Down on the Farm Report: Nick Weglarz

Last week it was announced that two Indians Minor Leaguers will represent the World Team in the 11th annual All-Star futures game on All-Star weekend on July 12 at Busch Stadium. The two players are catcher Carlos Santana who is the Indians number one rated prospect according to Baseball America and outfielder Nick Weglarz who was rated by Baseball America as the number 3 Indians prospect leading into the season. Both of which are teammates on the Indians Double A Akron Aeros squad. If you watched any of the World Baseball Classic this year you might remember the 21 year old Weglarz as he started in left field for team Canada. Nick also played for the Canadian team in the 2009 Summer Olympics in China as well.

The Indians selected Weglarz in the 3rd round of the 2005 Draft out of high school (Ontario, Canada). In his pro debut in 2005 at rookie level Burlington, at 17 years of age Weglarz held up well and hit .231 with 2 HR and 13 RBI in 141 at bats. In 2006, he played only one game for the rookie level Gulf Coast League (GCL) Indians as he was sidelined for the entire season with a broken hand. Weglarz is one of only a handful of players under 20 to have an OPS in the South Atlantic League of .892 or higher in the last 15 years. Here is what several sites have said about the young up and comer:

Indians Prospect Insider "Weglarz is a developed hitter with above-average hand-eye coordination, and he loves low pitches so he can extend through it either away or down and in. Weglarz has some flaws in his swing that will need to be tinkered along the way, but his long arms and good bat speed generate tremendous power."

Scoutingbook.com said he is, "A smart, savvy hitter with strong arms and developing power, Weglarz uses very fast hands to work the bat through the zone quickly, with line-drive power to all fields. His swing lacks the loft of a true power-hitter, though that may come soon as his large frame continues to fill out: In 2007 he produced 24 long balls in 127 games as a 19 year old in A ball. He took a step back when bumped up to high-A in 2008, but he's still a very young player with a lot to learn, so some growing pains are expected. A first-baseman in high school, the Indians have been using him in left field, though that experiment may soon end: his glove and arm are not better than average. While he continues to work on his power swing, his advanced plate discipline looks puts him firmly in the Future Youkilis Junior Achievers camp for now."

This year Weglarz started out the season playing for the Double A Akron Aeros as he spent all of 2008 in Single A Kingston. Although he started out slow by hitting below .100 in the month of April his numbers have really come around in the last two months as he has been on fire. Since May 1st he is batting over .320 for the Aeros. As of today he is hitting .261 and is leading the team in RBI's with 55. His OPS is .900. Furthermore, he was selected as the Eastern League Player of the week back on May 18th and then again this past week ending June 26th. Weglarz was at his best in the three-game series against Trenton last week. Weglarz hit .700 (7-10) in the series, homered in all three games, drove in eight runs, and collected his first four-hit game of the season Wednesday before becoming just the 12th player in franchise history to draw four walks in a game Thursday.

Since Weglarz is only 21 you can only expect more great things out of him. With the Tribe basically being all but out of it in 2009 it would be nice to see them bring up two other prospects from Triple A Columbus in Michael Brantley and Matt LaPorta so they can get some big league experience. The Clippers have been playing Brantley a lot more in left field so hopefully this is a sign that he will come up and get some experience as I would rather watch him than Ben Francisco. Benny boy is just terrible and I am tired of watching him as he is a minor leaguer at best. Bruce Drennen talked about him last night on All Bets Are Off saying that Francisco might be a nice kid but he has to go. I will be amazed if he is on a big league club next year. With this in mind, if either LaPorta or Brantley get called up you can probably expect that Nick Weglarz will be on the first bus to Columbus to play for the Clippers.

Tribe drops 2 of 3 to the Pirates

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

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

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

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

Clippers Clips: The future of the Indians Bullpen?

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

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

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

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.

Tribe Loses Game, Shortstop

The Indians lost more than a game Tuesday, they lost their second most consistent everyday player when Asdrubal Cabrera attempted to break up a double play and ended up either separating or extremely bruising his left shoulder. I imagine Cliff Lee will throw his arm out and Victor will break his other knee cap sometime soon (and LeBron will anounces he is signing with some European team next season). Who really knows who the Tribe's leadoff hitter will be now. Ben Francisco? Jamey Carroll? Yikes is right. A season that most Cleveland fans thought was one of promise has turned into an utter disaster and they have only played 53 games. If Asdrubal is placed on the DL, I imagine Josh Barfield, Tony Graffanino, Matt LaPorta and possibly even Andy Marte (double Yikes) are all candidates to be recalled. J-Barf and LaPorta are probably the choices since they are on the 40 man roster.

