Indians Trade for Reliever Winston Abreu

In a minor move, the Tribe has acquired 32 year old reliever Winston Abreu (pictured left) from the Tampa Bay Rays for reliever John Meloan. Abreau was recently designated for assignment, so he fit in for what the Indians are looking for to fill their pen, journeymen relievers. Meloan was brought to the Indians from the Dodgers (with Carlos Santana) in the Casey Blake deal. He has struggled mightily down in Columbus, posting a 5.52 ERA in 25 appearances this season. With as bad as the bullpen has been up in Cleveland, he was never brought up to the fire. The organization must have been really down on him to favor the various jobbers that have toed the mound in the big leagues this season. I am surprised they have given up on Meloan, since he only just about to turn 25 next week in favor of a well traveled hurler. Winston is expected to be added to the 25 man roster tomorrow.

Abreu, a fastball/slider pitcher, made two appearances for the Rays this year, allowing a run on three hits with two walks and three strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings. He was called up from Triple-A Durham on June 14 and designated for assignment last week.
A native of the Dominican Republic, Abreu has spent the bulk of this season at Durham, where he went 3-0 with a 1.41 ERA in 23 appearances. He's walked 10 and struck out 49 in 32 innings.
Abreu has 13 years of Minor League experience pitching in the farm systems of the Braves, Cubs, Royals, Dodgers, D-backs, Orioles, Nationals and Rays. He has gone 37-36 with a 3.68 ERA in 322 appearances. He has 929 strikeouts and just 374 walks in 776 2/3 Minor League innings.

Who knows if this will work out, but it looks like just another gas can to throw onto the fire.

Weekly Wahoo Update

Sorry for not updating as often, it has been a busy summer (baby on the way). Casey Blake was traded to the Dodgers and is playing well (5-13, 1 ejection). The 2 guys they picked up (Jon Meloan and Carlos Santana) seem like a pretty solid return for a player in his free agent year. I will miss Casey as being a constant in the lineup, wherever in the field he was playing. He was one of GM Mark Shapiro's best moves over the years and would not mind seeing him back next year on a 1 year contract. I imagine someone will give him at least a two year deal because of his great versatility in the field. Also, the Indians traded for Cardinal starting pitcher Anthony Reyes, while shipping out Akron reliever Luis Pedromo. Reyes will serve as a reclamation project as he started game one of the 2006 World Series, but since has struggled. Look for him to jump to the majors sometime in August, especially if Paul Byrd is traded. Finally, Aaron Laffey was sent down to "straighten things out." Why he can't do that at the major league level for a last place team is beyond me.

On the field:

The Indians are so far 2-3 on their current homestand. I went to the game on Saturday and witnessed Fausto get pounded in the first but was OK with things since we had club seats and I was eating nachos in air conditioning while Carmona was lighting the mound on fire. Andy Marte hit a homerun, which was ok I guess. While we were leaving my friend Scott kept mumbling, "maybe next year," which seems to be the theme of Cleveland sports. Other random thoughts:

Jhonny Peralta seems to be back.

Cliff Lee surprised everyone this year besides one, himself.

When Ben Francisco is in a slump, it gets magnified. He is an aggressive hitter who swings often early in the count.

Grady Sizemore is only going to get better.

Betancourt has completely lost all of his confidence. He won't even talk to reporters anymore.

Victor Martinez seems to be only a few weeks away from returning, which will help the lineup out immensely. The season of Nightmares continues today as Cliff Lee goes for win number 15 tonight against Nate Robertson. Are you in the Tribe? Still?

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.

Giant Misses

6 runs in 3 games = 1 win. The lineup the Indians have been trotting out has been just plain terrible. I understand not having Martinez and Hafner hurt, but I never realized how much since watching the past 12 or so games. Besides Sizemore (who has had a down year also), the lineup has a severe lack of power. Batting Garko and Peralta in the four hole is unfortunately their only option, which is not a good one. Also, when Sowers and Byrd have been on the mound lately, it has resulted in a loss. They both pitched admirably after giving up runs in the first in their respective last starts, but they are no Fausto Carmona or Jake Westbrook. This team is unfortunately a bad one, with half of the season to go. Crazier things have happened (2007 Rockies), but I just can't see this team putting together any kind of winning streak. The hitting is weak, the bullpen is bad, and two of the starting pitchers are inconsistent. When you mix that all together, you have a team that is just not very good. The Reds come to town this weekend, another under .500 team the Indians will probably lose to.

