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.

Rondon Promoted to Columbus

Not only has pitching been an issue for the Indians this year, it has also been quite awful for their triple A affiliate Columbus Clippers. After reading Scott Leo's Blog, who is the Clippers radio announcer, he commented on the fact that the Clippers starting pitching has tallied only 34 quality starts in 83 games. Furthermore, Columbus has the worst team ERA in the International league which is 4.67. Sound like a chip off the ol' block.

With this being said the Clippers promoted right hander Hector Rondon from Akron over the weekend and they got a quality start from Fausto Carmona last night as the Clippers beat the Mud Hens 8-1. Carmona has made two minor league starts prior to last night, allowing one run in 13.2 IP. He is 2-0 with a 0.66 ERA in the minors. Last night he was mostly strong in his Clippers debut. He went five innings, giving up a run on six hits, one walk and five strikeouts. Rondon, the top pitching prospect in the organization, won each of his first five starts and was 7-5 with a 2.75 ERA for the Aeros. His ERA was the fifth-best in the Eastern League, he was tied for fourth in victories, and tied for fifth with 73 strikeouts in just 72 innings. He was holding Double-A opponents to a .227 batting average. Rondon is expected to start Wednesday against Indianapolis at Huntington Park.

Can the Indians Really Depend on the Pen?

This piece originally was posted March 23rd, 2009. This team currently has played 19 games since their last save. After today's bullpen debacle (blown 7 run lead), I just can't write anymore about this crappy relief corps. They suck.

Recent reports out of Goodyear have not been kind to Japanese import Masa Kobayashi. He currently is sporting a 14.40 ERA in 5 innings of work. Coupled with Easy Ed Mujica's 12.71 ERA, the duo is putting up stats reminiscent of the horrid bullpen of 2008 where a total of 6 pitchers who appeared in at least 14 games had earned run averages above 5.60! Thankfully young options (Sipp, Meloan, Jackson) to go with non roster guys (Chulk, Herges, Saarloos) are available to help sort out the final spots on the bench out in centerfield. The thought of those two toeing the rubber this season makes many Tribe fans quiver and for good reason. It seems as the Cleveland Indians bullpen goes, so does the teams' final record. Mark Shapiro has preached many times over the years that a teams relief corps is many times a crap shoot, and by looking at the corresponding ERA's with the Indians win totals, his analysis seems correct. Here is a breakdown of the past 5 years of Indians bullpens and how the club ended up.

2004 80-82 Third Place

Bullpen ERA 4.90 (Ranked 12th in AL) opposing batting average .271

Omar Vizquels' Indian career was ending, Grady Sizemores' was just beginning, and the Tribe Bullpen was just plain sucking. Bob Wickman started the season on the 60 day DL, so the team decided to begin the season with a closer-by-committee format. Boy was that a bad idea. In an attempt to bolster the clubs' holes in the area, they traded a quartet of future big league regulars (Ryan Church and Maicer Izturis to the Angels, Willy Tavares and Luke Scott to the Astros) for Scott Stewart and Jeriome Robertson. These ill fated moves, along with the signing of Jose Jimenez doomed the club from the outset. Here are their scary stats...

Scott Stewart 23 games, 13 2/3 innings pitched, 7.24 ERA
Jeriome Robertson 8 games, 14 innings pitched, 12.21 ERA
Jose Jimenez 31 games, 36 1/3 innings pitched, 8.42 ERA

Another star of the bullpen was Chad Durbin, who may have set a record (later matched by Fausto Carmona in 2006) in giving up 3 walk off homeruns in the first 28 games of the season. If there ever were a bullpen from hell, this was it as 20 pitchers threw in relief for the Indians, headlined by such names as Lou Pote, Jack Cressend, David Lee, Jake Robbins, Rick White, Matt Miller, and catcher Tim Laker. Let's just say the Indians knew things had to improve for the team to compete in 2005.

