Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/27/06

Victory like this could do wonders for the Tribe

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The Indians needed a game like what became a 7-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night.
Consider the first inning. Leadoff man Grady Sizemore walked, stole second base.
Jason Michaels singled, but Sizemore stayed at second base. That's because Michaels hit a 17-hopper to deep short, which Boston's Alex Gonzalez caught -- and held.
That brought Jhonny Peralta to bat. Tim Wakefield was pitching for Boston. You probably know that Wakefield throws knuckleballs.
No one really likes knuckleballs. Not hitters. Not managers. Not umpires.
Especially not catchers.
Just ask Josh Bard, the former Tribe catcher shipped to Boston as part of the Coco Crisp/Andy Marte deal.
When he closes his eyes to try and sleep, he doesn't count sheep. He sees baseballs dancing as if they had too much salsa. He sees himself trying to catch those bouncing balls, only feeling his hands are in handcuffs and he's wearing boxing gloves on both hands.
Bard was charged with not one, not two, but four passed balls on this night. Those are pitches that the catcher should handle, only he can't quite do it.
As I'm writing what comes next, I'm feeling sorry for Bard.
He has 10 passed balls this season. Make it 10 in 32 1/3 innings trying to catch Wakefield.
These numbers had people in the press box furiously paging through record books and searching the Internet. Start with the fact that it's never a good thing when you have twice as many passed balls (10) as hits (five). Or that you're at 10 passed balls, and it's not even May.
A year ago, no American League team had more than 14 passed balls. Boston was at 13.
But if anyone would understand, it would be Geno Petralli, who once played in the Tribe farm system. In 1987, he was with Texas, attempting to catch Charlie Hough, the Tim Wakefield of his era.
Petralli had four passed balls in one inning!
He had six passed balls in a game, but a different game than the one with four in an inning!
He had 35 for that 1987 season! He had 20 in another season. He began to play some third base. You can understand why.
A fellow named J.C. Martin had 33 chasing after Hoyt Wilhelm's knuckleballs in 1965 for the Chicago White Sox.
Bob Uecker told jokes about trying to catch Phil Niekro's knucklers. The catcher-turned-broadcaster/comedian only had 27 in 1967, his knuckleball nightmare season.
Which brings us back to Bard, who was frustrated with the Tribe, stuck behind All-Star Victor Martinez. He welcomed the trade to Boston, whereupon he was assigned to be Wakefield's personal catcher.
Poor guy.
Bard had only nine passed balls in his first 149 big-league games before coming to Boston, and was considered a solid defensive catcher. In his Boston debut, he had three passed balls.
Keep in mind, Bard is not a bad catcher. But the knuckleball has had good men kneeling in their shinguards, praying for mercy.
Maybe that's what happened in the first inning when the Indians had two runners on base, no one out and Peralta at the plate.
The count two balls, one strike.
Wakefield threw a... straightball!
Technically, it's a fastball, but Wakefield's ``fastball'' wouldn't draw a ticket on I-77. That's why he's a knuckleball pitcher.
Peralta must have felt like a man on baseball's death row getting that last-second call from the governor. Straight and soft with an inscription reading hit me. Which Peralta did, over the left-field wall for a three-run homer.
Did the Indians ever need that. Just like they needed the six strong innings from Cliff Lee, followed by two powerhouse innings from Jason Davis. And Bob Wickman taking care of matters in the ninth inning, as the Tribe ended a three-game losing streak.
As for Bard, he caught a break on Peralta's homer. It was a ball he didn't have to try to catch.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/27/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Shapiro says Phillips didn't fit Tribe's needs
The question of Brandon Phillips' fast start with Cincinnati was raised with General Manager Mark Shapiro?
``Brandon would not have had the same opportunity here as he's had with them,'' Shapiro said. ``That's just part of the game. (Ramon) Vazquez is a better fit for us; he complements our team better.''
TOO EARLY -- The Tribe's recent swoon has not forced Shapiro back to the drawing board.
``I don't want to evaluate anything until we've played 40 games,'' the GM said. ``Anything earlier than that is premature and can lead to making mistakes. And we've been through worse than this.''
NO CHANGE -- When C.C. Sabathia returns to the rotation, Fausto Carmona probably will head back to Buffalo.
But why not move him into the depleted bullpen?
``We want him to pitch every five days (in a rotation),'' Shapiro said.
Unless he suffers a setback, Sabathia will start at Buffalo tonight and return to the rotation either Tuesday at home or Wednesday night in Oakland.
FARM FACTS -- Jason Stanford worked five scoreless innings, allowing five hits, in Buffalo's 4-2 loss to Syracuse.... Matt Whitney had three hits, including a home run, in Kinton's 6-5 loss to Lynchburg.... Jorge Riera didn't hurt his 1.08 ERA by giving up one run in 4 1/3 innings, as Lake County lost to Hagerstown 7-6.