The worst part of the injury is that it means we will be seeing Jhonny Peralta returning to shortstop. Jhonny was playing pretty well at third and moving back to the middle of the diamond will not help out the team fielding or the pitchers as Cabrera was vastly superior. This also means Mark DeRosa will be back at third base more regularly, a position he did not fare very well at before the changes were made (6 errors). This new injury should not prevent the Tribe from possibly trading DeRosa. Get the NL teams to bid against each other and take the best deal so he can play for his new NL club for 4 months instead of just 2 if a deal was made at the deadline. This team is pretty much dead, so get what you can for him and let Carroll, Valbuena, and even Gimenez fill in at the hot corner.

As for the game Tuesday, Joe Mauer keeps on killing AL pitching raising his batting average to .433 by going 3-3 with a homerun and 3 RBI. He is one of the best in the league and I imagine Twins fans will not enjoy seeing him in a Yankee uniform in 2011. Victor Martinez homered and was robbed of another by a great play by Carlos Gomez. David Huff pitched ok, but fell behind to many hitters after the 3rd inning. The Tribe had their chances to come back with runners on, but a lineup that sports Valbuena(who over swings), Crowe (who looks completely over matched), and Shoppach(who strikes out a ton but is sporting a tremendous beard) as your 7-9 tends to not strike much fear in the hearts of the opposition.

The Indians look to grind it out and get after it Wednesday as Cliff Lee takes on some guy named Anthony Swarzak. Still only 8 games back!!! (Triple Yikes!!!)

Clippers Clips: "Hypnotized"

There are two things that Columbus Clippers starting shortstop can claim that no other person on the team can....a batting average below .200 and the fact that he is the only white guy on the team, scratch that, in the world that comes up to the plate with rap music. That's right, Andy Cannizaro, the 5'10 170lb number 9 hitter who looks like a mix breed between the bitter beer guy and an umpa lumpa comes to the plate each time when he is up to none other than NOTORIOUS B.I.G's "Hypnotize" That being said, the Clippers took a little bit of what seems like will be A-Can's only clam to fame will ever be, and used it to whoop up on Norfolk on Monday night beating them 16-3. I was truly HYPNOTIZED after this one folks. After getting crushed the last three nights by the Tides, the Clippers took one out on starting pitcher Radhames Liz. Although the right hander threw some gas topping out in the high 90's. As they say.... "the faster it comes in the faster it goes out!" Just ask Matt Laporta who went 3 for 4 hitting a blast off Liz in the 2nd inning. Also looking good tonight were Andy Marte going 3 for 5 and Jordan Brown going 2 for 3. As a matter of fact the Clips did so well tonight that Cannizaro even went 2 for 5, but don't worry his average is still under .200, finishing the evening at .197. Maybe he will drink a few Keystone Lights tonight and erase that face

Notables in this game were Travis Hafner and pitcher Joe Smith. Hafner who went 1 for 4 had two things going for him. Number one he looked really good in his uniform tonight, and number two he swung the bat with some authority. I was really impressed with his warm up swings in the on deck circle. In one of his warm up swings he took it deep, it look to me like it would have been a Home Run (more importantly he seemed not to strain or pull anything). Anyhow, I am sure he will be back up to Cleveland any day now. Joe Smith also made his first appearance in his rehab assignment. Although he did not look as good as Hafner in his uniform (not as muscley), he looked pretty good having only faced 4 batters and giving up one hit. The MPH sign on the scoreboard said he maxed out at 93mph however from my vantage point it looked closer to 94.

Jack Cassel started for the Clippers throwing 5 shutout innings before giving up 2 runs in the 6th and 1 more in the 7th. As mentioned earlier, Joe Smith threw to four batters in the 8th and then Blaine Neal came in for the save in the ninth, shutting the door the only way he knows how. All in all, the Clips were running on all cylinders tonight. The win brings Columbus back to .500 with a 26-26 record which oddly enough keeps them in first place of the God awful International West Division. Let's tip our cap and chug another Stone for ole' Cannizaro, every AAA club needs a guy like him!