2005 93-69 Second Place

Bullpen ERA 2.80 (Ranked 1st in AL) opposing batting average .224

What a difference a year makes! After starting the season slow, the Indians charged hard over the last two months and missed the playoffs by a mere one game. The team resigned Bob Wickman to close (45 saves, 2.47 ERA), acquired veteran lefties Arthur Rhodes (2.08 ERA) and Scott Sauerbeck (4.04 ERA), and got an amazing year out of reclamation projects Bob Howry (2.47 ERA in 79 games) and Rafael Betancourt (2.79 ERA in 54 games). The worst regular reliever was probably Jason Davis, and he wasn't that bad (4.69 ERA). This was a bullpen built for the playoffs, but unfortunately the young supporting cast fizzled at the end of the season. Shapiro and Co. may have taken the success for granted.

2006 78-84 Fourth Place

Bullpen ERA 4.73 (Ranked 11th in the AL) opposing batting average .274

As Joni Mitchell once wrote, "Don't it always seem to go. That you don't know what you've got 'till it's gone," could very well have been the mantra of the 2006 bully. In a desire to strengthen the position player depth in the organization, the Tribe included David Riske (3.01 ERA in 2006) in the Coco Crisp trade (Josh Bard too) that netted the team top prospect Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach, Randy Newsom and Guillermo Mota. In a seperate move to augment the loss of Crisp, the Indians also shipped Arthur Rhodes to the Phillies for the immortal Jason Michaels. These two moves, along with the loss of Bobby Howry to free agency really put the bullpen in a state of confusion. Now granted, Rhodes and Riske were no where near as effective in 2006 then they were a year earlier, but maybe keeping the guys together out there who led the league in ERA in their same respective roles may have been a good idea. Wickman got hurt, Mota was horrible (6.21 ERA), Fernando Cabrera (5.19 ERA) and Rafael Betancourt (3.81 ERA) were tired from their appearances in the WBC, Scott Sauerbeck got drunk and hid in some bushes with a woman not his wife (6.23 ERA), and a guy named Brian Sikorski (4.58 ERA) had to be purchased late in the season FROM Japan. This Bullpen of Horrors almost claimed Fausto Carmona as well. After Bob Wickman was traded the Braves, the Tribe stuck the young Dominican into the closers role In the span of seven days (from July 30 through August 5), Carmona recorded four losses and three blown saves for the Indians, including wall off home runs surrendered to Boston Red Sox David Ortiz and the Tigers' Ivan Rodriguez. Thankfully he was returned to his original role as a starter soon thereafter. The lone bright spot was eventual call up of Rafael Perez, a future bullpen star.

2007 96-66 First Place

Bullpen ERA 3.75 (Ranked 4th in the AL) opposing batting average .254

Mark Shapiro made it a priority to rebuild the 2007 pen by signing a quartet of pitchers (Keith Foulke, Joe Borowski, Roberto Hernandez, Aaron Fultz) to compete for the many open spots in the bullpen. Foulke never made it out of Spring Training, so Joe Borowski assumed the role as closer. As much as JoBo made Tribe fans' hold their collective breaths all season, he pitched with guts, saving an AL leading 45 games (as well as game 4 of the ALDS). His 5.04 ERA was a cause for concern, but that will be discussed later. Rafael Betancourt had a downright magical 2007 season posting a 1.47 ERA in 68 games, while Aaron Fultz (2.92 ERA) pitched well in the first half of the season. Aging veteran Roberto Hernandez was a bust (6.23 ERA) but a pair of young pitchers really helped the Tribe make a run to the playoffs. Lefty Rafael Perez (1.78 ERA in 44 appearances) and righty Jensen Lewis (2.15 ERA in 26 games) provided stability and excitement after the All-Star break. Ultimately, it was the starting pitching that did in the Tribe in the ALCS, but the bullpen was a huge strength and looked to be one in 2008.

