Odds and Ends

The Tribe is 2-2 over the past 4 games, which is actually a slight improvement. They took the three game series against the Oakland A's, which was a nice change of pace. Yesterday's game was more of the same, as new Indians Chris Perez and Winston Abreu helped to give up 9 runs in 2 innings. Random thoughts from a horrible season.

• Eric Wedge and his staff got the dreaded vote of confidence from GM Mark Shapiro Sunday. The team promptly lost the next two games. I don't think Eric will be back in 2010.


• Shin Soo Choo has been on fire the past few days, and has played like an All-Star. Seems to be one of the position players the team can build around.


• Victor Martinez is in a huge slump. Hopefully he it is just one of those baseball things and not him being frustrated with the results of the club this season.


• Trading a 24 year old struggling reliever (John Meloan) for another bullpen retread (Winston Abreu) looks like a horrible trade and makes absolutely no sense at all.


• Putting Chris Perez in a bases loaded situation in only his third game when he plunked two White Sox batters in his first game as an Indian was just a bad idea. Put him in spots where he can gain confidence instead of throwing him into the fire.


• Fausto Carmona and Rafael Betancourt are close to returning to the Indians, probably after the All-Star break. Carmona needs to find his control and help stabilize the rotation. Betancourt will help the pen, but also may be trade bait.


• Jeremy Sowers 5 and fly starting pitching dance is nearing an end. He has proved himself unable to be a consistent major league starter. It is time to try him as a long reliever in the bullpen.

The beat goes on for the beaten Tribe. A few roster moves not posted have happened, as Matt Herges was designated for assignment over the weekend to make room for the amazing Winston Abreu. Also, Rafael Perez and his gas can were sent to Columbus to make room for the return of Aaron Laffey.

Barfield sent to Columbus to make room for Perez

As mentioned several days ago the Cleveland Indians traded utility man Mark DeRosa to the St. Louis Cardinals for reliever Chris Perez and a player to be named later. That being said, the soon to be 24 year old Perez made his way to Cleveland and therefore was activated today. Not only will he be available for tonight's game against Chicago, he will also get to meet his fellow bullpen members (pictured to the left) for the first time. To make room for Perez the team sent Josh Barfield back down to Triple A Columbus. Although Barfield started the year with the Tribe he has been optioned three times this season. In the time he has spent with the club this year he has seen limited playing time in in that he has only appeared in 17 games and had just 20 at bats. Furthermore, this is not good news for Columbus Clippers All-Star Andy Cannizaro as Barfield will likely steal his playing time.

Hopefully Perez can stir something up in this god awful bullpen and show these guys how to actually pitch. On a side note, Aaron Laffey decided that he wants to pitch like the rest of the Indians bullpen and suck it up. He made what was thought to be his last rehab start yesterday at Double A Akron and only lasted 3 1/3 innings giving up 3 runs on five hits. He also walked six (how can you walk that many people) and hit one batter. Eric Wedge actually made a logical comment stating, "We need to see more than that before we bring him up here." Well no crap Wedgie.

The Tribe take on the Chicago White Sox tonight in a three game series at Progressive Field. They have lost their last four series. To take a quote from the Chinese grounds crew from the Movie Major League, "these guys are sh!tty"

*The photo in this article was created by The Tribe Daily

Tribe drops 2 of 3 to the Pirates

Interleague play can't end soon enough for the Indians, as they have lost 8 of their last 9 games to their National League foes. The Pittsburgh series was a microcosm for the season, lose 2 games (one by the bullpen) and the only win you get, they almost blow it as well. Nothing real positive to say about this team right now, they are just floating along mired in the basement of an average division. With the Tigers rattling off 7 wins in a row, it is time for the Tribe to start building towards next season (a common occurrence in this town). With the Cavs getting Shaq and probably more, the Cleveland baseball team will struggle to get any attention in this town. T

here isn't a single move they can make to the moderate fans of the club interested, because if they trade Lee or Martinez, immediately they are considered cheap and worthless to watch. Trading Pavano (no one wants him) or DeRosa (should be able to garner some pitching) would let out a collective yawn from the fanbase. So what do the Indians do? Try and trade Francisco or Garko or both, they are not in the long term plans of this team, nor should they be. Go with a youth movement. Call up LaPorta and Brantley, move Laffey into the rotation, and let's see what they got (read this piece by The DiaTribe for more in depth moves, all of which I totally agree with).

Get guys like Matt Herges (pictured above) out of here and let whatever young relievers the system has (Rundles, Meloan, Herrmann) pitch up in Cleveland. We know that old man Herges will not be here in 2010, so get him out of here. I imagine the attendance is going to real tail off towards the end of August and in to September, so at least let what fans you have left see some young talent that may have a shot at the future, whatever that may bring.

I will be in attendence tonight as the Reds come to town. I sure am pumped to see 5 and Fly Jeremy Sowers throw. Only 108 games left in the season!

Clippers Clips: The future of the Indians Bullpen?

After attending the Columbus Clippers game today against the Rochester Red Wings I could not keep from thinking about how HORRIBLE the Cleveland Indians pitching is...especially their bullpen. With this in mind, Aaron Laffey (his wife pictured front row center here) made his first rehab start today with the Clippers which is a good thing because it seems like he has been on the DL forever. I have to admit I was pretty excited to see him pitch today because god knows we need some help up in Cleveland. More on Laffey in a bit. The Clips ended up loosing today 4-2 in 10 innings. Although the Clippers seemed to have picked up the "Tribe Fever" in loosing 6 of their last 8 games there was one good thing that happened today. I can proudly report that your favorite Clipper Andy Cannizaro hit a two run homer giving the Clips their only runs of the game. I noticed Cannizaro warming up along side of Matt LaPorta today so I am guessing LPort is rubbing off on the little guy. On a side note A-Can is now hitting second in the lineup and they are still playing Notorius B.I.G.'s "Hypnotize" when he comes up to bat.

