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Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

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ABJ

4/8/06

TRIBE SHOWS OFF ITS BUSINESS PLAN

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

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Cleveland right fielder Casey Blake connects for a grand slam home run off starting Minnesota pitcher Kyle Lohse during fifth inning action in the Indians 11-6 win over the Twins at Jacobs Field on Friday, April 7, 2006 in Cleveland, Ohio. The drive made the score 8-4 in favor of the Indians. (Akron Beacon Journal/ Ed Suba Jr.)
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<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - As Eric Wedge might have said Friday, ``We don't get caught up in fog.''
The Indians' manager is relentless in demanding that his players stick to business, take each game as it comes and not ``get caught up'' in extraneous distractions. On Friday, that included fog and the Minnesota Twins, who succumbed to the Tribe 11-6 in the opener at Jacobs Field.
``We play for it today,'' Wedge said. ``We don't focus farther than this series.''
Looking back the short distance to the first game of the season, Sunday in Chicago, the Wahoos seemed to be overmatched and underprepared for the White Sox, who gained a 10-4 win, running away with the game after a three-hour rain delay.
Wedge didn't say his charges got ``caught up'' in that rain delay, but he repeatedly mentioned how the game slipped away after play was resumed with the score tied.
Nothing like that happened against the Twins, of course. It rained before the game and after it was over. In between, Casey Blake hit a grand slam, Travis Hafner went deep twice with nobody on base, and Victor Martinez doubled home two important runs.
Paul Byrd pitched well enough to keep the Tribe in the lead, though he gave up five runs and six hits in six innings.
``I thought Byrd pitched well,'' Wedge said. ``There were only a couple of pitches that hurt him.''
It was the kind of performance where you would swear Byrd was in control of the game, but suddenly a bad pitch or two would add another run to the Twins' total.
``We would score, I'd give up a home run; we'd score again and I would walk a guy,'' Byrd said. ``My teammates would have to pick me up continually.''
What all of this added up to was the Indians' third win in four games, which nobody in his right mind would have predicted after the clinker against the White Sox.
The Indians scored twice in the first inning and had a chance to put the Twins in a deep hole, but with the bases loaded and one out, Ronnie Belliard bounced into a double play.
Belliard was the only player in the lineup not to hit safely, as the Tribe amassed 17 hits -- five for extra bases.
In a more important way, it was not Belliard's day. He left the game after the seventh inning with soreness in his right calf.
``Right now, he's day to day,'' Wedge said. ``We'll have to see how he feels tomorrow. Hopefully, he'll be OK.''
Martinez's double and Blake's home run probably were the most important hits of the game for the Tribe.
The double drove in Jhonny Peralta and Hafner to put distance between the Wahoos and Twins, who then trailed 4-1. Blake's slam, with two outs in the fifth, pushed the lead to 8-3 and put the game virtually out of reach.
Obviously, there's a long way to go before the season plays out, but the contrast between the way Blake is hitting now and the way he struggled through 2005 is striking.
His early production: a .385 average with one double, one homer and five RBI. He also has walked four times and has an on-base percentage of .529.
Last year, Blake batted .241 with 23 homers and 58 RBI and was almost helpless with runners in scoring position, batting .171.
``When I got off to a poor start, my confidence wavered,'' he said.
``I felt like I had to get everything back in one or two swings. It's pretty tough to do it that way.''
Blake doesn't know why, but he feels more relaxed this year.
``At some point, you have to realize that baseball is pretty serious; it's your job,'' he said. ``But it's not the most important thing.''
Hafner also is off to a torrid start. In 2005, he had only one home run in April. Now, he has three and is batting .353 with four RBI.
``I think it took me something like 200 at-bats before I hit one last year,'' he said, exaggerating to make a point. ``But it's tough to get off to a good start in cold weather.''
It appears the entire team has made a 180 since the season opener, but nobody more than Fernando Cabrera, who pitched the ninth inning and retired the side in order, two on strikeouts.
In his season debut Sunday, Cabrera was hard-pressed to locate his pitches in the same zip code as home plate, and he allowed six runs on two hits and four walks in one inning.
That seems like ancient history now. As Hafner said, ``You couldn't ask for a better home opener.''
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ABJ

4/8/06

Miller finally gets chance

After year off, supplemental Tribe pick from Thome's departure stands out with six solid innings for Aeros