The remaining 2008 season will be probably rough to watch. Trading CC seems to be the only interesting facet left, and that may or may not happen. The Indians may feel 2 1st round picks is a better option than any of the proposed packages they may receive. If that is the case, at least we will get to watch a great pitcher throw in an Tribe uniform for August and September. This is how I would manage the rest of the summer months. I am tired of seeing David Dellucci strike out so they just need to Trot Nixon him and glue him to the bench. Andy Marte has been ruined by the Indians, so might as well throw him out a 3rd for a few weeks to see if he can get that elusive first RBI. Stick Casey Blake at first base, he is more productive than Ryan (right knee in the dirt) Garko. Platoon Shin Soo Choo between DH and right field, and let Sal Fasano grow out his mustache. Ship Edward Mujica out of here because he is terrible and bring up Jeff Stevens. Finally I would get rid of Paulie Byrd (even though I said earlier we should keep him) and bring up David Huff to see what we got. The Indians literally now have nothing to lose, they have lost enough.

Good Grief

Sal Fasano is not happy with the way his new team is playing. The Indians were swept by the Colorado Rockies this week, subsequently ending any talk of contention this year. I know there is 90 games left, but with four of our best players gone for considerable time and the lineup looking amongst the worst in baseball, it is time to look toward 2009. Terry Pluto officially announced the Tribe season over today, so I will follow suit. Also the DiaTribe has a nice piece about which tough questions the Indians Management is asking themselves today. CC Sabathia is scheduled to start next Friday against the Reds, so buy your tickets today because I have the sinking feeling it may be his last home start ever as an Indian. Other players I feel will be dealt before July 31st are David Dellucci, Joe Borowski, and possibly Ryan Garko. I can't see Wedge allowing Casey Blake to be traded due to their man-bond, but he should be since he is a free agent and would be quite valuable as a utility player for a contending team. I am just sold on Garko being the long-term solution for the Indians at first, as he really isn't a power guy. Also watching him strike out while his right knee scrapes the ground drives me crazy. Jhonny could be traded to a team in need of a shortstop who can hit every other year and not field, maybe a team like the Orioles or Cubs. With Asdrubal playing everyday at shortstop, Jhonny''s future is either at 3rd or somewhere else. The 2009 version of the Indians will probably be drastically different than the past 3 with all of these questions flying around. One thing that will happen if CC and Byrd are traded are losses. This rotation will be instantly awful with not much in Triple A depth-wise. As for Highlights and Areas of Concern, I am going to put in my highlight video of 2007, dream of whip cream pies, and wonder why the Cleveland Indians successfully ruined my summer this year.

Texas-Sized Split

Just when you think the Indians potentially may string together a few wins... they don't. While hitting in The Ballpark in Arlington is similar to hitting at Softball World, at least the offense got going a bit. I will give the rotation a pass for the past 4 games as it must be extremely difficult to pitch there, but the bullpen is an utter mess. 11 pitchers have been used in relief and a total of zero of them have been consistent. General Manager Mark Shapiro laments the fact that bullpens are volatile, and he has never been more correct. If the Tribe's relievers were even average, this team would be over .500 and probably tied for first place.

This team is now at a crossroads. There are 102 games left in the season, so I would say the next 20 games will tell the tale of how management proceeds the rest of the season. If they tank, I say deal CC Sabathia when you have a chance to get value for him. Now I realize that they probably won't deal CC since Carmona and Westbrook are on the DL, but might as well try and build for 2009 while maybe pulling together something for the rest of 2008. If the Tribe can string any type of winning streak together over 4 games, they are immediately back in the race. I personally don't feel to encouraged right now, and here is why:

• Victor is obviously hurt and not the same player. Just end his misery and place him on the DL.


• No meat in the middle of the order. Garko had a great series, but he is not a clean-up hitter. The Indians have no legitimate middle of the order hitters.


• Jhonny Peralta's inconsistency at the plate has been excruciating to watch. He flails away at the high fastball, waves at curveballs in the dirt, and has actually less range in the field than he did last year. I wrote back in early April that Jhonny was destined for a breakout year, boy was I wrong.


• Injuries to Carmona, Westbrook and the myth Adam Miller has quickly dwindled the teams pitching depth. One more injury to the starting staff and guys like Jeff Harris and Matt Ginter are in discussions about starting. EESSHH.