Over the past month or so I have noticed people posting on sites such as Twitter, Facebook, various other blogs, etc. that the Indians should ship their whole bullpen back to the minors and bring up some other guys. Having thought about that I decided to look up some International Leauge (Triple-A) stats to see where the Clippers players ranked in pitching. The International League has a ranking of the leagues 45 best pitchers. Guess how far down the list you have to go to find a Columbus Clipper? Three down on the list? Nope! Ten down on the list? Nope! You have to go all the way down to number 43 before you find a Columbus pitcher. That's right number 43 is Columbus Clippers right handed pitcher Kirk Saarloos (pictured right). The 30 year old Saarloos was drafted in the 2001 amateur draft by the Houston Astros in the 3rd round and he made his major league debut one year later. Over the past 7 years he has played for the Astros, the A's, and the Reds. Furthermore, his Major League ERA has never been below 4.17. In his 12 games played for the Clippers this year his ERA is 5.65. Saarloos has pitched a total of 71.2 innings giving up 86 hits, 31 walks, and has struck out 43. He was signed by the Indians in January of this year and according to Indians beat writer Anthony Castrovince, Saarloos spent most of '08 posting mediocre numbers in Triple A as a member of the A's organization. Sooo, that being said, seeing that Saarloos is already a washed up "has been" who never could cut it in the majors the Indians don't have many more guys they can bring up from Columbus (please note I am only refering to Columbus as I realize we have some studs still developing in Double and Single A) Next on the IL list of leaders is actually another Columbus player in Jack Cassel (his younger brother is Matt Cassel of the Kansas City Chiefs). Cassel has an ERA of 5.75 and has pitched in 13 games (76.2) innings. I could put down some of his stats over the years however I am not much of a stats person. I have watched Cassel several times this year and let's just say he is not a viable option up in Cleveland. The only two other guys that would be options that have not already been up to Cleveland this year are 2005 Indians Non drafted free agent Frank Herrmann and 2004 fourth round pick Chuck Lofgren. Neither of these two guys has enough experience yet and it would be worthless to bring them up for on the job training. With this in mind, to all you Wahoo Maniacs out there saying bring bring up some new blood, my question to you is, Who?

So seeing that we have nobody (pitching wise) that is quite ready to see "The Show" just yet we have to rely on what we currently have. As mentioned before, Aaron Laffey made his first rehab start today in Columbus. He pitched 3 innings giving up 5 hits 1 walk and a run. He topped out at around 88 which is all he really throws anyway. I was neither impressed nor unimpressed about his outing. I'd like to say he needs about three more starts/appearances before the Tribe consisders bringing him back up. They have waited this long to throw him, I just don't hope they rush him like they did with Rafael Perez. Ol' Raffey was down in Columbus for awhile but believe me he was not near ready to head back up to Cleveland. It seems like the Indians finally got it right by sending Fausto Carmona down to Rookie League Arizona. I sure hope they break him down and build him back up into the player that he should and can be. Now I just wonder if they have any room down their for a couple more guys?

Pujols beats Tribe

Tomo Ohka pitched 7 strong innings (2 solo shots by Albert Pujols), Victor Martinez drove in the Tribe's lone run (got subsequently thrown out at second with 0 outs), Rafael Perez wild pitched the third run home, and Josh Barfield had another base running blunder that collectively led to a 3-1 for Cleveland to the Indians. The Tribe scattered 6 hits and really never had a rally going besides the third inning when Jamey Carrol reached on an error and DeRosa walked. The lineup is hurting right now with only a few guys real threats to make a game-changing impact on the game with their bat. Ohka did earn the opportunity to start at least one more game before Westbrook and Laffey return from the DL. Tomo may have even earned a spot in the bullpen.


Getting the opportunity to watch Pujols live is a site to see. He hit his second home run half way up the bleachers, the farthest home run I have seen since the days of Mark McGwire. Pujols pretty much single handidly beat the Indians, going 3-4 with 2 jacks and a double. The Cardinals first baseman is definitely, hands down the best hitter in baseball today.

Here were the highlights...

Blitzcorner Cardinals beat Indians 3-1

I was able to attend Saturday's game and was really excited about the retro 80's jerseys, even though it was hard to see them up in the mezzanine. More importantly, it was my 6 month old son's first game at Progressive Field. He did pretty good, no major meltdowns or anything. I also got him his first autograph at the game (David Huff). The Indians lost the game, but gained a little fan for life. More on the Cardinals series after tonight's prime time matchup of Chris Carpenter vs. Cliff Lee.

Pronk Returns, Carmona sent WAY Down!

As speculated yesterday, Fausto Carmona has been sent down to the minors, but to Rookie ball down in Arizona. This is pretty telling, demonstrating how far Fausto has fallen. I imagine they will be able to keep better track of him down there with all of the new technology and the club will probably send special instructors (Tim Belcher, Jason Bere) to monitor his progress. Look for Carmona to be "working on things" for a minimum month time period. It looks like Tomo Ohka will be the new addition to the rotation, just hopefully on a 1-2 start basis until Aaron Laffey and Jake Westbrook return. Travis Hafner returns, which will help out the beleaguered lineup even if he only able to play 4-5 times a week. It will also take some pressure off of Shin Soo Choo, as he is more of an 5-7 hitter anyways. The DiaTribe has some good lineup solutions today for our Wahoos, so make sure to check it out.The Indians take on the White Sox this weekend in Chi-Town for a 3-game series.