By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->BINGHAMTON, N.Y. - It has been tough for some area fans to stomach the re-emergence of former Indians slugger Jim Thome with the Chicago White Sox.
Thome's two homers in three games during the Tribe's season-opening series in Chicago were an unpleasant reminder of the big bat the Indians' lineup has been missing since he bolted for the Philadelphia Phillies three years ago.
It might not be long before the Aeros' Adam Miller eases some of that discomfort -- albeit with his arm, not a bat.
The right-hander was the Indians' first-round sandwich selection in 2003, the supplemental pick awarded to the Tribe when Thome fled for the riches of free agency.
After a year delay, Miller finally made his Double-A debut Friday in the Aeros' 2-1 victory over the Binghamton Mets at NYSEG Stadium.
During six sharp innings, he mixed a deceptive slider with a heavy fastball that sat in the low 90s.
He shut out the Mets by scattering three hits, walking one batter and striking out seven.
``He was in quite a groove there with the fastball, a changeup to lefties and that slider to right handers,'' Aeros rookie manager Tim Bogar said. ``We're sitting there on the bench watching, saying, `This is what this kid can do.' ''
Without doubt, Miller has ability in his right arm.
Two years ago, he lit up radar guns in the Carolina League playoffs with a 101-mph fastball. But an elbow strain suffered last year in spring training sidelined him for a majority of the 2005 season.
Although Miller hasn't touched triple digits since, he has been no less impressive to the Tribe brass.
``Throwing 100 mph was something we never anticipated,'' Indians farm director John Farrell said. ``When we were scouting him as a high school senior, he was up to 92 mph. In just one year his velocity jumped like that.''
If there was good to come out of the injury setback, it was Miller realizing he didn't need to throw at the speed of light to get batters out.
``He still throws pretty hard now,'' new Aeros pitching coach Scott Radinsky said. ``And he's pitching, not just throwing. Where he's at right now is more than adequate to pitch successfully in the big leagues.''
It sure looked that way Friday. After enticing a handful of groundouts, with a fly ball mixed in occasionally, through the first two innings, Miller began mowing through the Binghamton lineup.
He struck out the side in the third inning, and racked up six of his seven punch-outs in a span of 10 batters.
``The first two innings, I was throwing just fastballs,'' Miller said. ``I probably could have stuck with it since nobody was turning on it. But the second time through the lineup, I started mixing in the slider with a changeup once in a while.''
Despite the solid outing, Miller did not factor in the decision. Binghamton starter Miguel Perez limited Akron batters to one hit over five innings before the Aeros rallied to post a five-hit, two-run eighth inning against the bullpen.
Juan Lara earned the win in relief of Miller, while closer Ed Mujica pitched 1 1/3 innings for his first save of the season.
New men in blue
As the minor-league baseball season got under way Thursday across the country, there was an obvious omission on all box scores from the low Class A to Triple-A levels.
The Association of Minor League Umpires, whose contract expired after last season, went on strike as the season began. Until a new contract is reached, amateur umpires (whose names are not being made public) are filling in.
``We were informed by the Eastern League that replacement umpires are being used during contract negotiations -- something clearly out of our control,'' Farrell said. ``Not to demean the individuals filling in, but the integrity of the game is at stake. The sooner the situation is resolved, the better off everyone will be.''
Rainy days
On-and-off showers Friday kept Binghamton's ground crew busy. The tarp at NYSEG Stadium was taken on and off three times while the crew worked to get the field ready for evening play.
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ABJ

