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.

The Day the Indians Died

The Monday of June 15th, 2009 was an optimistic one for Tribe fans. Their team had just won 6 of 9 games and just witnessed their reigning Cy Young award winner no hit the first place St. Louis Cardinals for 7 innings, pulling to a record of 29-36, the closest to .500 they had been for a long time. The Indians carried a 12-7 leading heading into the 7th inning over a solid Brewer ball club. Then, as after the bullpen had been somewhat solid for a few weeks, the group of all former 2009 Columbus Clippers gave up a collective 8 earned runs over their collective relief duty and retrospectively finished the teams' chances for a comeback season (fittingly it was Major League the movie Monday, were all fans got Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn bobbleheads). Wedge went to his bullpen five times that night, and these are the folks (in order) who came out and what they did.

Greg Aquino 1 IP 2 H 2 ER 1 BB

Luis Vizcaino 1 1/3 IP 0 H 2 ER 3 BB

Matt Herges 0 IP 1 H 2 ER 1 BB

Rafael Perez 0 IP 3 H 2 ER 1 BB

Joe Smith 1 2/3 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB

Smith did a good job, but that was after Prince Fielder hit a line shot Grand Slam and took the air out of the Indians sails. Perez caught the WBC disease in early April and has been a trainwreck ever since. Looking at the first three names, would you really think any team that hoped to contend for a division would be trotting out these losers? I thought so. Why do I bring this game up? Because it started a string of 15 winnable games for the Tribe, and ended today with a loud thud. The Indians are 2-13 over those contests and look like a pathetic, hapless ball club. Their pitching staff is just terrible, and their hitters seem to be going through the motions over their latest 5 game losing streak. For all the Eric Wedge bashers who believe he should be canned, I can't disagree with you totally, but just look at this roster. If you look to the glorious (and looking like last in a long while) AL Central Division Championship season, their rotation was as follows...

2007

Sabathia/Carmona/Westbrook/Byrd/Laffey (with Lee down in Triple A trying to re-find himself)

2009 current

Lee/Pavano/Huff/Sowers/Ohka (with Lewis and Reyes done for the year and Carmona figuring things out in the minors)

Can anyone expect a team to win with that rotation, coupled with the abomination going out in right-center field? The team does struggle early every season and that could be attributed to the coaching staff. The knock of Wedge moving guys around in the field and the lineup is a 50/50 problem. If the team had guys capable of playing everyday and performing consistantly, the manager would not be forced to do that (I will go over the Pros and Cons of Wedge later this month, probably more cons). Injuries cannot be made as an excuse in 2009 because they stunk when they were healthy. Would I fire the Manager? No, because it really doesn't matter right now, they are going nowhere. If he is brought back in 2010, most fans will be up in arms, so I imagine the Indians will be forced to move in a different direction.

Most of the blame should be put on GM Mark Shapiro for feeling like his staff would be able to compete at previous levels. Besides Lee, there were no sure things in the rotation since Fausto struggled in 2008 and the Pavano/Reyes/Lewis/Huff/Sowers/Laffey poo poo platter contained way too many hopes and iffs. The real key to baseball is Starting Pitching, and no rotation guy(besides Lee) on the Indians has an ERA under 5. If the Indians ever want to contend again, Starting Pitching has to be the focus. Bringing in has-beens like Pavano or bright flashes of success like Reyes and Lewis only mask the real inadequacies in your ballclub (no wonder why Hector Rondon was moved so quickly BACK to starting duty). They need as a front office to come up with a plan today to infuse more upper echelon pitching into Double A and above that can be effective in the next 2 seasons.

After reading Paul's article over at the DiaTribe about Cliff Lee, I am now in the camp of moving him this season. Go get some stud pitchers that may develop into something in a few years, because contending next season seems like a pipe dream, even in a winable division. If they do play better, well then that is a bonus because Lee and Martinez will likely walk the following year, so changes would have to be made. Trade Cliff now when he has his highest value. It's not like attendance is going to drop, this City gave up on the Indians back in May.

As for the White Sox series, well it was awful. The Tribe was only really in the first game, but they didn't even score a run until the ninth when they were already trailing 6-0. Sizemore still looks hurt, Martinez is in a slump, the rest of the guys looked disinterested, and the pitching continues to be piss poor. They should use the Rick Vaughn bobblehead as a "JoeBoo" to exercise the demons that are this season. It is going to be a long 3 months out at Progressive field, so let's hope to see some more of the young guys and see if they are worth a look for the future. 2011 isn't that far away, is it?

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?

PATHETIC!!

