Wedge Watch

After watching the Tribe lose its sixth straight game and blunder away any hope to a surge this season, the Eric Wedge watch is officially on. Is he canned tomorrow? Does he last the season? Who will be his interim replacement? What about 2010? All of these questions are on the minds of Tribe fans today and is only the middle of June. As for the Windy City debacle, well the series was downright pathetic. I was originally planning on going this weekend, but I am sure glad I didn't because eventhough Wrigleyville is a great time, it would have taken a blacked-out bender to recover from these games. Random thoughts as always...

Luis Valbuena is looking more and more like the second baseman of the future.

There is really no way the Indians can trade Cliff Lee. He is literally the only starting pitcher the team has in the organization that could legitimately be in another MLB teams rotation. If he walks after 2010, then shake his hand and wish him luck. At least he gives you a shot to win every fifth day.

The Ben Francisco and Ryan Garko eras in Cleveland are quickly coming to an end.

Tomo Ohka is the 2nd best starter on the staff right now. That is really, really sad.

You can make the excuse that Kerry Wood is underused, but he still has to get it done. He is making 12 million dollars to pitch one inning and win your team a game. Just a joke.

What can be said about the bullpen that hasn't already been said. Nothing. Mike Gosling should not have picked the #20, it may be cursed by this guy.

Victor is in a bit of slump, which does not bode well for the club at all.

You will not see Jeremy Sowers in an Indian uniform in 2010.

If Wedge is canned, I would promote Clippers Manager Torey Lovullo into the interim role (along with his pitching coach Scott Radinsky). No coach on the current staff should even be considered, the team needs a new voice. Give the guy a shot this season with the promise that if he succeeds, he will be strongly considered for 2010 and beyond.

My 2010 Manager.... John Farrell. He is the pitching coach for a great staff in Boston and has plenty of knowledge of the Indians system.

Don't be surprised if Mark Shapiro steps aside either this season or before 2010 and becomes the teams President, allowing Chris Antonetti to take over. They may sound like clones, but I think Antonetti has his own ideas on some ways he would do things differently.

Trevor Crowe needs to be sent down immediately. I really liked what he did in spring training, but I have seen enough of him to know that he is a 4A guy and the Indians have way too many of those kind of players.

Kelly Shoppach may be on his way back to Triple A pretty soon. Being the personal catcher for Cliff Lee can only save your job for so long.

With the club currently 29-43 (most games under .500 all season), and reports that the Manager is possibly out the door, the question out there is who to blame? Let me know in the comments section below. The Wahoos are off to Pittsburgh to hopefully right this sinking ship.

Lee Masters Cardinals, Tribe wins Season-Best 3rd Series in a Row

Cliff Lee successfully no-hit the St. Louis Cardinals for 7 innings Sunday, bringing the Indians to within 6 games of the first place Detroit Tigers. Lee was utterly brilliant, using just 93 pitches (70 strikes) to dispose of the redbirds while cooling off the red-hot Albert Pujols (0-3, BB). Even more amazing, Lee threw first pitch strikes to 26 of the 32 batters he faced. He stuck out six, gave up three hits and 2 walks while shutting out St. Louis, lowering his ERA to 2.88. I didn't even realize that he was flirting with the no-no until the 6th when the crowd began to cheer louder after each out. Clifton really has solidified his place among baseball's elite, proving that his 2008 Cy Young campaign was no fluke. His starts have vaulted into the category of must-see events, hopefully getting him onto the All-Star team despite his 4-6 record that is definitely not his fault. Here are some of the highlights below...



The bats were not really around for the past 2 games, scoring just four runs total over Saturday and Sunday. I would say that the lineup is finally settling down, with Jhonny Peralta seemingly positioned to man the hot corner most of the time. Luis Valbuena has been outstanding in the field at short, but his bat has not progressed as quickly. He has been getting robbed of hits a bunch over the past week. Wedge said that he plans to stick with him.

