Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/3/06

White Sox won't wait for Indians

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - So far, everything has gone right for the Chicago White Sox this season.
How is that good news for Indians fans?
Let's just say that while the Tribe can't make the same claim, the Indians are only 4 ½ games behind the White Sox in the American League Central Division after Tuesday's 7-1 victory at Jacobs Field.
Here's the bad news: Last season, just about everything went right for the White Sox, and stayed right -- all the way to 99 victories and a powerful march through the playoffs to a World Series title.
There's no guarantee it will happen again, but the White Sox are an AL-best 18-8. They traded for Jim Thome, who suddenly is healthy and looking like he could hit 45 home runs.
On paper, their bullpen seems vulnerable, but they are 10-of-12 in save opportunities. Closer Bobby Jenks is 8-of-8.
Here's some good news: The Tribe is 3-2 vs. the White Sox this season; a year ago they were 5-14. With this victory, they've already won as many games (one) at Jacobs Field against the White Sox as they did in 10 tries during 2005.
More good news: The Indians are 4-1 in one-run games, compared with 22-26 last year. A year ago, the Indians were 0-9 in one-run games against the White Sox, and they already have won a one-run game vs. the White Sox this year.
Even more good news: The Indians are 14-13, compared with an 11-16 start a year ago.
So why don't most of us feel better about the Tribe?
Since their 6-1 start, it has been a series of stutter steps with a few pratfalls. The Indians say they are serious about contending, and after 93 victories last season, that was a realistic thought.
But they can't have another summer playing from way behind as they did a year ago. Victories in April and May count the same as those in September and October when it comes to the final record.
Here's some bad news: When a team is last in the AL in fielding percentage and hasn't had a catcher throw out a stealing base runner until Tuesday -- the first time in 28 attempts -- there are problems.
More bad news: The Indians have allowed 27 steals in 27 games this year. Last season, it was 103 steals, and they threw out 27 runners. The point is, teams are running on the Indians more than last year, when it seemed most runners already had the green light.
The Indians must become a better defensive team. They won't be great, but sometimes, they seem distracted and confused. That was not a major trouble spot a year ago, and the key players are the same -- except Jason Michaels in left field.
There are no excuses for so many shoddy performances this season. That was demonstrated Tuesday, when they played a relatively sharp, attentive game in a miserable drizzle.
In the 6-1 start against the White Sox and the Minnesota Twins, the Indians played like an experienced, determined team.
Good news: The Indians have been hitting. Have they ever been hitting. They traded a .300 hitter in Coco Crisp. Michaels has taken his place, and he is off to a so-so start (.247). Yet, the Indians had scored 20 more runs than any AL team heading into Tuesday night.
A little more good news: C.C. Sabathia is healthy for the first time since opening night and held the White Sox to one run in five innings.
He seemed to be in command, and his return has to be a boost to the rotation.
The bad news: A year ago, the Indians had the lowest ERA (3.61) in the league. This year, they are at 5.37. The bullpen has been undermanned and overworked. The starters struggle to get through six innings.
Can the pitching get better?
It will.
How is that for good news?
The Indians have enough talent and experience to play like a contender. But the time to start is now, because it's clear the White Sox are not about to wait for them.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/3/06

Base thief finally caught

Tribe's Martinez ends drought, throws out Ozuna of White Sox trying to steal second in fifth inning

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - It was inevitable that an Indians catcher would throw out a runner trying to steal, wasn't it?
Until Tuesday, that relatively common occurrence seemed like mission impossible for Victor Martinez and backup Kelly Shoppach. In 27 attempts (26 by Martinez), no runner who had tried to steal a base against the Indians had been cut down.
Two were recorded as caught stealing, but those really were pickoff plays pitchers initiated.
When Martinez threw out Pablo Ozuna of the Chicago White Sox trying to steal second in the fifth inning Tuesday, they didn't even stop the game.
``Victor made four good throws last night, and he did the same thing today,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``He'll continue to get better at that, because he's working his tail off. And it's not just Victor.''
The White Sox stole six bases in their 8-6 win Monday night at Jacobs Field, but second baseman Ronnie Belliard dropped a throw from Martinez that got there before the runner.
Controlling the running game depends not only on the catcher's ability to throw quickly and accurately, but also on the pitcher's desire to keep a runner close to the base.
``That's something we've all worked on and are continuing to work on,'' said C.C. Sabathia, who was on the mound when Martinez threw out Ozuna. ``Victor just had a look of relief on his face when he threw the guy out.''
Martinez said the situation had not preyed on him.
``This is something that didn't get in my mind,'' he said. ``My head has always been right. I've stayed positive the whole time and made sure I did my work.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

5/3/06

Grady's grab leaves Sox in the dust


Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Paul Hoynes
Plain Dealer Reporter

Most of the time, Travis Hafner thinks Grady Sizemore looks like he belongs on the pages of GQ Magazine.

Hafner's opinion changed in the fourth inning Tuesday afternoon.

Sizemore dragged himself off the red dirt of the center field warning track after making a diving catch against Chicago third baseman Joe Crede. The front of his uniform was smeared with red dirt. So was his face.

When he came back to the dugout at the end of the inning, the dirt was still there.

"The best part of that catch is Grady didn't wipe the dirt of his face," said Hafner. "He wanted to look tough. Usually he's [so] GQ."

Sizemore said he wasn't trying to make a fashion statement.

"I had dirt everywhere," he said. "I had it in my mouth. I was chewing on it."