That is the only way I can describe last nights 14-12 lost to the Milwaukee Brewers, oh and if I could make the letters any bigger I would have. The five pictures you are looking at are 5 guys that had absolutely no clue there was a baseball game last night at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. OK, maybe Joe Smith should not be on here but I put him on anyway because he is part of this rat pack of a bullpen the Cleveland Indians have. I went to bed right after the game last night and I was hoping to god that CKTRIBE would have wrote an article last night because I knew I did not want to have anything to do with it. Well, I woke up and there was nothing posted. To be honest, I don't even blame him because there is no words to describe last night. Soooo, that being said, I am going to try and put my words to what I witnessed last night. I am merely going off my head as I don't remember everything exactly...I actually don't want to remember anything to tell the truth.

Carl Pavano started the night out with another so so.. not so great start. Yes they were winning when he came out, however he barely was able to finish the 5th inning without getting yanked and besides...he gave up 6 runs in 5 innings so he was crap last night. After the 5th inning the score was 8-6 Tribe and that is when it just falls apart. Greg Aquino came in and gave up one run in the 6th however the Tribe bats put up a 4 spot to make the score 12-7. Things were still looking pretty good for the Tribe...not really. Aquino came back out to pitch in the 7th and walked Ryan Braun who moved to second on a wild pitch then easily stole third. Braun finally scored on a Corey Hart sac fly and the Indians still got out of the 7th with only giving up one run making it 12-8 Tribe.

For this next paragraph I wish I could use the words (Parental Discretion Advised) however I can't so I will make it as nice a possible. The 8th inning was the worst inning of baseball I have ever watched....in my life and your life too for that matter. It took the Tribe 4 pitchers (FOUR) to get out of this inning. Oh yea, and when they finally got out of it, they were loosing 14-12. Vizcaino walked two batters then the Tribe brought in 57 year old Matt Herges and he walked one. With the bases loaded Ryan Braun hit a grounder in the hole that Luis Valbuena made a nice play on but could not make the throw to second base for the force out and the Brewers scored making it 12-9. Then Wedge brought in the worst pitcher in the major leagues. I was sitting there saying to myself please don't bring in Perez, he is terrible against left handers and he should still be down in Columbus, or even Mexico for that matter. So obviously Wedge could not here me yelling at my TV. With this in mind, I can't do anything but watch Rafael Perez give up a first pitch GRAND SLAM to Prince Fielder. How can these guys call themselves Major League Pitchers? All I could could do was laugh. What a great night to pay tribute to the 20th anniversary of the 1980's movie Major League and have Bob Ueker honored at the game. This was truly a "Major League" moment. On a side note the Tribe's bats were really hoping last night and it was fun to see them put some numbers on the score board. Our offense really came to play yesterday....our Bullpen...well, I don't even think they know the season has started!

Transaction Update: Tony Sipp gets recalled from Columbus

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

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

Dellucci Finally Gone! Perez back.

The David Dellucci era is finally over in Cleveland, as the Tribe designated the veteran for assignment while recalling Rafael Perez. His 3 year, $11.5 million dollar contract was a bad decision from the start, and the Indians will be eating the remaining $4 million left on his deal for 2009. He hit 15 HRs, 68 RBIs, with a .238 BA in 183 games, utilized primarily as a platoon outfielder over his 3 seasons. Double D got the wrath of many Tribe fans mainly due to his horribly overinflated contract and his inability to field or do what he was brought in to do, hit right handed pitching. Hopefully the Indians have learned there lesson in not signing aging players to multi year contracts. Rafael Perez makes his return to the Wigwam tonight and will be probably eased into steady work with the success of veterans out there (Herges, Aquino, Vizcaino). The club is currently rocking a 13 man pitching staff, which isn't a terrible thing considering how many innings the pen has compiled over the past week. Look for Travis Hafner to be the next player added sometime early next week while I imagine Tomo Ohka will be the pitcher to be sent back to Columbus.

Tomo Ohka to the Rescue

With Zach Jackson's performance yesterday being less than stellar (really bad) and with Greg Aquino and Luis Vizcaino both hurling 2 scoreless innings yesterday (really good), the Tribe has called on veteran Tomo Ohka to help in the pen today (pictured left). The bullpen has actually pitched pretty good sans Jensen Lewis over the past few games. This is probably the right move since David Huff hasn't got out of the fourth inning of his previous two starts and Ohka can be stretched out as a long man. Don't look for Tomo to stick around very long as Rafael Perez has thrown 9 shutout innings down in Columbus. The Tribe looks the to sweep the 4 game series against the Rays today at 12:05 PM.

