue Jays but was returned to the Cubs where he moved up to double-A and hit .269/.367/.458/.825 with 31 doubles and 15 homeruns in 2003. He followed that up with a stellar campaign in the Arizona Fall League where he earned MVP honors. Moved up to triple-A last year (are you noticing the one level at a time movement), DuBois absolutely mashed against PCL hurlers, hitting .316/.389/.630/1.019 with 26 doubles and 31 homeruns while posting a decent (alright, it wasn't bad at least), BB/K ratio of 41 walks to 97 strikeouts. The Cubs rewarded him with a brief cup of coffee in the bigs where he belted his first major league homerun and hit .217 (5-for-23). Given a chance to share left-field with Todd Hollandsworth in the Friendly Confines this season, DuBois hit .239/.289/.472/.761 with 12 doubles, 7 homers, and 22 RBIs for the Cubs before he was demoted to triple-A last week. Note that he didn't let the demotion bother him as he's raked at a .500 clip (9-for-18) since being sent down.

Numbers look good, yeah? So what's wrong with him? Well, for one, he doesn't have great speed or range which limits him to a corner outfield position or first base (where he has seen some time). Note that he does have a decent-to-strong arm and pitched in college at VCU. He also struck out a Branyanesque 49 times in 142 at-bats this season for the Cubs, although his minor league numbers do not forecast such a horrendous ratio. Perhaps he was pressing in his first crack at the bigs. It's telling (perhaps) that despite the guady numbers, the Cubs moved him up one level at a time and never in mid-season. Perhaps this is an organization philosophy in Wrigleyville. Because of that, DuBois would generally be considered old for his age in pretty much every league he played in (23 in FSL in '02, 24 in AA in '03, etc) which diminishes the numbers in most prospect watchers eyes. That's likely one of the reasons that DuBois failed to show up on any of the Cubs top 10 prospect lists until this past season when he obliterated triple-A pitching. That, and a very deep Cubs farm system. Not that those lists mean anything but they help to explain why DuBois hasn't had a higher profile despite posting impressive numbers in the minors. Also, keep in mind that the Cubbies had Sammy Sosa and Moises Alou patrolling the corners for the last three seasons so the need to rush a young corner outfielder through the system wasn't as urgent as it may have been in other systems. So, all that said, we've got a later round draft pick flying under the radar whose shown good power skills everywhere he's played but has struggled in his first taste of extended major league pitching.

(Train of thought stopped, to be continued tomorrow)

(Begin random thoughts on the trade)

On the plus side, this could also be a potential cost savings move for next year. Gerut may be eligible for arbitration while DuBois would likely play for somewhere around the minimum. A savings of $500k-$1 million would not be out of the question (I'll hazard a guess) if Gerut is arbitration eligible.

Coincidentally enough, two 14th round picks from the 2000 draft have made it the big leagues, DuBois and former Indian, and current Washington national, Ryan Church.

Let the speculation begin for the "right-handed power stick" of 2006. It was Ryan Ludwick (for Ricardo Rodriguez) in 2003, Josh Phelps (for Eric Crozier) in 2004, and now DuBois for Gerut. Who will it be in '06?

Fausto Carmona, a day removed from his one-day taste of the big leagues, tossed eight innings of one-run ball last night in his return to triple-A. Despite the stellar performance, the Bisons took it on the chin, losing 1-0. Carmona struck out six while walking none and scrattering six knocks. In four starts for the Bisons, the right-hander has a 2.17 ERA and has issued just two free passes in 29 innings while striking out 19 and allowing 25 basehits.

Jason Stanford is a week away from a rehab assignment after throwing two innings of a simulated game yesterday.

Reds GM Dan O'Brien told the Cincinnati Enquirer that he is "not close with Cleveland" on a trade.

The Indians signed UW-Platteville catcher David Reifenberger to a minor league contract and he's begun his pro career in the Valley. Reifenberger hit .293 with three homeruns and 29 runs batted in this year while also posting a 1.65 ERA with four saves coming out of the bullpen. For now, the Tribe has him working behind the plate.