SHELDON OCKER​

ON DECK
TODAY: Red Sox at Indians
Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: SportsTime Ohio/ESPN2
Pitchers: Josh Beckett (3-0, 2.54) vs. Cliff Lee (1-1, 3.33)
FRIDAY: Rangers at Indians
Time: 7:05 p.m.
TV: SportsTime Ohio
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

4/27/06

Tribe notebook: Shapiro isn’t planning moves

Thursday, April 27, 2006

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CLEVELAND - Indians fans pounding their fists on the table and demanding some sort of bold move by General Manager Mark Shapiro better find a new hobby.
Shapiro said the team is not about to begin turning over personnel despite having lost nine of 13 games to fall to 10-10 through Tuesday.
“There is no alternative right now,” Shapiro said. “We built this club on track records. Early struggles are not going to cause us to panic and make a move. When we get 40 games in, we’ll start to evaluate. Anything before that point leads to bad decisions.”
The Indians may be only halfway to 40 games, but evaluating the root of their struggles is not difficult. Inconsistency by the starting pitchers and injuries in the bullpen have resulted in a 5.66 team ERA, 11th in the American League.
“The plan is to get better innings out of our starting pitchers,” Shapiro said. “It’s putting a strain on the bullpen that’s difficult to succeed with.”
Only six times in 20 games has an Indians starter even thrown a pitch in the seventh inning.
That has led to way too much work for a relief corps that has lost three of its seven pitchers to the disabled list in three-plus weeks. Cleveland’s bullpen ERA (6.21) reflects the fact that only closer Bob Wickman and setup man Guillermo Mota have set roles.
“Not too many bullpens in baseball could be effective under those circumstances,” Shapiro said. “We’re in scramble mode every night.”
There are some positives. Cleveland’s .305 team batting average was third in the league. No. 9 batter Casey Blake was hitting .369. The first-base platoon of Ben Broussard and Eduardo Perez had combined for a .378 average.
A .500 record after 20 games and a four-game deficit behind Chicago in the Central Division standings isn’t going to provoke the Indians’ man in charge into rash action.
“It could be worse,” Shapiro said. “I think it will be better.”

TODAY The series with Boston concludes tonight at 7:05. Paul Byrd (2-2, 9.15) will start against Josh Beckett (3-0, 2.54).
ON THE AIR Tuesday afternoon’s game against Chicago has been added to the ESPN broadcast schedule. The games tonight against Boston and Sunday against Texas also are on ESPN.
INJURY REPORT Right-hander Fernando Cabrera (heel) could be activated Saturday. Left-hander C.C. Sabathia (ribcage) will pitch for Triple-A Buffalo this afternoon and could start Tuesday or Wednesday. Right-hander Rafael Betancourt (back) was expected to miss up to a month, but could return as soon as May 5.
ONE GOT AWAY Shapiro said he was happy to note the progress of exiled infielder Brandon Phillips, last week’s National League Player of the Week. “He’s obviously a guy we like,” Shapiro said. “The opportunity to do that was not going to happen here, at least not this year.”
NOT THAT BAD Indians catchers had thrown out zero (none) of the 20 baserunners attempting to steal against them through Tuesday. Manager Eric Wedge said 0-for-20 is no cause for alarm. “To the naked eye, it’s going to look worse than it is,” Wedge said. Shapiro admitted he is at least a little concerned. “It’s a primary area we’ve focused on, although it’s hard to tell,” Shapiro said. “I’m saying (catcher) Victor Martinez is not at fault. Nothing more can be done, I promise that.”
ON THE FARM Outfielder John Drennen has been put on the Single-A Lake County disabled list with a sprained thumb. Drennen, 19, was the 33rd overall pick in the 2005 draft. He was batting .333 with two doubles, a triple and a home run in 60 at-bats.
Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail [email protected].


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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

4/27/06

Davis productive in role of relief


Thursday, April 27, 2006

Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter

Jason Davis began his big-league career in the front row.

He started 27 games in 2003. He threw hard, showed promise, but the Indians weren't sure whether he should stay in the starting rotation or move to the bullpen.