Walking Wounded

The Indians dropped 3 of 4 to the Yankees this past series, but are competing with a depleted roster. They walked 11 batters today, but only lost 5-2. With Grady Sizemore placed on the DL, the lineup has taken on a new less-than-potent look. The roster has turned over so much that the celebration from Sunday's game (pictured above) almost looks like the guys are meeting each other for the first time instead of an exciting 9th inning win (Jhonny, meet Luis, Kerry meet Tomo.)

The key to Monday's game was with 2 on and nobody out, Kelly Shoppach (has been awful lately) popped up a sac bunt that subsequently doubled off Ryan Garko at second base. After Joba Chamberlins' obnoxious mannerisms over his good play, Jamey Carroll was thrown out attempting to steal. That sealed the deal for any shot of a rally. That was the ballgame right there, as Greg Aquino walked the bases loaded in the top of the 7th that led to a 4 run inning. Aquino pitched out of a bases loaded jam (Sowers walked the bases loaded in the 6th), but was unable to pull the Houdini act again. Jeremy pitched great for 5 innings, but became Jeremy Showers again in the 6th. This guy can just not figure things out on a consistent basis.

I attended Sunday's game which was well played by both teams and featured a walk-off single by Jhonny Peralta. The annoying part of my experience was having to sit in the right field mezzanine surrounded by Yankees fans wearing jersey's with their favorite players' names featured on the back. Do they know that their Bronx Bombers only sport numerals sans any lettering featured above? Apparently not. My wife and I figured that there was at least twice as many pinstipes as there were Tribe supporters out where we were sitting, which is pathetic. She actually turned to the gentleman sitting behind us who was dressed from head to toe in Yankee gear and snapped at him when he wondered why the Indians would bring in their closer in a tie ballgame. She said "he hasn't pitched in 3 games and they already went through 3 relievers last inning," which shut up the front runner and his snot-nosed son right there. Now you know why I married her. It made the victory that much more fun right there, even though it felt like we were cheering for our team in an opposing park.


Friday and Saturday's games were losses, one by a great pitching performance (Pettite) and another by a poor one (Carmona). Cliff Lee battled Friday but could just not get any run support. Fausto was the crappy Fausto as of late, allowing 7 runs (4 earned) in 4 innings. I didn't watch really any of Saturday's game as I was "witnessing" another Cleveland heartbreak. 2 up 2 down for the series over the weekend.

2 up

Victor Martinez fouled a ball violently of his knee Saturday, was back in the lineup Monday and stroked a homerun that my buddy Kyle was one row behind (he ducked for cover, just inexcuseable). The guy is a gamer and the team leader. I know the club shouldn't rush into any long term contracts when they are sattled with Pronk's albatross of a deal, but Victor needs to be in an Indians uniform for the next 5 years.

Carl Pavano has pitched fantastic in May and has helped settle a spot in a rotation that has been decimated by injuries in ineffectiveness. This guy has shown guts and I have to give him credit, he sure proved me wrong.

2 Down

All Kelly Shoppach has done over the past 4 games is go 1-14 with 8 K's. He now has 39 K's in 109 plate appearances (36%). That is just awful. Shapiro should have traded him in the offseason when his value was at the highest of his career. Don't be surprised to see Chris Gimenez a bit over the next week.

Fausto Carmona is completely lost and needs some major revamping of his pitching delivery. Get someone up here to help him figure things out because our ace of the future has become Albie Lopez.

Some good news on the injury front came out today, as Jake Westbrook is scheduled to make a 3 inning appearance for Akron Friday. If he has no setbacks, look for Jake to return to Cleveland sometime at the end of the month. It will be huge addition to the mash unit of a club, as Aaron Laffey is scheduled to return at the end of the month as well. Scott Lewis is making progress so all three could be in the pitching mix by July 1st. With Grady and Betancourt placed on the DL, the Columbus shuttle continues. You tend to forget who is actually on the roster anymore with guys like Tomo Ohka (my dad called him Timo Ocho yesterday) rounding out the 25. The Clippers have been forced to sign guys off of the street just to field a team (who is heck are Blaine Neal and Ken Ray)? The Indians move onto Minnesota Tuesday as David Huff looks to string two solid starts together against Kevin Slowey. Let's just hope they don't lose anyone else to injury.

Transaction Update: Tony Sipp gets recalled from Columbus

Tony Sipp was recalled today, as Rafael Betancourt was placed on the 15 Day DL. Raffy's groin injury will probably shelve him for 2-4 weeks, adding him to the list never-ending long list of disabled Indians. Their 8 man infirmary (Sizemore, Scott Lewis, Laffey, Reyes, Joe Smith, Hafner, Westbrook and Betancourt) is the second most behind Tampa Bay's league leading 9.

Since being in Columbus, the T-Train was 1-0 was a 4.15 ERA in 9 games. He has already pitched 6 1/3 innngs for the Tribe this year with a 4.26 ERA. It will be interesting to see who will be pitching the 8th inning for the Tribe, as Betancourt (although shaky sometimes) was the most reliable pitcher out of the pen. IT will be probably based on match ups with Sipp and Rafael Perez being the lefties, and Matt Herges and Luis Vizcaino being the righties. As long as Sipp doesn't totally implode, he should be on the roster for the remainder of the season.

Vic-tastic Victory, Where to go from Here?