• Travis Hafner is also on the DL and hopefully he is searching for his stroke because it is gone. Along with Sizemore and Martinez, he is vital to the success to this team. Without him performing at least average, the Tribe has struggled mightily.


• Guys like Blake/Dellucci/Carroll/Choo/Gutierrez/Cabrera have to over perform to make this team a contender, and they have not. This team lacks punch, and besides a few great single game feats of strengths, these guys have all collectively been well below mediocre.


• The Bullpen as I stated before is awful. Nothing deflates a team more than the blown save, and this squad, (especially Betancourt) has blown a bunch. Names such as Bauer, Mujica, Elarton, and Slocum do not strike fear into the hearts of opposing batters, (all of which are actually sitting out in the pen). The Wahoos will not go anywhere this season without a decent bullpen, and that is looking less likely game by game.

The team did hit the past four days sans a 15 batter stretch Thursday. No lead is safe in that park, so with the Rangers pitching looking pretty terrible, I assume they will not be a contender in the AL West.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Ryan Garko: 11-20, 6 runs, 7 RBI's. The singles machine sure got some confidence back over the past 4 days. If he can consistently bat around .300 it will help this team immensely.

Ben Francisco: 9-20 HR, 5 RBI. One of the few consistent hitters on this team. Had some pretty bad at bats Thursday, but everyone is entitled to bad days. Will play everyday in this lineup as long as he continues to hit.

Casey Blake: 6-18, 2 HR 8 RBI's (7 in one game). Casey had a great Tuesday, would love to see him in a super sub roll instead of an everyday player.

David Dellucci: 6-10, 2 HR, 7 RBI's. Double D raked in his former ballpark, which was nice.

Areas of Concern:

Victor Martinez: 4-15, 5 RBI's. Drove in some runs, looks uncomfortable at the plate. I would stick him on the DL, looks like Victor will continue to "grind."

CC Sabathia: 6 IP, 4 earned runs, 9 hits, 3 walks, 8 K's. CC pitched ok but seemed to lose his composure after infield hits and defensive misplays (Choo). Needs to work through these situations and lose his cool.

Rafael Betancourt: (Thursday Game): 2/3 IP 2 hits. 2 walks, 3 earned runs. Has been up and down (mostly down) all year. Apparently he almost went on the DL a few days ago, might be there soon. Mr. Conquest was a main key to this team last year, and his terrible pitching this year is killing them.

Tribe Decision Makers (Shapiro, Wedge, Willis) I understand that the team was in a bind Wednesday with Westbrook going on the DL, but how could they have not known of this potential issue beforehand? Having to start a reliever in a major league game is inexcusable. They basically threw away the game and chalked it up as a loss. The way the Indians have played in 2008, can they really afford to do this? Call up a guy in Akron or Kinston, someone who can pitch more than 2 innings. If it means you may lose an arbitration year or a crappy guy like Elarton, Mujica or Slocum off of the 40 man roster, than so be it. This is not 2007, every game counts now after the proverbial hole they have dug for themselves being 6 games below .500.

I am not ready to kick dirt on the 2008 Wahoos, but am really close. They can't gather any momentum and seem to just float on by series by series. Since sweeping Oakland on May 15th, the team has went 5-14. That just is not going to cut it, even in a division as bad as the AL Central this season. Expectations were huge going into this season, as many pundits (including myself) predicted a World Series appearance. I knew I shouldn't have done it, since the last time I predicted such success was 2006, when the team fell apart. I predicted a 3rd place finish in 2007 which was smart since I wanted to avoid my self-inflicted jinx. This blog and my prediction may have jinxed the 2008 Indians, but who believes in such things? Every time the Tribe has people expecting big things, they fall on their face. I am now predicting the 2009 Cleveland Indians will finish in last place with the worst record in baseball.

What a Stretch!