Clippers Clips: New Diggs for the Indians Triple A Affiliate

In the off season not only did the Cleveland Indians get a new home for spring training, they also got a brand spankin new home for their Minor League Triple A affiliate. The Wahoo Warriors teamed up with the International League Columbus Clippers who just opened up the brand New $55 Million Huntington Park (pictured above), which was rated by Ballpark Digest as one of the best new Baseball facilities.

With Cleveland knowing that their contract with Buffalo was ending after last season it work out perfectly for the Tribe as the Clippers only signed a two year agreement with the Washington Nationals (after previously being affiliated with the Yankees for over 30 years) and that contract was also up last year. It only made sense for the Tribe to make the easy trip down I-71 and team up with Columbus' finest...Columbus Clippers ring your bell! This new affiliation now leaves Cleveland with all but one of their Minor League affiliates in the Buckeye State. There were also two other factors that made sense for Cleveland.

#1 The Clippers were building a brand new beautiful state of the art facility
#2 This would be a fantastic oporrtunity to expand their fan base in the State Capital.

Because I live in Columbus, I have had the opportunity to watch 8 games at Huntington Park this year. Upon entering for the first time I can honestly say I was shell shocked....was this really a Minor League Facility....and did I just pay $3 to park and $6 for a ticket, someone pinch me. This facility is literaly a Major League Park on a smaller scale. It has all the ammenities, it is spacious, yet at the same time it is VERY intimate. You can pretty much sit anywhere and feel like you are on top of the field. For those of you who never experienced the old Cooper Stadium no need to worry. It was a piece of _ _ _ _! I hope they bury it in the cemetary that sat right next to it. At Cooper Stadium you had a 50% chance of either sitting next to someone who had about 4 teeth and another 50% chance of sitting next to NOBODY! The facility was so old and outdated and just did not draw a good crowd...not to mention it was in a terrible ghetto of a location. Ok, enough of my tangent on how crappy the old Clippers Stadium was.

Huntington Park brings an excitement to Downtown Columbus and a brand new clientele. People actually want to go to this place. It is always packed whether it is a Tuesday night game or Saturday day game. It is definitely an event. Sure there is an actual game going on, but you can make a night out of it. In left field they have a building that you would think has been standing forever...wrong. They built the AEP Power Pavilion building to make it look that way. It is truly a conversation piece in itself. The first floor houses the ticket office, Clippers Cargo team shop, restrooms, and concessions. The second floor is AWESOME. It is literally a huge bar...I said HUGE. The second floor basically gives you several options. You can sit out on one of 6 balcony's, you can belly up to the bar with friends and drink a cold one or do some shots if you wish, you can order food, or you can look at all the Clippers and Indians memorabilia that surrounds the entire floor. If you walk up to the third floor of this building you will notice two things that might be familiar. The first thing you will notice is the bleachers. Huntington Park took a little piece of Wrigley Field and put it in Columbus. That's right, there are bleachers high atop the building looking out onto the field. The second thing you will notice is the smell of Central Ohio's famous Roosters chicken wings. Roosters took over the third floor by offering their famous chicken wings and of course, you can always get a beer to quench your thirst.

Now, for the rest of the facility.... like I said it is truly amazing with a capital A. Everything from the site lines to the Concessions. 360 Architecture designed the facility and did a great job with the concourse...it is truly genius. Usually you have to walk down a tunnel and stand in line forever only to miss that unbelievable catch or long home run....not at Huntington Park. The concourses are set up on both the first and third base sides and are completely open to the view of play. So if you want to get up and grab your hotdog and Cracker Jacks you don't have to miss a single pitch. Throughout the concourse there is memorabilia from the Clippers past teams plus they offer food from several of Columbus' local restaurants so you are not stuck on the same old ballpark food. The one thing that I like the most about the park is that they have railing along the entire ballpark so if you feel like grabbing something to eat or drink or if you just feel like standing you have a perfect view anywhere in the park...plus you have something to lean against. I have found that buying the $6 bleacher seats and then standing right behind the first base dugout is the best value in town. That being said, Columbus Clippers General Manager, Ken Schnake did Columbus fans right with the ticket prices.....he kept them affordable! Box seats are $12, Reserved seats are $10, and General admission (bleacher seats and standing room) are $6. Plus they kept the parking at $3 (however if their is an event going on at Nationwide Areana then the parking goes to $10). With all this being said, a single person (like me) can go to a game, park, and watch the Clippers for under $10.

