Cleveland Indians Report

April 24, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Off Day

Off-day for the Tribe, off-day for the CIR. I think we'll go Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday with the reports this week. Updates as they happen. See you tomorrow!

Posted on 4/24/2006

CIR UPDATE: Off Day

Off-day for the Tribe, off-day for the CIR. I think we'll go Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday with the reports this week. Updates as they happen. See you tomorrow!

Posted on 4/24/2006

April 22, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Miller out 4-6 Months

Matt Miller will have surgery on Wednesday to repair his right flexor tendon and will be out four-to-six months although the Indians are cautiously optimistic that he could pitch late in the second half. With surgery scheduled for April 26, the minimum return date (four months) would be August 26 which likely means that Miller is done for the season, although it's possible he could get in some rehab appearances before the minor league season ends. Miller will likely end up on the 60-day DL at some point this summer when the Indians need to free open a roster spot to add a non-roster player such as Steve Karsay, Einar Diaz, Jeremy Sowers, etc. Once he hits the 60, his odds of making it back to the bigs late in the season likely decrease as well because someone would have to be removed from the 40 in order for him to rejoin the active roster. Injuries, trades, etc., can influence 40 availability but, generally, unless you're a superstar or crucial to a team's postseason hopes, the odds of being activated off the 60-day DL in September are not good. Let's hope the Indians cautious optimism rings true but if I'm a betting man, it looks like a lost season for Miller and a hit to the Tribe's bullpen.

Posted on 4/22/2006

April 21, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Friday, April 21

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After a year in which the Indians had only four pitchers spend time on the disabled list, the Tribe has already reached that mark in 2006 with Rafael Betancourt (see below) officially joining Matt Miller, Fernando Cabrera, and CC Sabathia on the injured list today. While yesterday's 9-4 loss to the Orioles cannot entirely be blamed on the Tribe's injury woes, certainly the fact that Fausto Carmona was starting in place of CC Sabathia was a contributor, along with Eric Wedge perhaps riding Carmona a little longer than he may have normally with a full-strength bullpen ready to bail out the young right-hander.

As expected, Rafael Betancourt was placed on the 15-day DL with a strain of the right latissimus dorsi muscle (back). The move is retroactive to April 20 and he would be eligible for activation on May 5.

Brian Slocum was called up from Buffalo and will follow Rafael Perez in making his major league debut out of the Indians bullpen. The right-hander has taken a liking to the 'pen after being converted to relief late last season in Akron. This past fall, he posted a 3.15 ERA in 20 innings (14H, 7W, 19K) in the Arizona Fall League and followed that up with a 1.93 ERA, a .156 BAA, and 11 strikeouts in 9.1 innings covering five appearances for the Bisons this year. Slocum will wear #54 for the Tribe and will likely work the middle innings.

As noted above, Rafael Perez did debut yesterday and pitched a perfect inning, striking out Brian Roberts, getting Jeff Conine to ground-out to third, and finishing with a punch-out of Melvin Mora. Not a bad start to your big league career.

Matt Miller was scheduled to undergo an MRI yesterday and the Indians expect to have a game plan for the right-hander within the next 5-7 days. Tribe trainer Lonnie Soloff told the local media that because Miller throws side-arm, he is more vulnerable to flexor tendon injuries. Sheldon Ocker went on to note in the ABJ that there is a "feeling" among team officials that Miller will need surgery. I haven't seen a forecast as to how long he might be out if surgery is required but it doesn't look good for a short, or perhaps even a medium, length of stay on the DL. One final note, this injury is similar to last season when Miller went the rest and rehab route and missed a good chunk of the season.

Given the above, the depth of the organization and the wave after wave of prospects the Indians have been trying to put into place within their player development system will certainly be tested over the next two weeks. Jason Davis has performed well, Rafael Perez was impressive yesterday, and Brian Slocum (now) and Andrew Brown (perhaps) will likely get their chance as well.

The bullpen now consists of Bob Wickman, Guillermo Mota, Scott Sauerbeck, Jason Davis, Danny Graves, Rafael Perez, and Brian Slocum. The 8th and 9th are in good hands with Mota and Wickman but, earlier than that, I think the Tribe will have their fingers crossed that the kids can hold it together and/or Danny Graves can step up.

While there's always pressure on the starters to work deep into games, you have to believe there's even more now. It will be interesting to see if Eric Wedge adjusts his pitch count limits to compensate for the bullpen injuries.

Could there possibly be a better time to be facing the Royals?

CC Sabathia threw another bullpen session yesterday without setback and will throw a simulated game on Saturday. That should setup CC for a rehab appearance next Wednesday or Thursday with a possible return to the Indians rotation the first week of May.

Casey Blake returned to the lineup yesterday after missing a game with a ga-ga-ga-groin, ga-ga-ga-groin, ga-ga-ga-grooooooin injury. Thanks Mayday.

Kelly Shoppach picked up his first major league hit on Wednesday with a pinch-hit single to centerfield off Eddy Rodriguez.

Steve Karsay was activated out of extended spring training and tossed 2-2/3 innings of one-run ball yesterday for the Bisons. The run came on a solo shot, he didn't walk a batter, 25 of 38 pitches were strikes, and he worked out of a bases-loaded jam by inducing a 6-4-3 double-play.

Ryan Garko is day-to-day in Buffalo after being hit by a pitch in the 8th inning on Wednesday. X-rays were negative.

Chris Cooper was placed on the Aeros DL with left shoulder tendinitis. The southpaw was 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA in four appearances this year. Victor Kliene was activated from extended spring training and will take Coop's spot in the bullpen. He was rocked in his debut last night, giving up seven runs on six hits and a pair of walks in 2-1/3 innings.

Ryan Edell was placed on the Captains DL with a sore left elbow. Jorge Riera was activated to take his place on the roster and he worked four scoreless frames (2H, 2W, 3K) in his return to the bump.

JUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUliooooooooooooooooooo Franco became the oldest player in major league history to go deep when he blasted a two-run shot off of Scott Linebrink last night. The 47-year old Franco now has 171 long balls for his career to go along with 2,523 hits. The most amazing thing to me is that he's doing it in the NL without the benefit of serving as a DH.

Bartolo Colon was placed on the 15-day DL by the Angels with shoulder inflammation. No tear was found and the Angels are hoping that he'll miss only two starts.

The Orioles placed Tim Byrdak on the 15-day DL due to bone chips in his elbow. He'll have surgery and is expected to miss at least six weeks.

Brandon Phillips (.367, 11-for-30) went deep twice yesterday for the Reds and drove in six runs thanks to a two-run shot and a salami. Phillips has 13 RBI in limited duty.

Too little time to get to it fully, but Chuck Lofgren (5IP, 5H, 2W, 7K - 4 swinging in a row), Brian Barton (2 HRs), John Drennen (3-for-4, SB, .326), Jordan Brown (4-for-5, .235), Lou Merloni (2-for-4, 2B, .415, 8 game streak), and Fernando Cabrera (1.2IP, 3K, 30 pitches, 21 strikes) had good games yesterday.

Posted on 4/21/2006

April 20, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Rafael Perez Called Up

So, why Rafael Perez? Why dip down into double-A for a starter with a 7.02 ERA this year? Why not Andrew Brown, Brian Slocum, Jeremy Guthrie, Steve Karsay, or Felix Heredia? The simple answer: Perez can pitch today. He last worked on Sunday, tossing six innings against Harrisburg (7H, 3R, 1W, 7K, 10GB), giving him three full days of rest and making him available for multiple innings today against the Orioles. Andrew Brown, on the other hand, worked two innings and threw 45 pitches on Tuesday. Brian Slocum tossed two innings yesterday for the Bisons. Jeremy Guthrie turned in another strong start yesterday, tossing seven frames of two-run ball (3H, 1W, 5K, 10GB). Steve Karsay and Felix Heredia were both just activated out of extended spring training and, more importantly, are not on the 40-man roster, meaning that someone would have had to be removed from a very tight 40. The ABJ also notes this morning that a very upset Edward Mujica (who is on the 40) was removed from last nights Aeros game in the 9th inning as a precaution (he had thrown 15 pitches) to a potential call up today. Taking all that into account and considering that with Miller and Rafael Betancourt not available today, the Indians needed someone who could (potentially) work multiple innings if Fausto Carmona struggles and gets an early hook. That doesn't mean that Perez will definitely pitch. If Carmona works six or seven frames, we'll see Sauerbeck, JD, Mota, and Wickman as usual. Just consider Perez as protection for the middle innings. On that note, don't be surprised if Perez' big league stint is a short one and we see Andrew Brown get the call once he is available to pitch (likely on Friday). If Betancourt goes on the DL, I would think we'll see Slocum joining the 'pen as well. More in the next CIR

Posted on 4/20/2006

CIR UPDATE: Miller Placed on DL

The Indians placed Matt Miller on the 15-day disabled list this morning with a strained right elbow and recalled Rafael Perez from Akron. They're still waiting on test results for Rafael Betancourt's back so an additional move may be coming later today. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 4/20/2006

April 18, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, April 18

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After his last start (4/12 v Sea, 3.2IP, 7H, 6R, 3W) Paul Byrd hinted that Carl Willis had discovered a mechanical flaw in his delivery. Consider the flaw corrected after Byrd's strong seven-inning performance yesterday in the Indians 10-2 win over the Tigers. The right-hander turned in seven strong innings, blemished only by solo homeruns to "Babe" Shelton and Carlos Guillen, while allowing just those two runs on four hits and a walk. Finishing strong, after the Guillen homer, he set down the final 10 batters he faced. The flaw, incidentally, was that Byrd was bending over too much at the waist during his delivery. After checking the video, Willis and Luis Issac noticed that he stood taller in his motion last year. And that's how pitching coaches earn their pay. Like the first two outings were just two starts, this is just one (good) start but it's an encouraging sign. As is the one walk (64 strikes, 88 pitches) issued after Byrd uncharacteristically struggled with his control in his first two appearances.

CC Sabathia is scheduled to throw 50-60 pitches in a bullpen session today. If all goes well, another bully (perhaps in the form of a simulated game) may follow later this week with a rehab start the following week.

As speculated yesterday, Fernando Cabrera has been sent out on a rehab assignment and in his first appearance yesterday for the Bisons, he tossed two scoreless innings, striking out three while allowing one hit and no walks. 21 of his 28 pitches went for strikes. With his activation date set as April 29, Cabrera should be able to make four or five more appearances for the Bisons before he rejoins the Indians. Note that Cabrera is out of options so leaving him in Buffalo is not, well, an option. Talk about an injury coming at the right time, just when Cabrera is struggling with his control and the Indians have a roster decision to make.

Congratulations to the Wedges on the birth of their first child, daughter Ava, who checked in at 7 lbs, 12 oz yesterday morning. Dad is expected back with the team in time for tonight's game in Baltimore.

Victor Martinez' (.408) hitting streak is apparently still on as he rapped out three hits yesterday to run his streak to 12 games despite going hitless in one trip to the dish on Sunday. Perhaps because he did not have an official at-bat (he walked), the streak continues? That seems kind of odd to me.

The early returns could not be more positive for Eduardo Perez. Three hits yesterday, including a pair of doubles, and Per-EZ (as Jon Miller would say) is stroking at a healthy .316/.409/.737/1.046 clip. With Ben Broussard also off to a good start, Benaurdo is providing .327/.389/.571/.960 production.