To say that the Indians have been getting good starting pitching is an understatement, as they took 3 straight from Oakland. For a starting staff to yield 1 earned run over the past 7 games is down right mind-boggling. The bats won't need to come out of their coma if this keeps up. The Tribe, with winning 8 of their last 10, has vaulted into sole possession of first place in the AL Central. The offense has had a lack of forming any type of consistency and Rafael Betancourt has looked shaky at best, but who really cares when your pitchers are throwing shutouts. With the Tigers struggling mightily and the White Sox and Twins hovering around mediocrity, the Indians may be able to put some games between them and the rest of the division. Over the next 19 games, they face the Rangers 7 times, the White Sox 6, and the Royals and Reds 3 times each. Look for this team to continue it's roll as the weather warms up. Sweeping the Athletics was a huge step in this team putting their bad start behind them.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Starting Pitchers (Byrd, Sabathia, and Laffey): 23 1/3 IP, 15 hits, 0 Earned Runs, 3 walks, 24 K's. What can you say? They starting staff has been unbelievable and the best in baseball. If they continue to pitch anywhere close to this good, 2008 will be another season to remember.

Masa Kobayashi: 2 IP, 1 hit, 3 K's, 0 earned runs, 2 saves. Shows emotion and excitement everytime out. I have a feeling he will be our future closer sooner than later.

Ben Francisco: 4-7, 4 runs, 1 RBI. Ben has been playing great defense and mashing the ball consistently as well. Frankie G will be loosing time if B-Franc keeps it up.

Ryan Garko: 3-11, 2 HR, 5 RBI. Drove in 5 of the 10 runs scored in the series. Hope he has ended his batting funk finally.

Areas of Concern:

Rafael Betancourt: Another rough outing for Raffy, loaded the bases in the 9th of Thursday's game. May have pitched himself out of the 9th inning entirely.

Franklin Gutierrez: 0-8 4 K's. Does not like the curve ball much. Needs to get it going or will be a defensive replacement rather than a regular starter.

Casey Blake: 0-4. Casey likes to only hit when runners are in scoring position.

Andy Marte: 1-4. Picked off of first, I know the front office does not want to cut him due to depth reasons, but he really has no future on this team.

The Indians invade Cincinnati this weekend for a 3 game series. Jeremy Sowers takes on Johnny Cueto. Look for Pronk to play probably one game in the field, and for a lot of pinch hitting.

Also, for anyone thinking that the Indians are going to trade Peralta and Laffey to the Colorado Rockies for Garrett Atkins, you are a moron. TTO contributor Frisky told me he heard this rumor on the Munch show on WKNR Wednesday. Besides Greg Brinda, the whole station could care less about Indians baseball until September so that tells you a bit about their quality of sportscasting. I can't imagine the Tribe dealing Laffey with the impending free agency of CC and Byrd. Starting Pitching is too valuable to deal a guy you can control for the next 5 years. If anyone will be traded, I would assume it would be Sowers, but that may be a stretch as well. The Tribe does need a bat, but I believe they would trade lower level starters (Lofgren, Huff) before dealing Triple A depth. It is a long season and you never know when a starter may get hurt. I am now off the soap box.

Starting Staff Silences Jays

The Indians were able to win their second series in a row by defeating the Toronto Blue Jays in three of their four games played. Toronto was only able to string together 4 runs over the four game stretch, and three of them were in the last game of the series in the 10th inning. To say that batting is down in baseball would be an understatement, but this will be discussed at in a later entry. With these wins, the Tribe has finally reached the .500 mark, a minor miracle by the way they have played inconsistently all year. The starting staff has been amazing, but the bats have been wildly inconsistent. As the weather warms, (which it has not yet), we should see increased offensive numbers, but you can never be sure. This next series versus Oakland should be an interesting one since the Tribe's best two starting pitchers so far this year will not be on the mound (Lee, Carmona). Being only 1 1/2 game out of first place is also an encouraging sign that they should be in this for the long haul.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 6-18, 2 HR, 5RBI. Grady continues to rake. Too bad the team does not have a better leadoff alternative because he would look great in the 3 hole.

Casey Blake: 4-10, 3 RBI. Mr. Clutch 2008 continues to rake with runners on, and not hit with the bases empty. He is truly an enigma.

Asdrubal Cabrera: Unassisted Triple Play: He is not been so great with the bat, but his defense at short and second has been tremendous. Shows much more range and arm strength at shortstop than Peralta. Also, though it was cool to see an unassisted triple play, my friend Szoke made the correct point that it really wasn't that exciting. He kind of dove, caught the ball, stepped on second, and tagged out the runner. Interesting yes, but exciting, not so much.

Starting Staff: (CC, Laffey, Carmona, Lee) combined to pitch 32 innings, 24 hits, 9 walks, 19 K's, 1 Earned Run, for a 0.28 ERA. That stat is just ridiculous. If the staff continues to put lines up like this, you can add another division championship flag to Progressive field. They have collectively saved this team from a total meltdown.