Here are some quick facts on the park:

-Year Opened: 2009
-Capacity: 10,000 (7,600 seats, 1,200 specialty seats, 1,200 lawn/SRO spots)
-Number of Suites: 32, with 42 loge boxes
-Owner: Franklin County
-Architect: 360 Architecture
-Naming Rights: Huntington Bank, $12 million
-Dimensions: 325L, 365LC, 400C, 365RC, 318R
-Website: clippersbaseball.com
-Phone: 614/462-2757
-Ticket Prices: Box Seats, $12 in advance, $15 day of game; Reserved Seats, $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and children twelve years old and under; Assigned Bleacher Seat General Admission, $6 for adults, $3 for seniors and children twelve years old and under.
-League: International League (Class AAA)
-Affiliation: Cleveland Indians
-Parking: Between $3 and $10 in adjoining lots and ramps.

In summary this is a fantastic place to watch the next stars of the Cleveland Indians. As a matter of fact, this year you have seen such players as Trevor Crowe, Matt LaPorta, David Huff, Luis Valbuena, Zach Jackson, Tony Sipp, and several more already don both Clippers and Indians uniforms. And the way the Tribe has been playing this year I am sure you will see several more players make the two hour drive back and forth on I-71. So if you are looking to see the next generation of the Indians play, or you just want to see the perfect Minor League Ballpark, then come to Columbus, OH and look me up...I'll show you around.

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.

Trevor Crowe Recalled, LaPorta back to Columbus

Apparently 42 at bats over the span of a little under four weeks was enough for the Indians to send top prospect Matt LaPorta back down to Triple A. He batted .190 with one home run and 4 RBI, but never received consistant playing time. I do agree that the if the former Brewer is not getting regular at bats in the Majors (and he definitely is not) then he should be playing everyday in Columbus. Wedge does not like rookies much, so a less heralded Trevor Crowe fits in better stuck to the pine. This probably does bode well for Luis Valbuena, as I imagine Mr. Utility Mark DeRosa will be getting some time in Left Field with Benny Francisco and hopefully not David Dellucci. This also points to the organization that they are still in the division hunt, so going with two rookies playing everyday is not the prescription for a competitive remedy. We will see Matt LaPorta again in 2009, let's just hope next time it is on an everyday basis and for good.

Vic-tastic Victory, Where to go from Here?

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

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

Rotation

Cliff Lee

Fausto Carmona

Carl Pavano

?

?

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

Luis Vizcaino

Greg Acquino

Matt Herges

Jensen Lewis

Rich Rundles

Rafael Betancourt

Kerry Wood

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

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

Win a Series, Gain some Momentum

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

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

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

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.

LaPorta, Valbuena, Barfield called up, Crowe, Graffanino sent down, Smith to DL. Holy Crap!

I am thoroughly shocked by this news. For an organization that usually waits too long to shake up a club and call up rookies, they did the complete opposite. Recent acquisitions Matt LaPorta (.333 avg, .414 obp, 1.054 OPS in Columbus), and Luis Valbuena (.321 avg, .436 obp, .975 ops) are two potential keys to the Tribe's future and will probably see a bit of playing time over the next 2 weeks. LaPorta, the key player acquired in the CC Sabathia trade, will platoon at DH and in left. Valbuena, the young infielder brought here from Seattle in the Franklin Gutierrez deal, will take the role as a super utility guy able to play second, shortstop and third. With all of the Super 2 talk with LaPorta, I am very surprised, but not shocked. This may just be a few week audition for him as if he struggles, he can go back down and still stay under the service time threshold. Barfield will fill in as a pinch runner, late inning defensive replacement who will be eventually be sent down again when Jamey Carroll gets healthy.

Trevor Crowe struggled a bit in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting .182 in 33 at bats but displayed solid glove work and speed. He still looks outmatched at the plate, so playing everyday in Columbus will be a positive. Graffanino on the other hand was terrible, batting .130 in 23 at bats. Friday may have been the last day of major league ball for Tony, and he should be proud of his solid career. Joe Smith was a bit of a surprised, but his 7.11 era may have been a strong indicator. He didn't throw a whole lot in Spring Training so the Indians will ease him back to the pen. As for the relief corps, it now stands at Kobayashi, Perez, Chulk, Sipp, Lewis, Betancourt and Wood. Besides, Wood and Sipp (3 IP) the rest looks pretty scary. There is not much more down in Triple A to help so look for a possible trade or a guy from Double A shooting on up to the show (Pestano, maybe even Hector Rondon?). Hmmm.