Jeremy Sowers (2-0, 0.47) continues to toy with triple-A pitching with the Clippers being his latest victim in the Bisons 10-1 victory yesterday. Sowers worked a strong seven innings, allowing one run on six hits and no walks while striking out four. 56 of 79 pitches were strikes. He permitted leadoff singles in the first two frames but after back-to-back doubles plated a run in the fifth, he retired the last eight hitters he faced. In 19.1 innings, Sowers has allowed just one earned run on 17 hits and five walks while striking out 11.

Ryan Garko (.419/.490/.581/1.072) ran his hitting streak to seven games with a three-hit performance that included a RBI single in the first, a walk in the third, a two-run double in the fourth, and his first longball (a two-run jack) in the sixth.

Franklin Gutierrez (.370/.442/.587/1.029) also had three hits as did Joe Inglett (.278).

Felix Heredia completed his 10-game suspension for violation of MLB's steroid policy and returned to the mound on Sunday for the Bisons, although it certainly wasn't the best of debuts. In one inning, the veteran left-hander allowed three runs on four hits. It's interesting that he was allowed to serve his suspension in the minor leagues.

Adam Miller (2-0, 2.04) outdueled Adam Loewen for the second consecutive outing as the Aeros knocked off Bowie 6-2 last night at Canal Park. Miller, who allowed a baserunner every inning, did not allow an earned run in 5-2/3 innings on the bump, scattering five hits and a walk while striking out four. In three starts, Miller's struck out 15 while walking three and surrendering just 12 basehits.

Jonathan Van Every enjoyed a three-hit night to raise his averages to .343/.442/.600/1.042. He also has three doubles and two homeruns.

Ryan Mulhern (.280/.315/.460/.775) belted his second dinger and also singled.

Concluding the night of strong outings by the organizations starters, Kinston right-hander Sean Smith (1-2, 3.00) flipped six innings of one-run ball against Wilmington, although the good guys took it on the chin in a 5-0 loss. Smith punched out five while walking one and giving up four knocks.

Posted on 4/18/2006

April 17, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Monday, April 17

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Fausto Carmona was sensational in his debut on Saturday against the Tigers, limiting the Motown mashers to one run on five hits and a pair of walks in six innings on the bump while punching out four. 52 of his his 88 pitches went for strikes and, somewhat uncharacteristically, he recorded just four of 18 outs via the groundball. The right-hander worked out of jams in the late innings (5th and 6th) and topped out at 97 mph on the heater while consistently working in the 93-94 mph range. He'll throw again Thursday against the Orioles.

To make room on the roster for Carmona, Fernando Cabrera was placed on the 15-day DL with a bruised right heel. Set retroactive to April 14, he'll be able to come off the disabled list on April 29. A rehab assignment, in which Cabrera can work on regaining his control (7 BB, 4.2 IP) in a non-pressure environment, would seem to be a likely course of action. For Jason Davis, it means another two weeks in the big leagues. Davis, incidentally, was impressive in two innings of work in Friday's loss.

CC Sabathia threw 30 pitches in a bullpen session yesterday and reported no pain afterwards. He'll increase his pitch count to 40 in a bully scheduled for Tuesday. CC appears on target for an end-of-the-month return.

Victor Martinez' 11-game hitting streak (/386/.440/.568/1.008) was snapped yesterday when he walked in his lone trip to the plate yesterday as a pinch-hitter.

Ryan Garko is hitting .478 (11-for-23) over a six game hitting streak that has raised his season averages to .385/.457/.462/.918. Yesterday, he reached base five times (double, two walks, two hit by pitches) in the Bisons 8-3 loss to Columbus.

Ben Francisco had two homers on Saturday, including a walkoff blast in the 11th inning. He followed up that stellar performance with a three-hit outing yesterday. Francisco is now hitting /312/.405/.531/.936 for the season.

Franklin Gutierrez has a modest four-game hitting streak (6-for-16) and is hitting .333/.417/.571/.968 with four doubles, two longballs, and six walks.

Brian Slocum (1.23) has punched out 10 in 7.1 innings covering four appearances out of the 'pen. Hyang Nam Choi (2.35) has 9 strikeouts in 7.2 innings in four appearances.

Jake Dittler struggled through four frames yesterday, allowing nine hits and five runs with four walks and no strikeouts. In three appearances this year, Dittler has allowed 16 hits and nine walks in 12 innings with just three strikeouts.

Jeremy Guthrie (1-0, 0,00) and Dan Denham (1-0, 2.70) were both sharp in their recent outings. Guthrie flipped five scoreless frames while Denham tossed five innings of one-run ball.

Jeremy Sowers starts for the Bisons today at 1:05 and you can follow the action live on minorleaguebaseball.com.

The Indians and Bisons extended their affiliation agreement for two years through 2008.

Tony Sipp (1-0, 1.64) tossed six scoreless innings in the Aeros 2-0 victory over Harrisburg on Friday. The southpaw punched out eight while allowing just three hits and three walks. In 11 innings covering two starts, Sipp has struck out 17.

Ryan Mulhern (.261/.300/.391/.691) had his nine-game hitting streak (12-for-38, .316) snapped yesterday.

Ivan Ochoa missed a pair of games over the weekend due to a bruised left eye suffered during infield practice.

Kinston right-hander Joe Ness carried a no-hitter through four innings, and a shutout through five in the K-Tribe's 3-2 victory over Winston-Salem yesterday. The right-hander finished with seven strikeouts in six innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk.

Brian Barton (.333) returned to the K-Tribe lineup last Friday (1-for-4). He had been day-to-day since the opener with a knee injury.

Matt Whitney (.129, 4-for-31, 15 K) went deep in back-to-back games over the weekend for his first two jacks of the season.

Chuck Lofgren, Scott Lewis, and Aaron Laffey turned in strong performances for the K-Tribe. Lofgren tossed 5-2/3 scoreless innings, Lewis flipped four scoreless, while Laffey worked five innings of one-run ball.

Trevor Crowe remains hot, hitting .357/.487/.500/.987 (10-for-28) with a double, homerun, nine walks, and three stolen bases.

Ken Dixon was hittable for the first time this season, giving up 10 knocks and three runs (two earned) yesterday in the Captains 3-2 loss to Hagerstown.

Ryan Edell was removed from his start last Thursday for the LC due to a mild strain in his left arm. With an off-day today, he's not listed in the Captains projected five-day rotation and it looks like he'll miss at least one start.

Jody Gerut was placed on the minor league restricted list by the Pirates after he decided to have surgery on his right knee against the teams wish. Both sides agree that Gerut has patellar tendinitis but the Pirates say he can play while Gerut believes otherwise. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, Gerut will remain on the 40-man roster but will not be paid, will not accumulate service, and the surgery expenses will not be covered by the team.

Ryan Church was called up by the Nationals.

Andy Abad was designated for assignment by the Reds.

Ryan Drese was placed on the 15-day DL by the Nationals and may have Tommy John surgery recommended by Dr.Lewis Yocum today in Los Angeles. He left his start in the 5th inning on Friday, saying "it was pretty painful, I've never felt anything like this before". Travis Hafner, meanwhile, has seven homeruns in 11 games.

Sean Casey is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks after being placed on the Pirates 15-day DL with two fractures in his left lower back. The Mayor was injured after a collision of sorts with John Mabry at first base. Former Tribe farmhand Mike Edwards was called up to replace Casey on the active roster.

One nice benefit of Sports Time Ohio: evening replays of afternoon contests. Came in handy on Saturday because....

You might have a red neck, if you spend all day in the backyard putting together a swing set while foolishly believing you can't get a sunburn in April.

Posted on 4/17/2006

April 13, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Thursday, April 13

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In a game when the Indians did just about everything they could to lose, they did, falling 11-9 to the Mariners to snap their six game winning streak. The lone bright spot was that the offense kept hitting, continued to battle, had the winning run at the plate in the bottom of the ninth, and put themselves in a position to win.

Is it too early to start worrying about Paul Byrd? A two start sample size says yes. but after watching him allow six runs on seven hits and three walks in 3-2/3 innings yesterday, the concern-o-meter has to tick up a notch. Slow starts are nothing new for Byrd, however. He had a 5.29 ERA last April for the Greater Los Angeles Metropolitan Area Angels and followed that up with a 3.03 and 3.34 ERA in May and June. What is concerning is the high walk counts in these first two outings. Byrd has six walks in 10-2/3 innings. Last year, Byrd walked 28 in 204.1 innings. At his current rate, he'll reach that figure by his eighth start. In 2004 and 2002 (sat out 2003 with injury), Byrd walked 19 in 114.1 innings (04) and 38 in 228.1 innings (02) so the history is there. When a finesse pitcher starts to walk hitters, it means they're either off the plate or the off-speed stuff isn't fooling anyone. And when that happens, it's bad things man, as evidenced by these first two appearances. His next start will be Monday in Detroit against the hot-hitting Tigers. Interestingly enough, Byrd has never pitched in Comerica.

The Tribe has its work cut out for them tonight as they face the "King", Felix Hernandez, for the first time. Hernandez, who just turned 20 five days ago, is the "phenom" who has been compared to a young Doc Gooden when he broke in with the Mets some twenty-two years ago. His performance has backed it up as well. Last year, Felix went 4-4 with a 2.67 ERA, 0.998 WHIP, and 77 strikeouts in 84.1 innings. As a 19-year old. That sentence is separated for effect. In his first start this year, the right-hander limited the A's to just one run and two hits in five innings although he did allow four walks. I would expect the Tribe to be patient early but if Hernandez is on, it could be a tough night.

Down on the farm, Jeremy Sowers (1-0, 0.00) was sensational again last night, tossing 6-1/3 scoreless innings in the Bisons 4-1 victory. The southpaw allowed just five hits and two free passes while striking out a pair. Sowers is unscored upon in two starts covering 12.1 innings with a 1.300 WHIP.

Andrew Brown allowed a run in 1-2/3 innings of setup relief. In three appearances, Brown has a 2.08 ERA and has allowed just one hit but has walked three versus one strikeout. Ben Howard worked a perfect ninth for the save.

Jason Dubois (.316/.375/.526/.901) (6-for-19) belted his first longball of the season as did Einar Diaz (.158, 3-for-19).

Andy Marte was 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. It's the first time in seven games he has failed to reach base.

The anticipated pitchers duel between Adam Miller (1-0, 3.00) and Adam Loewen in Bowie last night never really materialized as the game turned into a bit of a slugfest with the good guys holding on for a 7-6 victory. After a rocky first in which he allowed two runs, Miller settled down and held the Bay Sox scoreless until the 5th when he served up a two-run, one-out dinger. Impressively, Miller quickly regrouped and punched out the next two hitters before working a quick 1-2-3 sixth with three groundballs to the middle infield before giving way to the bullpen. Although he was reached for the four runs, in six innings, Miller allowed just four (timely) hits and one walk while striking out four. Loewen, meanwhile, was charged with six runs in 4.1 innings as the Aeros reached him for eight knocks.

Edward Mujica (0.00, 2 sv) wiggled out of jams in the 8th and 9th inning to notch his second save of the season. The right-hander entered the game with one out in the bottom of the 8th and runners on 1st and 2nd but retired the next two batters to put out the fire. In the 9th, Mujica uncharacteristically walked the first two batters (he walked just seven in 60.1 innings last year) but got out of the jam thanks to two grounders (and an assist to Ivan Ochoa for nailing a runner at the plate) and a punchout. In five innings this year, Mujica has not been scored upon and has allowed just one hit with four walks and four strikeouts.

Kevin Kouzmanoff rapped out three safeties and is hitting .320/.370/.360/.730 on the season.