It was the second diving, skidding catch Sizemore made during the eight-game homestand. He saved the Tribe's 7-6 victory over Texas on Friday with a diving catch in left center with the bases loaded in the sixth.

"It's just reaction," said Sizemore. "See it and try to catch it."

Power surge:

After starting the season with seven homers in 38 at-bats, Hafner went 53 at-bats without a homer. Then he hit a grand slam and a three-run homer in a three at-bats Monday and Tuesday.

Hafner said the dry spell was not caused by chronic pain in his right elbow.

"I just went through a spell where I wasn't hitting the ball well," he said.

Hafner downplayed the significance of hitting a three-run homer off Mark Buehrle in the first inning of Tuesday's 7-1 victory. Buehrle put Hafner on the disabled list last season when he hit him in the face with a pitch.

"It's more about the game," said Hafner. "If it's a close game, the home runs mean more."

Hello, goodbye:

C.C. Sabathia's activation meant right-hander Brian Slocum was optioned to Class AAA Buffalo.

Slocum, who made two throwing errors in Monday's loss to Chicago, appeared in four games for the Tribe.

"He's going to be a good major-league pitcher," said manager Eric Wedge. "He'll be back here."

Scoring changes:

Credit Ben Broussard with a double instead of a single Monday in the second inning against Chicago. Broussard was tagged out after oversliding the bag. The play was originally ruled a single.

In the fourth, an error on second baseman Tadahito Iguchi was changed to a hit for Broussard. The change also gave Broussard an RBI. The official scorer made the changes before the start of Tuesday's game.

Lefty search:

The Indians signed left-hander Vic Darensbourg, 35, and sent him to extended spring training in Winter Haven, Fla.

Darensbourg went to spring training with Baltimore. Last season he appeared in 22 games with Detroit, going 1-1 with a 2.82 ERA.

Finally:

Joel Skinner coached first base Tuesday for Luis Rivera, who left the team because of a family emergency. Rivera is scheduled to rejoin the team in Oakland or Seattle. . . . Chicago right fielder Jermaine Dye left after two innings when he re-aggravated a left calf injury. . . . Catcher Chris Widger left after six innings with dizziness and an upset stomach after being hit in head by a bat that slipped out of Ronnie Belliard's hands during a swing in the fifth.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:
[email protected], 216-999-5158

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/3/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

TV blackout rules leave some Indians fans shut out

Wednesday, May 03, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>TONY DEJAK ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Center fielder Grady Sizemore of the Indians stretches to catch a ball hit by Joe Crede of the White Sox in the fourth inning. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


CLEVELAND — The Indians were on ESPN twice last week while Fernando Cabrera was in Buffalo on a rehabilitation assignment. He wanted to keep tabs on his teammates, but both games were blacked out.

"I don’t know what happened," he said. "So I just watched Baseball Tonight and read the paper the next day."

Cabrera is not the only viewer having trouble finding the Tribe. A number of DirecTV customers in Ohio have had access only to national ESPN broadcasts, such as the 7-1 win over the Chicago White Sox yesterday.

DirecTV is not carrying SportsTime Ohio in all regions of the state, including parts of central and southeastern Ohio. Because those regions are considered Indians territory, local blackout rules still apply, which means ESPN regional broadcasts are pre-empted, and Indians games are unavailable through DirecTV’s "Extra Innings" package, either.

The sticking point is rights fees for which SportsTime Ohio has asked. Jim Liberatore of Fastball Sports Productions, which manages the Tribe’s media ventures, said Sports-Time Ohio will not budge.

"It’s a fee that has been acceptable to 99 percent of the region, so we know it’s right," he said.

Patrick Kreiser, an Indians fan from Athens, has created an online petition to DirecTV and SportsTime Ohio. Those who wish to add their names can access it at www.petitiononline.com/ Blackout/petition.html.

Stop that thief

Catcher Victor Martinez threw out Pablo Ozuna attempting to steal second base in the fifth inning. It was the first runner Martinez has thrown out in 27 attempts.

"He had a look of relief on his face," pitcher C.C. Sabathia said. "I’m glad I was out there to see it."

Martinez downplayed it, saying, "I stay positive the whole time and make sure I get my work in. My head has always been in the right place."

Indians officials have placed much of the blame for a league-leading 27 stolen bases on the pitchers’ unwillingness or inability to hold runners close, which has led Martinez to force his throws.

Hit and run

There were two scoring changes from Monday. Ben Broussard’s single in the second inning was changed to a double, and an error charged to Tadahito Iguchi in the sixth inning was changed to an RBI single for Broussard. ... First base coach Luis Rivera was away from the team because of a family emergency yesterday, so bench coach Joel Skinner coached first base. ... As expected, the Indians optioned reliever Brian Slocum to triple-A Buffalo to activate Sabathia from the disabled list.