Not to say I called the players who should be called up yesterday and they were, but someone has to pat themselves on the back. It might as well be me.

Clipper Clips

With the Indians off tonight, I decided to watch Cleveland's Triple A affiliate via the wonders of the internet. Columbus was unable to deal with the loss of veteran grinder David Dellucci, falling to the Durham Bulls 6-3. The Tribe's Triple A affiliate was only able to scrape together 6 hits and 3 walks. Right Fielder Stephen Head was the player of the game, going 3-4 with a double and a run batted in with two outs, something Indians fans have seen all to infrequently. The struggling Chris Gimenez went 1-2 with a double and two walks, while "The Golden Boy" Matt LaPorta (pictured above courtesy of indianspropectinsider.com), went 0-3 with a base on balls, probably ticked off that he has to wait until June to be called up to the major league club while the "gritty" Double D is back to finish off his disappointing run as an Indian. Wes Hodges went 0-3 with a sac fly RBI, but was robbed of hits twice by Bulls Third Baseman Chris Nowak.

As for the pitching, veteran Jack Cassell pitched a solid 6 innings, allowing 3 runs, scattering 8 hits and walking 5. To say he got himself out of a bit of trouble is an understatement. The bullpen ended up blowing the game as Zach Jackson loaded the bases in the 7th and allowed 3 earned runs. John Meloan came in to try and get the Clippers out of a jam with second and third with two outs, but gave up a double to right field to clear the bases. He pitched a scoreless 8th, but still needs time to polish up his pitch location. The Clippers continue their 4 game series against the Bulls tomorrow as David Huff is scheduled to throw Friday. Rays phenom David Price goes against Tomo Ohka Saturday, so it will be interesting to see how Columbus hits against Tampa Bay's top prospect.

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?

Hafner to DL, Rich Rundles Returns!

Travis Hafner's comeback attempt has been on hold for now, as he was placed on the 15 day DL with shoulder soreness. Pronk has been out of the lineup off and on for the past 4 days. He is off to visit Dr. Death (James Andrews) soon so he can evaluate Hafner's now chronic shoulder condition. Hafner has been pretty solid so far, so hopefully he will be ok and rest is only needed. I am happy the Indians made their decision to DL him early so we weren't forced to watch a 60% healthy player again. Rich Rundles is back, if only for a night as the bullpen was heavily taxed yesterday (7IP 1 ER). He is on the 40 man roster so it was an easy decision. I would imagine everyone's favorite Italian Double-D David Dellucci will be called up to take Hafner's roster spot tomorrow, which is unfortunate. Josh Barfield is an option, but Wedge really doesn't seem to like him very much. Chris Gimenez has an outside shot as well due to his position flexibility, but he is hitting a woefull .137 with 18 K's, not exactly numbers that show promise. Other options that most fans would like to see are Matt Laporta and Luis Valbuena, but the club usually waits until the team is in a really big hole to call up promising rookies. The move opens up more playing time for Ryan Garko, who has been swinging the bat well as of late and getting on base.

Striving for Mediocrity

The Tribe took two out of three from K.C., and salvaged one win over the weekend against the Twins. What does this mean? The Indians are a team in a state of flux. It seems that they can't put any sort of solid baseball together over the stretch of a few games. The starting pitching has been much better over the 6 games, but the hitting has been basically non existent. It will be interesting to see what will happen against Boston and see if the team can turn their game up a notch as the Red Sox are riding a ten game win streak. The weather can't be an excuse this April as it has been gorgeous the past 4 days. More Random Thoughts:

• Tony Sipp was definitely the player of the game yesterday and hit 94 MPH on the gun. I liked his energy coming off the mound after striking out both Morneau and Kubel with the bases loaded. Could be a big add to the pen.


• Another Tony (Graffanino) needs to be sent packing. He is old, slow, and can't hit. If Wedge starts him again I may vomit.


• The last Tony (Anthony Reyes) reminds me of Paul Byrd in that he is an soft tossing escape artist on the mound. If he limits his walks and pitches 6 innings a start, I will be satisfied.