There's big swingers aplenty in the Aeros lineup. Brad Snyder has 13 whiffs in 30 at-bats, Ryan Mulhern has 13 in 31 at-bats, and Jonathan Van Every has 10 in 22 trips to the dish. Mulhern had two hits, including a double, last night while JVE belted his first longball of the season.

Sean Smith (1-1, 3.75) turned in another strong outing for the K-Tribe, working six frames and allowing just one run on four hits while walking two and striking out four. The right-hander retired the first seven he faced and worked the first five innings in scoreless fashion before being reached for a run in the sixth.

Stephen Head went deep for the first time this year in support of Mr.Smith and added a single as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Head is now hitting .364/.462/.591/1.053 with four walks versus two strikeouts.

The Captains return to the LC tonight for their home opener against Hagerstown. The good guys haven't let the fans down yet, going 3-0 in home openers since the franchise moved to Eastlake from Columbus.

Last night, James Deters (3.00) turned in a nearly identical outing to his first start, giving up two runs in six innings while walking none and striking out six.

John Drennen had his second-straight multiple-hit game, going 2-for-3 with a walk.

Felix Heredia was scheduled to start in an extended spring game in Winter Haven yesterday. Is this an attempt to get him some innings or does the Tribe have other plans?

In the "just what they needed" category, Sports Time Ohio was off the air for a few innings last night. Well timed during Lost, however.

Coco Crisp signed a three-year, $15,5 million contract extension with the Red Sox that includes a $8 million team option in 2010 that would cover Coco's first year of free agency. It's likely he'll still be on the DL (broken finger) when the Red Sox make their only visit to the Jake on April 25-27.

David Riske (lower back strain) was placed on the 15-day DL by the Red Sox. Riske pitched only one game for Sox, allowing two runs in one inning of work. Terry Mulholland (left elbow inflammation) was placed on the 15-day DL by the D-Backs.

Posted on 4/13/2006

April 12, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Wednesday, April 12

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7-19

9-13

9-14

After going a combined 25-46 the past three April's, to say the Indians have gotten off to a hot start in 2006 is an understatement. After last night's 9-5 victory over Seattle, their sixth in a row after the rain-delayed opening loss in Chicago, the Indians stand a robust 6-1 and hold a one game lead over the equally hot-starting Tigers, who just happen to be coming to town for three games this weekend.

Last night, Cliff Lee carried a no-hitter through 4-2/3, the middle of the order (Peralta, Hafner, and Martinez) went 8-for-10 with five RBIs and two walks, and the Tribe cruised to victory.

To illustrate just how hot the Indians are, seven of the nine starters have averages over .300: Grady Sizemore (.353), Jason Michaels (.333), Peralta (.300), Hafner (.423), Martinez (.484), Aaron Boone (.333), and Casey Blake (.375), who just happened to get me and the boy off to a good start last night in MLB.com's Beat the Streak game. To make it hotter, Ben Broussard isn't far behind at .286. Ronnie Belliard, the only regular struggling at .143, returned to the lineup last night after missing two games with a strained calf, and knocked in a pair of runs and made two nice plays in the field.

As a team, the offense ranks first in batting average (.324), second in on-base percentage (.375), second in slugging percentage (.527), and second in OPS (.902). On the mound, the pitching staff has been equally impressive, leading the AL in OPS-against (.618), and batting average against (.208), and ranked second in WHIP (1.14) and 4th in ERA (3.94).

It's only seven games, and those numbers can fluctuate up and down rapidly with such a small sample size (if this stretch was in August, for example, the streak would be noted but the impact on overall stats would be small), but, while you can't win a pennant in April, you can surely put yourself in a better position to win a pennant and the Indians are doing just that.

Eric Wedge confirmed that Fausto Carmona will start against the Tigers on Saturday and in his final tuneup on Monday, Carmona was charged with five runs (four earned) in six innings against Norfolk (5H, 1W, 6K, 1HR).

Andy Marte continues to rip, going 2-for-4 with a double yesterday in the Bisons 6-4 loss. He also had one of the Bisons three hits on Monday and is stroking at a .400/.538/.550/1.088 clip with three doubles and six walks (versus three strikeouts).

Nick Pesco flipped six strong innings for the Aeros on Monday, limiting Bowie to one run (solo shot) on three hits and a walk while punching out three. Edward Mujica tossed two scoreless frames in relief of Pesco.

Last night, Rafael Perez was roughed up by the Bay Sox to the tune of eight runs (seven earned) in 5-2/3 innings.

Brad Snyder tripled and singled last night and is hitting .308/.333/.538/.872 (8-for-26) with a double, triple, and longball. Note that 10 of his 18 outs have been by the whiff.

Adam Miller vs Adam Loewen tonight in Bowie.

Chuck Lofgren punched out eight in a dominating performance in Kinston's 4-1 victory over Wilmington on Monday. Setting the stage early, the lefty struck out five of the first seven hitters he faced, including top Red Sox prospects Jacoby Ellsbury (1st, 2005), Jeff Corsaletti (2004 Indian draftee), and Jed Lowrie (1st, 2005) in order in the first. Over 79 pitches covering five innings, Lofgren did not walk a batter and allowed just two hits while being charged with one unearned run.

Through five games, Trevor Crowe is hitting an even .400/.500/.600/1.100 (6-for-15) with five walks and two stolen bases for the K-Tribe.

Jorge Riera was placed on the Captains disabled list with right shoulder inflammation. Frank Hermann was called up from extended spring and made his professional debut on Monday, allowing a run on four hits in three innings on the bump. The right-handed Hermann was signed last year as an undrafted free agent out of Harvard where he was named All-Ivy honorable mention for the Crimson.

John Drennen is starting to heat up, reaching base four times (three hits, one walk) in the last two games. He also swiped a pair of bags.

Captains right-hander Ken Dixon extended his hitless streak to 8-1/3 innings last night before finally being reached for a base knock in the third inning. Dixon, who was unhittable (literally) in the opener with six hitless frames, held Delmarva to just that third inning single last night in five innings of work. Two runs did cross the plate thanks to a pair of walks (three for the entire outing), a hit batsmen, a sacrifice bunt, a strange force-out, and the timely knock. Oh yeah, he also punched out five. In eleven innings, Dixon, the pride of Minnesota State (5th, 2005) has allowed just one hit and four walks while striking out 11. A finer start to the season will be tough to find.

Baseball America notes in yesterday's Daily Dish that outfielder Mike Butia is back with the Indians in extended spring training after retiring in March. Butia, 2004 5th round pick out of James Madison, hit just .252/.315/.379/.694 at Lake County and .198/.264/.275/.539 at Kinston last year after a solid debut in the Valley (.315/.397/.461/.857) in 2004.

The once promising career of right-hander Jeff Pry has apparently come to an end as the Indians announced that Pry retired last week. Drafted out of a Oregon HS in the 17th round of the 2003 draft and rated as the 5th best prospect in the state by Baseball America, Pry signed with the Tribe one week before classes were scheduled to begin at the University of Hawaii where he had a commitment to play college ball. Unfortunately for Pry, the Indians reportedly voided his contact (according to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin back in Sept 2003) after his physical revealed that he needed Tommy John surgery. Unfortunately for Pry (again), because he had signed a pro contract, NCAA rules prohibited him from playing for Hawaii or any other D1 team. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place. No pro contract and no college ball in Hawaii. Oof! Whether the Indians actually voided the contract or, more likely, reduced his signing bonus, Pry eventually did sign with the Indians, underwent Tommy John surgery in 2004, made his pro debut in Burlington last year, posting a 5.87 ERA in 15 appearances out of the bullpen, and then decided to hang it up this spring.

The ABJ notes that the Indians have sold 1.4 million tickets this year. It took them until June to hit that mark in 2005. 6500 single-game tickets were sold yesterday along with 2700 walk-ups for last nights contest against the Mariners. If you win, they will come.

Coco Crisp was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a broken left index finger. Original estimates had Coco out for 6-to-8 weeks but it now appears that he might miss only 2-to-4 weeks. Crisp was hitting .333 (8-for-24) with a double, triple, and two stolen bases to start the season. Former Indian farmhand Dustan Mohr was called up from Pawtucket to replace Crisp in the nation's outfield.

Matt Lawton may see his first action of the year tonight at the Jake after serving his 10-game suspension for violating baseball's steroid policy.

Best wishes to Allan Simpson who is leaving Baseball America 25 years after he founded the magazine in his garage in British Columbia. I've been reading BA since the late 80s and a heartfelt thanks goes out to Allan and his crew for the tremendous amount of information and analysis they have provided over the years.

And finally, Cleveland Indians Charities has donated $150,000 to the Cleveland Public Schools to fund twenty baseball and softball high school programs this season. This is the second consecutive year that CIC has provided such support.

Posted on 4/12/2006

April 10, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Monday, April 10

News and notes from a weekend on the farm...

Jeremy Guthrie threw six sensational innings yesterday for the Bisons, holding Richmond scoreless while striking our four and allowing just four hits and a walk.

Hyang Nam Choi made his North American debut in relief of Guthrie and tossed two scoreless innings, striking out three.

Franklin Gutierrez (.444) started the season with three multiple hit games (2-for-5, 3-for-5, 3-for-5) before going hitless in game two of the doubledip yesterday.

Andy Marte had an interesting opening series in Richmond. While he struggled in the field (two errors) and was involved in a bizarre play on the bases that ended up in a game-ending double-play, he also banged out five hits and walked six times and is hitting .417/.611/.583/1.184.

Jason Cooper, left off the 40, passed in the Rule 5, not invited to big league camp, and somewhat forgotten amidst the Tribe outfield prospects, has three doubles among his five hits and is hitting .313/.389/.625/1.014 in the early going.

The Buffalo News notes that Jason Stanford (4IP, 2H, 2R, 3W, 4K) became the first player in the "modern era" of the Bisons to play with the team for six years. Who's the pitching equivalent of Crash Davis?

Tony Sipp fanned nine in five innings yesterday for the Aeros, walking none and allowing two earned runs on six hits.

Trevor Crowe, hitting third in the K-Tribe lineup, is 5-for-11 with a homerun (.455/.571/.727/1.299).

On the flip side, strugglers among the small sample sizes of opening weekend include Ryan Mulhern (.158, 3-for-19, 8K), Matt Whitney (.071, 1-for-14, 6K), and John Drennan (.083, 1-for-12, 3K).

I wish I could be in Bowie on Wednesday when Adam Miller and Adam Loewen are slated to faceoff in a matchup of two of the best pitching prospects in the minor leagues. Miller tossed six scoreless innings in his first start while Loewen carried a no-hitter into the 8th inning and punched out twelve.

Kevin Millwood has had a rough start for the Rangers, posting a 7.36 ERA in two appearances (11IP, 15H, 9ER).

Cory Snyder will manage the St.George team in the independent Golden Baseball League when it debuts in 2007.

Chris Kline uses the Indians as an example of how a big league team puts together its minor league rosters.

If you don't listen to MLB Radio, you're missing the "Big Richie" Sexson commercial. Great stuff.

The Chicago Tribune has an interesting article on the "institutions", otherwise known as the Indians long-time beat writers.

The Pirates and Jody Gerut are disputing whether Gerut's right knee is injured after he informed them, upon being optioned to triple-A, that his knee has been bothering him all spring. Note that he never mentioned this prior to being sent down. Dave Littlefield, the Pirates GM, says Gerut is healthy enough to play. Jody says otherwise. Test results from a second opinion are expected this week.

With Eric Gagne out 6-8 weeks, Danys Baez is the new closer in Chavez Ravine.