Kelly Shoppach needs to be given some major credit in the starting staffs' revival. He is currently the personal catcher for Lee, Carl Pavano, and lately David Huff. All seem to be really comfortable with him behind the dish. Shoppach has struggled at the plate lately, but went 2-3 with a homer and a double Sunday. The offense may look a little weaker with Valbuena and Shoppach in the 8 and 9 hole, but the defense and game managing more than makes up for it. When Asdrubal and Grady comeback hopefully soon, look for Valbuena to platoon with Jamey Carroll and Shoppach to play at least 5-6 days a week. These moves will definitely cut into the regular playing time (with DeRosa your Left Fielder) of Ryan Garko and Ben Francisco, which really isn't a bad thing.

The Milwaukee Brewers come to town Monday for a 3 game series. Here are the pitching matchups...

David Bush vs. Carl Pavano Monday
Yvonni Gallardo vs. Jeremy Sowers Tuesday

Jeff Suppan vs. David Huff Wednesday

The Tribe has a real shot to get back in this the way the schedule is shaping up with 12 of their next 18 games at home with a short 6 game roadtrip covering just Chicago and Pittsburgh. If they can get to 4 or less games back by the All-Star break (when the team should be at full strength) this season just get a bit more interesting.

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.

Heartaches, Headaches, and Head Scratchers

At least the Indians finally hit a triple! The Tribe's record now stands at a disappointing 8-14 after dropping 2 of three to the Boston Red Sox when they had a legitimate shot at winning all three. The team collectively went 2-32 with runners in scoring position, which is down right embarrassing. Every aspect of this team needs to be dissected and critiqued heavily. Here are some rants without any raves.

• Peralta is lost, needs to be sat down for a few games to figure some things out.
• Why a team carrying 14 pitchers trots out a reliever who is prone to the gopher ball (Lewis) for his third consecutive inning is a mystery. Why not throw the guy (Rundles) who gets lefties out against the lefty (Van Every)?
• The Indians blew a golden opportunity for a win when the Red Sox decided to sit Youklis, Drew and Lugo on the bench in favor of Bailey, Van Every, and Green. I don't care that Van Every hit the winning homerun, they are all jobbers.
• Shapiro better find 7 pitchers to throw out of the bullpen that he believes in because a major league team can not have a bench of 2 or 3 guys when the starting 9 is incredibly slow and not versatile.
• Lee and Carmona pitched great and have nothing to show for it.
• Reyes' fastball topping out at 85 MPH was not a good sign.
• Putting a closer in a tie ball game when he had pitched the night before makes no sense to me. I can understand if Wood hadn't thrown in awhile but it works like 50% of the time. I understood Wood throwing Tuesday as there really wasn't anyone left.
• Moves I would make tomorrow. Cut Kobayashi, Demote Graffanino, and Rundles, and call up LaPorta, Valbuena, and Barfield. Make Shoppach your backup catcher again, sit Peralta down a few days, and stick LaPorta at DH with an occasional spot start in left. What is worth more, LaPorta losing a year of arbitration or your team losing an entire season? Barfield, Crowe, Shoppach, and Peralta make up your bench for the time being. Send Barfield down when Carroll comes back. I don't even want to get started on Dellucci.
• If and when Pavano and Reyes keep sucking, ship the worse one out and call up Rondon from Akron. Would bring excitement and a guy who throws heat.
• I need not watch Friday's game or my blood pressure will become a health problem.
• I have a horrible feeling that the same old moves will happen tomorrow (Dellucci up).
• When is the point in the season when the team decides the core of this team just is not working together as a cohesive unit?
• What will be the club's excuse for their bad start this year? Hafner on the DL? The WBC? The Swine Flu?
• Should I feel optimistic that they are still only 3.5 games back?
  

The Tribe is thankfully off Thursday, but moves the train wreck on up to Detroit where Carl Pavano (0-3 9.50 ERA) takes on Armando Gallaraga (3-0 1.85 ERA). Who you got? Are you still in the Tribe?

Fun in the Sun

Since the Indians will still not be on STO for another 3 weeks, I found some clips of the Wigwammers in action.

This first clip is of the March 3rd game against the Royals, first inning (Trevor Crowe,Jamey Carroll,Jhonny Peralta, and Ryan Garko).