2008 81-81 Third Place

Bullpen ERA 5.13 (13th in the AL) opposing batting average .280

With the success of the relievers experienced in 2007, Shapiro felt only minor tweaking needed to be done. He brought in Japanese closer Masa Kobayashi and veteran Jorge Julio to compliment his strong corps of arms. Kobayashi would serve as a type of insurance in the case of injury or major meltdowns like years' past. It may have been an omen of things to come when Aaron Fultz was released in Spring Training, making the Indians eat his $1.5 Million Dollar contract. The GM should have and probably internally did project the eventual decline of Joe Borowski (18 games, 16 2/3 innings, 7.56 ERA while showing at best 85 MPH fastball), but no one would have thought that the guys who had so much success in 2007 would fall completely on their face. Julio was a flop (5.60 ERA in 15 games). Betancourt looked terrible from the beginning (6.00 ERA in 42 games befor the All-Star Break) and never looked comfortable in closing games after Borowski was removed. Jensen Lewis's velocity was way down early and was eventually sent back to Buffalo (he rebounded late in the season, assuming the closers' role and saving 13 games). Kobayashi showed glimpses of being average, but eventually tired and posted a 10.32 ERA over his final 15 games. Here is the list of the over 5.60 ERA for the season club...

Edward Mujica 33 games, 38 2/3 innings pitched, 6.75 ERA
Juan Rincon 23 games, 27 1/3 innings pitched, 5.60 ERA
Joe Borowski 18 games, 16 23 innings pitched, 7.56 ERA
Jorge Julio 15 games, 17 2/3 innings pitched, 5.60 ERA
Brendan Donnelly 15 games, 13 2/3 innings pitched, 8.56 ERA
Tom Mastny 14 games, 20 innings pitched, 10.80 ERA

Those have got to be some of the worst stats a bullpen has put up in the history of baseball. I wouldn't want any of those guys autographs, let alone them pitching for my favorite team. The team did play quite well over, going 34-21 after July 31st. That success can be attributed in part to the stability of the closers' role (Lewis) and the lack of appearances of the jobbers listed above.

2009?

What will the 2009 bullpen look like and perform? The signing of closer Kerry Wood in the off season should solidify the Closer Role (assuming no lingering injuries), allowing the younger pitchers to settle into their respective spots in the Pen. The acquisition of sidewinder Joe Smith should help as well in providing depth and a different look. If the Cleveland Indians can compete with a better than average bullpen day in and day out, the statistics above support a better record and a most probable return to post season. Unfortunately as Shapiro has learned, Relievers are probably the most unpredictable positions on the diamond. The 2005 and 2007 seasons showed that having a guy finish games (Wickman and Borowski) effectively most of the time correlates into wins. Wood is saved 34 games in 40 chances and reportedly topped 98 MPH on the radar gun in the National League playoffs. Lewis and Perez have been lights out this spring, and Betancourt seems to be getting things together.

If these five guys can find consistency in their respective roles, 2009 should see a return to greatness for the Indians. It is also an odd year, which for some reason has proved to be good thing for these guys. From Jim Poole to Jose Mesa, Tribe fans have suffered through some excruciating performance from the last line of defense. Hopefully this season, Tribe fans can smile and not hold their breaths when the gate swings open out in centerfield at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

*Note... As of June 19th, the Indians bullpen had 15 guys throw at least 1 inning through only 79 games and is the worst in all of Professional Baseball. Guess which place they are in?

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?

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.

Fausto pounded again, Likely headed to Columbus

After allowing 7 runs in the first 2 innings today (raising his ERA to 7.42), Fausto Carmona is likely headed to Triple A Columbus. With Travis Hafner likely being added tomorrow in Chicago, Fausto will probably be the guy headed out. Columbus pitching coach Scott Radinsky has done a great job with guys like Rafael Perez, Jeremy Sowers, and Aaron Laffey (maybe they should have him up in Cleveland)! I imagine that won't be the only move coming, because Trevor Crowe looks terrible at the plate, Luis Valbuena has been struggling, and with Victor Martinez healthy, Chris Gimenez doesn't look to be getting too much time. I would imagine everybody's favorite rookie Matt LaPorta won't be down in Columbus too much longer as the injuries and inconsistencies pile up.

