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Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

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ABJ

4/14/06

Taking stock of Tribe

Sunday, April 16, 2006


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


First let’s get our terminology straight.
Two weeks into the season is too early to begin drawing conclusions. It’s not too early to begin making observations.
Here are a few observations, then, on the first two weeks of Indians baseball.
The platoon of Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez seems to be working well. The two first basemen were hitting a combined .317 (13-for-41) through Friday, with three home runs and seven RBIs in 10 games. If you consider only Broussard’s numbers against right-handers and Perez’s against lefties, they are batting .400 (12-for-30) with a home run and seven RBIs.
The two new guys in Cleveland’s starting rotation have moved in completely opposite directions of what might have been expected. Opposing hitters are batting .317 against Paul Byrd (1-1, 20-24 ERA) — and that’s not even the worst part. Byrd has walked six batters in 92/3 innings after walking 28 in 2041/3 innings last year. No. 5 starter Jason Johnson (1-0, 2.13), conversely, has limited opposing hitters to a .200 average and seems to genuinely be enjoying playing on a winning team for the first time in his career.
Aaron Boone looked like a new man during the first week, and was 4-for-5 with four RBIs during the second game in Chicago. From his seventh-inning home run that night through Friday’s game in Detroit, however, Boone was 4-for-31 (.129).
One wonders how patient the Indians will be with Boone as Andy Marte waits in Triple-A. One also wonders how patient they will be with Danny Graves (8.31 ERA, .353 opponents’ average) as Jason Davis, Steve Karsay and Andrew Brown twiddle their thumbs.
Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the first two weeks has been Casey Blake. Cleveland’s right fielder was exceeding last year’s batting average (.241) by more than 200 points (.455) with a .550 on-base percentage through Friday. Blake was also batting 5-for-7 (.714) with runners in scoring position. He hit .171 in those situations last year.
Uneven performances by both the bullpen and starting rotation were probably the most visible negative of the first two weeks.
Which brings us to one more note on terminology. In the words of Mike Hargrove, there are no worries after two weeks ... only concerns.
n
In case you missed it, the Indians were ranked No. 1 in all of baseball Monday in weekly power rankings by MLB.com, CNNSI.com and ESPN.com. That could change this week, however, after the Tribe dropped two of three to 27th-ranked Seattle.
n
Former Indians nominated for the first class of the College Baseball Hall of Fame include Joe Carter (Wichita State), Neal Heaton (Miami) and Dave Winfield (Minnesota). Former Ohio State star Steve Arlin is also on the 46-man ballot, which will be voted on by an 80-member committee appointed by the College Baseball Foundation.
n
ESPN’s Jayson Stark reports that Eduardo Perez set baseball history when he hit the first home run of the 2006 season off Chicago’s Mark Buehrle on Opening Day, April 2.
Perez’s father, Tony, hit the first home run of the 1971 season, off Phil Niekro while playing for Cincinnati. They are the first father-son combination to hit the first homer of the baseball season.
n
Perhaps you noticed that Thursday’s crowd of 24,638 included 8,510 fans who purchased their tickets at the ballpark on the day of the game — the biggest “walk-up” crowd in Jacobs Field history. Of those fans, 5,053 took advantage of a promotion where students who showed their high school or college ID cards could receive a half-price ticket.
The former franchise “walk-up” record was 6,720, set last July 4 against Detroit when the team offered hot dogs for $1.
n
White Sox slugger Jim Thome is rapidly climbing baseball’s all-time home run list. Thome began the season in 36th place, but passed Manny Ramirez and moved into 33rd with a home run Thursday.

Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail: [email protected].


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CPD

4/16/06


Practice makes a perfect debut for Hollandsworth


Sunday, April 16, 2006

Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter

Detroit- Todd Hollandsworth did nothing except make a pinch-running appearance through the first 10 games and 14 days of the regular season.

He trained for that by having a quiet spring training.

Manager Eric Wedge finally turned him loose Saturday. It was a sight to see.

Hollandsworth hit two doubles, drove in two runs and stole a two-run homer from Marcus Thames with a leaping catch at the left-field fence in the Indians' 7-2 victory over Detroit.

"In my role it's prepare, prepare, prepare," said Hollandsworth. "Half the battle is understanding that."