This one is of Kelly Shoppach, Tony Graffanino and Luis Valbuena in action against the Royals. Shoppach really gets into one off of Zack Greinke.



Anthony Reyes' first spring training outing.



Hopefully the pitching will get better over the course of the next four weeks as these softball-type scores are getting a bit to frequent, but it is Spring Training.

Cactus Action

With the Tribe already completing their 7th spring training game and STO not showing a match up until the end of March, I decide to put up some of the game action from last weeks' Diamonbacks game. Nothing real earth-shattering, just some semi regulars getting some work. I think Tomo Ohka is still icing his neck after his forgettable outing

Asdrubal Cabrera grounding out.




Josh Barfield drawing a walk.




Mark Reynolds and Tony Clark batting against Rich Rundles with a cameo from Mark Shapiro.




Dan Haren vs Kelly Shoppach




Mark DeRosa strikes out against Haren




Mark DeRosa Pops up




Grady Sizemore bloops a single




It is always a welcomed site to watch Indians baseball games even if they don't count. Hopefully next year STO will carry games more frequently than over just a two week span.

Answering the Fans

I was lucky enough to attend an Indians season ticket holders' Town Hall event held at Westlake High School Tuesday where Assistant GM Chris Antoneti and Manager Eric Wedge, among others (Bob Dibiasio, Dennis Lehman) answered some questions from the common folk. The usual softball questions were asked as I expected, since we all were pretty much just fans excited to talk to the leaders of our favorite club. The panel was extremely cordial and answered even the stupid questions about signing big name free agents. I was able to record about 15 minutes of it, (I am the guy who asked about the teams' philosophy on injuries and if the Tribe would resign Manny) and took a few mental notes as well. This first video is about Travis Hafner and Jake Westbrook.

Here is a synopsis of what I heard

When Wedge was asked about Andy Marte, he basically said they haven't been able to tap into his full potential in Cleveland and that it might have to happen somewhere else. Said for some guys sometimes their ability to stay consistant just clicks on one day(used the example of Casey Blake after 8 years in the minors and Jamie Moyer, saying he remembers facing him in the minors). I would say Marte is pretty much done as an Indian.

Wedge said they wouldn't have guessed Cliff Lee would accomplish the season he had after his first spring training start (joked that he asked Carl Willis what the two had been working on all winter). After his amazing April continued into May and June, Wedge knew Lee's season would be special. Told Cliff after CC was traded, he was the man, his ace. Also mentioned Kelly Shoppach while speaking about Lee prominantly, so don't be surprised to see a Lee/Shoppach battery most of the time.

Antonetti spoke about how the Indians decided to bring in Carl Pavano. Said he was in the best shape he had been in 4 years. Pavano also bluntly talked about that he pretty much sucked in New York and was ready for a big comeback. Apparently the team was impressed with his desire to bounce back and Pavano seemed to be the most physically recovered reclamation project out there. Stressed it was a low risk/high reward signing.

Wedge spoke about how Josh Barfield needs to develop some more "flexibility" in his game to make the club, saying that he may need to learn the outfield to become more versatile. Also talked about Ryan Garko learning some left field (yikes!) for when Victor Martinez plays first. Doesn't have any illusions that Garko will be the next Willie Mays out there, but just being serviceable would add to club overall. Also said DeRosa would play some right field for Choo against tougher lefties and that Jamey Carroll may patrol the outfield as well. The skipper seems to really want to be able to juggle his players around to find the right fit any given day. Stressed it was a 162 game season and needs to be treated as such. (never overact to any situation).

Antoneti mentioned 3 players to watch in AA Akron, Carlos Santana, Beau Mills, and Hector Rondon as well as hyping up the AAA Columbus outfield of Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley, and Trevor Crowe (compared him to Coco Crisp).