The last six days have seen the Tribe go 4-2, lose two pitchers, and score 7 runs in the ninth to win. I honestly can say I turned the game off tonight in order to flip between the Western Conference Finals, Deadliest Catch, and Jon & Kate Plus 8 (I know, just awful) because the last I saw of the Indians they were losing 10-3 as Matt LaPorta grounded into a run scoring double play. It must have been exciting (and gratifying for the Indians team leader Victor Martinez to get the 2 out 2 run hit), and I will catch the replay tomorrow, but I am going to stop short as this is what the team needs to turn this thing around. I have done that way too many times. If for some reason they actually get to .500, then we can discuss momentum shifting games. For tonight, just enjoy, if you stuck with it, a great come from behind win.

As for the current pitching staff, this is how it looks...

Rotation

Cliff Lee

Fausto Carmona

Carl Pavano

?

?

With Anthony Reyes pretty much done for the year and Aaron Laffey on the shelf for 4-6 weeks (Rundles and Sowers were called back up), the starting staff is in a current state of flux. Best buds Cliff and Carl have been solid, but Carmona has been really bad. Whether the organization needs to go back to the drawing board with his delivery or something, he is way too wild and is effectively killing the bullpen even more than they are killing themselves. David Huff may or may not get one of the starts this week as the Tribe has two "undecideds" pitching Wednesday and Thursday. With Jeremy Sowers throwing admirably tonight, he has removed himself from consideration. Hopefully Huff will get a last shot at one, with the outside shot of one Hector Rondon making a spot start for his major league debut. Unfortunately, it will probably be Kirk Saarloos or Tomo Ohka, a scary, scary thought. As for the bullpen...

Luis Vizcaino

Greg Acquino

Matt Herges

Jensen Lewis

Rich Rundles

Rafael Betancourt

Kerry Wood

That just felt awful to type. Herges has been actually ok, but who would have thought he even had a shot to pitch for this team, especially in May. This squad has been better of late, but they collectively are still a giant question mark.

As for the position players, Ryan Garko proved tonight that he needs more PT, and I sure would like to see Matt LaPorta more than 3 times a week. Let's see some more "Mo" out of the Tribe (and the Cavs).

Win a Series, Gain some Momentum

The Indians won their second series of the year Wednesday, beating the Chicago White Sox 4-0. Cliff Lee look superb again (7 IP, 0 ER, 9 K's), and the long ball returned with Victor Martinez and Ryan Garko both going deep. It was a good team win, but the Tribe needs to put some back to back wins together if they want to ever even consider rejoining the race for the AL Central. GM Mark Shapiro had a impromptu press conference before Tuesdays' game and pretty much said more roster changes are imminent and that he is putting his full support behind Eric Wedge. No surprise pertaining to the manager, but it will be interesting to see what other moves are going to be made.

Apparently, the addition of Luis Vizcaino is close to happening, so a pitcher will need to be jettisoned off the roster. The PD believes it to be Masa Kobayashi, but Castroturf said he was on the plane to Tampa. If Kobayashi has lived to see another day, look for Herges, Sipp, or Sowers to get the ticket back to Columbus. If it is Sowers (WTAM Mark Schwab said on STO that Sowers was talking to the travel guy after the game), look for Aaron Laffey to possibly return to the rotation or David Huff possibly making his Major League Debut Sunday.

As for the offense, Victor Martinez continues to rake, Grady has continued to slump at the plate and on the basepaths (5-11 SB's) and Matt LaPorta actually got some playing time (2-5, double, 2 walks in the last 2 games). The Tribe heads to Tampa for a four game series against the Rays. Let's push for another series win, this team need all the momentum they can get.

Hector Rondon moved to the Bullpen

Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider has reported that Indians phenom Hector Rondon (pictured left) has been moved to the Akron bullpen (supposed to start today) and may be moved up to Cleveland shortly. With Jenmar Gomez poised to take over the young latin ace roll for the Aeros, maybe the Tribe has decide to move their top arms through the system more quickly. This is a huge decision by Tribe brass as Rondon looks to be the highest upside potential pitching-wise in the organization. Does that mean they will move Laffey back into the rotation? Will Rondon be a late inning or multiple innings reliever? Why move your best pitching prospect into the pen when you are 9 games under .500 and your other starting pitchers aren't very good (Reyes, Sowers, Pavano). This is a move that will be scrutinized for years to come and be compared to when they moved Fausto Carmona to relief work back in 2006. I am sure Tony and Castroturf will have much more on this soon. I also wouldn't be surprised to see Shapiro in the booth tonight to discuss all of the lineup and various roster shuffling.


Update: Rondon did not fare to well in his relief debut, pitching 2 innings, allowing 6 hits, 3 runs (2 earned) 1 walk and 2 K's. Not a good start.

Perez sent packing, Herges recalled, Laffey to the Pen

After the implosion of monumental proportions happened Tuesday, heads were bound to roll. Rafael Perez has been epically bad, posting a 15.19 ERA in 13 games. This is probably what is best for Raffy, because he sure wasn't able to figure out his issues at the big league level. Paul Cousineau over at the DiaTribe thinks Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky may just be the man to straighten out the lean lefty. Now added to the Bullpen of Propane is 39 year old Matt Herges (pictured left) and his 5.40 ERA and 4 saves accumulated down in Triple A. He has 537 career major league appearances, so maybe he can help calm down his new relief mates (don't hold your breath).