Hollandsworth, the Tribe's fourth outfielder, doubled in his first at-bat of the season. Travis Hafner brought him home with a homer against Jeremy Bonderman.

In the Tribe's five-run fourth, Hollandsworth dropped the hammer on Bonderman with a two-run double with two out. Bonderman allowed seven runs on eight hits in 3 2/3 innings.

Defensively, Hollandsworth made the play of the game against Thames to end the fourth.

"The catch looked good, but in that situation you're usually hauling it to the wall and it gets in the way," said Hollandsworth. "This time I got to the wall and was able to wait for it to come down."

This is Hollandsworth's 12th season in the big leagues. He's done a little bit of everything.

"He's been in pretty much every role you can be in in the big leagues," said Wedge. "He knows what to do."

Still, just how does one play so well after sitting for so long?

"When the lights go on and you put some people in the stands, my adrenaline gets going," said Hollandsworth. "I try to play every game like it's my last."

What took so long?

The Indians put right-hander Fernando Cabrera on the disabled list before Saturday's game. Rookie Fausto Carmona took his spot and beat the Tigers in his big-league debut.

The Indians could have made the move Friday night, but they wanted to give Cabrera a chance to test his sore right heel Saturday morning in a bullpen session.

"He couldn't throw Friday because he'd thrown so many pitches Thursday against Seattle," said Wedge.

Wedge said Cabrera felt pain in the ankle when he threw Saturday morning.
There were two winners in the move - Carmona and Jason Davis. Carmona beat the Tigers and Davis kept his spot in the bullpen. If Cabrera hadn't been hit in the heel by a line drive Thursday night, Davis probably would have been sent to Class AAA Buffalo.

"Davis has been improving," said Wedge. "He's much more under control with his delivery. He thrown some outstanding splitters and his slider continues to improve."

Last time:

Left-hander Brian Tallet was the last Indian to win his big-league debut. Tallet, now with Toronto, beat Boston in the second game of a day-night doubleheader Sept. 16, 2002 at Fenway Park.

Finally:

Carmona threw 88 pitches, 52 strikes. Wedge was most impressed with his ability to throw an offspeed pitch.

"The change-up has always been part of his game," said Wedge.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-5158
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buckeye247 said:
how bad was it all i know was that wedge got thrown out.
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There never was a consistent strike zone, and the Indians got screwed by it all day long.

After one of our players struck out in the 8th inning Hamilton said something like "now all of the sudden blah-blah(the umpires name) has an outside corner..." Then for the next couple of minutes all they talked about was how inconsistent the strike zone was and stuff like that.

Then the umpire blew an easy call at 1st base in the same inning.

Guess the umps didnt want to upset the couple of thousand people at the stadium. :shake:
 
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Looks like that shutout on Easter just angered the Tribe's bats.:)
Good to see byrd with a nice outing yesterday after looking a little shaky, and I have been very suprised with how well Johnson has been pitching.
 
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Dispatch

4/19/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Martinez loud at plate

Tribe catcher avoids talking about hot hitting

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DUANE BURLESON </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Indians second baseman Ronnie Belliard comes in for a landing after making a diving catch on a fly ball hit by the Tigers’ Placido Polanco in the first inning in Detroit. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


DETROIT — Before the question could be completed, Victor Martinez raised his hands as if to say "Stop," then shook his head and smiled. "Not now," he said.
Since the middle of last season, the Indians catcher has politely declined to answer questions about his success at the plate. He prefers to let his bat do the talking, and it has said plenty.
Martinez went 3 for 5 with two RBI yesterday as the Indians routed the Tigers 10-2. He has a hit in each of the 12 games he has started this season, going 20 for 49 (.408) with six doubles and a homer. He has hit .385 since the All-Star break last year.
As a team, the Indians are batting .309. They scored six runs in the third inning yesterday to break the game open. Martinez contributed an RBI single.
"Everybody is taking a good approach at the plate, being patient and getting a good pitch to hit," he said. "When you put a good swing on the ball, anything can happen."
He has done so since opening day. He just has not discussed it.
On the mend