Davis did a little bit of everything in 2004 and 2005 as manager Eric Wedge and General Manager Mark Shapiro agreed to disagree on his role. Wedge wanted him to relieve. Shapiro liked him as a starter.

This year, they finally agreed -- Davis would relieve.

Since then, Davis has found out that going from the front row to the back of the class is not a bad thing. Especially when the team that employs you has a bullpen scattered like leaves in the wind because of injuries.

In the Indians' 7-1 victory over Boston on Wednesday night, Davis relieved Cliff Lee in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings. Davis has thrown five innings in the last three games.

"That's the good thing about the bullpen," said Davis. "If you're a little sore from the day before, you get that extra adrenaline when they call your name. At least I do."

Davis ended the eighth inning by getting Manny Ramirez to ground out to third after walking David Ortiz. In Tuesday's 8-6 loss to the Red Sox, Guillermo Mota intentionally walked Ortiz before giving up a three-run homer to Ramirez to break a 5-5 tie.

"Ramirez is a great hitter," said Davis. "If he does something right there, he puts them right back in the game. I was just trying to get him to roll over on a slider."

Davis, working with a 5-1 lead against Ramirez, hit 99 mph during the at-bat.

"Tonight was big for J.D. and big for us," said Wedge. "The way we've been utilizing him, we've been working him toward the back end of the bullpen to go with Mota."

Mota is the Tribe's primary set-up man.

"You need two or three guys to work your way through the seventh and eighth innings," said Wedge.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/27/06

COMMENTARY
For Graves, relief pitchers, present is all that matters

Thursday, April 27, 2006


ROB OLLER

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CLEVELAND — Danny Graves, the man without a memory, forgets yesterday and can’t think about tomorrow.
The Indians’ reliever rolls along while living in the moment, which is a good thing considering the Tribe has been forced to work him on a moment’s notice this season.
One year after boasting the best team ERA in the American League and the best bullpen ERA in baseball, Indians pitchers have struggled to keep the wheels on through 22 games. More often than not, pitching has been the problem. A series of poor outings by starters combined with injuries to both starters and relievers have taken a toll. Entering last night, Cleveland’s ERA (5.66) ranked 11 th in the AL. In the previous six games, the record was 1-5 with a 9.36 ERA.
Graves’ reaction to the carnage? Yawn. Eleven major-league seasons have taught the 32-year-old that history is for losers. Baseball is about the here and now, so all he sees at this instant is the six-inning, four-hit beauty Cliff Lee tossed against Boston last night in a 7-1 win in Jacobs Field.
Go ahead and sweat bullets if you want. Graves prefers not to judge the season until April is long gone.
"I guess it’s OK for (fans) to panic, as long as everybody knows we’re not panicking," he said. "It’s a long season … and every team is going to go through stretches that aren’t any good."
Graves should know. The righthander, a former All-Star with the Cincinnati Reds, has gone through not only stretches of seasons, but stretches of career that haven’t been very good. He has experienced enough ups — 41 saves for the Reds in 2004; 10 wins and 30 saves in 2000 — and downs — a 4-15 record as a Reds starter in 2003; flipping off Cincinnati fans in his last appearance as a Red last season — to steel him to the reality that baseball is an imperfect science. Today’s cause doesn’t guarantee tomorrow’s effect.
"In this game you can catch a break here or there and all of a sudden you’re on a roll again," he said.
That relaxed attitude comes in handy both in handling any situation and in calming what currently is a young bullpen. Jason Davis, Jeremy Guthrie and Brian Slocum all began the season at triple-A Buffalo. When Indians general manager Mark Shapiro brought Graves north from spring training, he didn’t foresee needing Graves to serve as bullpen spackle. Given the injuries, Shapiro is now glad Graves can do it all, even if he doesn’t do any of it as well as he once did.
"If people ask me what my role is, I tell them, ‘Whenever they ask me to pitch,’ " Graves said. "As long as it’s not in the first inning."
Graves began his career in Cleveland by filling the mop-up role out of the bullpen and working long relief, then moved to middle relief, setup man and closer in Cincinnati.
"As long as I’m not starting I think I can pitch during any part of the game," he said.
It’s not often that a professional athlete admits to his failings, as Graves does concerning the disastrous experiment to use him as a starter in 2003. He marvels at the ability of a pitcher like Lee to adjust to hitters.
"I could never pick it up or figure it out," he said, explaining that starters pitch to a hitter three or four times a game, while relievers might face only three or four hitters a game.
And even those three or four are soon forgotten, he said. The present is all that matters.

Rob Oller is a sports reporter for The Dispatch .