Brandon Phillips doubled in his first at-bat for the Reds on Saturday. With Felipe Lopez, Rich Aurilia, Tony Womack, and Ryan Freel also playing in the middle infield in the Queen City, playing time will likely not come easily (or often) for Phillips. How he responds to infrequent use will be interesting to see.

Brian Tallet picked up the win on Saturday for the Blue Jays with 2-2/3 innings of solid relief. Bubbie Buzachero, whom the Indians acquired for Tallet, has tossed four scoreless innings of relief for the Aeros.

Ryan Drese was activated off the disabled list by the Nationals.

Colorado released Ernie Young, Brian Kirby, and Aaron Marsden. Kansas City released Benji Gil. The Yankees released Luis Garcia. Pittsburgh released Derrick Van Dusen. Luther Hackman was released by the Cardinals. Jack Cressend and Travis Driskill were released by the D-Rays.

Posted on 4/10/2006

April 08, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Call to Arms

It was Cleveland 5-0 yesterday as all five teams (from the bigs to the smalls) notched victories. On the farm, pitching dominated as the four starters (Jeremy Sowers, Adam Miller, Scott Lewis, and James Deters) combined for a 1.61 ERA in 22.1 innings of work, striking out 23 while walking just four. Here's the individual lines...

Sowers (BUF) 6IP, 6H, 1UER, 3W, 5K
Miller (AKR) 6IP, 3H, 0R, 1W, 7K
Lewis (KIN) 4.1IP, 3H, 1UER, 0W, 5K
Deters (LC) 6IP, 7H, 2R, 0W, 6K

Very nice to see Adam Miller off to a strong start. More in the next CIR

Posted on 4/08/2006

April 07, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Indians Trade Phillips to Reds

The Indians have traded Brandon Phillips to the Reds for a player to be named later or cash. AP reports t hat the Indians have until June 15 to complete the dea. Phillips is expected to join the Reds in time for their game tomorrow. St.Ignatius grad Matt Kata was designated for assignment by the Reds to make room for Phillips on their roster. Just a thought, but the timing of the completion date (after the June draft) could indicate that the PTBNL is a player from the 2005 draft. If you remember, a player cannot be traded until one year after he signs his first pro contract. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 4/07/2006

CIR UPDATE: Minor League Recaps (4/6)

BUFFALO
The Bisons lost 5-4 in Richmond. Fausto Carmona (on a pitch count, threw 57 pitches) allowed two runs (one earned) in four innings, allowing three hits and no walks while striking out three. Jake Dittler was charged with three runs (one earned) in 3.1 innings of relief. The unearned runs came after back-to-back errors by Andy Marte and Dittler. Marte reached base twice via the free pass in his Bisons debut. Jason Cooper drove in three runs with a double and triple. Jake Gautreau went deep (#1) and Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez had a pair of knocks.

AKRON
The Aeros were shut out by Binghamton 3-0 as Kevin Kouzmanoff, Pat Osborn, and Jonathan Van Every recorded the only hits for the good guys. Rafael Perez allowed three runs on seven hits and three walks in five innings. Travis Foley fanned four in two scoreless frames. Ryan Mulhern opened in left field with Pat Osborn playing first.

KINSTON
The K-Tribe fell 4-3 in Winston-Salem. Sean Smith allowed four runs on eight hits in six innings, although he did punch out seven while walking none. Argenis Reyes had a pair of knocks and drove in two. Matt Whitney was 0-4 with a K. Trevor Crowe (hitting third) walked twice and stole a base. Stephen Head walked and singled.

LAKE COUNTY
Finally some good news. Make that, great news. Ken Dixon tossed six hitless innings in the Captains 2-0 shutout victory in Hickory. The right-hander was sensational as he retired the first six batters he faced, permitted a walk to lead off the third, and then retired the next twelve hitters in order before reaching his 85 pitch limit. Matt Loberg followed with two scoreless frames, the no-no was broken with a leadoff single in the bottom of the 7th, and picked up the win when the good guys pushed a run across in the 8th. Mike Conroy banged out three hits and Jose Constanza drove in the game-winner.

Posted on 4/07/2006

April 05, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Opening Day Minor League Rosters

Consolidating them all in one post...

BUFFALO BISONS
STARTERS: Jeremy Guthrie, Fausto Carmona, Jason Stanford, Jeremy Sowers, Jake Dittler
RELIEVERS: Andrew Brown, Dan Denham, Jason Young, Ben Howard, Brian Slocum, Rob Bell, Hyang-Nam Choi
CATCHERS: Ryan Garko, Einar Diaz, Tim Laker
INFIELDERS: Joe Inglett, Jake Gautreau, Jose Flores, Andy Marte, Lou Merloni
OUTFIELDERS: Jason Cooper, Jason Dubois, Franklin Gutierrez, Ben Francisco

AKRON AEROS
STARTERS: Rafael Perez, Bear Bay, Adam Miller, Nick Pesco, Tony Sipp
RELIEVERS: Chris Cooper, Travis Foley, Tom Mastny, Edward Mujica, Juan Lara, Bubbie Buzachero, Jim Ed Warden
CATCHERS: Javi Herrera, David Wallace
INFIELDERS: Ivan Ochoa, Eider Torres, Pat Osborn, Shaun Larkin, Ryan Mulhern, Kevin Kouzmanoff
OUTFIELDERS: Jonathan Van Every, Brad Snyder, Nathan Panther, Todd Donovan

KINSTON INDIANS
STARTERS: Scott Lewis, Jensen Lewis, Chuck Lofgren, Joe Ness, Sean Smith
RELIEVERS: Dan Eisentrager, Scott Roehl, Christopher Niesel, Kyle Collins, Jesus Soto, Aaron Laffey, T.J. Burton, Reid Santos
CATCHERS: Caleb Brock, Armando Camacaro, Wyatt Toregas
INFIELDERS: Micah Schilling, Rodney Choy Foo, Brandon Pinckney, Luis Cotto, Argenis Reyes, Stephen Head, Matthew Whitney, Brian Finegan
OUTFIELDERS: Ryan Goleski, Brian Barton, Trevor Crowe, Jordan Brown, John Drennen

LAKE COUNTY CAPTAINS
STARTERS: Jorge Riera, Kevin Dixon, James Deters, Albert Vargas, Ryan Edell
PITCHERS: Ryan Knippschild, Julio Pinto, Matt Davis, Mark Jecmen, Matthew Loberg. Michael Finocchi, Dustin Roddy
CATCHERS: Joshua Noviskey, Chris Gimenez, Omar Casillas
INFIELDERS: Marshall Szabo, Fernando Pacheco, Chris De La Cruz, P.J. Hiser, Matthew Fornasiere, Nick Petrucci, Niuman Romero
OUTFIELDES: Juan Valdes, Jose Constanza, Mike Conroy, John Drennen

Posted on 4/05/2006

April 04, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Captains Opening Day Roster

Lake County announced it's opening day roster today and it is as follows...

CATCHERS: Chris Gimenez (new position), Omar Casillas
INFIELDERS: Fernando Pacheco, Marshall Szabo, Chris De La Cruz, Matt Fornasiere, Niuman Romero, Nick Petrucci, PJ Hiser
OUTFIELDERS: Jose Constanza, Juan Valdes, Mike Conroy, Juan Drennan
STARTERS: Kevin Dixon (opening day starter), Jim Deters, Ryan Edell, Jorge Riera, Albert Vargas
RELIEVERS: Ryan Knippschild, Matt Davis (closer), Mike Finnochi, Mark Jecman, Matt Loberg, Julio Pinto, Dustin Roddy

The Captains open Sally League play on Thursday in Hickory, NC against the Crawdads.

Posted on 4/04/2006

CIR UPDATE: CC on DL, JD on the way

The Indians placed CC Sabathia on the 15-day disabled list today with a strained right oblique muscle and called up Jason Davis from Buffalo to replace CC on the roster. Davis will work out of the bullpen until a 5th starter is needed and then will likely be optioned to Buffalo and replaced by Fausto Carmona. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 4/04/2006

April 02, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Rosters Finalized

As expected, the Indians made a flurry of moves yesterday to finalize their 25 and 40-man rosters prior to the opener tonight in Chicago. Danny Graves and Todd Hollandsworth had their contracts purchased from triple-A Buffalo and were added to the 40. Jason Davis and Jason Dubois were optioned to Buffalo. Steve Karsay, Einar Diaz, and Tim Laker were assigned to minor league camp and Brandon Phillips and Kazuhito Tadano (there's your other) were designated for assignment. The Indians now have 10 days to trade, release, or outright the pair to Buffalo provided that no one claims them on waivers.

The opening day roster is as follows...

CATCHERS: Victor Martinez, Kelly Shoppach
INFIELDERS: Travis Hafner, Ben Broussard, Eduardo Perez, Ronnie Belliard, Jhonny Peralta, Ramon Vazquez, Aaron Boone
OUTFIELDERS: Grady Sizemore, Jason Michaels, Casey Blake, Todd Hollandsworth
STARTERS: CC Sabathia, Jake Westbrook, Cliff Lee, Paul Byrd, Jason Johnson
RELIEVERS: Bob Wickman, Guillermo Mota, Fernando Cabrera, Rafael Betancourt, Scott Sauerbeck, Matt Miller, Danny Graves

More in the next CIR.

Posted on 4/02/2006

April 01, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Phillips Watch

The Baltimore Sun reports that the Orioles have had discussions with the Indians regarding Brandon Phillips, although an industry source told the paper that Phillips is not expected to end up with the O's. The PD notes that the Devil Rays, Rockies, and Nationals may also have an interest in Phillips. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 4/01/2006

March 31, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Tribe to add GCL Team

Among other interesting notes (more on that in another report), Chris Kline reports in the Baseball America Spring Training Daily Dish that the Indians are close to adding a rookie-level Gulf Coast League team that would play in Winter Haven this summer. Mark Shapiro was quoted as saying that "the Appalachian League is becoming more and more of a college league, so we want to bring a team in where our younger picks and Latin players will be able to compete on a level playing field.". That uneven playing field was often reflected in the B-Tribe's W-L record, not that winning and losing is driving this decision. If this goes through, the Indians would join the Mets as the only teams with eight minor league affiliates (Buffalo, Akron, Kinston, Lake County, Mahoning Valley, Burlington, GCL Indians, and the VSL Indians (Venezuela)). Late note: the GCL Indians are listed as an affiliate on minorleaguebaseball.com. I can't remember the last time the Indians had a "complex" team, whether in the GCL (Florida) or AZL (Arizona).

Posted on 3/31/2006

CIR UPDATE: Florida Atlantic Indians?

The Palm Beach Post reports today that Florida Atlantic University is interested in having the Indians move their spring training facilities to the FAU campus in Boca Raton after FAU officials contacted several teams last October and the Indians apparently expressed the most interest. While talks appear to be in a very preliminary stage, the article does note that a decision would need to reached by October 1 in order to secure state funding for the project, which would then be ready for the 2008 Grapefruit League season. If the Tribe were to move to Boca, the closest teams would be the Orioles in Fort Lauderdale and the Marlins and Cardinals in Jupiter. Apopka, FL (north of Orlando) and Cape Coral (Fort Myers area) are also reportedly considering projects to lure the Indians to town.

Posted on 3/31/2006

March 30, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Thursday, March 30

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Danny Graves, Kelly Shoppach, and Ramon Vazquez are in. Einar Diaz, Steve Karsay, and Brandon Phillips are out. Jason Davis waits in Buffalo. Grady Sizemore picks up the check at dinner. That's the short-short version of yesterday's events in Winter Haven. 27 players remain in big league camp with Tim Laker and Jason Dubois slated to be the final cuts. DuBois will be optioned to Buffalo while Laker's fate may depend on whether Diaz accepts an assignment to Buffalo. Today's a busy day for me so the long version will have to wait for tomorrow. In other news...