As for the series, barring an unbelievable comeback, the Tribe will lose 2 of 3 to the Twins. The first 2 games were played well, but Carmona pretty much killed any momentum the club was looking to build on from Wednesday's 10-1 victory (a great start by Cliff Lee with a bit of Jhonny Peralta sprinkled in). Hopefully the pitching will be adequate, because the back end of the the rotation as of now (Sowers, Huff, Ohka) looks pretty scary right now. Great for Columbus, but not so hot for a Major League squad.

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.

Tribe Sweeps the Rays; The Evil Empire comes to Town

Well maybe that 10 run comeback may have done something to kick start this team into gear. The Indians are playing there best ball of the season, bailing out 2 bad starts and a rain shortened start with excellent bullpen work and timely hitting. Now only 6.5 games back in the Central, the Tribe will be looking to carry their momentum into their tough upcoming 4 game series against the New York Yankees. But first. let's take a look back..

3 Down

• Grady Sizemore must still be playing with a sore elbow, as he DH'd all four games. He went 4-16 with 3 walks, 2 RBI and 3 doubles. The pop still seems to be in his bat, but his swing seems long at times. I imagine they will leave him at DH until Hafner comes back. Some have speculated that it may be a disabled list situation, but I would be surprised if that happened since he still is playing every day.


• Fausto Carmona looks to be quite lost out on the mound. It seems as if the opposing hitters are just letting his slider go by since it is usually below the knees anyways. If he can't spot his fastball, his walks rise and the innings get longer. There must be something wrong with his delivery too as he seems to be unable to repeat it effectively as the opposing team seems to know what he is about to throw each time. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings, allowed 5 earned runs on 3 hits while walking 5 and striking out three. Fausto needs to straighten things out pretty quickly as the rotation is in need of a third starter to depend on.


• Shin Soo Choo's swing is looking longer and more of an uppercut. He did slug one home run, but went 2-16 in the series and may be in need of a day off against a lefty soon. Choo looked this way for a stretch in early April, but I am sure he will straighten things out as his walks are down too. His pitch selection is off right now and that is a major key in his success at the plate.
  

3 Up

• Jeremy Sowers had a huge hand in allowing the Tribe to claw back into the game Monday. He threw 5 shutout innings while allowing only 3 hits and a walk. Sowers earned the right to get another shot at the rotation Monday, so let's hope he can take advantage of it.


• Ryan Garko started all 4 games of the series and really found a groove, going 6-15, with 3 HR's and 7 RBI. Garko is a player who needs regular AB's to develop his groove at the plate and he seems to be doing just that. You may not see him in the lineup tonight (only if Grady goes back to center), but expect Ryan to get at least 5 starts a week if he is hitting like this.


• Ben Francisco had an outstanding series, playing center field and left while absolutely owning Rays pitcher Andy Sonnanstine. B-Franc went 6-13 with a HR and 5 RBI while single-handidly bringing the club back Wednesday. His career stats against Sonnanstine are video game like, going 8-9 with 5 HR and 12 RBI. The former high school team mates (Francisco/Garko) have found a nice little groove over the past week and that is why I imagine Matt LaPorta was sent down in favor of Trevor Crowe playing the role of 4th outfielder.

The pitching matchups for the weekend are as follows:

Friday Lee vs Pettitte Saturday Carmona vs Sabathia Sunday Pavano vs Hughes Monday Sowers vs Chamberlin.

It will be interesting to see the reaction ole' Carston Charles gets in his homecoming return to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario. If I was going, I would cheer him initially, then boo him mercilessly then after.

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).