[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/27/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Walks bug Byrd, but not Westbrook

Thursday, April 27, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CLEVELAND — After allowing 21 hits and 14 runs in his previous two starts, Jake Westbrook tweaked his delivery slightly before taking the mound Tuesday. He then allowed six walks but only two runs in five innings, which he considered a step in the right direction.

Such is the state of the Indians’ rotation.

In the six games before Cliff Lee’s start last night, Indians starters completed six innings only once. As a result, a bullpen depleted by injuries has had to work overtime, and it has struggled.

"When you’re into the bullpen every night in the fifth or sixth inning, there are not many bullpens in baseball that can survive that," general manager Mark Shapiro said. "It starts and ends with our rotation."

Westbrook was disappointed to throw 98 pitches in five innings, but he chalked it up partially to a tight strike zone by home plate umpire Bruce Dreckman. After getting torched in Detroit and Baltimore, he made a conscious effort to throw to the corners against the Red Sox, even though many of the pitches were being called balls.

"I felt like I made some pretty good pitches," he said.

Pitching coach Carl Willis said, "His stuff was fine. He made some very close pitches. In the past, he gave into that and put the ball in the middle of the plate, and that’s when he gets hurt. He didn’t do that (Tuesday) night, and because of that he kept us in the game."

Paul Byrd has had the opposite problem. He has allowed nine walks in 19 2 /3 innings, after walking only 1.2 batters per nine innings last season.

"He’s never had an issue with walks, and I think mentally it’s been an issue," Willis said. "He started to force the ball, instead of having a relaxed delivery. We’ve been working on that, and he had a very good bullpen (session) yesterday."

Running men

Entering last night’s game, the Indians had allowed 20 steals in 22 attempts, second worst in the major leagues. Shapiro said more blame goes to the pitchers, who have been unable or unwilling to hold runners close, than to catcher Victor Martinez.

The running game was a point of emphasis this spring, and manager Eric Wedge was pleased with the pitchers’ effort during camp.

"So they’re capable of doing it," he said. "Now they have to get back to it."

See you soon

C.C. Sabathia will make a rehabilitation start for triple-A Buffalo tonight.
If all goes well, he could be activated from the disabled list and rejoin the starting rotation Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.

[email protected]

 

[exhawg]

Anyone else remember when everyone (including me) thought that the Indians needed to get a first baseman?

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/28/06

Socking it to the Sox

Broussard homers twice, drives in eight as Indians bash Beckett, win series

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - It's still early, yet for the second time this season, Paul Byrd has made a mid-course correction to turn around his season.
The problem with this approach is that if he is forced to continue executing 180s, he runs the risk of becoming permanently dizzy, which is not a starting pitcher's recommended route to unbridled success.
But for now, Byrd will take what he can get, and why not? It took him 99 pitches to navigate five innings, just enough to qualify for the win, as the Indians crushed the Boston Red Sox 15-3 Thursday night at Jacobs Field.
Byrd did his part, despite the brevity of his outing, allowing two runs, five hits and one walk -- that's ``only'' one walk -- while striking out four.
``I threw the ball better, threw it OK,'' he said. ``I would have liked to give the team more innings, but the bottom line is we got nine runs off Josh Beckett.... I think I lead the universe in run support.''
Byrd had plenty of help from the offense, particularly Ben Broussard, who had a career night by whacking a grand slam in the first inning, a solo shot in the third, a two-run single in the sixth and another run-scoring single in the seventh.
If you're keeping score at home, Broussard's RBI total topped out at eight, a career high. He is the first Tribe player to drive in that many runs since Manny Ramirez had eight on Sept. 24, 1999, at Toronto. Ramirez, of course, plays left field for the Red Sox and drove in only one run Thursday night.
``Ben had a great night,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``He got us going in the first inning and just kept going. We had a lot of good at-bats tonight, and he led the way.''
Broussard lifted his batting average to .407 with three homers and 17 RBI, second on the team to Victor Martinez's 18.
Martinez also had a big night, walloping a three-run homer in the fourth inning and walking three times.
Part of the Tribe's treachery was an ability to draw walks. Or maybe Red Sox pitchers just couldn't find the plate.
Beckett, who started for the Red Sox, came into the game with a 3-0 record and 2.54 earned-run average, walked five in only 3 2/3 innings. No wonder he threw 100 pitches.
Beckett embarked down a dark highway in the first inning, giving up a leadoff single to Grady Sizemore and two-out walks to Travis Hafner (who walked four times) and Martinez.
Broussard stepped to the plate figuring that Beckett was determined to throw a fastball for a strike. He did, and the ball landed in the right-field seats for Broussard's fourth career grand slam.
Was Broussard anticipating that Beckett needed to throw a strike and might throw a fat pitch?
``I try not to think too much,'' Broussard said. ``I just want to be ready to hit from pitch No. 1. I didn't want to take pitches. I was looking for something I could drive.''
The franchise RBI record for a single game belongs to Chris James, who had nine against the Oakland Athletics in 1991.
``The RBI were great, because it meant the team was getting guys on base,'' Broussard said. ``Hopefully, everybody will feed off this and take it into tomorrow's game.''
Broussard recalled another game as a professional in which he piled up the RBI.
``There was a crazy game when I was in rookie ball,'' he said. ``I think I had 12 RBI, went 5-for-5 with something like three home runs. But that was nothing like doing it up here.''
Two other Beckett walks turned into runs, when Martinez went deep.
The Indians have scored eight or more runs in eight of their 22 games but have lost two of those, scoring nine each time.
Because of the timeliness of the grand slam and Martinez's blast, plus the walks, the Tribe needed only 11 hits to amass all their runs.
Altogether, Red Sox pitchers delivered 202 pitches and walked 10.
Speaking of Byrd, Wedge said, ``He was more under control tonight against a very good lineup. It looked to me that for the most part, he threw the ball where he wanted to throw it.''
Byrd has been plagued by uncharacteristic wildness in three of his first four starts. Moreover, of the nine batters he walked before facing the Red Sox, seven scored.
However, against the Red Sox, Byrd threw an inordinate percentage (72) of strikes. He struck out one batter who reached first on a wild pitch and later scored.
``I'm not a guy who gets behind in the count a lot,'' Byrd said. ``That's what's been so frustrating, falling behind and walking guys. But I'm not going to throw 10 years away because I walked some guys.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/28/06