Wedge spoke a bit about the usual question that comes up at these type of events, Cleveland's market size and players coming and going. He said that the 10 game losing streak was more of a product of the players' uncertainty about the CC trade talks and felt the team didn't really give their best effort. Said a lot of players got exposure last year to the big league team that they normally would not have, and will help come 2009. Mentioned that the two biggest team leaders left (Sabathia, Blake) but more talent will come on through (mentioned Matt LaPorta, David Huff). Antonetti talked about even though the season was a disappointment, they were able to replenish the farm system more than expected through their various deals.

When I asked about the teams feeling concerning disclosing injuries, Wedge and Antonetti both basically said that the team would lose a competitive advantage if they told the media every little bump and bruise. (The video is below).

It was a fun experience for my wife Lynsey and I to go out and hear about our beloved Tribe (It was also the first time we left our 1 month old son at Grandma's house). The event gave the fans an up close feeling of where the front office hopes and feels the team will be in 2009. We will be off to the winter caravan tour in Sandusky with Ryan Garko and David Huff Monday so I will have some stuff up here about that as well. Here is the last clip which is really just financial talk and kind of boring. For all you Derek Jeter fans there is some drooling over him in here as well. Enjoy!

Winter Wonderings with Wedge

As the visions of Wood dance through the heads of Tribe fans everywhere, my thoughts have immediately move towards the infield. After viewing STO's Matt Underwood interview Eric Wedge about everything Indians, some items up for debate have become clearer.

• Basically said if no infield moves were made, Peralta would remain at Shortstop which can't be good for Barfield.
  


• When asked about Shoppach/Martinez/Garko First Base/Catcher situation, Wedge said that Shoppach's role would increase behind the dish, but the league will adjust to him at bat. He stated that he won't commit to anything at the moment, leading me to believe that they are shopping him hardcore (with 3 catchers on the 40man) for a middle infielder.

• The team is looking at probably after January 1 for a starting pitcher but Shapiro and Antonetti have been kicking the tires on every possibility.

• Tribe is exploring everything at closer (trade/free agent) so it seems they are coming up with a back up plan if the Kerry Wood deal falls through.

The skipper seems pretty optimistic about the Indians addressing the needs of the team. I am relieved to know that Wedge doesn't see a Cabrera/Barfield double play combination in 2009. The next 48 hours may paint a more clearer picture of what team will be taking the field come opening day

10 in a row!

The Tribe has been able to rattle off 9 straight wins since my last post. Some friends of mine believe this blog is a jinx on the Indians and said that the next time a put something up the team will subsequently lose. Whatever the case, I will continue to post weekly and it is nice to talk about some positive developments. Although the last 3 teams seem to have given up their respective seasons (Royals, Rangers, Tigers), a team still has to play these games and the Indians seem to be collectively succeeding. The keys to the Indians streak has been clutch hitting and a bullpen that is finishing games. After the installation and execution of Jensen Lewis as closer, the rest of the bullpen (Betancourt, Perez, Donnelly) have settled into their respective roles. Ryan Garko and Franklin Gutierrez have been a hot streak, and Kelly Shoppach and Jhonny Peralta have provide much needed power. Grady Sizemore and Cliff Lee have continued their All-Star seasons, and the potpourri of pitchers (Reyes, Jackson, Sowers) have been just good enough to put together quality starts. Now back to the hear and now...

The Indians currently have a record of 65-67, with 30 games left. If the Indians go a respectful 20-10 to end the season, here is what the rest of the teams in the races would have to go for the Tribe to make the playoffs.

Red Sox 7-23

Yankees 14-16

White Sox 8-22

Twins 9-21

Basically, barring a complete meltdown by 3 of these four teams, the Indians are still done. The frustrating part is give the Indians just 5 more wins somewhere amongst the first 4 months, and they would still be in the race. Oh well, we might as well just enjoy our Tribe playing well now and wait until next year for contention again

Indians take 2 out of 3 from Padres, off to Colorado

Winning a series will always bring hope to a struggling team. Winning consecutive series's may unfortunately bring false hope. If the Indians would have went 2-4 or 1-5 over the past homestand, I believe the "trade CC" talk may have been elevated to sooner rather than later. Now that the Tribe is only 5 1/2 games back, I imagine Sabathia will be around until the end of July. This is in no way inferring that I want the Indians to lose. I just think the front office really has no idea what path to take with the remainder of the 2008 season.