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.

Two ways to go

If there were ever a game to jump start some sort of sustained winning streak, today's game would be it. It was excruciating to watch, you never felt comfortable with any lead, and you figured the Indians would somehow blow it in the end. Well, the Tribe won Monday, but it is tough to feel good about it. How should we look at it?

Cons

One reliable bullpen member crapped the bed (Wood) another looks downright lost (Perez), and one final member came in with the winning run at the plate who has yielded 6 homeruns in 25 games. Also, your offense was no hit for 6 1/3 innings by a junkball lefty who normally pitches in middle relief. Your uninterested shortstop (Peralta) seems to be swinging a pool cue instead of a Louisville Slugger. Your key offseason infield acquisition (DeRosa) boots the ball more than Aaron Boone. Lastly, your superstar centerfielder seems to be unable to get a big hit with runners in scoring position to save his life (we all know who).

Pros

Starting pitching was solid (Carmona). Rookie reliever pitching great (Sipp). Rookie stud outfielder tied the game with a bomb (LaPorta) Were able to tie the game with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth with 2 strikes (Cabrera). Pinch hitters/late inning replacements came up clutch (Dellucci/Barfield). Struggling reliever saved the game with winning run up and one out (Lewis again). Never gave up.

Time will tell us if this game made any difference in the 2009 season. They could go out tomorrow and lose ugly. I will give it the Indians, when they win (and it has not been often) they do it in exciting fashion. Let's just hope it isn't a once every three day occurrence.

Down on the Farm Report: Alexander Perez

The Latin contingent of pitchers in the Cleveland Indians Minor League system is becoming a strength with the emergence of Kelvin De La Cruz, Hector Rondon, and at the big league level Fausto Carmona. You can now add another Dominican to the list, right hander Alexander Perez. Perez is currently dominating the South Atlantic League as a member of the Lake County Captains. He has struck out 23 batters in 22 2/3 innings while walking 7. Perez has yet to record a decision, but has posted a 1.99 ERA in four starts. While only being in the organization for 2 years, Perez has made great progress already pitching in Low A ball at the young age of 19. At 6'2 and only 160 lbs, Alexander has some room to fill out his physique and improve on his 92 MPH fastball, but posts an impressive curveball and changeup, a plus at such a young age. His ground ball to fly ball ratio thusfar is an impressive 2-1, similar to that of Carmona. Look for Perez later this summer to move on up to Kinston with a shot at Akron sometime in 2010.

Heading Towards the 480 Bridge

I know it's just 3 games. I know a baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint. But c'mon! Being down a combined 18-0 in the first 2 innings of each game is down right horrifying. Allowing 29 runs in 3 games is an abomination. Another sign of bad things to come was Grady Sizemore promptly leading each game of with a strikeout. The Tribe fell to the Rangers 9-1, 8-5, and 12-8, but the games weren't even that close. There really isn't much to say about the series, besides...

Lee and Carmona were bad, but weren't a complete disaster.

Carl Pavano is really really bad and a complete disaster. I want to pick him up in my fantasy league just so I can cut him.

Sans the long ball, the team collectively had really no clutch hits whatsoever.

The Indians are still in sleep walk spring training mode.

Hafner's swing still looks slow.

The review was pretty short because I just don't have the heart to rehash this garbage of a series more in depth. The great thing about baseball is tomorrow is another day, another game, and the home opener. Scott Lewis takes on some guy named Scott Richmond of the Toronto Blue Jays. Let's pray the rain holds off and the starters allow less than 5 runs.

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

Cleveland Indians Desert Diagnosis

The Cleveland Indians finally were able to keep an opposing team under 4 runs today, beating the Chicago White Sox 9-4. I was able to watch this game via mlb.com and here were some random thoughts from the game.

Fausto Carmona: Was able to force seven ground outs in three innings, but got in some two out trouble in the 2nd inning. Seems to be pitching OK, not a serious concern early in camp with walking guys.