Perez sent packing, Herges recalled, Laffey to the Pen

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

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

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.

No Signs of Relief

The big opening extravaganza that was this weekend in the Bronx has now come and gone and not made me feel any more confident in our Tribe. They did some unbelievable this offensively (one 9 run inning, another 14 run inning), and some unbelievably awful things in relief (3 earned runs allowed Friday, 6 Sunday). The Indians now stand at 4-9, which just looks as bad as it is. They are only 3 1/2 games out of first, with the rest of the division hovering in mediocrity with seven wins apiece. As all Tribe followers are unfortunately aware of, a bad bullpen makes a team excruciatingly tough to watch. The thought of one of the 8 guys trotting out today is going to blow the lead is constantly in your head. Monday brings a much needed day off for the Sons of Geronimo to get out of the circus that is New York and head back to more comfortable 40 degree weather back in Cleveland. Random thoughts from the weekend.

• I think Shin Soo Choo's bat is for real, but his fielding and throwing accuracy is not consistent at all. Wedge needs to leave Choo in Right or at DH as his horrible reaction time and angle to that ball hit by Cody Ransom in the 8th was not good at all.


• Rafael Perez is struggling way too much to be brought in with the Tribe holding only a 2 run lead. I understand it's early and Wedge is trying to get him some confidence, but he has been all over the plate. He needs to be in mop up duty for now.


• His bullpen mate Jensen Lewis has been giving up way too many gopher balls (3). He should figure things out eventually, hopefully soon.


• As it stands now, the manager has exactly two bullpen arms he can rely on. Jackson is a long guy, Chulk and Kobayashi are mop up guys. Perez is lost. Lewis and Betancourt have been up and down. Smith has been good but they are afraid to use him against lefties. Wood has been lights out but has only one save and needs someone to step up and bridge the gap to the ninth. If they don't trust Chulk and Kobayashi, get rid of them and get somebody from Columbus (Meloan, Sipp) that may catch fire.


• Hot Carl pitched a great game. Got to give him credit. I think his pitching will remain a rollercoaster, but we shall see.


• Lee and Carmona pitched better, but need to have one of those 7 inning 1-2 run gems to help save the pen.


• Hafner stills seems awkward at the plate, but is producing.


• Graffanino should never recieve more than one start a week.


• That second inning Saturday was one of the most enjoyable innings of baseball I have ever seen.


• That BS Trevor Crowe fan interference call stunk, but DeRosa and Martinez not getting a run home the previous half inning with the bases loaded hurt more.


• The Yankees are overrated and will not make the playoffs in 2009.

The Royals come to town Tuesday to start a 9 game homestand for the Indians. Sidney Ponson vs Aaron Laffey in a 40 degree drizzle will make buying a seat at the Jake pretty easy. How about a 6-3 clip to get the team to a respectable 10-12. I think it can happen. Can it?

Bad Tribe Vibe

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

• The lineup does not look imposing at all


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


• Rafael Perez caught the WBC disease


• Grady is pressing way too much


• Hafner should not be batting 4th


• Choo should not be batting 4th


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

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

Wraping up Arizona: Spring Training Reflections

As the Tribe officially moves out of their home away from home in Goodyear and on to two meaningless paid exhibition games with the Houston Astros, it is time to take a look back of the long adventure that was Cleveland Indians Spring Training. With the second installment of the WBC this season, the Cactus League was extended by two weeks and many, many games. The pitchers "got their work in". The position players "took it a day at a time". And manager Eric Wedge used countless other analogies to describe baseball games in March that don't count. Here were some of the highlights and low lights of the Spring that was...

Lowlights:

Cliff Lee's 12.46 ERA.

I never know how to judge a pitcher in exhibition baseball. Are they working on certain pitches? Is the Arizona air misrepresenting the flight of the hit baseballs? Do the pitchers really try? Besides one solid outing against the Rockies (6IP, 2ER), Clifton was shelled, but he wasn't the only one. Wedge opinioned about the pitching in general here. A few of his starts he was apparently just working on spotting his fastball, while others he said he just didn't have it. Lee seems to be the kind of guy who really gets focused on each and every start through scouting and mental preparation, so obviously his normal in season routine is fairly different. I am not too worried about Cliff, just a bit concerned especially when he has his first start in the band box that is The Ballpark at Arlington.

Shin Soo Choo .118 batting average.

Choo was gone for three weeks of camp due to the glorified exhibition that was the WBC. Even though his actual at bats were of more significance than a normal Cactus League game, they were far to infrequent. When Choo experienced some tightness in his left arm (where he had Tommy John surgery), the Indians asked the Korean team to use him strictly at DH. That seems to have made the right fielder a bit rusty, making mental mistakes out in the field and over swinging on high fastballs. Choo should be fine, but don't be surprised to see him sitting a few days a week against left handers in favor of rookie Trevor Crowe.