[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/4/06

Indians break out the big bats

Hafner homers again, Michaels adds four hits

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->OAKLAND, CALIF. - The Travis Hafner show continued, and Paul Byrd pitched well enough to keep the critics from picketing the team hotel.
There was all of that plus a horrid display of incompetence by Oakland's relievers, as the A's fell to the Tribe 14-3 Wednesday night at Oakland Coliseum.
In his last start, Byrd (4-2, 7.10 ERA) did a five and fly, giving up two runs, five hits and only one walk in a 15-3 win over Boston. Wednesday night, Byrd lasted seven innings, yielding seven hits and one walk.
During his early struggles, compiling a 9.15 ERA in his first four starts, Byrd had difficulty commanding the strike zone. He walked nine in those outings, seven scoring. He also was behind in the count on too many hitters, which forced him to make fat pitches that were easily hit.
Obviously, it hasn't hurt Byrd's cause to be the beneficiary of 29 runs in his last two starts.
Against the Athletics, Byrd succumbed only in the third inning, when he walked leadoff batter Mark Kotsay, who stopped at third on Nick Swisher's double. One out later, Frank Thomas' sacrifice fly scored Kotsay, and Bobby Crosby followed with a two-run homer to cut Cleveland's lead to 4-3.
After that, Byrd buckled down, and so did the Indians' hitters, who broke loose for a barrage of runs, thanks in part to a disgraceful performance by the A's bullpen.
But it was a keenly contested game for six innings.
Jhonny Peralta singled home Grady Sizemore in the first to give the Tribe the early lead.
The Indians' advantage expanded to 4-0 in the third. Sizemore began the rally with an infield hit and stopped at second on Jason Michaels' single.
One out later, Sizemore was on third, and starter Dan Haren unleashed a wild pitch for the first run of the inning. Hafner followed with his 10th home run of the season and third in as many games for two more runs.
After the A's cut the deficit to a run in the third, the Tribe rallied for another run in the sixth. Aaron Boone doubled with one out, and Michaels singled him home with two out.
That's when Haren (1-3, 5.27 ERA) left the game, having allowed five runs, 11 hits and one walk in 5 2/3 innings. The Athletics didn't know when they were well off.
It took three pitchers to get three outs in the seventh inning, when 12 Indians came to the plate, nine scored, five hit safely, three walked and one was hit by a pitch.
Ronnie Belliard's single accounted for the first run, and Kelly Shoppach's single scored two more. Not until after Michaels' RBI single did Oakland record an out, Peralta, the eighth batter of the inning, flying to center.
But that was hardly the end of the rally. Hafner singled home two runs, and Casey Blake walloped a three-run homer, his third of the season.
Altogether, the Indians amassed 18 hits, including five for extra bases. Michaels went 4-for-6 with two RBI and a run; Blake had three hits, three RBI and two runs; Sizemore had three hits and scored three times, and Peralta contributed three singles, drove in one run and scored one.
Broussard was the only starter who failed to hit safely, but he began the game with a .429 batting average.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/4/06

Indians report

Peralta quietly regaining his swing

Watching DVD helps shortstop locate errors

<!-- begin body-content -->OAKLAND, CALIF. - By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
It's been less than a week, so an element of doubt remains. Nevertheless, all signs indicate that Jhonny Peralta has left his four-week slump in the dust.
Going into Wednesday night's game against Oakland, the Indians' shortstop was 7-for-17 with five runs scored in his past four games, raising his batting average 29 points to .248.
That's hardly the kind of heady numbers that will get Peralta thousands of All-Star votes, but he appears to be on the right track. Why does a brief stretch of games prove that Peralta has turned around his fortunes at the plate? Because his improving numbers immediately followed an alteration in his stance at the plate.
``I looked at the DVD of my swing,'' Peralta said on Wednesday. ``Me and (hitting coach) Derek Shelton. I saw that my leg was different and my hands, so I made an adjustment.
``It only bothered me a little bit. I never start hot in April anyway, so I didn't worry too much. And I knew I could do it (come out of the slump). My mind is always positive.''
Peralta, with Shelton's assistance, lowered his hands and moved his left leg a little farther from the plate, opening up his stance slightly.
According to Peralta, the results were immediate.
``I know, it's crazy,'' he said. ``You do something a little bit wrong, and you can lose.''
Eric Wedge confirmed that Peralta previously had done nothing seriously lethal to his stance or swing, certainly nothing that would cause the bottom to drop out of his average.
``He made very minimal adjustments,'' the manager said.
Peralta said he has never struggled at the plate for a prolonged period, either in the big leagues, the minor leagues or in a kids' league growing up in the Dominican Republic.
Maybe that's why he carries himself with a quiet confidence that belies his age (23) and his lack of big-league experience (253 games). Watch Peralta walk the clubhouse or interact with his teammates, and you can't tell if he's gone 0-for-20 or is on a 20-game hitting streak.
``Jhonny very rarely expresses any emotion, whether he's going good or bad,'' Wedge said. ``That's one of his strengths.''
In his first full season in the majors last year, Peralta batted .292 with 24 home runs and 78 RBI. He began the year in the ninth spot, moved up to sixth and then batted third when Travis Hafner was out with an injury.
He hasn't moved from that spot since, even though batting ahead of the cleanup hitter usually indicates that a player has demonstrated the ideal combination of power and contact hitting.
``I think I should get better with more at-bats,'' Peralta said. ``I know more about how they're going to pitch me.''
Or as Wedge said: ``Jhonny's a big-game hitter, a clutch hitter. And he's not going to get caught up in too many (negative) things.''
Maybe the Indians are fortunate that Peralta didn't grow up in the United States, where basketball skills can lead to a big-money career.
When Peralta was a child, his passion was basketball. Nobody around the Tribe can testify how adept he was at the game, but Peralta thinks he was pretty good.
``I think I was better in basketball than I was at baseball,'' he said. ``I did a little of everything. I played every day with my friends, every afternoon. But I had to quit when I signed to play baseball.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