Posted on 7/19/2005

CIR UPDATE: Gerut Traded to Cubs

After the Tribe's 6-2 victory over the Royals last night, the Indians dealt Jody Gerut to the Chicago Cubs for outfielder Jason DuBois. DuBois is a right-handed, power-hitting outfielder who has had a lot of success in the minor leagues but not so much in the bigs. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 7/19/2005

July 18, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Betancourt Reinstated

As expected, Rafael Betancourt was reinstated from the suspended list and added to the Indians roster. Fausto Carmona was optioned back to Buffalo to make room for Carmona on the Indians roster. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 7/18/2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Monday, July 18, 2005

Message Received, Chicago. Thank you. See you in late September.

Despite the woodshed beating over the weekend, despite losing five in a row, despite losing nine of ten, the Indians still remain just three games out of the wild card. Of course, there are five teams ahead of them, which is just as important as the number of games behind, but with 71 games still to play, the Indians are just three games out of the playoffs. With 11 of their next 14 games against Kansas City (32-59) and Seattle (41-50), the Tribe has a golden opportunity to right the ship and move back towards the top of that wildcard chase. Coinicidentally, the end of this 14-game run will put us right up against the trade deadline on July 31. This should be a very interesting next couple of weeks.

Call me crazy for agreeing with Roger Brown but if the Reds are willing to deal Adam Dunn for CC Sabathia, I would make that trade without a second thought. Quite honestly, I can't believe that the Reds would not want more than just CC for Dunn, but that's just me. The opportunity to acquire a bona fide 40 home-run threat with outstanding on-base skills does not come along everyday. True, he's left-handed and the Indians could use a right-handed stick. True, he's a left-fielder (who can also play first base, mind you) and the Indians could use a right-fielder (although who's to say Dunn couldn't make the switch to the opposite corner). And true, he's due to make some big bucks in arbitration the next two years. But, again, the opportunity to acquire a legitimate 40-home run threat with on-base skills does not come along everyday. Nor does the opportunity to acquire a .950 OPS threat at the plate. Even though he's not signed like CC for the next two years (the cost certainty GMs love), his salaries should come close to what CC is scheduled to earn so the actual dollar difference might not be as large as you would think. I would love to see the Indians grab Dunn, stick him in right or at first-base and then use prospects and/or Ben Broussard and Jody Gerut to add an arm for the rotation this year and next. Don't forget there's also Jason Davis available to slide into the rotation so it's not like the Indians don't have a reasonable backup plan. I'm not soured on CC, but he's not an ace, he's not the best pitcher on the Indians staff, and if I have a chance to grab a legit 40-homer guy, I'm willing to part with the big fella and his potential. By the way, is just me or is it strange to talk about potentail when a player's been in the big leagues for five years? I admire CC for wanting to be the leader, for wanting the ball every fifth day, for wanting the ball in big games, and for speaking out against the Twins and White Sox, but sooner or later, you have to back it up with performance on the field. It's doubtful such a scenario would play out but I'm glad to see the Indians mentioned in the pursuit of Dunn.

JD Martin is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery today in Birmingham and will miss the next 9-14 months. Under that timetable, I would suspect he'll begin a throwing program next spring and it's possible he could begin a rehab assignment in the Valley next June and start to work his way back up through the system. Despite pitching in pain, Martin was enjoying his best season (save for his '01 short-season debut) with the Tribe, posting a 2.38 ERA and .201 BAA in 10 starts for the Aeros, striking out 63 adn walking just 8 in 56.2 innings. JD had worked himself into position for 40-man roster consideration this offseason but I would be surprised if the Tribe uses a roster spot on a TJ rehabee given their other options. If they do expose him to the Rule 5, it will be interesting to see if another team selects him and then stashes him on the DL all season while he recovers.