Areas of Concern:

Ryan Garko: 2-10. Looks lost and awkward at the plate. I have no idea what his problem is.

Jhonny Peralta: 0-7, 3 K's. Looks lost and awkward at the plate. I have no idea what his problem is.

Rafael Betancourt: 1 IP, 3 earned runs. I cannot understand why Eric Wedge trots him out when the score is tied or they are losing. He has pitched well in CLOSING situations, so why not leave him to that. I know he hadn't pitched in awhile, but Wedge could have went lefty/lefty matchup baseball since his bullpen had not pitched since Saturday.

Matt Underwood: As the season goes on, the more I am annoyed by the Indians TV play by play guy. He laughs at all of his own jokes and I think Rick Manning really does hate him.

The Oakland A's roll into town to square off for a 3 game series. Paul Byrd faces Justin Duchscherer. Let's hope they forget about the offense meltdown from yesterday and keep up the momentum of winning each series.

Ugly Series Win

The Indians won their third series of the season Thursday, defeating the Seattle Mariners 3-2 in 11 innings. Bullpen issues and poor hitting were prevalent throughout the 3 games, but the Tribe will take it. Today's lineup was an abomination, almost like Manger Eric Wedge put the names of the 9 starters in a hat and pulled out the order. Next game I would expect Casey Blake to lead off since he has batted in every other position. The Closer role seems to be in flux again. The team has been carrying 2 pitchers on the roster that before Tuesday had not pitched in 2 weeks. It really is amazing the Indians are only a game under .500, but we can attribute that to the outstanding starting pitching.

Timely hitting was again an issue in two of the games, but we all know what can cure a batting slump. May seems to be a pretty manageable schedule to rattle off a few winning streaks, heavy on home games. Also, no teams in the AL Central have been able to run away with the division. I predict that the Indians will have a very solid month of May, and be at the top of the standings come June 1st. The team cannot possibly hit worse than they have so far in 2008, so let's hope for the momentum to build.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 4-11, 4 Runs, 4 Walks, 1 HR, 2 RBI. It gives me a warm feeling seeing Grady at the top of the order. Some say he strikes out too much, but the guys just produces. They do not have a better leadoff alternative, so I will take him batting first every time. No other Indians would I rather have up in a clutch spot than him and Victor Martinez.

Franklin Gutierrez: 6-13, 3 RBI's. Continues to rake, I will give him a pass on his awful at bat in the 11th Thursday. Need him desperately at the end of the lineup.

Cliff "The Stopper" Lee: 6 IP, 8 hits, 3 earned runs, 3 K's. Has stopped 3 three game losing streaks. If he keeps it up, the Tribe will never lose 4 games consecutively. AL pitcher of the month for April.

Asdrubal Cabrera: 1-11, Game winning RBI Thursday. Hit like garbage for 28 innings, came up huge in the 11th. Hopefully this will ignite his bat.

Areas of Concern:

Casey Blake: 2-11, 1 golden sombrero (4K's in 1 game). Needs to quickly regrow the beard, almost single-handidly lost the game Thursday. Looked pitiful in his at bat in the 9th, and blatantly missed a throwout by Victor Martinez that allowed the Mariners to tie the game. I expect him to get 6 hits against the Royals this weekend.

Jhonny Peralta: 0-7 2 K's. I have no idea what is wrong with him, his at bats have been mind-boggling. Also his range was poor Tuesday.

Rafael Betancourt: 1 1/3 IP, 5 hits, 4 earned runs 2 blown saves. Sure looks like a different pitcher in the 9th, but I do not expect his role to change. CONQUEST!

Joel Skinner: Does it seem like every move he makes is wrong? Me too. Bring back Ted Uhelander.

The Kansas City Royals come to town for a weekend 3 games series. CC Sabathia hopes to string a third consecutive solid start against some guy named Luke Hochevar. Another series win and the Tribe is mediocre!