Indians report

Miller relieved after surgery

Sidearming pitcher expects to come back after elbow operation

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Matt Miller returned to the Indians' clubhouse Thursday, his right arm tightly bound and sporting a sling.
He underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his elbow and is expected to miss the rest of the season. But now that Miller has corrected a problem that plagued him for months, he feels comforted.
``I'm almost relieved,'' Miller said. ``An hour after I came out of that game, I think I knew I would need surgery.''
Miller's last outing was April 19 against the Baltimore Orioles. He had good and bad days through spring training and the early part of the season, as he hoped his elbow would return to normal after resting it the second half of last season and all winter.
``Now, I don't have to worry about it anymore,'' Miller said.
And how long had the elbow injury been on Miller's mind?
``Since last June,'' he said. ``I never really felt pain. I guess you could call it unstable.
``In spring training, I got a little more into it every outing. I think I got up to 85 (mph). When the season started, I knew it could go either way. But it just didn't feel right.''
As a sidearming reliever, Miller is not a hard thrower, but velocity is still important to his success.
``I think I'm pretty good, but I can't throw 82 miles per hour and pitch in the big leagues,'' he said. ``I also got tired of waiting until the next day to see how I was going to feel.''
Miller already has been working out other parts of his body.
``My wife is pregnant,'' he said. ``If I start sitting around eating all day with her, I'll get heavy.''
Mandy Miller is scheduled to deliver the couple's first child on Nov. 4.
Though it's not absolutely certain Miller will be able to resume his career, the odds are with him.
``I think I have a great chance to come back,'' he said. ``I'm not going to give up.''

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/28/06

Betancourt better

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - than he first thought
Rafael Batencourt, on the disabled list for three or four weeks with a strained back muscle, recalled thinking he might be in worse trouble when he threw a pitch April 19 against the Baltimore Orioles.
``Basically, it was a hot pain, a burning,'' he said. ``When I went in (the clubhouse), I couldn't raise my arm to lift my jersey off. It was tough sleeping that night, too.''
Betancourt has progressed to the point where he is scheduled to begin playing catch on Monday.
``For four days, I just put ice on it,'' he said. ``Then I started doing exercises.''
SHUFFLING TO BUFFALO -- C.C. Sabathia made a rehab start at Triple-A Buffalo Thursday, giving up one earned run (two total), six hits and one walk, while strikiing out five in five innings (75 pitches).
He is expected to be activated to start either against the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday or the Oakland Athletics on Wednesday.
``He threw well today,'' Manager Eric Wedge said. ``We'll see how he feels tomorrow. We still have to discuss how to set up the rotation.''
In other words, Wedge isn't sure where he wants to slot Sabathia, either after lefty Cliff Lee or following Paul Byrd.
Sabathia has been on the DL with a strained abdominal muscle.
CHARITY EVENT -- Lee and his wife, Kristen, will be honorary chair persons for the Light the Night Walk Sept. 17 at Jacobs Field.
The event will be held to raise money for cancer research and patient services for the Leukemia and Lymphona Society.
Tribe senior vice president of finance and CFO Ken Stefanov will host a corporate luncheon May 17 at the Terrace Club.
For information on these events or to become a volunteer or sponsor, call 440-617-2873.
FARM FACTS -- Charles Lofgren (3-1, 1.33 ERA) took the loss, but he held Lynchburg to one earned run (two total) and six hits in 4 2/3 innings in Class A Kinston's 2-1 defeat.... Kevin Dixon (1-1, 1.63 ERA) worked five scoreless innings, allowing four hits, as Lake County blanked Delmarva 8-1 in Class A. Fernando Pacheco hit his fifth homer of the year.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