Of the much-hyped "Big Five" righthanders of the 2001 draft, Martin is now under the knife, Travis Foley (4.08, 28.2 IP, 17 K) has battled elbow problems and is working out of the 'pen in Akron, Jake Dittler (3.30 ERA, 114.2 IP, 119 H, 64 K) has battled back problems and hasn't been the same pitcher since his 2003 breakthrough, Dan Denham (3.33 ERA, 119 IP, 98 H, 90 K, .224 BAA) has made impressive strides since this year in Akron, and Alan Horne spurned the Tribe for the University of Mississippi, blew out his arm, and may sign with the Yankees as a 11th round college junior pick out of the University of Florida.

It hasn't taken long for Stephen Head to begin his move up the organizational ladder. Less than one month into his pro career, Head has been promoted from Mahoning Valley to Kinston after the lefty demolished NY-Penn League pitching to the tune of a .432 BA and 1.037 OPS with four doubles and six longballs. In four games with the K-Tribe, Head has stayed hot with six hits in 16 at-bats (.375).

Fausto Carmona's big league debut will come at another time as the right-hander is expected to be sent back to Buffalo today with Rafael Betancourt being activated off the disabled list. Note that Betancourt served his restricted substance suspension while on the DL. While it works out well for the Indians, you have to question how that's allowed to happen. Anyway, Carmona was called up as a temporary replacement after Kaz Tadano worked four innings of one-run relief on Saturday. Since he was already on the 40 and his year one option clock started ticking in March when he was optioned to Akron, the move did not effect his option status.

Thanks for bearing with me during this latest absence. Without boring you with details, I'm just swamped at work and at home. So many projects, so little time. Hopefully, a lightning of the load will come in August and the CIR will return to a more regular publishing schedule. Until then, thanks as always for your patience and support.

Posted on 7/18/2005

July 17, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Fausto Carmona called up

The Indians called up Fausto Carmona today and optioned Kaz Tadano to Buffalo.

Posted on 7/17/2005

July 07, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Indians Trade Cora to Red Sox

In a swap of backup infielders, the Indians traded Alex Cora to the Red Sox for Ramon Vasquez today. The Tribe then sent Vasquez to triple-A and called up Brian Tallet, giving Eric Wedge 13 pitchers for use in Yankee Stadium in the final series before the break. The move does free up a little money for the Indians (no money changing hands was reported) and it does open up a roster spot for someone after the break, given the expectation that the Indians would return to a 12-man staff. Hmmm, does this hint at another deal in the near future? More in the next CIR.

Posted on 7/07/2005

July 05, 2005

CIR UPDATE: Crowe headed to the LC

2005 first round draft pick Trevor Crowe was promoted to Lake County today and is likely to make his Captains debut on Wednesday. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 7/05/2005

CIR UPDATE: Cabrera Up, Davis Down

As expected, Fernando Cabrera was called up from Buffalo today and Jason Davis was optioned to triple-A. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 7/05/2005

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, July 5, 2005

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Random thoughts from a tremendous baseball weekend...

Halfway through the season, the Indians have the 7th best record in baseball at 46-36 (.561). Only the White Sox (55-26, .679), Cardinals (52-30, .634), Angels (50-32, .610), Nationals (50-32, .610), Twins (46-34, .575), and Red Sox (46-35, .568) are off to better starts then the Tribe.

Given that, the only division in which the Tribe would be in first place is the NL West (1-1/2 games ahead of the Padres).

Since when is the AL Central the best division in baseball?

I've heard a lot of talk about Kevin Millwood pricing himself out of Cleveland with a strong season but what about Scott Elarton? After yesterday's shutout against the Tigers, Elarton now has a 3.32 ERA in his last nine starts (2.81 ERA if you remove his 6/29 start against the Red Sox in which he allowed one run through five innings before allowing back-to back two-out homers to Doug Mirabelli and Mark Bellhorn). For the season, the right-hander is 5-3 with a 4.79 ERA but has a solid 1.335 WHIP with just 23 walks in 88.1 innings. Of course, if teams take into account his home/road splits (3.67 ERA/.736 OPS at home versus a 6.18 ERA/.824 OPS on the road), the Tribe may be the only team bidding for him. All kidding aside though, the better Elarton pitches, the more money he is likely to command in the off-season. If he continues to pitch as well as he has these last months, the Indians could be faced with a difficult decision on Elarton this winter.