Fernando Cabrera began a rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Buffalo, just two days after he went on the disabled list because of a bruised right heel. A pitcher can spend up to 30 days on a rehab assignment, so he essentially could make up the time he missed during spring training while participating in the World Baseball Classic.
After a strong showing for Puerto Rico, Cabrera slumped badly with the Indians late in spring training and early in the regular season.
He is out of options, so he could not be sent to Buffalo without first clearing waivers. The injury became a convenient excuse to get him some time in triple-A.
In his first outing for the Bisons, Cabrera pitched two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.
Congratulations , pop

Eric Wedge’s wife, Kate, gave birth yesterday morning to the couple’s first child, a girl they named Ava Catherine.
Eric Wedge returned to Cleveland after the game Sunday and remained there yesterday. Bench coach Joel Skinner served as acting manager in the win over the Tigers. Wedge is expected to rejoin the team today in Baltimore.
On the board

Grady Sizemore snapped an 0-for-13 slump with a single in the third inning yesterday, and two batters later Jhonny Peralta ended an 0-for-16 skid with a single. Aaron Boone had gone 0 for 16 before doubling Sunday, and he added three singles in six at-bats yesterday.
"I feel a little better," Boone said. "Hopefully, I’m back on track."
[email protected]
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Dispatch

4/19/06

INDIANS 15 ORIOLES 1

Tribe backs Johnson with 20 hits, 15 runs

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

David Ginsburg
ASSOCIATED PRESS

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>GAIL BURTON ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Jason Michaels of the Indians slides into second on a steal as Brian Roberts of the Orioles takes the throw in the third inning. </TD></TR><TR><TD align=middle>
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BALTIMORE — With plenty of backing from his new teammates, Jason Johnson posted another victory against his former club.
Johnson took a five-hitter into the eighth inning, Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore homered, and the Cleveland Indians got 20 hits in a 15-1 rout of the Baltimore Orioles last night.
Johnson (2-0) allowed one run and seven hits in seven innings. He struck out two and walked none.
"It is fun to be on a team like this one," said the right-hander, who pitched for Baltimore from 1999 to 2003. "Every time I take the mound, I expect to win."
Johnson, who spent the past two seasons in Detroit, signed with the Indians in December. He lowered his ERA to 1.83 in three starts with Cleveland. He’s 4-1 with a 3.04 ERA lifetime against Baltimore.
"It’s always fun to pitch here," he said. Especially when your team scores 15 runs.
"I treated it as if it were a 1-0 game," Johnson said. "I’m still going for a complete-game shutout. I’m not thinking about anything else. I was upset when I gave up the run in the eighth. I wanted to finish it."
Johnson was lifted after giving up an RBI double to Brian Roberts. Danny Graves and Scott Sauerbeck finished the seven-hitter.
Sizemore had three hits, Martinez went 3 for 6 to extend his hitting streak to 13 games and Casey Blake went 3 for 4 to raise his batting average to .447. Ben Broussard entered as a pinchhitter in the fifth inning and went 3 for 4 with two RBI.
The 15 runs were the most scored by the Indians this season. Cleveland hadn’t reached the 20-hit mark since last June against Cincinnati.
Roberts tied a career high with four hits, going 4 for 4 with an RBI and two stolen bases. But that was the lone highlight for the Orioles.
"You have to forget about it and look forward to tomorrow," Baltimore manager Sam Perlozzo said. "There’s nothing else to do. We’ve been playing good baseball and we had a game where everything kind of fell apart on us."
Bruce Chen (0-2) gave up eight runs and eight hits in four innings, including both Cleveland homers. He has yielded six home runs in his last two starts.
Jason Michaels gave Cleveland a 2-0 lead in the third with a two-out, two-run single. Cleveland pulled away with a fiverun fourth. After Travis Hafner drew a leadoff walk, Martinez hit his second homer of the season. Chen then gave up a single and a walk before Sizemore homered on an 0-and-1 pitch.
"We got to (Chen) early and kept going. We got into the groove," Sizemore said.
"We all kind of got off to a slow start last season, so we have really made a point of focusing on scoring this season."
Jhonny Peralta and Hafner opened the fifth with singles to chase Chen, and Chris Britton gave up an RBI single to Broussard.
The Orioles helped the Indians score five runs in the sixth by committing two errors. Blake hit a two-run single in the eighth.
The Indians have had at least 10 hits in 10 of their 14 games. Indians third baseman Aaron Boone left in the eighth because of a bruised left wrist after being hit by a pitch from Jim Brower.
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Canton