Also, Aaron Laffey is being transitioned into the bullpen making way for the return of Jeremy Sowers. Sowers pitched well like he always does in Triple A, stuckout 22 batters in 24 innings while posting a 2.25 ERA. It remains to be seen if he can figure it out at the major league level. He needs to demonstrate a wide enough gap between his fastball and change-up (including arm angle) to get guys out. It is very interesting that Wedge chose to move Laffey into the pen. Apparently young Aaron is best suited for his new role because he gets a lot of ground ball outs and can get warmed up very past. Apparently Laffey had no idea about the move until today but was willing to do what was best for the team. Wedge and company have screwed with him a bunch this season so it will be interesting to see how he reacts as he has pitched very well this season. The Tribe needs somebody to get outs after the 6th inning, so we shall see. I don't see it being a permanent move for the young lefty, but more of a move out of necessity.

Pitching Perfect

Although the starting pitching for the big league Tribe has been pretty bad (sans Aaron Laffey today), the aces of the top three Cleveland Indians farm teams each had superb outings in their last start. The pitching in the system has been a concern as there seems to not be a ton of power arms. Well, that has changed as Rondon and De La Cruz bring the heat, while the other has the array of pitches to become a solid starter in the majors (Huff).

David Huff helped lead Columbus to a victory Wednesday, going five innings, allowing one run on five hits while striking out three. Huff will be seen up in Cleveland sometime this summer if continues to put together quality starts like he has done so far early this season.

21 year old phenom Hector Rondon pitched another gem down in Akron today, going five and two-thirds innings, allowing one earned run on four hits while striking out five to earn his second win of the year. Indians play by play man Tom Hamilton mentioned Rondon today during the telecast and intimated that this kid is not too far away from the big leagues at all.

Lastly, the best pitching performance came Tuesday when Kinston's Kelvin De La Cruz threw six shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out a whopping nine batters. De La Cruz has already struck out 19 batters in only 12 innings this season. If this lefty keeps it up, a quick promotion for the 20 year old up to Akron by June would not be out of the realm of possibility.

The arms are there in the Indians organization, let's just hope we see some of these guys pitch in meaningful games up in Cleveland this year and not when the club is 15 games out.

Josh Barfield sent down for Aaron Laffey

The Indians anemic offense lost their pinch runner today, as infielder Josh Barfield was sent down for new fifth starter Aaron Laffey per WTAM. This is a bit of a surprise as now the Tribe will be carrying 13 pitchers. I guess the position flexibility of the various members of the team will come in handy as J-Barf never even got a start in his week with the team. Apparently Tony Graffanino is a better guy to have glued to the bench. I expect a good start from Laffey tomorrow, for no other reason than this team is due. Also, don't be surprised to see Matt Laporta in an Indians uniform in the next few weeks as he is already hitting 8-16 and may be just the guy to help spark this slumping offense.

Bad Tribe Vibe

There really isn't much worse than watching bad baseball. To sum up the 2009 Cleveland Indians, it is like watching the Oxygen network for 8 straight days. The starting pitching has been terrible, the teams' hitting with runners in scoring position is dreadful, the bullpen has been bad, and the hitters strike out almost every other time at bat. 1-7 looks bad, and the team has probably played worse. A few random thoughts before I fire the remote through my TV.

• The lineup does not look imposing at all


• I don't care if he only gave up 6 runs today, Carl Pavano still sucks


• Rafael Perez caught the WBC disease


• Grady is pressing way too much


• Hafner should not be batting 4th


• Choo should not be batting 4th


• The constant lineup changes may have had a negative effect on this team

The good news is Sidney Ponson is pitching for the Royals tomorrow. It will be Aaron Laffey's first shot in 2009 to stick with the club. I imagine we will see more lineup juggling as well. I keep reminding myself to take a deep breath and remember that only 5% of the season has been played.

Feather Farmhand Fodder: Indians AAA and AA Rotations Announced

Two of the four full-season Cleveland Indians starting rotations were announced today without any real surprises. Triple A Columbus will consist of Aaron Laffey, Jeremy Sowers, David Huff, Kirk Saarloos, and Jack Cassell. The beginning trio have all had their issues this camp and will battle to see who is the first option called upon from Cleveland. Saarloos is a solid veteran and a depth option for the bullpen as well The last spot going to Cassell (brother of Chiefs' QB Matt Cassell) is a mild surprise as he was used primarily out of the bullpen in Cactus League action. With the way Scott Lewis has been shelled the past cactus league outings (15 runs in 6 2/3 innings), the three lefties down I 71 should stay ready to be called up soon.

As for Double A Akron, the rotation rounds out with Chuck Lofgren, Hector Rondon (pictured top left), Steven Wright, Josh Tomlin, and Frank Herrmann. Most Tribe fans aren't too familiar with these young hurlers, so let's examine each of them and see what 2009 may bring.

Lofgren is a former big time prospect looking to regain his top status within the organization. A great piece by Tony Lastoria of Indians Prospect Insider can be found here.

Rondon is probably the Tribe's number 1 pitching prospect. The 21 year old out of Venezuela impressed Manager Eric Wedge during his first career Cactus League action as he pitched 3 shut out innings, allowing just 1 hit, 0 walks and 3 K's. His fastball has a real pop to it and he locates his secondary stuff (slider, curve). Some feel Rondon may be ready for the Majors late this summer as his fastball is often clocked in the 94-96 MPH range.

You can add phenom Hector Rondon to the list -- the 21-year-old will open at Class AA Akron. He has a fastball in the 94 mph range with an excellent change-up and really impressed manager Eric Wedge and the coaching staff. He could be ready by midseason. Terry Pluto/PD

More on Rondon to come in a future Down on the Farm Report.

Steven Wright was drafted in the 2nd round out of Hawaii in 2006. Posted a 3.66 ERA between Single A Kinston and Double A Akron in 28 starts. Seems to be a solid rotation option (with a possible bullpen future) down the road and one of the top 20 arms in the system.