I would be very surprised if Fernando Cabrera is not recalled from Buffalo today (with Jason Davis being optioned back to triple-A).

Brandon Phillips is day-to-day in Buffalo with a sprained right wrist after he was hit by a pitch on Saturday. The IL All-Star is hitting .258/.318/.409/.727 with 16 doubles, 11 homeruns, 24 walks, and 63 strikeouts in 325 ABs for the Bisons.

Filling in at short for Phillips has been super-sub Joe Inglett, who last played shortstop in high school according to the Buffalo News. Inglett, who doesn't get much attention but consistenly produces, had back-to-back multiple hit games over the weekend and is hitting .329/.377/.471/.848 with 10 doubles, 2 homeruns, 10 walks, 18 strikeouts, and 6 stolen bases in 140 at-bats while playing all around the field.

Reinforcing the Bisons infield (Mike Kinkade has also been day-to-day with an injured quad) is Jose Morban who was promoted from Akron to Buffalo. The veteran infielder was hitting .254/.321/.414/.735 with 11 doubles, 8 homeruns, and 75 strikeouts for the Aeros.

Adam Miller has begun his climb through the Indians system as the right-hander was moved up from Mahoning Valley to Kinston over the weekend. Although the numbers aren't impressive (5.06 ERA, 10.2 IP, 17 H) in the Valley, the Indians were pleased with his velocity and mechanics. Entering the season, Miller seemed likely to be in Akron (or Buffalo) by years end. Now, I wouldn't be surprised to see him finish out the year in Kinston.

His presence does reinforce a Kinston staff that has been decimated by callups to Akron. Jeremy Sowers was the first and he has now been joined by Rafael Perez and Bear Bay. Perez debuted on Saturday, allowing four runs in 6.1 innings while striking out 9. Sowers, meanwhile, combined with another recent callup, Mariano Goemz, for a two-hit shutout on Sunday. Sowers worked the first 6-1/3, allowing one hit and a walk while striking out eight and Gomez finished with 2-2/3 innings of one-hit relief with five punchouts.

With Sowers, Bay, and Perez joining Jake Dittler, Dan Denham, and Brian Slocum in Akron, who's the odd-man out in the rotation? JD Martin is excluded from the list as he was placed on the DL with a strained right elbow for the second time this year. The ABJ noted that HD will undergo an MRI today and they will be comparing it to MRIs from 2003 and 2004.

Travis Foley was activated off the Akron DL and rejoins the Aeros bullpen. Foley replaces veteran minor leaguer Steve Green who was traded to Detroit for a player to be named later. Green had a 3.45 ERA in 26 appearances for the Aeros (44.1 IP, 36 H, 23 BB, 45 K).

Paul Lubrano was moved up to Kinston. The southpaw had a 1.17 ERA (8K, 7.2 IP) in five games for Burlington.

Stephen Head didn't take long to adjust to minor league pitching as the recent signeee (and second round pick) belted a pair of homeruns on Saturday as part of a 4-hit and 7-RBI effort in the Scrappers 16-3 victory over Jamestown.

Trevor Crowe is also heating up in the Valley with five hits, including his first homerun, over the last two days to raise his averages to .255/.345/.392/.737. Crowe has also walked six times and swiped four bags.

Speaking of pilfering, nobody did it better yesterday than Scrappers outfielder Jose Constanza who stole four bases (second three times and third once) in the Scrappers 6-5 victory over Batavia. Constanza reached base five times thanks to three hits and a pair of walks and is now hitting .304/.394/.393/.787 in the Valley. Impressively, he also has nine walks versus 10 strikeouts which follows an encouraging pattern he displayed earlier in the season at Lake County where he had 15 walks versus 13 strikeouts. The ability to control the strike zone is often an indicator of (potentially) better things to come.

Roman Pena (9th round, OF, California HS), agreed to terms with the Indians and will begin his pro career in Burlington. Pena's signing means the Indians have now inked their first 14 picks and 19 of 52 overall.

Posted on 7/05/2005

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