4/8/06

This time, Blake gets ducks home

By Tom Reed

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Casey Blake sees similarities between two of his favorite endeavors, hitting baseballs and hunting ducks.
Each requires focus, calm and confidence in your ability. Too often in a forgettable 2005 season, Blake turned into Elmer Fudd with ducks on the pond.
He drove in just 58 runs despite hitting 23 homers. He batted .085 with runners in scoring position and two outs. In two-strike situations, he got caught looking more than a teenage boy with a Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition.
``I'd be lying if every time I came up with runners in scoring position I didn't think about it,'' Blake said. ``It's a mind-set I guess, and I didn't have a whole lot of confidence going for myself last year.''
Four games into a new season, the Indians right fielder feels as comfortable at the plate as he does behind a duck blind.
Blake's two-out, fifth-inning grand slam propelled the Tribe to an 11-6 win over the Minnesota Twins on Friday in the home opener at Jacobs Field.
Blake cannot endure another season like last one and expect to be in an Indians uniform in 2007. The good news for Blake is the club doesn't have an outfielder ready to replace him if he starts slowly. The bad news is he's in the final year of a contract, and the organization holds the option.
The feeling here is Blake, 32, won't be the long-term solution, but a productive season, coupled with the potent bats already in the lineup, will keep the Indians in the American League Central Division.
They won 93 games a year ago with Blake (.241), third baseman Aaron Boone (.243) and first baseman Ben Broussard (.255) all unable to locate their consistency on offense.
Blake is off to a much-improved start. He's hitting .385 with five RBI and a .529 on-base percentage. He is 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position after going 22-of-129 (.171) in the same category last year.
``I just feel more at ease, more comfortable,'' Blake said. ``I'm not nervous. I don't have the butterflies.''
What he appears to have is a more aggressive approach. His line-drive home run over the left-field wall came on the first pitch from Twins starter Kyle Lohse. No American League hitter saw more pitches (4.28) per plate appearance last season or did less with them.
He drew the ire of Tribe fans for, among other things, his penchant of taking called third strikes. He struck out 116 times, while earning just 43 walks. To his credit, Blake never skirted responsibility or made excuses.
Few in the clubhouse speak more frankly.
``You can't be afraid to fail... When you are doubting yourself, you are going to get your butt kicked,'' Blake said.
Manager Eric Wedge believes that Blake's comfort level is in part because he's used to playing right field after making the switch from third base a season ago. Blake also says he lacked focus, although he declined to discuss the root of it. Late last season, he admitted to an off-the-field personal issue.
Blake's offseason, which included some golf and duck hunting, seemed therapeutic. He also drew strength from his family. He has returned to Cleveland looking like a player at peace with himself and his task.
A solid spring has morphed into a promising start, which is extremely important to the club. Both the Indians and Blake had a dreadful April last season. The team rallied, the player didn't.
``My confidence wavered,'' Blake said. ``I worried and brooded so much.''
Nobody has to tell a player who spent seven years in the minors how important this season is to him. He doesn't want to be 33 and trying to prove himself again at the major-league level.
The Indians aren't looking for an All-Star performance. Wedge and the Indians would take another season like 2004 (.271 average, 28 homers and 88 RBI).
The opportunities will present themselves like water fowl flying across an open field. Blake just has to have the confidence to pull the trigger.
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ABJ

4/8/06

Byrd glad to come away with victory

Pitcher rates his first start for Tribe as just `OK,' hopes to do better next time he heads to mound

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Paul Byrd was almost remorseful about his performance Friday.
And he was the winning pitcher.
Undoubtedly, Byrd has pitched better, but he stayed the course long enough to help the Indians to an 11-6 win over Minnesota at Jacobs Field.
In six innings, he threw 100 pitches, only six of them for hits. He also walked three and gave up five runs, mostly because he yielded a two-run double to Joe Mauer and a two-run homer to Justin Morneau, who went deep again after Byrd left the game.
In speaking of his return to Cleveland, from where he was traded in 1994, Byrd said: ``It was a lot of fun. But I would rather it wasn't a slugfest. My teammates picked me up today, and I hope I can return the favor.''
When someone mentioned his vulnerability was caused primarily by a few errant pitches, he said: ``You sound like my mom. She always finds a bright spot.''
So did Byrd.
``I pitched OK,'' he said. ``I don't think I pitched like someone who gives up five runs usually pitches. I was a few pitches away from a good game.
``I'll be ready five days from now and hope to do a little better. And if the guys want to score 11 again, I'll take it.''
Byrd seems genuinely happy to be back with the team with which he began his career.
``It was a little weird to pitch in a Cleveland uniform and have people cheering for me,'' he said. ``But it felt good. Maybe I'll do a better job next time.''
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ABJ