Tomlin seems to be an in between starter/reliever guy who has put up some great stats (2.94 career minor league ERA) who can do a little bit of everything. He made a spot start in Buffalo last season (3 ER in 7 innings) which was a huge jump from his regular role a Single A Kinston. The 24 year old seems to have a bright future with the Tribe with his versatility and past success.

Frank Herrmann pitched at both Double A and Triple A for the Indians in 2008 and threw fairly well. Frank went undrafted out of Harvard and has rocketed through the system. He struck out 10 in a spot start for Buffalo in 2008 and will help headline the staff in Akron in 2009. Probably should be up in Columbus right now, but will have to wait his turn as the big league club sorts out their own rotation issues.

The future seems bright for the Columbus and Akron starting rotations respectively. If only the major league clubs' top five looked so promising.

Scott Lewis wins spot in Indians Rotation, Slated to Throw Home Opener

In a mild surprise, left hander Scott Lewis has been named the final spot open in the starting rotation for the Cleveland Indians. His main competition, Aaron Laffey, was knocked around yesterday for four runs in a minor league game and was subsequently sent to Triple A camp. Lewis, out of THE Ohio State University, is expected to actually start the fourth game of the season, the Indians Home Opener against Toronto. Since there are so many off days in April, Anthony Reyes will assume the fifth spot to take a little stress off of his sore elbow injury of 2008. This will definitely not be the last we see of young Laffey, as he know will fill the de facto role of 6th starter, eventual replacement to Hot Carl Pavano and his rising ERA. Much more on the TTO later today about the last two roster spots and how the Tribe looks closing out Cactus League action.

Sowers to the Minors, LaPorta & Brantley Re-Assigned

It seems to be a two man race for the final spot in the rotation, as lefty Jeremy Sowers was optioned to Triple A Columbus. The Vanderbilt grad pitched ok, posting a 4.91 ERA in 14 2/3 innings of work. Sowers will most definitely resurface sometime in 2009. The last remaining spot is down to Scott Lewis and Aaron Laffey. Shapiro had glowing things to say about Lewis yesterday, so don't be surprised to see Scotty in the 5th spot in the rotation to start the season. Laffey has been pitching better of late, and will be the first starter called upon from the minors should an injury happen or to replace the likely implosion of Carl Pavano.
Here is the list of moves...
per The Plain Dealer

Left-hander Jeremy Sowers and catcher Wyatt Toregas were sent to Class AAA Columbus. Right-hander Greg Aquino, infielder Michael Aubrey, right-hander Kirk Saarloos and outfielders Matt LaPorta and Michael Brantley were re-assigned to minor league camp.
There are currently 37 players in big-league camp.

As for the Sabathia tandem (Brantley & LaPorta), both impressed while playing with the big league club. These two will be ever compared to one another as they were both key cogs in the CC Sabathia trade last season.

Michael Brantley was able to show his versatility in the outfield, playing all three spots quite well. His numbers (.313 BA, 4 SB) were solid, and he seemed to already possess a big league demeanor passed down from his father, former big leaguer Mickey Brantley. Still only 21, Brantley will go down to Columbus and work on his game even more to become possibly the Tribe's future leadoff hitter.

Matt LaPorta played great this spring as well (.361 BA, 6 doubles, 1.050 OPS), living up to his top prospect billing. LaPorta still needs to work on his fielding, but this former Gator seems only months, not years, away from helping the Indians.

The other four players (Toregas, Aquino, Aubrey, Saarloos) will compete for spots down in Columbus. It is interesting that no teams have really showed any interest in Aubrey, as he is batting .455 this spring. Although he doesn't have much pop in his bat, Aubrey could be a useful player on a major league team that desires a gloveman at first with little power but a solid average (a la Doug Mientkiewicz/Sean Casey/Mark Grace).

The roster is now down to 37. The late innings of these games will be rough to watch as many of the current players on the bench are career journeyman (Cannizaro, Graffanino, Valdez). Thankfully, only less than 2 weeks remain until opening day!

Heavy Rotation: 2009 Cleveland Indians Starting Staff

With still three weeks to go until the start of the 2009 MLB season, the Cleveland Indians seem to have one glaring weakness heading into the games that count for real; Starting Pitching. Many fans and pundits alike seem to over analyze players each preseason to justify their prognostications. Will Player X bounce back from a rough year? Can Player Y maintain the dominance he showed on the mound? The main questions surrounding the Tribe concern each member of the starting 5 (or 6, or 7 or 8 or 9 even 10!) is consistency. This group has a lot to prove come April, and many fans' hearts and minds to ease as well.

Going into 2008, most Tribe fans would agree that they felt pretty confident with CC Sabathia, Fausto Carmona, Jake Westbrook, and Paul Byrd toeing the rubber four out of every five games . The only question mark surrounded the 5th starters' spot, which turned into a 3 left-armed down between Jeremy Sowers, Cliff Lee and Aaron Laffey in spring training. Injuries to two main offensive weapons (Martinez, Hafner), young players starting off slow (Gutierrez, Cabrera, and Garko) and a bullpen from Hell (insert any 2008 relief pitcher here) and the importance of the guy starting the game with the ball can be quickly negated. Add to that injuries to Carmona and Westbrook and you get a 47-60 record on July 31st and a look forward towards 2009. While 2008 was a season to forget, General Manager Mark Shapiro was able to make some trades to save payroll (traded Byrd to the Red Sox), add minor league depth (traded CC for prospects, and bring in some guys (Reyes) to compete for spots this season. The 2009 version of the rotation will bring many more question marks, but the off season additions to surrounding cast (DeRosa, Wood, Smith) may be able to minimize any struggles the starters may face in the early months of the season. Here are the guys you will see in 2009...