4/28/06

Sabathia solid in Buffalo outing

Friday, April 28, 2006


BUFFALO, N.Y. - Cleveland Indians starter C.C. Sabathia had a solid start for the Triple-A Buffalo Bisons in a rehab assignment Thursday, his first appearance since straining an abdominal muscle on opening day.
Sabathia allowed six hits and two runs, one earned, in five innings. He walked one and struck out five, getting the victory in Buffalo’s 8-4 win over the Syracuse SkyChiefs.
Sabathia threw 75 pitches, 51 for strikes, and his fastball topped out at 95 mph.
“They just told me 75 to 85 pitches. I could have gone longer,” he said.
The 6-foot-7, 290-pound left-hander threw a simulated game last week, but was happy to get back into a real game.
“Just to get back out there in game situations and bases-loaded situations, things like that are going to help me when I get back to Cleveland,” he said.
Sabathia consistently got ahead of hitters, throwing first-pitch strikes to 20 of the 22 hitters he faced.
He may be activated to face the White Sox at home Tuesday or at Oakland on Wednesday. FROM STAFF, WIRE REPORTS

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

4/28/06

Davis excelling so far in relief role with Tribe
Friday, April 28, 2006
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Right-hander Paul Byrd was the beneficiary of the Indians’ offensive outburst Thursday, going five innings to pick up the win in a 15-3 victory over the Red Sox.​

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CLEVELAND - Jason Davis spent one day in the minor leagues this season. It may have been his last.
The 25-year-old right-hander has pitched well since returning to the Indians after C.C. Sabathia was injured on Opening Day. Davis has made seven relief appearances, accumulating a 3.09 ERA. He has walked two and struck out seven.
“It’s been a gradual process,” Indians Manager Eric Wedge said. “The biggest thing Jason needed was just to get acclimated to the bullpen.”
Davis had been used exclusively as a starter in the minor leagues, and 52 of his previous 67 big-league appearances had been in a starting role. His sizzling four-seam fastball and swooping split-finger fastball always seemed a tantalizing combination for a reliever, however.
“He’s always had that live arm,” Wedge said. “Now he can throw one or two innings instead of pacing himself for seven. He’s the type who wants to pitch every day. He wants to participate. He’s come a long way in terms of being under control and being more consistent with his delivery.”
Wedge demonstrated his increasing confidence in Davis by bringing him in to pitch the seventh and eighth innings Wednesday against Boston. Davis retired six of the seven batters he faced, getting Manny Ramirez to ground out after David Ortiz had walked.
“If Manny gets ahold of something there, they’re right back in the game,” Davis said. “I got him to roll over a split. It felt good that I got him to chase something like that.”
Davis can feel good about his first extended stay in a big-league bullpen, one that just might last a while.
“When you get a chance, you need to not worry about the situation and just take advantage of the opportunity,” Davis said.