Royals Swept Away

When in need to end a whole team slump, what better destination is there in the American League than Kansas City? The Indians played a nearly flawless 2 days of baseball, vaulting themselves into 2nd Place in the AL Central. Miraculously the Tribe has pulled within 2 games of .500 with the dreaded New York Yankees invading Cleveland tonight. Solid to outstanding starting pitching was prevalent all series. Hitters who have been struggling contributed, and the team made zero errors. With six games remaining, it is not out of the realm of possibility for the team to finish April 4-2, resulting in a 14-14 record. That would be an amazing feat considering how bad the Indians have played so far this year. Hopefully Progressive Field will be jam packed with Tribe for this upcoming four game series, but more than likely there will be many Yankee fans in attendance.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 5-14, HR, 3 RBI. Had a great first game of the double-header, not so great the other two. He has tee'd off on average pitching as of late, but against tougher pitchers, he has struggled. Grady has become an outstanding mistake hitter, but his eye has been a bit off on breaking stuff in the dirt.

Casey Blake: 6-8, Grand Slam Homerun, 8 RBI. Casey collected almost 40% of his hits in two games, was aggressive as he usually is with first pitch strikes. Leading the team in RBI from the 9 hole.

David Dellucci: 3-9, 3 runs, one huge late inning homerun, 3 RBI. David has broken the left field curse (even though he misplayed a double in the last game of the series). If utilized correctly, can be a huge part of this team against right-handers.

Ben Francisco: 2-6, double, 2 runs, 1 RBI. He's Back!! Even though it looks like his stay will be short, he proved in the first game yesterday that he should be on this team at least plattooning in left field. Great slide, good at-bats, should not be in Buffalo anymore.

Masa Kobayashi: 1 1/3 innings, 0 hits, 0 earned runs. Masa pitched in a semi-pressure situation in the first game yesterday and pitched well. Has elevated himself into the 7th/8th inning role.

Cliff Lee: 9 innings, 3 hits, 9 K's, 0 earned runs. Cliff has been the best pitcher in baseball this year, now posting a eye-popping 0.29 ERA. Lee will come back to earth sooner or later, but has been the one stable force on this team all year.

Areas of Concern:

Aaron Laffey/Jeremy Sowers pitching 2 out of the next 4 games: Hopefully one of them can hold serve against the dreaded Yankees.

Jason Michaels: Had 2 hits yesterday, 1/3 of his season total. Needs to be jettisoned off the team so Ben Francisco can help this team progress. I asked my friend Kyle why most Tribe fans hate him like I do, and he said, "Who likes a chubby curly-haired blond guy anyways?" So true.

Jensen Lewis: Fastball is below 90 MPH, has been struggling most outings. Seems to have pitched himself out of the 7th/8th inning, making the bullpen a bit weaker.

The Evil Empire invades Cleveland tomorrow. Andy Pettite will take on Paul Byrd in a battle of the HGH hurlers.

Tribe Bats Go Back to Sleep

Travis Hafner was definitely not toasting his Budweiser to these last two games. Five runs in three games? That is all the Twins and Indians could muster over a three game series. The Twinkies took two of these pitching masterpieces, dropping the Tribe down to a 7-12 record. I understand teams go into hitting funks but this is borderline ridiculous. Pitching was finally not the issue in any game. This team looks flat and unable to string any momentum from game to game. The Cleveland media has said numerous times that GM Mark Shapiro will not make any drastic changes until the 40 game mark. If the offense continues to sputter, a change in the outfield corner slots or at second or third will become necessary. If I had an answer to this teams terrible play, I sure would not be blogging.

Here were some of the few highlights:

Cliff Lee: 8 innings, 2 hits, 1 walk, 8 K's, 0 earned runs. Pitched a gem, leading the AL with a 0.40 era, Has started almost half of the Indians wins. They are 4-12 when he does not pitch

Paul Byrd: 7 innings, 6 hits, 1 earned run. Byrd has seemed to put his early season struggles behind him, producing back to back solid starts. The lack of run support hopefully will not get to him.

Victor Martinez: 4-12 1 RBI. Is consistently making contact, pounding out hits, still is slower than usual on the basepaths. Needs more chances with RISP.

Casey Blake: (Friday's Game) 2-4, HR, 3 RBI's. Provided the offense in the only win of the series. Also hit the lone homerun. Looked bad at the plate Saturday and Sunday, but so did the whole team.

Areas of Concern:

Eric Wedge: Why on earth did he pitch to Justin Morneau in the tenth? He is the best player, most legitimate RBI threat and they already dodged fate by getting him out in the 8th. Also leaving Rafael Perez in was a stretch, let's see what these other guys in the pen are made of. Andy Marte probably will be gone by May, but why not let him play in a few games? It is not like he could do any worse than a lineup that scored 1 run in 19 innings.