Cliff Lee

Biggest Concern: Can Cliff repeat his dominant Cy Young season of 2008?

While no one expects Lee to win 22 games and post a 2.54 ERA again, he needs to establish early to opposing A.L. teams that he is one of the leagues' best and not a fluke. The key to Cliff's success last season was his ability to minimize walks (only 34 in 223+ innings), get ahead of hitters, and locate his fastball. He was able to do all of this to alarming success and much of it can be attributed to his now-personal catcher Kelly Shoppach. The chemistry between the two resulted in a full-time Lee/Shoppach battery for 2009, a point Manager Eric Wedge has stated numerous times during spring training. While Lee is stilling trying to get some early kinks out of his system, he has never put too much unneeded pressure upon himself in preseason (see 2008). Last season was extraordinary, but don't think that it is the only success Lee has had in the majors as he has amassed a 76-39 career record with a 4.15 ERA. That includes a horrendous 2007 (5-8 6.29 ERA in 20 games) where he was left off of the post season roster. In entering his 6th full season, look for Lee to come down to earth a bit (15-17 wins, ERA in the mid 3's), but be one of the most consistent guys on the mound.

Fausto Carmona

Biggest Concern: Can Fausto regain his 2007 dominance?

Injuries and walks plagued the 2008 season for the young Dominican. Still only 25, the future of the starting staff rests on one Fausto Carmona to be the guy Indians fans unnerved by a swarm of bugs clinging to his face during the 2007 ALDS. After starting the season pretty well (3.10 ERA in 10 starts), Carmona injured his left hip and was never the same. In 22 games, Carmona average walking 5.2 batters per 9 innings, a rate that will get even the best of pitcher into trouble. The main issues he faced was commanding his slider, a pitch that needs to stay down in the zone to be effective. Also, pitching coach Carl Willis found some things in Carmona's delivery that was causing some of the issues. Manager Eric Wedge also has stated that Victor Martinez will be catching the majority of his starts, as Martinez has had much success calling his pitches. Fausto seemed to iron out many of these problems in Winter ball and has pitched quite well in the Spring (2.45 ERA in 11 innings). Look for big number 55 to have some stretches of inconsistency, but overall be more like the pitcher he was during 2007.

Carl Pavano

Biggest Concern: Will the Indians get anything out of this Yankee washout?

General Manager Mark Shapiro and company truly believe that Pavano as healed from all of his ailments and is poised for a bounce back 2009 campaign. I am not so optimistic. He has looked less that average in Spring Training and reports have said that he is topping out at 88-90 MPH on his fastball which does not bode well at all. His 4 season in New York were a complete and utter disaster, and beyond that only had one good year (2004). Pavano's injuries include right rotator cuff tendinitis and pain in humerus, right shoulder tendinitis, right forearm tendinitis, Tommy John surgery, car accident, and dating Alyssa Milano. His whole right arm has seemed to be completely reconstructed. It seems that the Indians are paying this guy actually TOO MUCH in giving him $1.5 million plus incentives for 2009 as he has really proven nothing for 4 seasons: a non-roster invitee if I have ever seen one. Hopefully he can eat some innings and not be a total disaster on the mound at least until the All-Start break when Jake Westbrook is expected to return, but I wouldn't bet on it. The Tribe is probably hoping for mostly 5-6 innings from Pavano, allowing 3-4 runs while staying competitive in the game until they can hand it over to the pen. Look for Pavano to show glimpses of good, but an overall record of bad.

Anthony Reyes

Biggest Concern: Can A-Rey stay healthy enough to maintain the promise of his 2008 performance with the Tribe?

Anthony Reyes jumped into the national spotlight in 2005 where he started game 1 of the World Series in which he went 8 innings, giving up 2 runs and earning a victory. He has been unable to recapture his early glory, as he has amassed a career 4.91 ERA in 59 games. Reyes pitched extremely well in his brief stint with Cleveland, posting a 2-1 record and a 1.83 ERA over six starts. He was eventually shut down in early September with a sore right elbow. The southern California native has pitched well this spring (1 earned run in 7 innings), attributing much of his success to USC pitching coach Tom House. All reports peg the righty as a competitor and fully healed from his prior ailments. Look for Reyes to have a solid 2009 (12-14 wins, ERA low 4's) allowing the Indians to compete in most every game he pitches.

Aaron Laffey

Biggest Concern: Which Laffey will show up in 2009.

This soon-to-be 24 year old pitched pretty well at the end of 2007 (4-2, 4.56 ERA in 9 starts), to gain some confidence heading into 2008. While losing out to Cliff Lee for the 5th starter's spot last year, everyone knew Laffey would be the first guy called upon from Buffalo. When Laffey arrived in Cleveland, he was lights out over his first 6 starts (1.59 ERA) and was named AL Rookie Pitcher of the Month for May where he went 3-2 with a 0.79 ERA in 5 starts. He seemed to have some left arm inflammation and subsequently flamed out the rest of the year posting a 8.37 ERA over his final 5 starts. The Tribe ended up shutting him down for good in September to refocus his attention to 2009. Laffey is a pitcher who relies upon his control and the ability to force batters into hitting ground balls. His spring has been up and down (7.00 ERA in 9 innings) but has looked better as of late and is still displaying confidence in his stuff. Baring a complete meltdown, look for the Maryland native to break camp with the big league club. I look for Aaron Laffey to have a good season in 2009, earning 10-12 wins and solidifying his place in the rotation.