Masa Kobayashi 12.27 ERA in 11 innings.

When a soft tossing reliever can't keep his 85 MPH down in the zone, it may be time for his team to move on from said pitcher. Masa has been a disaster this spring, basically supplying batting practice for the various teams out in Arizona. If he wasn't on the hook for more than $3 million this season, he would have been jettisoned just like Tomo Ohka earlier in March. The way Wedge has been describing Kobayashi in the media ("Masa's pitches were flat and up," ) I wouldn't think it would take too many more clunkers to have him jettisoned off the club. The pen seems pretty solid with Wood, Perez, Lewis, Smith, and Betancourt. The other two roles may be a revolving door most of the season.

Highlights:

Mark DeRosa .367 batting average, 3 HR, 9 RBI.

Another WBC casualty, DeRosa was able to make an impact in limited time (30 AB) spent in Goodyear. He also led Team USA in RBI's, where he played like 5 positions. The former Cub has assimilated himself to the club very nicely and has immediately become a big threat in the 2 hole this season. This will provide much needed protection to Grady Sizemore in the order. In only a few weeks with his new mates, DeRosa has become a team leader and eventual fan favorite. Cubs fans sure were.

Kerry Wood/Rafael Perez/Jensen Lewis/Joe Smith Combined ERA 1.87 in 33 2/3 IP, 37 K's

If these guys pitch like this in the regular season, the Indians will be in contention all year. Newcomers Wood (0 ER in 6 IP) and Smith (12 K's in 7 2/3 IP) look like excellent acquisitions, while Perez (3.00 ERA, 9 K's in 9 IP) and Lewis (1.64 ERA, 10 K's in 11IP) picked up where they left off last season. Normally relief pitchers feed off of one anothers' success so hopefully their performances will spill into the regular season. Guys like Jackson and Kobayashi won't be relied upon as much and the fans can start putting last seasons' bullpen from hell out of their memories forever.

Trevor Crowe .304 batting average, 7 stolen bases, eventual David Dellucci Replacement.

With David Dellucci and his 3 year $11 million dollar contract hovering over the Indians like a buzzard, it was nice to see a guy go out and really compete for an outfield spot who has more than one discernible skill. The former first rounder and top prospect amassed 56 at bats this spring and played all three outfield positions very well. Double D will start the season on the 15 DL with probable time spent in Columbus, opening up a roster spot for some new blood. Nothing against The Looch, but with the current make up of the corner outfield having question marks, a guy like him with his skill set (left handed pinch hitter) does not fit well on this current club. If Crowe hits, runs, and hustles like he did in Arizona, he will find himself on the roster as a guy who can play center field, switch hit, and run. Look for Trevor to play a few times a week also.

Many other positives (Young guys in Columbus, steady Grady, Victor, Fausto) came out of camp as well as other questions (Scott Lewis' last 2 starts, Shoppach's K's, fielding issues) popped up as well. The team as a whole hit extremely well and pitched pretty poorly. The only real answers will come as the season plays out an Opening Day begins a new year of baseball. Cliff Lee takes on Kevin Millwood Monday, finally putting to rest all of the reflections, prognostications, and hyperbole. Let's PLAY BALL already

2007 A.L. Saves Leader Joe Borowski Designated for Assignment, (Bauer too).

The Joe Bo era in Cleveland is officially over. Joe Borowski was released Friday, as was Rick Bauer. Borowski amassed 45 saves in 2007, but arm trouble and ineffectiveness plague his 2008 season. Ole' Joe Bo did get the last out of the ALDS, so he does have a place in Cleveland Indians history. The rest of the season will see a closer by committee set-up between Masa Kobayashi, Rafael Perez and (gulp) Rafael Betancourt. Relievers Jensen Lewis and Brian Slocum were recalled to try and revive one of the worst bullpens in the major leagues.

Indians Yank Away Season Series: Michaels traded to Pirates

Winning each series has been a part of the Indians mantra for the past few years. The Indians did just that, taking two out of three from the Bronx Bombers. Neither team was at full strength health-wise, but both displayed some glaring weaknesses. The Yankees' starting pitching did the its job keeping their club in each ballgame, but they do not possess one clear cut number 1 starter. Also, not having A-Rod or Posada makes their lineup less menacing. The Tribe continued to struggle with the bats, Cliff Lee pitched another gem, and the starting nine changes by the day.