MATCHING UP The pitching matchups for the Texas series — Tonight, Jason Johnson (2-1, 2.81) vs. John Koronka (3-1, 3.75); Saturday, Fausto Carmona (1-1, 7.15) vs. Kevin Millwood (1-2, 4.20); Sunday, Jake Westbrook (2-2, 5.52) vs. Vicente Padilla (2-1, 3.64).
THE CABRERA WATCH Fernando Cabrera (heel) also pitched against Syracuse and could rejoin the bullpen as soon as Saturday, Wedge said.
THE MILLER WATCH Right-hander Matt Miller, who had elbow surgery Wednesday, said he hopes to pitch again before the end of the season. “If it were Tommy John (surgery), I’m sure it would be more difficult,” said Miller, who had a torn tendon repaired. “If I didn’t get something done, I wouldn’t have been here much longer anyway. The way I was going — one good hitter, one bad hitter — you can’t do that here.”
NO-FAULT MANAGING Wedge took issue with General Manager Mark Shapiro’s comment Wednesday that the team’s 0-for-20 success rate throwing out baserunners was largely the fault of the pitchers, not catcher Victor Martinez. “I don’t point fingers,” Wedge said. “We’re all in this together. Victor gets in trouble when he tries to do too much and be too quick.”
ON THE FARM Three of the top four ERAs in the Carolina League through Wednesday belonged to pitchers on the Single-A Kinston staff. Scott Lewis (0.00) was first, Scott Roehl (0.56) second and Chuck Lofgren (1.33) fourth.

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

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/29/06

Indians have an answer for Texas troubles

Wickman ties saves record in win over Rangers

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

• Guthrie lighting up radar gun
• Indians notebook: Millwood returns to familiar territory
• MLB notebook: Former star relief pitcher Howe killed in truck accident
• Friday's National League results
• Friday's American League results
• Indians have an answer for Texas troubles

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Forget the Yankees, Red Sox and White Sox. The team that has baffled the Indians continuously over the past few seasons is the Texas Rangers.
The Tribe has compiled a 12-21 record against the Rangers the past four years. That might be understandable if they were one of the elite franchises in the American League. That's not the case.
So the Wahoos will take any win they can get against the Rangers, like the 7-6 triumph Friday night at Jacobs Field.
Maybe Jason Michaels turned hero because he wasn't around for any of the Indians' disappointing seasons against Texas. Whatever the reason, he doubled twice, singled once, drove in two runs and scored two for his best all-around offensive game to date.
``Jason came up big for us,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``Coming through like that was tremendous.''
This was not a thing of beauty, either at the plate or on the mound. Nevertheless, the game ranked as a milestone for Bob Wickman, who tied the franchise record with his 129th save, matching Doug Jones.
``It gives me huge satisfaction,'' Wickman said. ``I have to tip my cap to the doctors and trainers, the strength and conditioning guys who got me back (after arm surgery). I also have to tip my hat to (General Manager) Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge, who let me go out there in those situations.
``The only way I'll walk off at the end of the season is if I'm hurt. I never will if I can pitch, if I'm healthy.''
Jason Johnson was fortunate to give up only four runs in six innings, and the attack wilted after a first-inning rally that netted two runs and was aborted because of a base-running mistake by Travis Hafner, who was cut down trying to stretch a single into a double.
``One thing about Jason,'' Wedge said. ``He gave us a chance to win a ballgame. He battled his tail off -- had to be in damage control from inning to inning.''
The winning rally in the seventh inning included three walks and one error. How many hits? How about none?
Such good fortune against the Rangers is rare for the Indians, who haven't won the season series against Texas since 2001. That also was the last year Cleveland was in the playoffs. (Omen, omen?)
Victor Martinez drew a bases-loaded walk, and a fielder's choice off the bat of Eduardo Perez gave the Indians a 6-4 lead.
Kevin Mench homered off Guillermo Mota in the eighth to trim the lead to one run. Mench has homered in seven consecutive games, a major-league record for right-handed batters.
If you're looking for efficiency, check out the eighth: With two outs, Grady Sizemore doubled and Michaels singled him home for an important insurance run.
``A lot of these guys I'm facing for the first time,'' Michaels said. ``The last pitch was a fastball. I don't know how I did it, but I got the bat on the ball and found a hole.''
Wickman probably will remember his record-tying save, because it wasn't easy. He gave up consecutive doubles to Michael Young and Mark Teixeira to pull Texas to within 7-6.
Teixeira reached third on Phil Nevin's bouncer to short. Hank Blalock lifted a fly to right, but it was far too shallow to score the run. That brought up Mench, who carried the at-bat through eight pitches before hitting a pop fly to Ronnie Belliard at second.
Wickman's theory of long at-bats is that if a hitter can make contact, he's likely to get a hit, whether it's a bloop or a line drive.
``At that point, I'm going for the strikeout,'' he said. ``I am trying not to let him put the ball in play.
``He put a great at-bat on me. I made quality pitches the whole inning. Even the double off the wall (Teixeira's) was a fastball away.''
Johnson threatened to implode, but despite giving up 12 hits and two walks, he left with the score 4-4.
It could have been worse, but not only did the Rangers strand seven while Johnson was on the mound, but they also bounced into a critical double play and had a runner thrown out at the plate.
Teixeira was either a victim of umpire Brian O'Nora's in the first inning, or Martinez did a great job of blocking the plate. Even with the aid of two replays, it was difficult to tell.
At any rate, the play ended the first inning, as Blalock singled home Gary Matthews, but Casey Blake's throw to Martinez nailed Teixeira.
In the sixth, Texas loaded the bases with nobody out, and Sizemore made a skidding, diving catch of Matthews' drive to center. Brad Wilkerson scored from third, turning the out into a sacrifice fly, but the other runners held, and Young bounced into a double play.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