5/4/06

TRIBE NOTEBOOK: Hafner is on another power surge

Thursday, May 4, 2006


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OAKLAND, Calif. - When asked to share some of the baseball wisdom gleaned over his 28 years, Travis Hafner never disappoints.
“A wise man told me home runs are like bananas,” Cleveland’s designated hitter said Wednesday. “They come in bunches.”
Hafner’s teammates in the visiting clubhouse at McAfee Coliseum nodded their heads while contemplating such deep insight. The man called “Pronk” certainly has ample personal evidence to back his observation.
He hit seven home runs in the Indians’ first 11 games, but didn’t hit another from April 15 through Sunday. Hafner then slugged a grand-slam off Chicago right-hander Brandon McCarthy on Monday and a three-run homer off White Sox left-hander Mark Buehrle on Tuesday.
Then, in the third inning of Wednesday’s game in Oakland, Hafner blasted a 2-2 pitch from Dan Haren inside the right-field foul pole and into the seats to help give the Indians an early 4-0 lead.
Still, even when he wasn’t hitting home runs, Hafner remained one of the most feared hitters in the American League.
“If my home runs are streaky, that’s something I can live with as long as I’m having productive at-bats,” Hafner said. “But I’ve always taken a lot of pride in being a consistent hitter. I don’t want to be a guy that gets hot for a week, then you can’t get anything out of him the next week.”
Hafner has been consistently effective this season, batting .347 through Tuesday with 24 RBIs in 26 games. He ranks among the league leaders in on-base percentage (.470), slugging percentage (.695), total bases (66) and walks (22).
“His numbers say he’s a power hitter, but those home runs are really a byproduct,” Indians Manager Eric Wedge said. “He’s a hitter first.”
Hafner has been a hitter this season against both left-handers (.366) and right-handers (.333).
“His mindset is the same against both,” Wedge said. “He works hard to get pitches to hit. He takes what the pitcher gives him. He has tremendous discipline to stay in that mindset.”
How consistent has Hafner been? Only twice all season has he gone two games in a row without a hit — and one of those came on a night he was walked four times in five plate appearances.
“My hitting mechanics feel good right now,” Hafner said. “When that happens, you can go up there with a lot more confidence. You trust your swing.”

A DAY OFF Victor Martinez was held out of Wednesday’s starting lineup and Kelly Shoppach started at catcher. Wedge said he was trying to avoid having Martinez catch an afternoon game after a night game.
NO PROBLEM Wedge said he isn’t especially concerned over Jhonny Peralta’s .248 batting average through Tuesday. “He’s a young player who is good at making the adjustments he needs to make,” Wedge said. “He’s not going to get too caught up in himself.”
SAD NEWS Former Indians farm director Boyd Coffie died Tuesday from cancer at his home in Athens, Tenn. Funeral arrangements are pending.
ALUMNI REPORT Former Tribe outfielder Milton Bradley will not play in the two-game set. Bradley has missed five games while recovering from a strained right knee as well as a pulled muscle in his ribcage.
SHOOT FOR THE STARS Fan balloting for the All-Star Game has begun on the Internet (www.indians.com). Paper ballots will be distributed at Jacobs Field beginning May 12.
GLORY DAYS The third Cleveland Indians Charities Hardball Classic will take place today and Friday at Jacobs Field. Game times for the high school baseball event are 3 p.m., 5 and 7:30. Today’s games are Brush vs. Olmsted Falls, Poland vs. Canfield and Walsh Jesuit vs. Lakewood St. Edward. Friday’s games are Brecksville vs. North Royalton, Hudson vs. Stow and Mentor vs. Shaker Heights. Tonight’s nightcap will be televised on SportsTime Ohio.
ON THE FARM Edward Mujica picked up his seventh save by pitching two scoreless innings Tuesday to complete Double-A Akron’s 5-2 win over Binghamton. Mujica has allowed only one (unearned) run over 13 2/3 innings, striking out 13. Reach Repository sports writer Andy Call at (330) 580-8346 or e-mail: [email protected]


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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

CPD

5/4/06

INDIANS INSIDER
Indians happy with ace in place


Thursday, May 04, 2006


Oakland, Calif.

- What does it mean to have C.C. Sabathia back in the starting rotation?

"He's very well respected," said designated hitter Travis Hafner. "He's the ace of the staff. It's a huge pick-me-up for us to have him back."

Sabathia came off the disabled list Tuesday and started against Chicago in a 7-1 victory. He went five innings to earn his first victory and reported no ill effects Wednesday from the right oblique injury that put him on the disabled list after pitching the April 2 season opener.

"He's our Opening Day guy," said manager Eric Wedge. "He's the guy that's led this staff for a number of years. He's definitely going to help us."

Which is just the kind of talk Sabathia wants to hear.

"I hope they feel that when I take the ball, we're going to win the game," said Sabathia. "That's the kind of pitcher I want to be."

Sabathia threw 89 pitches, 60 for strikes.

No Milton:

Oakland's Milton Bradley won't get to face his old ballclub in this two-game series because of knee and oblique injuries.

"Milton's knee is feeling very, very well," said A's trainer Larry Davis. "It's his side [oblique] that we're addressing. I've had some bad experiences with those kind of injuries so we're going to hold him out for a few more days."

The Indians traded Bradley to the Dodgers at the end of spring training in 2004 after he argued with Wedge during an exhibition game.

"I haven't talked to Milton," said Wedge before Wednesday's game. "If he comes up to me, I will. Ask me after the game."

Bradley, hitting .246 with three homers and eight RBI, has missed six games since spraining his right knee.

Cutting edge:

The Giants are using a technique borrowed from the Indians to treat oblique injuries to pitchers Noah Lowry and Brian Williams.

The Indians used the treatment when Sabathia strained his right oblique last year in spring training.

The injury is probed by ultrasound to find the exact point of injury. The injury is then injected with cortisone.