Franklin Gutierrez has a bruised left wrist after being hit on the hand by a pitch in a minor league game on Monday.

Two nice performances from the Kinston staff: Scott Lewis spun four scoreless innings on Tuesday, striking out two and allowing four hits while Chuck Lofgren tossed five scoreless innings on Wednesday, allowing one hit and three walks while punching out six. Lofgren's outing came in a camp game against his Kinston teammates.

John Farrell told the Kinston Free Press that Michael Aubrey may start the season in Kinston as the DH or in extended spring training to allow him to get stronger.

Anthony Lunetta and Kieran Mattison have been released according to the Kinston Free Press. Lunetta, drafted twice by the Indians (42nd, 1999, HS) (9th, 2003, USC) hit .239/.321/.339/.660 with nine homeruns in his three years with the Tribe. Mattison, who was acquired from the Royals along with Trey Dyson in the Brian Anderson trade in August 2003, had a solid season last year for Lake County, saving 24 games, and posting a 3.52 ERA in 46 innings.

Jim Thome homered twice yesterday and has now blasted six longballs since Sunday. Good thing he's getting this out of his system before Sunday night.

Jeff Kent signed a one-year, $11.5 million extension with the Dodgers. The deal also includes a $9 million club option for 2008.

Marquis Grissom announced his retirement after hitting just .200 this spring for the Cubs. The 38-year old Grissom was the 1997 ALCS MVP with the Indians thanks to a memorable 8th inning Game two homerun off of Armando Benetiz. He retires as one of just seven players in major league history with 2000 hits (2251), 200 homeruns (227), and 200 stolen bases (429), joining hall-of-famers Joe Morgan and Paul Molitor and future hall-of-famers Craig Biggio, Roberto Alomar, Barry Bonds, and Rickey Henderson. A two-time all-star and four-time gold glove winner, Grissom played for seven teams in his long career, finishing with career averages of .272/.318/.415/.733.

Ryan Church was "shocked" by his optioning to triple-A by the Nationals. After hitting .287/.353/.466/.819 in 268 at-bats last year, Church was beaten out by Brandon Watson and Marlon Byrd for a spot in the DC outfield.

Jim Brower has made the Orioles opening day roster. Mike Edwards was re-assigned by the Pirates, Francisco Cruceta and Jose Morban were re-assigned by the Mariners. Kane Davis was waived by the Pirates.

Posted on 3/30/2006

March 29, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Graves, Shoppach Round out Roster

Anthony Castrovince reports on mlb.com that Danny Graves and Kelly Shoppach have been told that they will be on the opening day roster. Jason Davis will be optioned to Buffalo while Steve Karsay and Einar Diaz will be designated for assignment. Ramon Vazquez will also head north with the big league club with Brandon Phillips set to be traded as noted in the previous update. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/29/2006

CIR UPDATE: Phillips to be Traded?

Anthony Castrovince reports on mlb.com that the Indians have informed Brandon Phillips that he is being traded to another club. No details on which club that may be. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/29/2006

CIR UPDATE: Indians Sign Grady for Six Years

The Indians signed Grady Sizemore to a six-year, $23.45 million contract today. The deal is the most guaranteed money for a player with less than two years of major league service. It also includes a club option for a seventh season that would raise the value of the contract to $31.45 million through 2012. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/29/2006

March 28, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, March 28

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With five exhibition games remaining before Opening Night, the final roster decisions (backup catcher, utility infielder, seventh reliever, and backup outfielder) are expected within the next couple of days. Since I'm going to be traveling on Thursday, expect a flurry of moves on the 30th.

Ramon Vazquez had an 0-fer(4) yesterday, lowering his average to .241 for the spring. Brandon Phillips got into the game at short but did not have an AB listed in the boxscore.

Todd Hollandsworth (CF) (.209) and Jason Dubois (LF/RF) (.442) both went 1-for-3.

Neither Kelly Shoppach or Einar Diaz saw action.

Danny Graves gave up two hits but did not allow a run. Steve Karsay was scheduled to pitch the 9th but never got the chance with the home Phillies victorious. He'll pitch today.

Aaron Boone continues to enjoy a fine spring, belting his fourth homerun and seeing his averages rise to .405/.458/.762.

Veteran left-hander Felix Heredia was signed to a minor league contract after being released by the Diamondbacks (4G, 10.80 ERA) earlier this week. He will (potentially) offer some left-handed insurance in triple-A should anything happen to Scott Sauerbeck while also (potentially) stopping the Indians from having to rush Tony Sipp or Rafael Perez. The Indians will be Heredia's 8th organization as he's also seen time with the Marlins, Cubs, Blue Jays, Reds, Yankees, Mets, and Snakes. He sat out most of last year after surgery in July for an aneurysm in his left shoulder. Perhaps that explains his struggles on the mound in 2004 (6.28 ERA, 47G). Going back to 2002-03, however, Heredia was solid out of the pen, posting a 3.00 ERA for the Reds in '03. Oh yeah, if and when he's called up to the big leagues, he'll have to serve a 10 game suspension for steroids (October 2005). So much for that injury insurance, huh? Still, not a bad no-risk signing by the Tribe.

The Bisons remain unbeaten (7-0-1) this spring after a 13-5 victory over Round Rock yesterday. Andy Marte homered while Ben Francisco and Jake Gautreau doubled. Joe Inglett (.448) had another knock. Jake Dittler allowed five runs on six hits and a pair of walks while striking out six in five innings on the bump. On Sunday, Ryan Garko belted a homerun in a camp game versus Akron. Kaz Tadano struck out four in two frames.

David Hall reports in the Kinston Free Press that Matt Knox and Justin Pekarek have retired. Knox (13th, 2001, Millersville U) spent his first three years with the Indians as a corner infielder. A switch to the mound in 2004 saw Knox dominate in the Valley, striking out 61 in 40 innings with a 2.25 ERA, as a key component of the NY-Penn League champion Scrappers staff. An elbow injury limited him to seven appearances last year. Pekarek (8th, 2004, Cornhusker U) had a strong season in the Valley last year, striking out 43 in 30 innings with a 3.50 ERA, before moving up to Kinston and a spot start in Akron. Jensen Lewis notes in his mlb.com column that Pekarek has battled with a bone condition in his pitching arm for the past three years that resulted in the southpaw pitching with a lot of pain.

Hall also notes that Todd Pennington and JJ Sherrill have been released by the Indians. Pennington (46th, 2001, SE Missouri St) had a stellar career with the Tribe in the low minors, posting a career 2.39 ERA with 58 saves in 154 games that includes 252 striekouts in 195.2 innings. "Dominating" does not do his 2003 Captains season justice as he posted a 0.72 ERA with 20 saves and 65 strikeouts in 37.1 innings of work. So why the lack of love? Pennington's right-handed and a soft-tosser, and he had control issues (52 walks in 74 innings) at the higher levels (high-A and AA), and he turns 26 in April. Still, the numbers he posted were (are) impressive. Sherrill (23rd, 1998, Sac CCC) didn't play much in 2005 (23G) after seeing regular duty in the outfield at the A-Ball level from 2002-04. His best season was in 2002 with Columbus (Lake County) when he hit .236/.373/.397/.770 with 13 homeruns and was always somewhere in the boxscore, whether it be with a hit, walk, hit by pitch, stolen base, sacrifice, etc.

Hall also notes that a "good source" says that a major leaguer will start on the mound for both Kinston and Buffalo in the April 4 exhibition game at Grainger Stadium. Jason Johnson makes sense but I'm not sure who the other would be.

Jensen Lewis (4IP, 4H, 4R on Monday), Scott Lewis, Joe Ness, Chuck Lofgren, and Sean Smith will open the season in the K-Tribe rotation according to Chris Kline who adds that Chris Gimenez belted a pair of jacks in yesterday's game.

SportsTime Ohio has signed up WOW, Massilon Cable, GLW Broadband, and Clear Picture bringing the eyeball count to approximately 1.9 million.

The LA Daily News reports on the possibility that the Dodgers could leave Vero Beach within the next five years to train in Arizona. With the Indians in a never-ending search for a long-term spring training home, just keep this in the back of your mind.

Aaron Myette was released by the Phillies, Jake Robbins was re-assigned by the Reds, Zach Sorenson was outrighted by the Brewers, Ricky Gutierrez was re-assigned by the Padres, Chris Clapinski and Benji Gil were re-assigned by the Royals, and Ryan Drese (shoulder) was placed on the 15-day DL by the Nationals.

Posted on 3/28/2006

March 27, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Monday, March 27

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Bullpen day was a success as the Indians defeated the Reds 9-4 to raise their Grapefruit League record to an AL best 18-8-1 for the spring.

Of course, what was really important yesterday was the performance of the three hurlers battling for the final spot in the bullpen. Jason Davis started and worked two scoreless innings, allowing a hit while striking out one. In 16-1/3 innings, Davis now has a 3.31 ERA while allowing 14 hits and four walks while striking out nine. Steve Karsay followed with a scoreless frame, although he allowed a pair of knocks. His ERA stands at 5.54 in 13 innings of work (17H, 2W, 10K, 3HR). Danny Graves worked the 4th and retired the first two batters before serving up a dinger to Austin Kearns, three more hits, two more runs, and a long fly out to the track to end the inning. Graves' ERA rose to 4.26 covering 12.2 innings on the bump (15H, 5W, 5K, 1HR).

It's tough to get a good read on their respective performance level from so far away and little or no TV/radio coverage to see/hear with our own eyes/ears but my thoughts on reading between the lines of the various comments is that of the two veterans Danny Graves has been more consistent and is ready stuff-wise while Steve Karsay has shown flashes of the stuff that made him one of the better relievers in the game but not on a consistent basis. To put it another way, Graves is the safer bet but Karsay, in a month or so, could have more of an impact.

I just wonder if the Indians can afford to carry either of these two in the hopes of them bouncing back once the regular season starts. Neither has been lights out this spring, neither has been particularly effective the last few years either due to injury or just plain old poor performance, and neither should really be trusted with a lead at this point in their respective comebacks. Not to mention that the Indians would likely have to designate a player off their 40 (and potentially lose him via waivers) in order to keep either Graves or Karsay. Not that potentially losing, say, Jason Stanford, would be a devastating blow, but you hate to lose an asset if you don't have to. Of course, if Karsay or Graves turns in a stellar campaign, this discussion is moot, but I think there's a lot of doubt as to how effective either will be once the regular season begins. Jason Davis has presented himself as a viable option with a strong spring, improved secondary pitches, and even though the Indians have said they don't need a true long-man, he can work multiple innings which would be a plus for the staff. Given that neither Karsay or Graves has seized the position, I just wonder how much the Indians are considering just rolling north with Jason Davis and letting the two veterans explore greener pastures. I can understand the need to add another veteran and both Karsay and Graves have closed before (although Graves' reputation was overly inflated by the save count as compared to his actual performance level) but if it takes a month to figure out that they don't have it and it costs us a game or two (or three), that's a game or two (or three) we need to make up on the Sox. That's not to say that Jason Davis couldn't blow a game or two (or three) but you know what I'm saying.