4/29/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Millwood returns
to familiar territory
Kevin Millwood returned to Jacobs Field on Friday night wearing a Texas Rangers uniform.
Last year's American League ERA leader left the Indians for a chance to make $60 million with the Rangers as a free agent. He will start against his old team tonight.
``Kevin did an outstanding job for us,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``It was good to see him face to face again. But knowing what a competitor he is, we'll have to see what happens tomorrow night.''
Millwood will go into the start with a 1-2 record and 4.20 ERA.
HAPPY TO BE HERE -- Jeremy Guthrie still has aspirations of being a starter, but they can wait.
``Ultimately, I would love to start,'' he said. ``I think I can help a team in that role. But I'm thrilled to be up here in the bullpen.''
Guthrie has pitched twice since being recalled from Triple-A. He has given up three runs in four innings.
IT WAS INEVITABLE -- Hitting two homers and amassing eight RBI wasn't enough to keep left-handed hitting Ben Broussard in the lineup Friday night against a lefty starter.
``Obviously, Ben has been consistent all season, and he had a great night,'' Wedge said. ``But we're in a great situation with Ben and Eduardo (Perez) as a platoon, and we want to stick with it.''
TODAY, OR MAYBE NOT -- Fernando Cabrera (bruised heel) is eligible to come off the disabled list today, but he might not.
``It will either be tomorrow or more likely the next day,'' Wedge said Friday.
In four rehab assignments at Buffalo, Cabrera had given up one run and eight hits, walking two and striking out 13 in 8 1/3 innings.
FARM FACTS -- Ryan Garko, Lou Merloni and Jake Gautreau each homered, and Franklin Gutierrez had three hits, as Buffalo beat Syracuse 8-4 in Class AAA. Cabrera worked 1 2/3 innings, allowing one run and two hits.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

4/29/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Guthrie finds success when pitches find the strike zone

Saturday, April 29, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CLEVELAND — Indians rookie Jeremy Guthrie hit 99 mph on the Jacobs Field radar gun Thursday night. He struck out Wily Mo Pena with a wellplaced 98 mph fastball.
But perhaps the most impressive number of his night was 19. Of the 23 pitches Guthrie threw in two innings, 19 were strikes. As a result, only one at-bat lasted longer than five pitches, and he had Red Sox hitters on the defensive.
"That’s what I’ve been working on — getting guys out quick, or at least get results quick," he said. "Early last year I had so many high pitch counts that I made a conscious decision to get guys out early. I think it makes you an overall more effective pitcher."
Team officials had high praise for Guthrie throughout spring training, and even though he was ticketed for triple-A Buffalo, they kept him in big-league camp until the final week. In three starts for the Bisons, he allowed two runs in 18 innings. He has allowed four hits and three runs in four innings with the Indians since being promoted last weekend.
"He looked comfortable and confident," manager Eric Wedge said..
He looked like the guy the Indians expected to see when they drafted Guthrie in the first round in 2002 and signed him to a four-year, $4 million contract.
"I just feel like myself," he said. "For a time I didn’t feel like I want to, and that led to a lot of things with my mechanics. In May last year the switch flipped, and I felt like myself again."
Take a seat

One night after hitting two home runs and driving in eight runs, Ben Broussard was out of the starting lineup last night. Wedge did not want to disrupt the platoon that has worked so well, so with lefty John Koronka on the mound for Texas, Eduardo Perez started at first base for the Indians.
"We’re in a real good situation because of the way Eduardo is swinging the bat against left-handers and Benny against right-handers," Wedge said. "They have both been very consistent. It’s working for them, and it’s working for us as a ballclub."
Almost on board

C.C. Sabathia and Fernando Cabrera are ready to come off the disabled list, and Cabrera is eligible to be activated today. The Indians might prefer to wait until after the game to make a move, when they could option starter Fausto Carmona to triple-A Buffalo.
Sabathia is scheduled to return to the rotation Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox.
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