Tribe loses 10th in a row.

Wow what a finish! I actually thought the Indians would win tonight after they were up 6-0 in the fifth inning. The bullpen of nightmares continues to haunt my dreams. Why did Wedge only let Rafael Perez pitch to one batter in the eighth when he is clearly the best reliever on the team. I guess he wanted to boost Jensen Lewis' confidence by having him face the meat of the Tigers order in a tie game. Wedge has had issues all year with the gas cans out beyond the fence, but he needs to develop some type of continuity. Grady had three hits and two rbi's, while Jhonny continued his hot streak with 2 hits and 2 rbi's. Paul Byrd pitched well, but let 2 batters on in the seventh which ended up killing them. If this game was in April Wedge would have yanked Byrd after six, but the way the pen is, I can't really blame him. Striking out three times in a row (Choo, Garko, Marte) with the bases loaded didn't help either. Thankfully there is only 4 games left until the All-Star break. With Wednesday's loss, the Indians have now lost 10 consecutive games for the first time since 1979, when I was 7 months old. The record for most losses in a row was 12 set in 1931. Let's hope that record is not broken

Juan Rincon added to roster, Elarton to DL

Juan Rincon was added to the worst bullpen in the major leagues today, as Scott Elarton was placed on the DL. Rincon was lighting up Buffalo with a 6.75 ERA but showed good arm strength and has late innings history on a playoff club, according to Eric Wedge. The Indians lost to the Tigers tonight 9-2 on 2 hits. CC looks great as a Brewer. I am going to go throw up now.

Down on the Farm Report: David Huff

Since the Cleveland Indians are in the basement of the A.L. Central, we decided to further investigate the talent in the minor leagues. Today's topic is AAA pitcher David Huff. This southpaw was drafted in the 1st round of the 2006 amateur draft out of UCLA. While Huff is no fireballer (often topping out in the low 90's), he has rapidly moved through the Indians system. He has in two years went from rookie ball to AAA. Huff will turn only 24 in August and will be an option for the big club rotation in 2009. Ross Atkins has compared him often to Tom Glavine with his pinpoint control. His strikeout to walk ratio is outstanding in Buffalo (11-1), but I don't expect the Indians to rush him. With the season a loss cause, look for Huff to debut sometime in September. Here are his stats this year...

Akron 5-1 1.92 ERA 10 Games Started 65+ innings, 62 K's, 14 Walks.

Buffalo 2-2 3.79 ERA 7 Games Started 38 innings, 42 K's, 4 Walks.

Huff needs to show a bit more dominance in Buffalo to show the parent club he is ready for prime time. I hopefully think he will become more like Aaron Laffey than Jeremy Sowers as his strikeout numbers are higher. Don't see all three in the rotation next year because that would be way too many soft tossing lefties. The Indians pitching depth has been depleted over the past few months severely so Huff will definitely be a factor next season.

It's official, CC to Brewers for LaPorta and 3 others.

Multiple sources are reporting that 2007 AL Cy Young winner CC Sabathia will be traded to the Milwaukee Brewers tomorrow for OF Matt LaPorta, pitchers Zach Jackson and Rob Bryson, and a player to be named later who is likely 3B Taylor Green. Laporta is the main player in this deal, so expect him to be start out at Buffalo and make his way up to Cleveland after September 1st. Here are their stats...

Matt LaPorta: .291 (.404 OBP) 20 HR 66 RBI AA Huntsville

Zach Jackson: 1-5 7.81 ERA 22 Appearances (6 starts) AAA Nashville

Rob Bryson: 3-2 4.25 ERA 22 Appearances (5 starts) A West Virginia

Taylor Green: .297 (.381 OBP) 10 HR 50 RBI A Brevard County

I was hopping the Tribe could snag the Escobar kid, but we won't know how good this trade will be until 3-4 years from now. LaPorta seems to be the real deal, and the Bryson kid has 73 K's in 55 innings pitched. CC was one of the best players ever to don a Tribe uniform and will be sorely missed. It is a sad day to be a Indians fan as our best pitcher in the past 30-some years will now be pitching elsewhere. More to come over the next 24 hours.