Ultimately, with JD having an option, I think he'll go to Buffalo and lie in wait should either Graves or Karsay struggle or an injury befell another member of the 'pen. As for whether it's Graves or Karsay, I just have a hunch that if Karsay can show consistency with his stuff, and more specifically, with his splitter, which Eric Wedge referred to as a potential separator in the Canton Repository, he's going to have an edge because of his larger potential impact. If not, Graves' overall consistency will win the day.

Note to self: Both Graves and Karsay are scheduled to work again today.

Jason Dubois just keeps hitting, going 2-for-2 yesterday, including a double, to raise his averages to .450/.569/.785 (18-for-40). Odds are still good that Todd Hollandsworth will break camp as the 4th outfielder due to his left-handed stick and ability to play all three outfield position but Dubois has certainly done everything in his power to make the decision difficult for the top brass. If he does get demoted, it will be interesting to see how he handles it after such a strong spring performance.

Brandon Phillips (.324) returned to the lineup yesterday and banged out a hit in three trips to the dish. We should start seeing his name pop up in the out-of-town newspaper rumor mill this week.

Look out Chief Wilson. Grady Sizemore tripled for the 5th time this spring to go along with two other knocks to boost his spring averages to .360/.439/.720.

Cliff Lee allowed four runs on four hits and three walks in six innings of a minor league game yesterday. He should make his final spring start this coming Thursday or Friday in preparation for his April 5 regular season debut.

In an ominous sign for Indians fans, Jim Thome homered on the first two pitches he saw in both his spring training and White Sox debut yesterday. He had sat out all previous exhibition games as the Sox have been cautious in his return from elbow surgery (not to mention his back problems). Needless to say, a healthy Thome adds a formidable force to the South Side lineup.

Mark Little was re-assigned by the Marlins.

MLB Radio is discussing the Dave Stewart karate kick of Pat Corrales. Good times.

Posted on 3/27/2006

March 26, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Sunday, March 26

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T-minus one week until Opening Night in Chicago.

Now, if we can just get this snow to move on, we'll be all set.

Brandon Phillips is scheduled to play today after missing over a week due to strep throat. Paul Hoynes notes that the Rockies may have an interest in Phillips if the Indians elect to roll north with Ramon Vazquez as their utility infielder.

Jake Westbrook looked strong against the Braves on Saturday, allowing one earned run on four hits in six innings of work. In a typical Westbrook outing, his sinker induced 9 ground ball outs.

Just about every member of the bullpen is scheduled to pitch today against the Reds. Jason Davis will start followed by Danny Graves, Matt Miller, Bob Wickman, Guillermo Mota, and Scott Sauerbeck. Cliff Lee, in his normal turn, will pitch in a minor league game. You'll sometimes see a starter work a minor league game to get his work in when the big league club is busing out for a road game but today's game is in the Haven. Is this a bit of a showcase with Davis working two full innings against big league hitting or is this just a quirk in the workload and an opportunity for the Tribe to evaluate the pen in one sitting?

While we're talking about Davis, Mark Schwab noted on WTAM earlier today that Davis' secondary pitches have shown much more life this spring.

Is this the first time this spring that Danny Graves and Steve Karsay have not pitched on the same day?

Todd Hollandsworth struck out twice yesterday as part of a 0-for-5 afternoon to lower his average to .200 (8-for-40) for the spring. Jason Dubois (.421, 16-for-38) remains in camp.

Jeremy Guthrie was optioned to Buffalo yesterday after having, by all accounts, an impressive spring. Guthrie made five appearances, including two scoreless innings on Friday, and posted a 4.00 ERA in nine innings of work, allowing seven hits (two homeruns) and a pair of walks while striking out eight. Eric Wedge was quoted as saying that Guthrie was "very impressive this spring, he's really turned the corner" and praised his confidence and consistency. Similar remarks have been heard from other members of the Indians brass throughout the month. Guthrie will work out of the Bisons rotation and will be the second or third option should the Indians need a depth starter (Sowers may be ahead of Guthrie on the chart but Guthrie's 40 status may make him more practical for one start if Carmona is not available). It's an encouraging spring but the doubting Thomas in me wonders how much of this is coach/GM-speak to facilite interest from other clubs. Nothing wrong with that, of course, but after three years of disappointing performance, I think we're at the stage where we need to see it on a regular basis to believe it. For all concerned, a "he's back" Guthrie would be a very good thing.

Lou Merloni has accepted his assignment and will report to triple-A Buffalo.

Fausto Carmona and Jeremy Sowers continue to look sharp as does the entire Bisons staff this spring. Carmona tossed four scoreless innings (3 hits, four strikeouts) on Friday against Richmond while Sowers worked five scoreless frames (three hits, two strikeouts) yesterday against Toledo while Andrew Brown punched out two in two scoreless innings of relief. The Bisons are unbeaten (6-0-1) through seven games and have a 2.56 ERA in 63.1 innings.

Joe Inglett continues to rake, going 2-for-2 yesterday preceeded by a 1-for-3 game on Friday that included a pair of walks. Inglett is now hitting a tasty .480 (12-for-25) for the spring as he prepares to enter his potential final year in the organization. The Stanford product and 2000 draft 8th round pick will become a six-year free-agent in the offseason if he's not added to the 40-man roster. While he doesn't have the tools that make scouts drool, all Inglett does is hit, posting a .304 career average that included a .330/.376/.465/.841 campaign for the Bisons last year. He'll again likely serve in a super-sub role for the Bisons. Given his roster status, it will be interesting to see if the Indians find a way to take a look at him in the big leagues this summer to see what they have in Inglett.

Eider Torres is also stroking the ball well in Bisons camp, hitting .391 (9-for-23) for the spring.

Andy Call reports that Matt Whitney blasted two homeruns for the K-Tribe on Friday. After missing significant chunks of the past three years with injury, Whitney appears to be healthy. He'll open the year as the starting third basemen for Kinston.

Paul Hoynes reports in the PD that the Indians may "take a look" at Alfonso Soriano if the Nationals decide to put him on the open market. Given his unhappiness in the outfield and Ronnie Belliard's presence at second base, I'm not sure where Soriano would fit with the Indians. But, hey, it never hurts to kick the tires.

Brent Abernathy was re-assigned by the Brue Crue, Billy Traber was optioned by the Nationals, and Luke Scott was optioned by the Astros.

In a move that might signify the end, Dave Burba was released by the Mariners after posting a 16.20 ERA in three appearances this spring. Burba has enjoyed a long career, 115-87 career record, that featured three strong seasons with the Indians from 1998-2000 in which he went 46-29 with a 4.27 ERA. That's worth about $7 million per year on the open market these days. Don't fret that Burba missed the boat, however. According to baseballreference.com, THE Ohio State University product made over $24 million in his 15-year career. Mamas, let your babies grow up to be innings-eaters. As for what the future holds for Burba, "I'm 39, and my kids are 12, 10 and 4. They've had a part-time dad," he said. "If baseball is not going to be the major leagues, then it's time for me to come home and assume my responsibility as a father." Enjoy Dave, and best of luck.

Posted on 3/26/2006

March 25, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Passan likes the Tribe

Jeff Passan, Yahoo! Sports national baseball writer and former beat reporter for the Royals, picks the Indians to finish second in the AL Central this year and take the White Sox to seven games in the ALCS.

Posted on 3/25/2006

CIR UPDATE: Guthrie Optioned to Buffalo

The Indians optioned Jeremy Guthrie to Buffalo today. The right-hander posted a 4.00 ERA in nine innings this spring, allowing seven hits (two homers) and two walks while striking out eight. He'll be one-fifth of the Bisons rotation to start the season. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/25/2006

March 24, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Friday, March 24

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Andy Marte banged out his sixth double of the spring yesterday and drove in the Tribe's lone run as part of a 2-for-4 effort against (one of) his former teams (Braves) and what does he have to show for it this morning? A ticket to ride. To Buffalo. No big surprise, of course, as the Indians have repeatedly said this day was coming. That helped lessen the pressure of being dealt for one of the Indians more popular players but Marte did nothing but impress all spring in the field, at the plate, and in the clubhouse, hitting .359/.381/.590 (14-for-39) with six two-baggers and one longball. He's an injury or slump away in Buffalo.

Likewise is Ryan Garko, who was optioned to triple-A this morning along with Franklin Gutierrez. Garko solidified his position as first basemen in waiting with an impressive spring in the field while hitting .263/.417/.395 with two doubles, one homerun, and six walks (six strikeouts). Gutierrez again flashed his stellar defensive skills and showed an improved eye at the plate despite an unimpressive batting average, hitting .194/.318/.222 with a double and seven walks (eight strikeouts). All three (Garko, Gutierrez, and Marte) will likely be the first call-up at their respective positions and how many teams can boast of that type of talent on stand-by in triple-A?

Jose Flores, Ben Howard, and Lou Merloni were re-assigned to minor league camp to lower the big league camp count to 32 players. Flores seems ticketed for a multiple-position season in Buffalo following in the footsteps of Greg LaRocca and Chris Clapinski. I'm not sure if Merloni has the option of electing free-agency built into his contract but I would not be surprised if he chooses to head elsewhere if his agent can find him a new home. Howard may be the one out of this threesome to impact the big league club out of the 'pen if he can reduce the walks and homeruns. Easier said than done but he does have an interesting arm.

Strep Throat is what has kept Brandon Phillips off the field for a week, although he could resume baseball activities today and see game action over the weekend. How much this setback has affected his roster status is uncertain as it may have been a predetermined decision anyway but it certainly hasn't helped. Phillips has impressed, both on and off the field, hitting .323/.382/.581 (10-for-31) while Ramon Vazquez, who went 0-for-5 yesterday, is now hitting .245/.260/.347 (12-for-49). As discussed yesterday in the update, Phillips' status can/will impact the 40-man roster beyond the utility infielder position.

Victor Martinez is day-to-day with a bruised foot after it was stepped on while covering first in a minor league game on Wednesday. Let's see, the first game he played at first he didn't have a ball hit to him. Game 2, he gets stomped on. Is someone trying to tell the Indians something?

The Tribe receives high marks from Will Carroll in his Team Health Report for Baseball Prospectus.

Guillermo Mota tossed two scoreless innings, giving up one hit, a walk, and striking out two. He's now worked in four games and this was his first multiple inning appearance. The Indians have been extremely cautious with him this spring, giving him 3-4 days between apperances, and it will be interesting to see if they ramp him up and we start seeing Mota on a more frequenct basis the closer we get to April 2.

Jason Stanford worked three hitless innings yesterday for the Bisons, walking two, and punching out three. Edward Mujica also tossed two scoreless frames. Joe Inglett singled and is now hitting .450 (9-for-20). On Wednesday, Jake Dittler struck out eight in five scoreless innings for the Bisons in an intrasquad game against the Aeros. Way back on Tuesday, Ryan Mulhern went yard twice and drove in six runs. Steve Jackson also went deep. Jackson is a 28-year old catcher who spent the past six seasons in the Oakland organization, hitting .181 with Sacramento last year.

The Denver Post reported yesterday that the Indians had expressed interest in first basemen Ryan Shealy although the paper doesn't know when that interest was expressed and does go on to say that the Tribe does not have a good fit for the 25-year old with Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez currently on the bag. Ryan Garko continues to fly under the radar (for now). Shealy hit .328/.393/.601/.964 with 30 doubles and 26 homeruns for Colorado Springs last year but has a talented and expensive road block in front of him in the form of Todd Helton. More than likely, the Indians inquired about Shealy early in the offseason before they signed Perez and before Garko showed his improvements in the field this spring.

Sports Time Ohio has inked deals with Comcast and Cox and can now be seen in 1.7 of the 2.8 million homes that FSN Ohio was seen in last year. Both DirectTV and Dish Network, not to mention other cable providers, remain in negotiations with the Tribe.