4/8/06

Nothing slow about this start

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Indians manager Eric Wedge leaned back and tried to explain a few things that really can't be explained.
Like why the Indians have staggered early in the previous three years, and why that won't happen again.
That record of 25-47 in the last three Aprils?
Forget about it.
Casey Blake, Aaron Boone, Victor Martinez, Ben Broussard and all those other chronically slow starters?
Forget about that, too.
That's the message Wedge was delivering after the Indians crushed the Minnesota Twins 11-6 in the home opener Friday at Jacobs Field.
Wedge talked about experience. He talked about expectations. He talked about how the past doesn't have to dictate the future. He said those kids who were rookies in 2003, 2004 and 2005 are no longer rookies. Young, yes. Jittery and intimidated, no.
He simply was trying to say this: He believes his team is better than ever.
So far, the Indians have played four games this season and won three.
That's what really matters.
``We don't have any real big names,'' winning pitcher Paul Byrd said. ``Only Pronk (Travis Hafner) has a candy bar. But we have some great players here, and you're going to hear a lot about them.''
There was Grady Sizemore sprinting, leaping and catching what appeared to be a sure double against the center-field fence.
``First, I thought it was a home run,'' Byrd said. ``Then I thought it was a double off the wall. Then I saw Grady still running, and he jumped and caught it.
``I needed that.''
There was Martinez coming up with clutch hits -- a single, a double, a couple of RBI and no spring slump so far for the Tribe's usually slow starter.
There was Casey Blake hitting a grand slam. Yes, a grand slam, this one with two outs. A grand slam breaking open this opener, bringing a sellout crowd of 42,445 to stand and stomp and shout.
The same Blake who was 5-for-59 with runners in scoring position and two outs a year ago already has two hits in those situations this season.
There was Hafner hitting the ball so squarely, so hard, you'd swear that the cover really was ready to come off. He doesn't deliver drives, he smacks sizzlers. They are white blurs. They leave smoke trails. Sometimes, his homers start as singles, only they keep rising until they nearly break a chair in the right-field seats.
And yes, this was the opener for his candy bar, too.
There was Fernando Cabrera with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, two of them strikeouts. The radar gun lit the gray, gloomy day with readings of 95 mph. This was exactly what the Indians and Cabrera needed after he was spanked for six runs in an inning Sunday against the Chicago White Sox.
There was the Indians jumping on the Twins early, then piling on the runs. Two in the first, two more in the third, five in the fifth, another in the sixth, then Hafner's second homer of the game in the eighth.
``I really liked that,'' Wedge said.
The Indians are on a three-game winning streak. Their 3-1 record looks better, because it has come against Minnesota and Chicago, their two real rivals in the American League Central Division.
Most fans know the Indians were 5-14 vs. the World Champion White Sox in 2005. Their 10-9 record against these Twins was nothing remarkable, either.
When you play 19 games against the four other teams in your division, you need to beat them regularly. The Indians were a modest 40-35 in their own division a year ago.
The Indians are trying to turn into a tidal wave early in the season, much like the White Sox did when they overwhelmed the rest of the division last spring. You rarely can win a division in April and May, but you can lose it by falling so far behind.
``Our guys learn from things,'' Wedge said. ``There is such a difference in a player from his first year to his third year. That's where we are now. We have guys who have been through a lot.''
The Indians are also trying to win back the fans.
``When you have a packed house, and everyone is cheering for you like today, it does mean a lot,'' Byrd said.
``The fans can influence us. They can influence the umpires. Cleveland can be tough and yell, but they know the game. We want to get them behind us.''
With more games like this, that just might happen.
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Canton

4/8/06

Phillips dealt to Cincinnati

Saturday, April 8, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]INDIANS NOTEBOOK ANDY CALL[/FONT]


CLEVELAND - The Indians’ most perplexing organizational riddle ended without a solution Friday when infielder Brandon Phillips was traded to Cincinnati.

Phillips, 24, was dealt to the Reds for a player to be named or cash. He was Cleveland’s Opening Day second baseman in 2003, lost his job midway through that season and never returned to the starting lineup. Phillips played in just 12 games for Cleveland over the last two seasons.

“The timing of his development and the development of our team just didn’t align,” Assistant General Manager Chris Antonetti said. “He was out of (minor-league) options, and it forced us to make a decision.”

The Indians must decide on the player to be named or an already determined amount of cash by June 15. That is the same day, coincidentally, the Indians must decide on the player to be named or cash from January’s trade of Coco Crisp to Boston.

Phillips was added to the Reds’ 40-man roster and is scheduled to join the team in Cincinnati for this afternoon’s game against Pittsburgh.

The Indians had designated Phillips for assignment Saturday as they left spring training. He was scheduled to be put on waivers Friday at 2 p.m., but Antonetti finalized the trade at 12:30.

“The timing, and the lack of flexibility with Brandon being out of options, made this a challenge,” Antonetti said.

Phillips was a highly regarded prospect when he came to the Indians from Montreal in the 2002 Bartolo Colon trade. He alienated some in the organization from the first day of his first spring training, when he wrote “The Franchise” on his spikes before taking the field in Winter Haven. Phillips also didn’t help his cause by hitting .206 in 432 big-league at-bats.

“I talked to Brandon, and he was fine, very professional,” Antonetti said. “We wish him well. We think he has the potential to be a standout major-league player.”