"It's an ultrasound-driven injection," said Lonnie Soloff, Indians head athletic trainer. "The NFL does it a lot."

Lowry, who credits the treatment with helping his recovery, made a rehabilitation start Wednesday.

Right makes might:

Jhonny Peralta is starting to hit the ball to center and right field. That makes the Indians happy.

"When Jhonny's swing is the best, he's using the big part of the field," said hitting coach Derek Shelton. "It's a focus we have with the whole ballclub."

Peralta has been getting worked over by opposing pitchers since his big 2005 season.

"Jhonny probably has more power to right field than anyone we have," said Wedge. "The one thing we know Jhonny can do is make adjustments and get the barrel of the bat to the baseball."

Ouch:

Class AAA Buffalo first baseman Ryan Garko (.287) left Tuesday's game after getting hit by a pitch in the right forearm. No X-rays were taken, and the injury is not believed to be serious. . . . Former No. 1 pick Michael Aubrey could be in Class AA Akron within two or three weeks if he continues to progress at Class A Kinston. Aubrey, a first baseman who missed much of last season with a back injury, is playing nine innings every other day in Kinston to take advantage of the warmer weather. . . . Hyang-Nam Choi, a starter in South Korea, is trying to convert to the bullpen in Buffalo. In 10 appearances, he had 19 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings. Choi, 35, is the first free agent the Indians have signed from the Far East besides Kaz Tadano.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

5/4/06

Thursday, May 04, 2006

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/5/06

Athletics rough up pitcher, Indians

Oakland knocks around Jason Johnson for win

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->OAKLAND, CALIF. - It's too early to contemplate the wisdom of the Indians signing Jason Johnson, but it's not too soon for their deep-thinkers to worry, at least a little.
Johnson struggled through two innings Thursday, giving up seven runs, six hits and three walks, as the Tribe dropped a 12-4 decision to the Oakland Athletics at McAfee Coliseum.
It's a wasted exercise to speculate whether the Indians would have put up much of a fight had Johnson kept the Athletics from sprinting to a near-insurmountable lead in the first two innings.
However, every starting pitcher's credo begins with these words, ``My job is to keep my team in the game.'' Johnson, of course, didn't do that, and it was a case of bad pitching not bad luck.
``It was just one of those days,'' Johnson said. ``There were a couple of hard hits here and there, but some balls just got through.''
As Indians manager Eric Wedge said, ``The doubles killed us.''
Altogether, the Athletics produced six doubles, four against Johnson that drove in four runs.
The first four Athletics batters of the game reached base -- on three singles and a walk -- and that seemed to build momentum for the home forces.
Moreover, it became obvious to everyone, including Wedge, that more than two innings would have been pushing it for Johnson.
``I would have liked to send him back out in the third, but he just didn't have it,'' Wedge said. ``Jason wasn't able to throw the ball over the plate, and when he did, it was pretty much over the middle. That really set the tone for the day.''
Apparently, Johnson's downfall was an inability to keep his sinker down in the strike zone.
``From pitch one, I was high,'' he said.
``It was tough for me to keep the ball down, and that's something I just have to correct. My sinker is my bread and butter pitch.''
Johnson (2-2, 5.08 ERA) has made six starts this year. Two were virtuoso performances, holding the Minnesota Twins scoreless for seven innings and giving up one run in seven innings against the Baltimore Orioles.
Thursday's start was by far his most ineffective, but his other three have been barely adequate. Twice he gave up four runs in six innings, and once he yielded three runs in 5 2/3 innings.
In Johnson's past three starts, he has compiled a 9.63 ERA and allowed 27 hits and six walks in 14 innings, an average of 2.4 baserunners per inning.
Maybe one other factor came into play. Johnson seldom has pitched well against the Athletics. In his past 10 starts against them, Johnson is 0-8 with 5.15 ERA.
``To me, that's kind of unexplainable,'' Johnson said.
It's still early in the season, and Johnson has shown that he is capable of making hitters bend to his will, especially if his sinker is working to induce batters to keep the ball on the ground.
``We have to know what we're going to get day to day,'' Wedge said. ``We say all the time that we just want our starters to give us a chance to win the game.
``They don't have to dominate. But when you get down by that kind of deficit, you're asking a lot from your guys.''
If Johnson failed to make efficient use of his pitches, the Tribe offense was equally guilty of waste. It's not easy to score only four times with 14 hits and three walks.
One key to the Tribe's failure to mount more of a threat was its inability to come up with timely hits. Maybe that was excusable. By the time they came to the plate for the third inning, the Indians trailed by seven runs. So what's timely?
``We put together some pretty good at-bats,'' Wedge said. ``But what we've done all year, we didn't do today -- get big hits in big situations.''
It is not to the Tribe's credit to go 4-for-13 with runners in scoring position, because two of the hits only advanced runners from second to third.
The Indians stranded six in scoring position, and had only two extra-base hits, Grady Sizemore's solo home run in the eighth and Travis Hafner's solo homer in the ninth.
One of the Indians' biggest hurdles was Athletics starter Kirk Saarloos' change-up. If he got ahead in the count, and he frequently did, he would cut loose with the change-up, and hitters found it almost impossible not to swing over it. Saarloos (1-0, 4.26 ERA) struck out five in five innings,
``That pitch was moving pretty good,'' the Indians' Ben Broussard said. ``And it was kind of hard to see it.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/5/06