• Masa? More like "No Mas!"


• Asdrubal is just raking right now and it is a good sign that Wedge put him in the number 2 hole. Guys with and OBP above .400 should not be hitting last on a team that struggles to score runs.


• I would play Garko more in Right Field if Choo wasn't so terrible in left.


• Peralta looks more awful than he usually does in April. His vision is still quite good , though.


• Jensen Lewis' season is best described by this picture.


• Matt LaPorta is hitting over .400 in Columbus while Ben Francisco and Trevor Crowe make up a below average platoon out in left. The Indians need to forget all of the Super 2 shenanigans and not worry about his 6th year of arbitration. The guy has 5 dingers and is ripping up AAA. Call him up now, it immediately makes your lineup that much stronger, especially with the Manager resting Hafner so often.

Knuckleballer Tim Wakefield takes on Cliff Lee tonight as the Indians, 19 games in, have still yet to string 2 consecutive wins together.

Josh Barfield sent down for Aaron Laffey

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

Minor League Sweep

While the Indians big league club was off getting swept in Texas, their minor league clubs were fareing quite nicely. The top three clubs (Columbus, Akron, Kinston) all pulled off victories on Thursday, and many of the top prospects were out helping the cause.

Columbus beats Louisville 12-4

Michael Brantley 3-5 2 RBI

Luis Valbuena 2-5 HR, 2 RBI

Matt Laporta 3-5 2 doubles, HR, 3 RBI

Michael Aubrey 2-4 HR, 3 RBI

Jordan Brown 2-5 HR, 3 RBI

The team put together 14 hits and looked pretty impressive doing it. Good to see the young guys slugging it out. The pitchig was pretty good also...

David Huff 5 IP, 4 ER, 5 K's 2 HR's allowed

Vinnie Chulk 2 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K's

Tony Sipp 1 IP, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K's

Huff didn't have eye-popping numbers, but kept his team in the game (unlike another team I watched this week). Sipp struckout the side while Chulk continues to roll. Great way to start off a season.

Akron defeats Bowie 2-1

Frank Herrmann pitched great, allowing one earned run in six innings. He only struck out one batter but he is more of a finese guy anyways. Ryan Edell threw 2 shutout innings for a hold, and Beau Mills went 2-3 and an RBI. This is the Aeroes second win in a row as they beat Bowie 9-5 Wednesday as Hector Rondon fired 5 2/3 innings of one run ball while stiking out 6 in earning a victory. Randy Newsom added 1 1/3 of shutout baseball to earn a save, while Carlos Santana provided the offense going 2-4 with a Homerun and 4 RBI.

Kinston defeats Winston-Salem 5-2

20 year old phenom Kelvin De La Cruz stuckout a whopping 10 batters in 6 innings while giving up 2 runs on just 2 hits. Outfielder Matt Brown added the offense going 3-4 with a run batted in.

Not a bad way to start a minor league season. Most of these same names to pop up early and often as the Tribe's farm system is looking more stacked by the day.

Opening Day is Here!

With the snow falling in Cleveland, thankfully the Tribe is out in Arlington to take on the Texas Rangers. Now we all have read about a million predictions about our beloved Indians, so make mine number one million and one. The Cleveland Indians will go 90-72 and win the American League Central. Here are the rest of how the A.L will shake out.

East

Red Sox 97-55

Rays 92-70

Yankees 86-66

Orioles 78-84

Blue Jays 71-91

Central

Indians 90-72

Twins 87-75

White Sox 86-66

Royals 80-82

Tigers 70-92

West

Angels 84-78

A's 82-80

Rangers 80-82

Mariners 75-87

ALDS Red Sox vs Angels

Indians vs Rays

ALCS Rays vs Red Sox

World Series Red Sox vs Dodgers

Winner Red Sox

If the Red Sox do win again for the third time in six seasons, I may vomit. The Tribe loses a close five game series to the Rays and looks to retool their starting five in 2010. Matt LaPorta takes over in left field full time in July, David Huff becomes the de facto third starter, and Tony Sipp becomes a big time contributor out of the pen. Team MVP goes to Grady, as he hits .278, 37 HR, 98 RBI. David Dellucci, Ryan Garko, and Carl Pavano are not on the active roster at seasons' end. I personally would be pretty happy with a playoff appearance, so let's let the 162 game marathon begin and see how it shakes out.