Grady Sizemore: 2-13, 0 walks. As a leadoff hitter he has to get on base more. Just struggling along like the rest of the team.

David Dellucci's Defense: The guy may be able to climb a wall, but he is not good in left. He has made two diving catches but that is more due to his lack of range. Dellucci's arm is like spaghetti, and he covers zero ground.

Travis Hafner: 1-8, one sore shoulder. Pronk says he is OK but his swings and approach look more like 2007, which will severely damage the lineup.

Jhonny Peralta: 1-7. The hitting rollercoaster that is Jhonny's 2008 rumbles on. Looking forward to some consistancy.

The Indians get a much needed day off tomorrow as they travel to Kansas City to take on the Royals. CC Sabathia takes on Gil Meche. Hopefully the Tribe can win their first series since April 3rd.

Mediocre Monday

Losing the last three series's has been frustrating. The Cleveland Indians have been struggling since game three, not doing anything particularly well. It took Cliff "the stopper" Lee to end a second consecutive 3 game losing streak. Yesterday's game was the first since the second game of the season that the Tribe actually had a lead in the early innings. Stringing a few wins in a row at home would go a long way in providing momentum to a lackluster ballclub. The good news is at least they aren't playing as bad as the Tigers.

Here were some of the highlights:

Cliff Lee: 8 innings, 1 earned run, 2 hits, 8K's. Clifford pounded the strike zone consistently, broke lots of bats, came up huge again when the Tribe needed him. Had No-hitter type stuff.

Ryan Garko: 4-10 2RBI's, 2BB's. Has been on base every game this season, consistently produced solid numbers, has a .325 batting average.

Grady Sizemore: 4-12 4RBI's. 2 hits with runners in scoring position yesterday, made an unbelievable catch on Friday. Is the catalyst in the Indians order.

Jamey Carroll: 1-1 2BB's 1HBP, 3 runs scored. Played a great game, plays solid defense, adds a spark. Huge upgrade over Mike Rouse.

David Dellucci: 3-9, 2 runs, 4 RBI's. Seems to have a solid stroke going. I imagine he will be taking time away from this guy.

Areas of Concern:

CC Sabathia: 3 1/3 innings, 12 hits, 2 BB's 9 earned runs. Pitched really bad, didn't go to his fastball when he needed it, too many 2 strike change-ups. The talk of him worrying about his contract is absurd. Even if CC pitched terribly this year someone will give him a huge contract due to him being young, left-handed, and a Cy Young under his large belt. CC just needs to start blowing people away again or the Tribe will be in trouble.

Fausto Carmona: 3 1/3 innings, 2 hits. 3 earned runs, 8 WALKS. Fausto may have been overthrowing a bit, trying to prove his new contract. It is not like the A's put the ball in play much. Carmona may struggle more against patient hitting teams like the A's and Red Sox.

Casey Blake: 0-8. batting .143 on the season. Is just not looking good at all at the plate or in the field.

Victor Martinez: 1-11. Tough series for Victor, may still be experiencing tightness due to the cold weather.

Andy Marte: 0-2. He just is not very good. Looked clueless striking out with the bases loaded.

The Indians try to get a 2 game winning streak going tonight against the Red Sox. Jon Lester takes on Jake Westbrook.

Tribe Barely Avoids Sweep

Pitching saved the Cleveland Indians from being swept this past weekend, and this is how Casey Blake celebrated today's 2-1 win. The Tribe batted a crisp .204 for the series, played spotty defense, and really only pitched well in one game. Teams go through hitting slumps from time to time as the Indians did in 2007, but it is extremely annoying to watch. The Lineup has a fever, but I don't believe the prescription was batting Dellucci, Michaels, Marte and Shoppach in a row. Manager Eric Wedge does believe in his veterans, so we may be stuck with Michaelucci for the month of April. Taking two out of three from the Angels will salvage a .500 road trip, which wouldn't be terrible, since the Detroit Tigers have been struggling mightily. Victor Martinez is expected to be back behind the dish tomorrow, so hopefully he will give the team a much needed boost. Here were some of the highlights:

Ryan Garko: Went 4-10, slugged a homerun and had the game winning walk today. Looking very solid in the field as well.

Grady Sizemore: 4-11 2 walks, one of the few Indians hitters who look comfortable at bat.