Notebook

Pitchers have tough afternoon

Performance on mound forgettable versus Athletics

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->OAKLAND, CALIF. - It was not a good day for Indians pitchers.
Starter Jason Johnson was rocked for seven runs in two innings Thursday. Jeremy Guthrie relieved Johnson and gave up two quick runs before settling down to keep the Oakland Athletics quiet for the remainder of his three-inning stint.
But maybe Guillermo Mota pushed the envelope farther than anyone. It wasn't so much that he gave up three runs in one inning as much as how he did it.
The game had been lost long before Mota took the mound, but with his team trailing 9-2, he walked the first four batters whom he faced in the seventh inning to add a run to the Athletics' total.
Eric Chavez followed with a sacrifice fly, and Bobby Crosby doubled home another run before Mota finished retiring the side.
It took 32 pitches, only 12 of which were strikes, to get through the inning. And this is a pitcher who was averaging slightly more than 20 pitches an inning before Thursday's 12-4 Tribe loss.
``We needed to get Mota and (Bob) Wickman some work,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``Wickman did a good job (in the eighth), but Mota was all over the place. It looked like he was just throwing rather than pitching.
``Hopefully, this is behind him, and we won't see that again.''
Mota's role is to setup Wckman, the closer. So maybe he struggled with his control because very little was on the line.
``I don't know if he has a history of doing that or not,'' Wedge said.
Milestone
Kelly Shoppach collected the first RBI of his major-league career, when he singled home two runs for the Indians on Wednesday night.
``I thought Kelly seemed more relaxed even when he got to the park yesterday,'' Wedge said. ``He seems more at ease, more at peace.''
As backup to catcher Victor Martinez, Shoppach isin the lineup only sparingly. He has received only 10 at-bats and has three hits.
``That's not an easy thing to do, especially when you play that position,'' said Wedge, of Shoppach's role as a bench player.
Last year, his first in the majors, Shoppach appeared in nine games and went 0-for-15 with the Boston Red Sox.
On schedule
Reliever Rafael Betancourt (strained back muscle) is continuing his throwing program in Cleveland, but he has not thrown off the mound.
``We're still probably talking about a couple more weeks, conservatively, before he comes back,'' Wedge said.
Other Tribe stuff
The Indians failed to produce a double for the first time in 44 games, dating to Sept. 16 of last year.... Travis Hafner homered for the fourth game in a row and has hit safely in seven consecutive games.... Jhonny Peralta had two more hits and has hit in seven consecutive games.
Farm facts
Jeremy Sowers (3-1, 1.47 ERA) gave up one earned run (two total) and seven hits in 5 1/3 innings, as Buffalo beat Scranton-Wilkes Barre 4-2 in Class AAA. Ben Francisco hit his fourth homer.... Brian Barton tripled and hit his fourth home run of the year, but Kinston lost 3-2 to Lynchburg in Class A. Joe Ness gave up one earned run (two total) in 5 2/3 innings.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

5/5/06

Blake warming up to ninth spot

Friday, May 5, 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]


OAKLAND, Calif. - Casey Blake admits it took some time to avoid Little League flashbacks.
“Little League is about the only place where you see the right fielder hitting in the 9-hole,” Blake said. “It took me a while to get comfortable in that spot.”
Blake’s statistics so far certainly don’t fit the profile of the final batter in the order. He was hitting .361 through Wednesday with three home runs, 21 RBIs and a .441 on-base percentage.
All but four of his starts have been in the No. 9 spot. Manager Eric Wedge has been moving him around the order recently, however. Blake singled, tripled, hit a three-run home run and was hit by a pitch Wednesday in Oakland while batting fifth. Two days earlier, Blake hit second and was 2-for-4 against Chicago.
“I’m comfortable using him as needed in different spots,” Wedge said. “I think we’ll move him around from time to time as needed. We don’t need to be trying a lot of different lineups right now because of the way these guys are going about their business offensively.”
The Indians were leading all of baseball with 185 runs scored through Wednesday and also had the highest team batting average (.309) in the big leagues.
Blake said he isn’t sure that hitting ninth might be working to his advantage.
“Some pitchers try to do too much with the No. 3, 4 and 5 hitters, so maybe they relax a little when they get to the bottom of the order,” Blake said. “But, if they’re relaxed, they might throw better. So I can’t really say.”
The 32-year-old right fielder can say the idea of being the last hitter in the order is something that must be dealt with.
“You can’t look at it like, ‘I’m the worst hitter in the lineup,’ ” Blake said. “Our philosophy here is one-through-nine. There are quality hitters all the way through the lineup.”

INJURY REPORT Right-hander Rafael Betancourt (strained back) is eligible to come off the 15-day disabled list today, but will probably be on the DL for two more weeks, according to Manager Eric Wedge.
GLASS HALF FULL The Indians had scored an average of 6.61 runs during their first 28 games. Last year’s Indians averaged 3.86 through 28 games.
GLASS HALF EMPTY The Indians were 80-22 when scoring four or more runs in a game last season. This year, they are 13-11.
STAT ATTACK The Indians did not hit a double Thursday for the first time in 43 games. ... The 11 walks issued by Cleveland pitchers were the most in a game since 1997. ... Victor Martinez has reached safely in 43 consecutive games, most since Darin Erstad (47) in 1994.
ON THE FARM Triple-A Buffalo first baseman Ryan Garko is day-to-day with stiffness and soreness in his right forearm after being hit by a pitch Tuesday. Garko is batting .287 with a .383 on-base percentage, two home runs and 22 RBIs in 24 games.