Dwight Gooden admitted to cocaine use and could be looking at prison time (up to five years) in his April 5 sentencing.

Juan Gonzalez is MIA and his agent, Alan Nero, tells the Boston Globe that "We don't know what's in his head. It's sad. I'm worried about him. But you can't help a client you can't communicate with." Gonzalez signed a minor league contract with the Red Sox last weekend but may be having second thoughts after the Sox acquired Wily Mo Pena earlier this week. Nero also confirms that rumors out of Puerto Rico this week that Gonzalez had signed a minor league deal with the A's were inaccurate.

Kyle Denney and Steve Watkins were re-assigned by the Nationals, Nerio Rodriguez by the Pirates, Chad Paronto by the Braves, Andy Tracy by the Orioles, and Chad Durbin, Josh Phelps, and Ryan Ludwick by the Tigers. There will definitely be an ex-Indian flavor in Toledo this summer.

Posted on 3/24/2006

CIR UPDATE: Roster Trimmed by Six

The Indians optioned Andy Marte, Ryan Garko, and Franklin Gutierrez to triple-A Buffalo and re-assigned Lou Merloni, Jose Flores, and Ben Howard to minor league camp. The cuts leave 32 players in big league camp. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/24/2006

March 23, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Roster Trimmed by Two

The Indians optioned Andrew Brown and Fausto Carmona to triple-A Buffalo today. The moves leave 38 players remaining in big league camp. With Brown out of the picture (for the time being), that leaves Danny Graves, Steve Karsay, and Jason Davis fighting for the last bullpen spot. One factor to consider with non-roster invitees Graves and Karsay is that their addition to the roster means someone needs to come off the 40. The same with Todd Hollandsworth if he is to serve as the backup outfielder as expected. Brandon Phillips would be one designee since he's out of options and Ramon Vazquez seems to have the upper-hand for the utility infielder role. Phillips, by the way, is still out with a virus and has now missed a week of games. The Tribe hopes to have him back by the weekend. So if Phillips is one, who would be the other designee exposed to waivers? Jason Stanford and Kaz Tadano would seem the likely choices although you could make a case for several others. Of course, if the Indians elect to keep Jason Dubois instead of Hollandsworth, the need for a second designee would be moot. Of course, if the Indians keep Phillips and option Vazquez, they would need a designee since both Phillips and Vazquez would remain on the 40 which brings us back to Stanford and Tadano and others. This doesn't even take into account the possibility of Einar Diaz making the opening day roster which would require a third designee. Kelly Shoppach, I think your spot on the plane north is pretty safe, although I would expect a middle seat in the back with Ana Lucia and the rest of the "tailies". Usually an injury can help make these decisions easier but, fortunately for the Indians, but unfortunately for roster-management purposes, the Indians don't really have any candidates for the 60-day DL which moves a player off the 40 and creates an open roster spot. That's the down side to a healthy spring but who's really going to complain about that? It should be interesting to see how the Tribe sorts this out. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/23/2006

March 21, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Tuesday, March 21

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With the Indians enjoying a rare off-day yesterday, today it's the Buffalo Bisons report...

Five Bisons had multiple hit games as the good guys ran their spring record to 3-0 with a victory over Richmond yesterday. Eider Torres had three knocks, including a double while Jake Gautreau, Joe Inglett, Todd Donavon, and Ivan Ochoa had two hits apiece. Edward Mujica tossed a pair of scoreless innings in relief.

Hyang-Nam Choi allowed a run on two hits in three innings for the Bisons. Choi is a 35-year old veteran of the Korean leagues who signed a $100,000 minor league deal with the Indians in November. The Korea Times notes that the Indians offered Choi a contract after he threw four scoreless innings against Indian farmhands in instructs this past fall. Choi, who went 2-5 with a 4.10 ERA for the Kia Tigers last year, has apparently been plagued by ankle injuries throughout his once promising career. He's a longshot to help the Tribe this year but an interesting story nonetheless.

Choi is not the only veteran hurler in Bisons camp. Martin Vargas, former Tribe farmhand who has spent the past four years pitching in the Pacific Rim, is back in the organization. The right-hander spent 2002-04 with the Chunichi Dragons of the Japanese League and then won the Korean League championship with the Samsung Lions last year, posting a 5.06 ERA in 128 innings. He also started game 1 of the Konami Cup, which matches the champions of the four Pacific Rim leagues, for the Korean squad.

Rob Bell, former Brave, Red, Ranger, and Devil Ray, is also in minor league camp. Once a top prospect and a feature part of two deals involving Denny Neagle, Bret Boone, and Edwin Encarnacion (among others), Bell has struggled in the big leagues, posting a career 30-34 record with a 5.69 ERA in 121 appearances (108 starts). A propensity for free passes and the longball have been his downfall (as with many a former top prospect). Last year, Bell was an equal opportunity mashee, posting a 8.28 ERA in 25 innings for Tamper and a 7.71 ERA in 44.1 innings for triple-A Durham while battling personal issues that led him to see a sports psychologist. A strong finish, one earned run in his final 15-1/3 innings offers hope for the future as Bell "believes he conquered the anxiety attacks that forced his demotion" according to the St.Petersburg Times. Watch for a nifty breaking pitch (the Bell curve) if you get a chance to see him in action this year.

Minorleaguebaseball.com announced that all triple-A games will be available via Gameday this season in the same format as the big league version. Very nice.

Paul Hoynes notes in the Plain Dealer that the Indians are close to adding a Florida team to their farm system which would play in Winter Haven. With the Indians "re-upping" with Kinston through 2008 and seemingly rock-solid with Buffalo, Akron, Lake County, and Mahoning Valley, I would think this hints at a switch from Burlington and the Appalachian League to the Gulf Coast League which is traditionally played at organizational complexes. This flies somewhat in contrast to last summer's general manager vote to disband the two complex leagues (Arizona and Gulf Coast) and turn the Appy League into a co-op league in a cost-cutting move that would have left each organization with one AAA team, one AA team, two full-season A teams, and one short-season A team.

Kenny Rayborn signed with the La New Bears of the Japanese League. He was 3-5 with a 5.06 ERA for the Hiroshima Carp last season after being sold by the Indians mid-season.

Chris Coste is having a strong spring with the Phillies, belting a pair of two-run homers on Saturday, and is emerging as a candidate for a big league roster spot depending on the health of fellow former Indian David Bell. Coste had a big year with the Bisons in 2002, hitting .318/.377/.439/.816.

Congratulations to Japan on their 10-6 victory over Cuba and winning the first World Baseball Classic. I'm already looking forward to 2009.

Cliff Lee, Fernando Cabrera, Danny Graves, Steve Karsay, and Scott Sauerbeck will take the mound today against the Reds in Sarasota.

Napoleon, I'm sure there's a babe out there for you too. Peace out.

Posted on 3/21/2006

March 20, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Monday, March 20

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Nice article by Anthony Castrovince on mlb.com this weekend with plenty of updates on Tribe minor leaguers. Among the items of interest...

- John Farrell says a minimum of two months at triple-A would be beneficial for Jeremy Sowers.

- Whenever the Indians have challenged Fausto Carmona, he has responded favorably with an increase in stuff, whether it be velocity or action. For example, Carmona was 6-5 with a 4.07 ERA (90.2IP, 100H) at Akron and then went 7-4, 3.25 (83IP, 76H) upon a second-half promotion to Buffalo. He also flipped three scoreless against the Yankees yesterday, allowing just two hits and no walks while punching out four.

- Jason Stanford needs 2 to 2-1/2 months to build his pitch count and stamina to move himself into the "depth starter' mix.

- Michael Aubrey could play in minor league games by the middle of this week.

- Nick Weglarz (3rd, 2005) will likely start the season in extended spring training due to inflammation in his right wrist suffered during minicamp last month. Weglarz hit .231/.313/.347/.660 with two homeruns for Burlington in his pro debut last summer.

Ryan Mulhern was assigned to minor league camp, lowering the count to 40 players in big league camp. Mulhern was tied for the AL lead in homeruns with four at the time of the assignment and hit .250/.308/.792 (6-for-24) this spring. He'll see time at first and in the outfield this year at either Akron or Buffalo (or both).

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported yesterday that the Indians have inquired about the availability of first basemen / outfielder Craig Wilson. This was a quick mention in a discussion about a reported Matt Clement for Wilson trade which is pretty much moot given the Red Sox acquisition of Wily Mo Pena this morning. Wilson is a right-handed power bat who originally came up as a catcher but is now primarily a DH playing first and the outfield in the National League. He hit .264 with five homeruns in a limited role due to injury last year but had a nice 2004 campaign when he hit .264/.354/.499 with 35 doubles and 29 longballs. Given the Indians current log jam at first base with Ben Broussard, Eduardo Perez, Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez, and Ryan Garko all potentially seeing time at the bag this year, adding Wilson to the mix seems a bit far-fetched. Especially when the Pirates have Sean Casey at first now so a flip of Broussard doesn't make much sense from their stand point either. It would not have surprised me if the Indians had inquired about Wilson in the off-season, before they added Eduardo Perez, so perhaps this is where the "inquiry" comes from. Unless, of course, Fausto Carmona has impressed the Tribe brass so much that they're willing to move Jason Johnson to fill the Pirates veteran starter needs. To complete the Wilson file, note that he's due to make $3.3 million this year and can be a free-agent in the off-season.

Speaking of first base, Victor Martinez played six innings there on Saturday and did not have a ground ball hit to him. The best laid plans and at that. He did go deep though. Why the need for Martinez for first and not DH to give his knees and back a rest? With two catchers on the roster, if Martinez is the DH and needs to go behind the plate, the DH spot is lost. With Martinez at first, he can move behind the plate during the game, and the DH stays intact. Keeping a third catcher would solve that dilemma but that's not easy (or the best thing) to do with a 12 man staff. Martinez returned to the dish yesterday and caught Jason Johnson for the first time. He caught Paul Byrd for the first time on Friday as well.

With Martinez in need of reps behind the plate with the new pitchers on the roster and the annual lengthening of starters playing time as the season nears, the chance to make an impression for Einar Diaz and Kelly Shoppach is slowly dwindling. Einar is having the better spring at the plate, hitting .364 (8-for-22) compared to Shoppach's .083 (2-for-24) but the youngster has looked better defensively and isn't that what being a backup catcher is all about? To his credit, Shoppach has also walked six times, so he's not exactly up there flailing away although the stats don't always tell the story early in camp with wild young pitchers on the mound.

Back to first base, Travis Hafner has looked good defensively this spring and the Indians goal is to play him 30 games in the field this year, according to the view from Pluto. Most of that will come during interleague play when the Indians face off against the NL Central this year. A large part of the Indians success last season was their stellar 15-3 interleague record against the NL West. Repeating that in 2006 will be a challenge against the likes of the Cardinals, Cubs, Reds, and the improving Pirates and Brue Crue. Having Hafner in the lineup for the nine NL park games will be a big plus.

Brandon Phillips (.323/.581 slg, 10-for-31) is day-to-day with the flu. He was scratched from Saturday's game and did not play yesterday. Ramon Vazquez was hitless against the Yanks and is now hitting .256 (10-for-39) for the spring. Terry Pluto noted over the weekend that Vazquez still has an option left so how's this for a scenario, the Indians keep Phillips and option Vazquez to Buffalo? I think that depends solely on how much the Indians feel Phillips has matured and whether he can handle a utility role in which he will likely see limited at-bats sitting behind Jhonny Peralta and Ronnie Belliard. While Phillips would likely provide more pop, more speed, and more overall skills, Vazquez will keep his mouth shut and not be a problem in the clubhouse. When you're talking about only 100-150 at-bats over the course of a season, sometimes the latter is more important for the 25th spot on the roster. Still, Phillips has performed well this spring both on and off the field and it will be interesting to see which direction the Indians elect to go come the end of the month.