Cliff Lee: 6 2/3 innings, 4 K's, pitched a great game when the Tribe needed it, spotted his fastball and mixed in some off speed stuff as well. Looked confident as bailed his team out.

Craig Breslow: 2 innings, no runs. Solid debut for second lefty out of the pen.

Joe Borowski: Gave up just a walk in his save today, slowed the fans collective pulse down considerably.

Areas of Concern

The Collective Lineup: Struggled together, strung 2 hits together only once the whole series in the 7th inning today, need to find some slump busters in Anaheim.

Michaels/Dellucci: 1-11 look terrible at the plate, can't wait to look back in September and laugh that they were our starting left fielders. My friend Jon refers to Michaels as the Rock of Love.

CC Sabathia: 5 1/3 innings 4 earned runs, only 2 K's. Needs get back to finishing off batters on 2 strike counts. Seems to be overthrowing a bit.

Franklin Gutierrez: 0-9, 3 K's, hit the ball hard a few times, needs to be consistent on the road. Played a tremendous right field on Friday night.

Jhonny Peralta: 3-12, got 2 hits today, showed questionable range and made a few errors. Was cold but not an excuse, needs to keep his head in the game.

Fausto Carmona takes on Joe Saunders tomorrow night in Anaheim.

Two Out of Three Ain't Bad

International recording artist Meat Loaf wasn't much of a baseball player, but he was one hell of a songwriter. What does this have to do with the Indians? I'm not sure but the tribe heads west with a 2 and 1 record. It was cold and lonely in the deep dark night Wednesday, as a little over 17,000 watched the Tribe prevail 7-2 over the pale hoes. The Indians must have left their bats by the dashboard lights though, as they were only able to scrap 2 hits off of lefty John "Danks for the noon time start." Both of these teams looked ready for a plane flight out of Cleveland, and who can blame them. Game time temperatures in the 30's for two straight days can be an adjustment from the tropical paradise known as Spring Training. Here are some of the highlights...

Grady Sizemore: 4-12, 1HR 4RBI Looks to be a breakout year for The Ladies Man

Franklin Gutierrez: 3-9, 1HR 3RBI Killer opening day, shows glimpses of greatness

Asdrubal Cabrera: 3-12, 3RBI one good game offensively, two stinkers, looks great in the field

Casey Blake: 2-10 3RBI on one swing, broke up the no hitter, won a game with clutch hit

Fausto Carmona: 7 IP 1ER 4K 1 Win Fausto looked great, silencing any ALCS hangover ideas

Jake Westbrook: 7.1 IP 2ER made 2 mistakes, pitched a superb game, no offensive help at all


Some Areas of concern:


Travis Hafner: Had 3 hits but stuckout 5 times. Still looks uncomfortable up there

Jhonny Peralta: batted .154, hates the cold weather, should be fine on the west coast

Jason Michaels: Looks terrible at the plate, may be pressing due to the platoon, had 1 good catch

CC Sabathia: Had issues with Thome and the sixth inning, struck out 7 in a no decision

The Bullpen: Not solid in the first 2 games, will settle into their roles.

Victor Martinez getting injured was a negative, but he pinch hit today so it seems nothing serious

The Tribe is off to Oakland for a 3 game series, Paul Byrd takes on Justin Duchscherer tomorrow night at 10:05 est. Remember Saturday's game at 4pm will not be televised due to some stupid FOX rule so tune into Hammy and Heagan. Hopefully the boys will be able to retrieve their bats out of Hell.

Blake Buries Sox

The Cleveland Indians started off the 2008 campaign with a not so typical 10-8 win over the Chicago White Sox. C.C. Sabathia struggled through 5 1/3 innings, the middle relief was less than perfect, and JoBo was Jobo, surrendering a homerun and a walk in the 9th. The results proved successful, as the Indians did all of their scoring in two innings. The Tribe exploded for 7 runs in the second, and 3 runs in the fifth. Franklin Gutierrez had 3 hits and a 3 run homerun, while Casey Blake stroked a bases-clearing 3 run double high off the leftfield wall with 2 outs in the eighth. Victor Martinez left the game in the third with an apparent hamstring pull and will be listed as day to day. The Indians will finish March in first place with a 1-0 record.

W Betancourt 1-0

L Dotel 0-1

SV Borowski 1

HR Sizemore (1) Gutierrex (1) Thome 2, (2) Dye (1)