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


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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/7/06

Pineiro puts lock on Tribe

Sizemore homer only blemish for Seattle starter

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->SEATTLE - On Friday night, the Indians took advantage of the Seattle Mariners' erratic bullpen. On Saturday night, Joel Pineiro made certain his team's relievers would have as little to do as possible.
The result was a 4-1 Mariners win at Safeco Field to break a four-game losing streak.
Despite the fact that the Indians are the highest-scoring team in baseball, they have been shut out once and held to one run three times.
It looked like it might be a long night for Pineiro, when he gave up a home run to Grady Sizemore leading off the game.
On the contrary, Pineiro shredded the Tribe lineup for eight innings, giving up only four hits and no walks. He struck out six.
``I thought we were going to score a lot of runs after Grady's homer,'' said Cliff Lee, who suffered his first loss to the Mariners in six career decisions. ``He (Pineiro) turned it on, and didn't give us anything else.''
After the homer to Sizemore, Victor Martinez singled with two outs, and Casey Blake led off the second with a single, only to be erased on a double play.
Beginning with a ground ball by Ronnie Belliard in the second, Pineiro (4-2, 3.72 ERA) retired 17 batters in a row.
There were only two hard-hit outs during this run of excellence, Belliard's line drive to center in the fifth and Jhonny Peralta's liner to left to begin the seventh.
Blake finally broke the hitless spell in the eighth, when he led off with a single, but he didn't stay on base long, as Belliard bounced into the Tribe's second double play of the game.
``I'm sure if you went around the room, some guys would say they got themselves, out,'' Blake said. ``But you have to give him credit.''
With closer Eddie Guardado having been deposed this week, J.J. Putz relieved Pineiro and worked a scoreless ninth.
Pineiro's domination was hardly predictable. In seven career appearances against the Indians (six starts), he was 2-2 with a 7.29 ERA and a batting average against of .333.
``He was as good as we've seen all year long in terms of a well-pitched game,'' manager Eric Wedge said of Pineiro's workmanship. ``He had everything working with command.
``Maybe he got one or two pitches up all night. He kept the ball out of the middle of the plate, and he didn't throw anything straight. He was outstanding.''
Lee (2-2, 3.64 ERA) also was on his game, but he suffered a lapse in the fourth inning, not long after Seattle manager Mike Hargrove had been ejected.
Hargrove's first dissatisfaction with the umpiring came in the second, when Ramon Vazquez threw out Adrian Beltre on a slow roller to short. A replay showed that umpire Tim Welke missed the call, but it was close.
From the dugout, Hargrove disputed a Pineiro pitch to Jason Michaels in the third inning. Whatever the former Tribe skipper said got him tossed by plate umpire Jim Reynolds.
But maybe it was worth it. One inning later, the Mariners' bats suddenly came alive.
Richie Sexson led off the fourth with a single and stopped at second on Carl Everett's single. Beltre lined a hit to left, Michaels took the wrong angle, and the ball bounced past him for a double that scored both runners. Kenji Johjima followed with an RBI single to give Seattle a 3-1 lead.
``I think Michaels just got overly aggressive on that play,'' Wedge said. ``I don't know that it was the angle he took.''
Lee gave up nothing more until the seventh, when Ichiro Suzuki singled with one out, and Raul Ibanez doubled him home with two outs.
``I feel like I was effective tonight, but the other pitcher did a better job,'' Lee said. ``The most frustrating thing was the last run. I should never have let that guy score.''
At that juncture, Lee was relieved by Fernando Cabrera. In 6 2/3 innings, Lee was charged with all the runs on seven hits and two walks.
Cabrera finished the game, retiring all four batters he faced.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/7/06