Indians sign Jeff Weaver, wahh wahhhhhhh.

The Indians today signed Jeff Weaver to a minor league contract. Weaver looks to be CC's replacement when he traded sometime in the coming weeks. I would assume the Tribe is looking to move Paul Byrd also, but he has been pitching horribly lately. So if Byrd and Sabathia leave, look for David Huff and Jeff Weaver to replace them, while Fausto Carmona will probably be in line for Jeremy Sowers' spot. By the way, I have always hated Jeff Weaver, so it will suck to see him give up five runs a night in Cleveland.

CC to Brewers?

The Hefty Lefty may be gone sooner than we think! Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Indians and Brewers have been in recent talks about CC going to the land of cheese. Through some rumors I have read on the web that I can't confirm, apparently the proposed trade is CC and Masa Kobayashi to the Brewers for OF Matt Laporta, SS Alcides Escobar, 3B Taylor Green, and P Alexandre Periard. All four players are in Milwaukee's top 20 prospects according to Baseball America. The rumor stated that this traded could go down befor Sabathia's next scheduled start. Apparently Milwaukee radio, newspapers, and Internet forums are abuzzed with these speculations. Laporta seems to be the real deal as he was selected 7th in the 2007 draft and has hit 19 homeruns, while Escobar is batting .333 with 7 homeruns and 52 rbi in double-a at age 21. Who knows if it is legit, but it makes the season a bit more interesting as if this deal goes down Peralta's future at shortstop seems bleak. Any news I hear I will pass on over the next day.

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.

As the Tribe Turns.....

I have been on a self-imposed writing ban over the past week to see if the teams fortunes would change. Well they haven't as they have lost 5 of their past 6. I will update here probably still about 3 times a week but with less about the day to day games and more about roster moves, minor leaguers, and teepee tales. The season is officially over, so I am more interested in potential trades and young call-ups than discussing a crappy bullpen and an anemic offense. Here are just a few random thoughts about the Tribe in bullet point form.

• Jeremy Sowers is really bad, I don't think the Indians can count on him in 2009.


• I am going to read Paul Byrd's new book (Free Byrd). hopefully it won't eject itself from my backyard like his fastballs.


• Grady Sizemore should be an All-Star this year because he leads the league in Homeruns and has had to play with this crappy lineup all year.


• The Indians boast the ERA leader and Homerun leader in the American League but still are 11 games under .500.


• Speaking of Cliff Lee, I am truly amazed at how good he is this year, his command has been unbelievable. Between him and Carmona, we now have 2 aces for 2009.


• Shin Soo Choo is a fourth outfielder, nothing more, nothing less.


• Ben Francisco is a solid everyday outfielder, just not a guy who should bat in the 3 hole.


• Kelly Shoppach strikes out too much for an everyday catcher.


• David Dellucci is washed up and I hope he is released so we can stop watching him play every year.


• Casey Blake may be on the Indians in 2009, and that not be a bad thing. He also has more range at shortstop than Jhonny Peralta.


• Ryan Garko kind of sucks this year, should he be the first baseman of the future? I say no.


• The Andy Marte experiment was over in 2007.


• Edward Mujica sucks.


• Jhonny Peralta should start taking ground balls at third base today.


• Jamey Carroll is a grinder.


• Asdrubal Cabrera should be playing everyday in Cleveland, at shortstop.


• Franklin Gutierrez is a great defender, but an offensive hitter.


• Jorge Velandia and Sal Fasano should never be on a contending team, and they are not.


• Joe Borowski should retire.


• Raffy Left is way better than Raffy Right.


• Masa Kobayashi shouldn't worry so much about stretching his back, he should worry about stretching his neck.


• I excuse Mark Shapiro for this team's injuries, but I don't excuse the inactivity of the offseason.