Jeremy Sowers

Biggest Concern: Will he ever pitch like he did in 2006?

This Vanderbilt alum actually was supposed to be a big part of the rotation in 2007, but struggle mightily (6.42 ERA in 13 starts). Sowers is a soft tossing lefty who has never been able to sustain the success he has had in the minors due to his inability to differentiate his fastball from his change-up. Jeremy was a first round pick in 2004 but seems to not be much more than a fifth starter in this organization. Has pitched decently in the Spring (3.00 ERA in 12 innings) and will be a great depth option in Columbus. Sowers is an extremely intelligent ballplayer who still has the potential to be a middle of the rotation guy, but I just don't see it in Cleveland as Willis and company have been unable to help him improve on his flaws. This Ohio native will probably start 10 games for the club and help out the team at some point in 2009.

Scott Lewis

Biggest Concern: Was his 2008 a fluke?

Lewis burst onto the scene in Cleveland last September posting a 2.63 ERA and earning a win in each of his 4 starts. This former Buckeye has had a solid spring and looks to be a pitcher the Indians will count on in the future. The left hander is only 25 years old and will be a top of the rotation guy in Triple A Columbus. Look for Lewis to be called upon sometime in 2009 and be guy looked upon in 2010 as well.

David Huff

Biggest Concern: Will his Minor League success translate into Major League dominance?

The answer to this question will take years to answer, but everything out of camp suggests that Huff is a player to watch in 2009. While technically in contention for the 5th spot in the rotation, the left hander is not currently on the 40 man roster and has only appeared in 4 Cactus league innings, so he will mostly likely start off as a Clipper. Huff was the Minor League pitcher of the year for the Indians Organization in 2008, posting a combined 11-5 record with a 2.52 ERA. He is able to locate his fastball (clocked as high as 94 MPH) and walk few batters. Look for this former UCLA Bruin to make an impact on the big league team after the All-Star break.

Zach Jackson

Biggest Concern: Is this guy a starter or a reliever?
Zach Attack is the longest shot to make the rotation out of spring, but the lefty's versatility will come in handy. Jackson started 9 games in 2008 for the Tribe after being acquired as part of the CC Sabathia deal. His solid spring (4.35 ERA in 10 innings) has earned him an outside chance at making the club as a left handed long reliever right out of spring, so I don't believe he will be starting too many games with the big league club. He does have an option, so Jackson will be up with the big league club at some point in 2009. Look for Zach to be part of the rotation in Columbus and become a solid contributor to the ball club.

Jake Westbrook

Biggest Concern: Will Jake add anything to the Indians in 2009.

Westbrook's 2008 season ended after 5 starts, having to undergo Tommy John surgery and hip surgery in 2008. Jake has been a solid member of the Indians organization for 8 seasons now, posting a 63-62 record with a 4.25 ERA, resulting in a 3 year 30 million dollar contract through 2010. Westbrook recently pitched off of the mound down in Spring Training, leaving the Indians optimistic for his return sometime after the All-Star break. It normally takes a pitcher a full year and a half to recover from the reconstructive surgery, so look for Jake to add a few quality starts in August and September, aiding in a hopeful playoff run.

Seems to be quite a bit more questions than answers circling the Cleveland Indians rotation this season. With a division there for the taking, the Tribe's starting staff will be the biggest key for a potential return to October baseball

Split the Road, Tribe

Tribe Times has been on hiatus for a week and not much really happened. The Indians have been playing better of late sans Aaron Laffey's last two starts. The team as a whole seems to be having more fun actually playing the game rather than "grinding." It will be a long last few months of the baseball season, so I am going to add another addition of Random Thoughts.

The Retro 1989 jerseys need to be sold in stores and uses next year. Paul Hoynes said that the Mariners gave the 25 man roster a chance to buy their respective jerseys for charity and a whopping 20 did so. Bring them BACK!!!

Casey Blake may not be traded, which is not necessarily a bad thing. If they can sign Casey to a one year contract with a club option for 2010, I would be all for bringing him back. He is a definite team leader and a good guy to have around. Blake may not take such a deal since this is his first opportunity at Free Agency and he may want the security of a multi-year deal. That would be risky since he is 35.

Aaron Laffey better straighten things out our the 2009 rotation is looking thinner by the day.

Tom Mastny introduces himself with an "I'm Tom Mastny," meatball everytime he pitches.

Edward Mujica may not be as bad as I thought he was.

Juan Rincon may be worth a 2009 look, but will probably end up like Jorge Julio/Roberto Hernandez.

David Dellucci should be duct tapped to the bench.

Andy Marte is playing better, but is not the long term solution at 3rd Base.

Ryan Garko should not be our starting firstbaseman in 2009.

Jhonny hit good, field bad.

Travis Hafner may be done for the year.

Would you sign K-Rod to a 5 year, 65 million dollar contract if it meant no offensive help next year? I would.

Matt LaPorta will be an Indian in May of 2009.

Shin Soo Choo and Ben Francisco will form a platoon next season. Book it!

Fausto will be one of the few players to watch left this season.

Jamey Carroll has a future being a jockey at Thistledown.

Sal Fasano is one of my favorite Indians of all time.

Two roster moves happened over the past week, as Asdrubal Cabrera was called up and Jorge Velandia was sent to Buffalo. Also Fausto Carmona is due to pitch on Saturday for the first time since the middle of May, so look for Matt Ginter to be sent down.

Browns training camp opened today so I imagine not many people but the diehards are reading this anymore. Thanks to those who do, whoever and wherever you are.