Ocker on the Indians

Managers show calm front

Anger never directed at players publicly, but umpires another story

By Sheldon Ocker

<!-- begin body-content -->SEATTLE - Imagine that you're watching the Indians on television, and someone muffs a routine ground ball.
Suddenly, manager Eric Wedge's face begins to take on the shape of a reality show contestant who has just swallowed a bucket filled with centipedes.
Wedge yells something to the offending infielder, kicks over a jug of Gatorade and jumps up and down on his cap.
Remember, we are just imagining, because you have never seen anything like this happen. Not with Wedge or any other manager. Certainly not in the past 10 years, probably longer.
A cardinal rule of the Major League Managers Handbook, revised edition, reads as follows: ``Never let them see you sweat; never let them see you display emotion, especially anger; never allow your facial muscles to contract, and never let your body language betray what you really are thinking.''
In other words, do not behave like a human being. If you do, you might frighten your players or distract them or give them a reason to think you are something other than a supremely composed and detached leader.
There is one exception: If an umpire makes a questionable call that goes against your team, you are entitled -- no, you are required -- to act like a 5-year-old, yelling and screaming, throwing equipment and making as big a scene as possible, so the players know you are behind them all the way.
When is the last time you saw a manager lose it after one of his players did something really stupid?
Forget lose it. How long has it been since you saw a manager's lower lip curl because a player on his team made an inexcusable mental mistake?
It just doesn't happen.
See Tony La Russa keep his stone face throughout all nine innings of a 16-2 defeat. Watch Joe Torre's benign expression never change while the Yankees lose the seventh game of the World Series.
Even Lou Piniella, unemployed at the moment, almost never altered his expression in the dugout, not even as field boss at Tampa Bay.
I'm not sure when this dispassionate approach to managing began or who started it, but it has become the law of the land, entrenched gospel.
If a manager were to allow any unhappiness to show on his face, he undoubtedly would be fired on the spot. It's probably in his contract.
How did we come to this? I'm not sure, but TV had something to do with it. As soon as cameras found the interior of the dugout, managers (and to a lesser extent, players) began to exercise extreme caution.
But there's more to it than fear of being talked about by Joe Morgan and Jon Miller.
There's a perception that players' psyches are so fragile that if the manager displays any overt expression of disapproval, they either will fall apart or quit playing hard. In the privacy of the manager's office, of course, all bets are off.
I'm not saying this approach is wrong. Players have more leverage than they did in 1928, and at times they must be handled with care.
But I wonder if there still is room for a manager's personality to work for him.
If not, Microsoft can invent a robot to make in-game moves (it would be programmed to play the percentages) and high-five each player when he returns to the dugout after striking out.
Striking out
The vast majority of baseball fans probably weren't aware that minor-league umpires were on strike until last week, when Delmon Young threw a bat at a replacement ump, and the video made the Internet.
I don't know whether the umpires' demands are out of line, or management's offer is unreasonably low. I do know this: Major League Baseball has the biggest stake in settling the labor dispute.
A number of umpires walking the picket line are guys MLB is counting on to officiate big-league games in the near future. Like minor-league players, some umpires are prospects, others are suspects, but all of them need rehearsal time.
It's like the old joke: ``How do you get to Carnegie Hall?''
Answer: ``Practice, practice.''
The minor-league umpires aren't getting any practice these days, and nobody seems to care. Major League Baseball dumped the cost of the umpire development program on the minors several years ago, even though nobody benefits more from skilled umpires than the big leagues.
Minor-league teams don't care who officiates their games as long as the fans show up, and they are. Moreover, the clubs are saving money.
By hiring locally based college officials or retired umps, teams don't pay for air fare, hotel stays or per diem, and replacement umpires earn less in salary.
Many, if not most, of the striking umps can avoid starvation, because they have off-season jobs that can kick in early.
The result is absolute stalemate in the near term.
The only entity that can apply the kind of pressure necessary to force a settlement is MLB. It's time for the big leagues to apply a little muscle to the problem.
In the rankings
Walsh Jesuit left-hander Chad Rodgers is rated the 35th-best high school draft prospect in the country and the 16th-best prep pitcher in the latest edition of Baseball America.
Where does that put him in terms of the June draft? Most scouts view this draft as being top-heavy in college talent. Nevertheless, Rodgers is likely to be taken in the top three rounds.
Dashing hopes
There's bad news for the C.C. Sabathia bashers, who think he strained his abdominal muscle in his first start of the season because he's too heavy and out of shape.
Aeros starter Tony Sipp is on the disabled list with the same injury. Sipp stands 6 feet, weighs 190 pounds, and his conditioning has never been questioned.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

5/7/06

Indians seeing value of Perez

First baseman finds productive platoon role

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

• Perez finds comfort platooning for Tribe
• MLB notebook: Marlins denied new stadium
• Managers show calm front
• Sheldon Ocker's the write stuff
• Indians seeing value of Perez

<!-- begin body-content -->SEATTLE - For Eduardo Perez, reality hit home after he returned from Japan, where he played the 2001 season.
If Perez decided to continue his career with the Hanshin Tigers, he could be a fixture in their lineup.
But if he wanted to return to the major leagues, his dream of being an everyday player no longer was a viable goal.
``I didn't want to go back to Japan,'' Perez said on Saturday. ``I wanted to play in the big leagues and be an asset. And I had always done well against lefties.''
Perez hooked on with the St. Louis Cardinals, where manager Tony La Russa used him off the bench.
Perez batted only .201 in 154 at-bats in 2002, but he hit 10 home runs and had 26 RBI.
``I learned how to get ready,'' Perez said. ``Being in the big leagues means you started in the minors.
``Everybody has a mental thought about playing every day. But you also have to see where you can fit into a role.''
Perez has been one of the Indians' more productive players this season, even though he still doesn't play every game.
He has formed a platoon with Ben Broussard at first base and hit safely in his only pinch hitting appearance.
His .333 average, four homers and 15 RBI, coupled with Broussard's numbers, has made the first-base combo an enormous strength for the team. Together, Broussard and Perez have nine home runs and 37 RBI plus an aggregate batting average of .385.
It takes a special kind of mindset to be able to sit for three or four days and be productive when the manager writes your name in the lineup. But Perez has mastered the art and science of coming off the bench.
``I embrace this role,'' he said. ``All of us can't play every day, and I think I'm more valuable to a team doing this.''
Productive bench players are much more valuable to a contending team than an also-ran. Perez spent the previous two years at Tampa Bay, which had no chance to earn a playoff berth. That diminished the importance of his job.
``It's great to be part of the puzzle, where you can be an asset,'' Perez said of coming to Cleveland.
Moreover, he and Broussard have become a powerful offensive force.
``Eddie has been everything we had hoped for and then some,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``The dynamic between him and Ben has helped both guys. And the relationship between the two has been good for both, especially Ben.''
So far, Perez is hitting home run at an alarming rate, one every 10.5 at-bats. In a 550 at-bat season, that projects to 52 homers.
Since he returned from Japan, Perez has homered an average of once every 15.1 at-bats, a projected total of 36 per season.
Perez knows that only extraordinary circumstances could allow him to get to the plate 550 times this year. Nor does he neccesarily think he will continue to produce at his current pace.
``I take one day at a time,'' he said. ``I don't really pay much attention to what kind of start I've had.''
Nor will Wedge be disappointed if Perez and Broussard come back down to earth, as long as it's not all the way back.
``To even approach what they've done so far,'' the manager said, ``would be very good.''