Amazingly, the team is only 1 1/2 games out of first place, as no team seems to be able to get on a roll. Victor Martinez has been out the past two games with a stiff neck, which will not help the run production. Travis Hafner has continued his downward spiral and looks completely clueless at the plate. No one is more upset with his lack of production than Hafner, so hopefully some of these mental health days will benefit his psyche.

Here were some of the Highlights:

Cliff Lee: 7 IP, 6 hits, 7 K's, 0 earned runs. Simply put, has been the MVP of this team so far this year and the best pitcher in the American League. Won all 6 of his starts.

Rafael Betancourt: 2 saves. I guess we have a closer again. Has not blown a save yet when the Indians have been leading in the 9th. We will see if he can continue rolling.

Rafeal Perez: 3 shutout innings, 4 K's. Raffy left is settling in as the new go to guy in the 8th. His consistency is paramount to the club, as the bullpen is constantly pitching in close games.

David Dellucci: 2-9, 4RBI, 1 game winning 3-run homer. Dellucci provided the biggest hit of the year so far as he jacked a dinger with 2 outs in the 8th off of chubby Joba Chamberlain. DD keeps raking, but is not a 3 hole hitter.

Ben Francisco: 4-11, double. The savior arrives! The team is 6-1 with him on the roster. Should help out the offense a little, definitely an upgrade.

Areas of Concern:

Paul Byrd: 6 1/3 innings, 8 hits, 0 K's, 5 earned runs. Paul's neck may hurt more than Victor's tonight as he watched the Yankees deposit ball after ball into the rightfield stands.

Travis Hafner: His at bat Wednesday with the bases loaded pretty muched summed up most of his season so far. Really need the big guy.

Ryan Garko: 1-8. Another batter who needs to dial it up a notch. Run production has been non existent for about three weeks now.

2nd Base: Although Jamey Carroll is a gamer, the team needs Asdrubal to become consistent or he will be back in Buffalo. Cabrera has not had a hit for a week.

Joba Chamberlain: His mound antics are ridiculous. He pumped his fist twice after striking out Dellucci Thursday, like he won the World Series. It is called class fat boy, learn some from your closer.

Two former Cy Young award winners square off in the upcoming four game series with the Toronto Blue Jays. CC Sabathia looks for his second win against Roy Halladay Friday.

Also, Jason Michaels and cash were traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a player to be named. Good luck to the mullet, as he is probably a better National League player anyways.

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

5-9

The Cleveland Indians were swept by the Boston Red Sox, losing 5-3. Typically I have been writing recaps of the series as a whole, but the same problems have been happening each game. The hitting looks lethargic, the bullpen looks terrible, and the team overall looks dead. I know the Tribe brass will say it is only 14 games but they look uninspired as a team. Franklin Gutierrez had a bad game, booting a ball in right as well as getting picked off of second base with no outs. Michaelucci is chugging along looking unimpressive, Casey Blake cannot find his stroke, and Asdrubal Cabrera looks over-matched. Wedge seems to have no clue how to pitch his current relief staff. Jorge Julio has generally been the first guy out of the pen during bad starts, but today was the first time he pitched with a lead. Jorge promptly walked the first two batters and was yanked. Perez looked ok, but Lewis struggled through both innings. And to add insult to injury, the Tigers could leave Cleveland with a better record than the Indians.

Here were some of the highlights:

Paul Byrd and Jake Westbrook pitched well in wasted efforts. Victor Martinez continued to mash, going 6-8 with 3 RBI's. That is it.

Areas of Concern:

Clutch hitting, bullpen, defense, special teams, 3rd line, 8 iron, back-up point guard, you name it they pretty much suck right now.

The Wahoo Warriors attempt to prevent having the worst record in baseball as they take on the Detroit Tigers for two. Armando Galarraga takes on CC Sabathia tonight at 7:05pm. At least the Chief is still smiling.

Borowski Placed on DL, Mastny Recalled

As speculated earlier, Joe Borowski has been placed on the disabled list with a strained right triceps muscle. Tom Mastny has been recalled from Triple A Buffalo. Unless Borowski is able to rehab the injury, the Indians will be in search of new closer. Rafael Betancourt is probably going to fill in the roll, but don't be surprised if we see Adam Miller in the near future. Even though Joe has been pitching horrendous, this does make the bullpen a bit depleted as everyone must move up a spot. Rafael Perez needs to step up and fill Betancourts' former roll.

Hopefully the next move will be to get Ben Francisco up here and move Michaelucci out of here. The last 3 hitters went 0-11 yesterday and this offense needs a spark.