4/19/06

indians notebook: New father Wedge back with Indians

Wednesday, April 19, 2006


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>[FONT=Verdana, Times New Roman, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]By Chris Beaven Repository sports writer [/FONT]



BALTIMORE - A hectic couple of days for Eric Wedge concluded Tuesday with the Indians manager returning to his team as a new father.
“It’s everything that everybody always describes it as,” Wedge said of becoming a father. His wife, Kate, gave birth to the couple’s first child — Ava Catherine Wedge — Monday morning.
Wedge missed Monday’s game in Detroit, driving home the previous night to be in Cleveland for the birth. The Indians won, 10-2, in his absence. “I wasn’t able to watch most of it. ... Obviously, it was a good day.”
Wedge’s attention was focused on his family.
“You’ve got to go through it yourself to really appreciate it,” he said. “It’s beyond words when you’re talking about your wife and your child.”
Wedge flew to Baltimore on Tuesday, and reports mother and daughter are doing well. He said it was not easy leaving home so soon.
“It’s always tough, but I looked at it like I was fortunate enough to be there at all,” he said.

C.C. UPDATE Wedge said C.C. Sabathia felt good after throwing 60 pitches during a bullpen session Tuesday. A pulled muscle in his right rib cage sidelined Sabathia in the season opener. Wedge emphasized nothing is “set in stone,” in terms of a timetable for Sabathia’s return. He was eligible to come off the disabled list Tuesday. “More than likely, we’ll have him throw another bullpen in another couple days,” Wedge said. If all continues to go well, Sabathia will then throw a simulated game and make a rehab start in the minors before returning to the rotation.
IMPRESSING MR. OCTOBER The major-league debut of right-hander Fausto Carmona last Saturday likely did not surprise Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson. Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro said Tuesday that Carmona gave a preview of his abilities in front of Jackson in the minors last season. Carmona retired 17 straight in a Triple-A start for Buffalo at Columbus, the Yankees’ top farm team. “Reggie Jackson came up to me and said, ‘What is this guy doing here?’ ” Shapiro said.
NOT KIDDING Some might have thought Carmona was joking around when he said he was more nervous talking to media than pitching to the Tigers in his debut. Shapiro knew otherwise. “That was legit,” Shapiro said of the 22-year-old Dominican, who still is becoming comfortable speaking English.
MORE SHAPIRO The Indians GM is pleased with the early play of several top prospects in the minors, especially several pitchers. Lefty Jeremy Sowers is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA for Triple-A Buffalo. Right-hander Adam Miller is 2-0 with a 2.04 ERA for Double-A Akron. Offensively, Ryan Garko is hitting .419 for Buffalo, while teammate Franklin Gutierrez is hitting .370. “We want those guys to force us to give them opportunities,” Shapiro said, “and those guys are off to great starts.” Reach Repository sports writer Chris Beaven at (330) 580-8345 or e-mail: [email protected]


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CPD

4/19/06

<H1 class=red>Indians chatter

</H1>

Wednesday, April 19, 2006



Clubhouse confidential: The Indians can keep Fernando Cabrera in Class AAA Buffalo for 30 days if they feel it's necessary. Cabrera was placed on the 15- day disabled list Saturday with a bruised right heel and sent on a rehabilitation assignment Monday.

A position player can only stay on a rehabilitation assignment for 15 days, but a pitcher can stay on for 30 days. General Manager Mark Shapiro feels Cabrera should be healthy, and have the problems in his delivery corrected, in 15 days.

Here they come: The Indians play Boston in a three-game series when they return from this 10-game trip. They'll face Curt Schilling (3-0), knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Josh Beckett (3-0) in the three games.

Stat of the day: Cliff Lee's batting average against of .186 is the third lowest in the American League behind Schilling at .147 and Chicago's Jose Contreras at .181.

- Paul Hoynes
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Okay, seriously...Westbrook is getting shellacked, why leave him in? I understand trying to be a "players manager" and trying to get your starter a W, but come on. I could see that double coming before he wound up. I hate giving these early season games away (if we were to lose), we all saw how that can haunt you in October. And as I type this, the Hawks are coming back on the Cavs...
:pissed:
 
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