Anthony Reyes: Pitched a scoreless three innings, was successful moving the ball all around the zone. Allowed just one walk and has yet to give up a run in Cactus League action. Reyes has pretty much locked up the number four spot in the rotation.

Vinnie Chulk: Two scoreless innings, 3 K's. Dark horse for 7th slot in the pen.

Matt Herges: 40 year old struck out the side. Has received praise from Wedge and may be an option for the 7th spot in the pen as well.

Grady Sizemore: Simply went 3-3, 2 RBI and looked fluid on the base paths. Grady is fine and look for him to have a career year in 2009 with the added punch to the lineup. Also hit well off of 2 lefties, which is a great sign as he only batted .224 against lefties in 2008.

Victor Martinez: 3-3, 2 RBI. Victor hit a fastball in on the hands out into center field, hit a gap with another single, and seems to be fully back from his various ailments of 2008.

Chris Gimenez: 0-1, BB. Didn't do much but I believe will be on this team after the All-Star break due to his enormous position flexibility. Currently hitting .385.

Beau Mills: 0-4, 1 RBI. Beau struggled with the outside in-the-dirt curve ball from lefties and seemed to be over guessing on pitches, but is still only about to begin his 2nd full year in pro ball. If Mills has a big year in Akron, the Indians will have an interesting decision to make at first base in 2011.

Tony Graffanino/Andy Cannizaro: 5-7, two doubles, 1 home run, 3 Rbi. The Italian duo auditioned themselves well as utility guys for the Indians minor leagues or possibly a big league job at the end of camp. Cannizaro is probably the leader in the clubhouse to play short in Columbus.

Matt LaPorta: 0-4, 3K's. Bad game for LaPorta at bat, and also fumbled the ball out in right. Still hitting .316 and will see a lot more time this spring.

Michael Brantley: 2-3, double, 2 runs scored. Both of Brantley's hits were to the opposite field and showed some nice speed on the bases. Putting together a nice spring, with a .368 avg. and looking pretty fluid in the outfield.

Hopefully the pitching will sustain some consistency over the next few weeks as we get closer to camp ending. The hitting at all levels looks ready for business, so hopefully the winter weather of April in Cleveland won't cool down the bats too much.

Sal Fasano Flashback

In anticipation of 2009, I wanted to share a few quick photos from the late September game against Detroit where Fausto Carmona beat the crap out of Gary Sheffield. I am happy we are turning the page on a tough season, but watching the replay of this game gave me some more hope for this season. Choo looked amazing in hitting two home runs, Grady was Grady belting a bomb into center, Fausto pitched OK until being ejected, and Betancourt threw like his old self. And Sal Fasano looked like a beer league softball player. I won't miss the injuries and inconsistancies, but I sure will miss the italian stallion, as I will forever be one of Sal's Pals.



Sal in a comfy sweatshirt

Sal cooling off Fausto

and finally Fausto winding up and delivering a fist sandwich to Gary Sheffield. What a game and what an incident! The Colorado Rockies have one great Spring Training Invitee!

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.

Fausto to DL, Lewis sent down, Mujica, Elarton called up

A whole bunch of roster moves were made Saturday, as apparently Fausto Carmona's hip hurt him enough for the Indians to place him on the 15 day DL. Also, the Tribe sent down Jensen Lewis in a move to help locate his velocity. Lewis has not pitched horrible, but if his fastball is not clocking in at least the high 80's, it is a problem. Scott Elarton returns to Cleveland to fill a role in long relief. The team did not really have an innings eater out in the pen all year. Edward Mujica was added for the time being until Jake Westbrook is activated from the DL. Mujica has been pretty bad in the big leagues so far, so I would imagine he will only come in in mop up duty, Elarton took the place of Breslow on the 40 man roster. Finally, the Tribe won last night for the first time in 8 games. It figures the first game I don't watch in a week they win.