• I don't excuse Mark Shapiro for overvaluing his existing talent.


• Eric Wedge says grinding way too much.

Supposedly the management and Wedge are having meetings today. Hopefully moves will be made because this team is pretty much unwatchable. Also props to North Olmsted High School product Adam Russell gaining his first 2 major league wins against the Indians. As a fellow alum of the baseball program, I couldn't be happier for him, but I just wish he didn't pitch for the White Sox.

Also, check out The Tribe Time Report for daily updates on the Indians. I give him big props for doing a great job writing and linking daily as I can't bring myself to do that for this crummy season. My RSS feeds do update frequently, which is nice.

Giant Misses

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

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

Omar Y Amigos

Well Omar is back in town tonight. I imagine the Indians will have a very good crowd tonight to cheer on one of Cleveland baseball's favorite adoptive sons. His 11 years here were memorable and his flare for fielding is unprecedented. I remember watching him grow from an all glove no bat guy in 1994 to slugging 14 homeruns in 2002. His 8 gold gloves as an Indian will probably never be matched, and his basestealing prowess was great in his prime. Although he is struggling this year batting only .171, Tribe fans everywhere will be tuned in this week to remember how much he meant to this organization during the golden era of Cleveland Indians baseball (1994-2001).

Many of the talk shows have said that Cleveland should bring him back so he can retire as an Indian. It would have been a treat for that to happen if we were in contention (like last year with Kenny Lofton), but unfortunately the Wahoos are 7 games under .500 and look dead in the water. I would like to see him get traded to Boston or the Cubs as a late inning defensive replacement so he can have one more October to make barehanded stabs and get a chance to win a ring. Omar Vizquel will always be one of my favorite Indians of all-time and tonight will be a chance for all of Cleveland to celebrate his career.

Wahoos take 2 from the Dodgers, Sign Tony Graffanino and Juan Rincon

Two more journeyman were added to bolster Triple A Buffalo, as infielder Tony Graffanino and relief pitcher Juan Rincon were signed to minor league deals. The Tribe has now added an abundance of thirty something year old jobbers to the organization, possibly to fill in when the parent club makes a trade. Not what any of us expected, that is for sure.

The weekend series with the Dodgers provided some comfort as winning a series is always a positive. The hitting has still be spotty, but they did come out victorious in two extra inning games. Without a middle of the order with any semblance of power, this season is unfortunately going down the crapper. Also watching the pitchers' spot come up time in and time out with runners on base becomes increasingly rough to watch. The NL is just not as fun to watch with an automatic out in the lineup. Now I know CC slugged a homerun, but the rest of the pitchers did not fair as well. Omar comes to town Tuesday with his Gigantes.

Good Grief

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

Sal's Pals

If anyone thought this Indians' season was depressing, well things just got outstanding! The Wigwamers today traded for catcher SAL FASANO! This 36 year old journeyman has compiled a career .219 avg through parts of 10 major league seasons. His career milestone was set in 1998 where he was second in the league in hit by pitches, with 16. The main attribute he brings to this team is his outstanding facial hair. Whether it is a mustache, foo man choo, or goatee, Mr. Fasano consistently brings a finely manicured scruff each and every day. When a team is struggling the way the Tribe is, the more hair on your face, the better. I will now go cry myself to sleep.

Barfield out 6-8 weeks, Indians sign INF Morgan Ensberg to minor league deal

Josh Barfield may have more of a forgettable 2008 than 2007. At least last year he was healthy. Barfield had surgery to fix his finger and will be out 6-8 weeks. Tough luck for Josh as he was only able to appear in 2 games, going 0-6. The Tribe also signed former Yankee Morgan Ensberg to a minor league deal and sent him to Buffalo. He is pretty much a depth signing for the parent club. The Bisons have been pretty awful this year so hopefully he helps them win a few games. Asdrubal Cabrera has been ripping the ball all over the yard down there, so hopefully he can continue his progress and be back up in Cleveland around the All-Star Break.

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.