If they trade CC, they are telling the fans that they are raising the white flag and giving up. If they keep CC, they risk not getting anything for him besides two first round picks next year which won't help the big club for 4-5 years. Is this team good enough to contend with four of their top six players on the disabled list? My answer is I have no idea. The team has hit better, and I attribute it to Hafner and Martinez being OUT of the lineup. They were obviously hurt and not the best option at their respective positions everyday. Once they were removed, a healthy nine seemed to take pressure off of each other instead of relying on Victor and Travis.

These injuries should ultimately make the rest of the lineup stronger as guys like Francisco, Choo, Shoppach, and Carroll are racking up major innings played and confidence. The way this team is currently constructed, I don't think they can win the AL Central mainly due to the inconsistent bullpen and Jeremy Sowers pitching every fifth day. If I were a betting man, I would wager the CC is an Indian for the rest of the season, due to the fact 2 1st rounders may be more valuable than medium grade prospects and Mark Shapiro relationship with Sabathia. They are very close and I believe Mark may still feel he has a chance to resign him (a pipe dream at best.)

Here were some of the Highlights:

Grady Sizemore: 3-12 3 HR's 4 RBI's. Grady is second in the A.L. with 17 homeruns. He is just mashing right now, but I would keep him in the leadoff spot because, well he likes hitting there. Why mess with a good thing?

Jamey Carroll: 5-12. Scrappy Doo is a solid utility guy, I will have to admit. Now I wouldn't keep him as out starting 2nd Baseman for more than a month, but he is playing extremely well.

Shin Soo Choo: 3-10, 3 RBI's. I like Choo as a platoon option in right and DH. He drives the ball pretty wll and has a good approach. I don't think he will ever be an everyday guy, but a very useful 4th outfielder on a contending club.

CC Sabathia: 8 IP, 3 earned runs, 10 K's. The hefty lefty pitched another gem. Every time out he has been outstanding, increasing his trade and free agent value along the way.

Areas of Concern:

Jeremy Sowers: 4 1/3 IP, 9 Hits, 4 earned runs. Now I know he had to sit for like 3 hours during Friday's rain delay, but don't you just have the feeling he is nothing better than an average 5th starter? He is a guy who relies on hitting spots, so when he doesn't, he immediately becomes batting practice. Looking forward to Fausto coming back sooner rather than later.

Edward Mujica: 1 IP, 3 hits, 2 Walks, 5 earned runs. He just plain sucks, always has, always will.

Ben Francisco's Defense: He looked like he was getting better in spring training but he has seemed to regress. He is adequate at best in left, and a total nightmare in right. He sure can mash, though.

Jhonny Peralta's eye commercials: No one will go and get Laser eye suregery at the Cole eye institute of the Cleveland Clinic off of Mr. Peralta's recommendation. He claims he see better than 20/20 now. I would prefer him batting better than .220.

More interleague play for the Tribe as we get to watch Paul Byrd bat tonight! Woo Hoo! He takes on Colorado Rockies' ace Scott Reynolds. At least Scott believes he is an ace.

Dellucci Delivers

While most of Cleveland was watching LeBron James brick another shot, the Cleveland Indians delivered a compelling victory. With a lineup including Jamey Carroll, Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach and recently recalled Ben Francisco, most would assume this game was a throw away. The Tribe only mustered up 6 hits and scored all of their runs compliments of the long ball. Fausto Carmona continued to struggle with his control walking five, but was able to go five innings while only giving up 3 runs. David Dellucci hit a clutch 3 run pinch hit homerun in the 8th, giving the Indians a charge they desperately needed. The real key to the victory was the bullpen, as Rafael Perez, Jensen Lewis, and Rafael Betancourt all pitched outstanding in their roles. If the relief corp can settle into their roles respectively, this team will win. Victor Martinez did not play due to a stiff neck and is listed day to day. The Indians will need his bat back in the lineup soon if they want to rattle off any type of winning streak. Hopefully Dellucci's homer will wake up this lineup from their extended slumber

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.