INJURY REPORT Indians second baseman Ronnie Belliard left Friday’s game in the middle of the seventh inning with tightness in his right calf and is day-to-day.

SORE SUBJECT Indians Manager Eric Wedge grew irritated by questions of whether Wednesday’s collision between catcher Victor Martinez and first baseman Ben Broussard could have been avoided by having pitcher Cliff Lee call off one of the fielders. “It happened too fast,” Wedge said. “There was no lead time. Cliff did the right thing to just get out of the way.”

SORE SUBJECT II Broussard, who took a forearm to the right side of his neck from Martinez on the play, said he was still a bit sore Friday. “I could hear myself screaming ‘I got it,’ but I couldn’t hear Victor at all,” Broussard said. “We didn’t have enough hang time to see who was under it. I got clotheslined. I saw stars. I didn’t even know who hit me until I saw Victor on the ground.”

MILESTONES Ronnie Belliard turned 31 Friday ... Jacobs Field press box attendant Joe Corrado presided over his 57th home opener.

ON THE FARM Three of Cleveland’s four full-season minor-league teams lost season openers Thursday. Single-A Lake County won, but Single-A Kinston, Double-A Akron and Triple-A Buffalo all fell. Kevin Dixon, a 22-year-old right-hander from Minnesota State University, worked six shutout innings for Lake County. Dixon did not allow a hit and struck out six.


Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail:


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Did anyone see Mota pitch the 8th? Wow! I didn't know much about this kid other than he was considered on of the top 50 minors leaguers in the country.
I now see why. The first batter flew out to left and he completely left the next two hitters baffled as he struck both out.
If Jason Johnson and Byrd can pitch relatively well this team will be will be very good. They will hit and possibly hit as well as those mid and late 90's teams. The pitching staff is better. Those teams had guys like Chatrlie Nagy, Oral Hershiser and Dennis Martinez. I think the current top three have a chance to be much better. The 4 and 5 starters should be as well.
The Tribe in the mid 90's had a very good Jose Mesa but overall this bullpen could be much better. Cabrere, Mota, Betencourt, Miller, Suaerbeck and Wicky could be a very good bull pen. The only concern could be the lack of left handed help in the bullpen.
Don't under estimate these early wins. They are avoiding the early April slumps which have buried them the last two years and even more importantly, they are beating up on central division foes.
Watch out for this Tribe team. Both Sox teams ended long slumps the last two years. Could we make that three years in a row that curses are broke with this Indian team?
It is going to be a fun summer! GO TRIBE!!
 
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Mota is 32... ashland you might be referring to cabrera but you mentioned him later in your post... the only other indians minor leaguers on the top 50 prospects list are Adam Miller who is in Akron, and Jeremy Sowers and Fausto Carmona (both in Buffalo).
 
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It is nice winning the first two series of the season, especially over divisional foes. Boy the ChiSox are struggling. I am interested to hear what people think about Michaels. I was not too impressed by his play in the outfield in Chitown but the wind i think affected his play. He has had a nice bat and I am pleasantly surprised by that. Top to bottom this team is solid, and a lot of fun to watch. Pronk is hitting the cover off the ball right now. Reached base 10 straight times. He is something like 8-8 at the Jake. Damn. Grady is playing really well both offensively and defensively. I was worried that he would have a soph. slump, but that doesn't seem to have happened, at least not yet. He looks to be for real. It is good to see Vic, Boone and Blake swinging that bat well, they stunk it up at the begging last year. I was a Boone hater last year because of his woes at the plate. His fielding was solid, and it seems to continue as he has made great plays at the hot corner this year. Now his bat has come around too. Great stuff. Blake has improved in the outfield, and he shows a good arm, and better speed than I would have thought. Peralta seems to continue where he left off both Fielding and at bat. Overall this team is good, and i wouldn't be surprised if the wild card comes from the central this year.
 
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OsUPhAn said:
Grady is playing really well both offensively and defensively. I was worried that he would have a soph. slump, but that doesn't seem to have happened, at least not yet. He looks to be for real
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I think Grady is going to be one of the breakout stars in MLB this year, so much talent and he played way above what I expected from him last year. I don't think it will be long until he needs to slide down to the middle of the order.
 
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It was a great game today. Westbrook out-pitched Santana, and Santana may be the best pitcher in baseball. Jake was lights out today. You couldn't ask for a better way to open the season. We won the ChiSox series and swept the Twins. I'll take that!
 
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