Danny Graves and Steve Karsay each worked back-to-back outings on Friday and Saturday for the first time this spring. Both worked a scoreless inning on Saturday although neither looked particularly impressive. Graves gave up a deep fly to the track and a liner to third while Karsay didn't look like the Karsay of years past. Jason Davis was the most impressive of the bunch with a quick inning and a couple of weak grounders.

Also in that game on Saturday, in the limited amount I was able to catch, Todd Hollandsworth hung in there against a lefty (Wandy Rodriguez) and even though he didn't get on base (line out to third), he went with the pitch on the outside corner of the plate and drove it to the opposite field. Just an at'em ball but a good at-bat nonetheless.

Grady Sizemore singled, ran on a 3-2 pitch, and Jason Michaels drove him home with a double to the gap. I could get used to seeing this.

Japan vs Cuba in the World Baseball Classic final tonight on ESPN. If you haven't been watching, you've missed some great games and a great atmosphere. While the WBC can (and should) be improved in terms of scheduling, the overall concept has been a homerun in this fans opinion.

The Royals have lost closer Mike McDougal for 4-6 weeks with a strain in his upper right arm. This follows the loss of Mark Redman for 4-6 weeks due to knee surgery and Zach Grienke for an undetermined amount of time due to personal issues. I was going to say that their rotation will suffer with the above losses but given how Redman and Grienke pitched last year they may be better off giving the ball to the likes of a JP Howell of Denny Bautista anyway. At any rate, McDougal could be back in time for the Indians April 21-23 series in Kaufmann Stadium. Note that the White Sox have six games against the Royals in April while the Tribe only has three. Although, it's probably a safe bet to say that any time will be a good time to play the Royals this year.

Juan Gone is gone no more after signing a minor league contract with the Red Sox over the weekend. He'll spend the rest of the spring with the big league camp and then reportedly report to Pawtucket. The deal is similar to his 2005 Indians contract with a reported $600k base that can be worth up to $1.1 million if he reaches incentive marks, although he will make less while he's in triple-A. The acquisition of Wily Mo Pena this morning (for Bronson Arroyo) certainly toughens the road ahead for Gonzalez in his quest for two major league at-bats in 2006.

The Reds re-assigned Earl Snyder to minor league camp.

Posted on 3/20/2006

March 17, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Friday, March 17

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So much of spring training is spent on evaluating prospects and looking to the future, not to mention the focus on the final open roster spots, that's it's often easy to overlook the springs of the veterans in camp. Travis Hafner is making that harder and harder to do.

Pronk blasted his third homerun of the spring yesterday and is now hitting .579/.680/1.211 (11-for-19) with three doubles, three taters, and six walks. That's a 1.891 OPS for those scoring at home. Sure, it's roughly a five-game stretch in the regular season but is there any doubt that Hafner is ready for 2006? Note that Hafner's replacement at first, Ryan Garko, walked twice. Nice production from your first-sackers.

Grady Sizemore tripled and is now hitting .385 (10-for-26) with four doubles and a longball. He's also walked five times.

Elsewhere around the outfield, Casey Blake is hitting .313 with a pair of homers, Jason Michaels is hitting .269 with three doubles and four walks, and Todd Hollandsworth is hitting .250 with a longball. Hollandsworth also made a nifty sliding catch on the track yesterday. Thanks Adelphia and STO.

Ramon Vazquez (.303, 10-for-33) had a pair of hits yesterday, including a double. Brandon Phillips (.345, 10-for-29) singled on Wednesday.

Kelly Shoppach (.095, 2-for-21) had his second hit of the spring yesterday. He's also walked five times with eight strikeouts. Einar Diaz (.421, 8-for-19) singled on Wednesday. He also committed an error and Paul Hoynes notes this morning in the PD that Diaz is 1-for-6 throwing out baserunners this spring.

Eric Wedge was quoted in one of the local papers that he will narrow the final bullpen contestants to two and then make his decision on who best fits the bullpen. I'll take that to mean that the best statistical performer of the spring may not necessarily win the job. Andrew Brown (3.86, 7K, 7 IP) allowed a run in two innings on Wednesday. Jason Davis (4.09, 7K, 11 IP) did the same yesterday against the Twins. There's still a good two weeks to go, but at this point in the spring, Danny Graves looks to be the favorite, Steve Karsay's fate would be undetermined (rehab assignment, accept outright to Buffalo, cut), and Jason Davis and Andrew Brown appear headed to Buffalo to join Edward Mujica and Brian Slocum in a very prospecty Bisons bullpen.

Matt Miller was roughed up for the first time this spring, allowing a three-run homer to Justin Morneau. Just a hunch, but the odds of Miller facing Morneau in the regular season are slimmer than Joey being nominated for an Emmy next year.

Cliff Lee was also roughed up yesterday, allowing five runs on seven hits in four innings. He's attributes it to the "dead arm" period of spring.

The Bisons open exhibition play against the New Orleans Zephyrs today.

Eric Wedge is hopeful that Michael Aubrey will get into a game this weekend.

Franklin Gutierrez is only hitting .185 (he doubled yesterday) but has drawn seven free passes this spring, continuing the encouraging trend he showed in winter ball.

The United States is out of the World Baseball Classic after losing to Mexico 2-1 last night. Former Indian Ricardo Rincon worked a scoreless inning for the victorious Mexican squad. Japan will face Korea in one semifinal matchup with Cuba vs the Dominican Republic in the other.

Victor Martinez, Rafael Betancourt, Eduardo Perez, and Fernando Cabrera should be back in camp today.

"Game Face" magazine, which was the official game-day program of the Indians, will move online this season and be replaced by "Batter Up", a 24-page scorecard / roster sheet that will be handed out as you walk through the gates this year. 24 pages? Ads, Ads, and more Ads. I wonder if you'll get a free car wash if you have Ramon Vazquez's signature on the DirtBGone ad on page 17.

Roy Halladay signed a three-year extension with the Blue Jays, paying him $40 million from 2008-2010 ($10mil, $14.25mil, $15.75mil) and further raising the price of poker.

Travis Driskill was re-assigned by the Blue Jays, Matt White and Aaron Myette by the Phillies, and Alex Escobar by the Nationals.

Posted on 3/17/2006

March 16, 2006

CIR UPDATE: Six More Cuts

The Indians thinned the herd a little more today, optioning Kaz Tadano to Buffalo, Brad Snyder to Akron, and re-assigning Armando Camacaro, Todd Donavan, Jake Gautreau, and Joe Inglett to minor league camps. 41 players remain in major league camp. More in the next CIR.

Posted on 3/16/2006

March 15, 2006

CLEVELAND INDIANS REPORT: Wednesday, March 15

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There was little surprise in the first roster cuts announced today by the Indians. Jake Dittler, Edward Mujica, Brian Slocum, and Jason Stanford were optioned to Buffalo, Michael Aubrey and Rafael Perez were optioned to Akron, and Javi Herrera, Tony Sipp, and Jeremy Sowers were re-assigned to minor league camp. The latter three are not on the 40 and therefore get re-assigned and not optioned. 47 players remain in major league camp.

Stanford was hit hard yesterday by the Blue Jays (6 runs, 1.1 innings) and had allowed 11 hits, three homeruns, and five walks in 3.1 innings this spring. He'll continue his TJ recovery with the Bisons. Sowers also threw, in the split-squad game against the Tigers, and struggled through 1-2/3, allowing six hits and two runs. He wiggled out of a bases-loaded jam in the first but, after retiring the first two batters in the second, hit Ramon Santiago on a 0-2 pitch and then allowed four straight baseknocks. All in all, though, his first big league camp was a positive experience.

So, Michael Aubrey is ticketed for Akron. Does that mean Ryan Mulhern is headed to Buffalo or should we expect to see Mulhern in the outfield at Canal Park? Or Dunn Tire Park, for that matter. "Country Strong" as Eric Wedge referred to him this morning, Mulhern belted two longballs yesterday, his third and fourth of the spring, and is hitting/slugging .300/.960 (6-for-20). Not that I'm complaining, but I still can't believe that no one took a shot on him in the Rule 5 Draft last December. Mulhern's bombs, incidentally, came off Kenny Rogers and top prospect Joel Zumaya.

Joining Mulhern in the big fly brigade in Lakeland were Aaron Boone (#2), Ryan Garko (#1), and Casey Blake (#2). Blake is having a fine spring, hitting .310/.394/.586 (9-for-29).

Brandon Phillips took Josh Towers (Blue Jays) deep for his second homerun of the spring. Phillips added a single and is hitting .360 (9-for-25). Ramon Vazquez (.276) doubled against the Tigers.

Even though the wind was blowing out in Tigertown, Danny Graves likely took a step ahead of Steve Karsay yesterday in working two scoreless frames (1H, 0BB, 2K). Karsay served up two longballs and was charged with four runs on five hits in two innings, although he did punch out five. Jason Davis tossed a scoreless frame against the Blue Jays. Andrew Brown is scheduled to pitch today.

Sheldon Ocker, incidentally, reports today in the ABJ that perhaps the Indians have not yet decided on a role for Davis if he should be sent down to Buffalo. To my eyes, the Bisons rotation appears full with Fausto Carmona, Jeremy Sowers, Jake Dittler, Jeremy Guthrie and a fifth spot for one of either Jason Stanford, Jason Young, Dan Denham, Rob Bell, Ken Schrom, etc.

Former Aeros closer Lee Gronkiewicz, lost to the Blue Jays in the 2004 Rule 5 minor league phase, worked a scoreless inning against his former club yesterday. Gronk is now unscored upon in five innings this spring. This follows a sensational 2005 in which the right-hander saved 30 games between AA and AAA while posting a 1.75 ERA in 66.2 innings (45H, 23BB, 71K). If/when he makes his big league debut, I'm bidding $1.

Ronnie Belliard and the Dominican Republic advanced to the World Baseball Classic semifinals last night with a 2-1 victory over Venezuela. Victor Martinez walked twice in the loss and he and Rafael Betancourt should return to Tribe camp shortly.

With Japan's win over Mexico yesterday, the US needs a Korea win over Japan tonight to have a chance to advance with a win over Mexico tomorrow. If Japan wins and holds Korea to seven or less runs, Japan and Korea will advance due to tie-breaker rules and make the US-Mexico game tomorrow irrelevant.

Sportstime Ohio and Adelphia have agreed to terms and the first game will be televised tomorrow night at 8:00 on Channel 17 (Cleveland and suburbs). Agreements still need to be reached with DirectTV, Dish Network, Cox, Armstrong, WOW, Massillon, and Insight. FSN was carried in 2.8 million homes and STO is now carried in 1.5 million homes. The carriers do have a point in their negotiations. With 520 hours of Indians programming (130 games plus pre and post-game shows), what are they going to air the remaining 8,240 hours of the year? That's a lot of Omar y Amigos reruns.

Former Indian Dwight Gooden was arrested yesterday for violating terms of his parole. He reportedly admitted cocaine use to his probation officer after failing a drug screen. Gooden received three years probation after fleeing a DUI stop last August. Twenty years ago, the Doc was the talk of baseball after a 24-4, 1.53 Cy Young season in 1985.

Posted on 3/15/2006

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