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Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

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ABJ

6/6/06

Marte not pressing to impress

After starting slowly, third baseman begins to swing bat better, feel more comfortable

By Stephanie Storm

Beacon Journal sportswriter


<!-- begin body-content -->BUFFALO, N.Y. - Andy Marte insists he's not pressing.
Marte, who was the centerpiece of the trade that sent charismatic Tribe outfielder Coco Crisp to the Boston Red Sox, won't admit to falling into the trap of trying too hard to impress his new employers.
Marte, a third baseman, was traded twice in the offseason. The Atlanta Braves (who originally signed him as a free agent in 2000) traded Marte to the Red Sox during the winter meetings and the Red Sox sent him to the Indians just before spring training.
Marte won't blame his slow start at Triple-A Buffalo on trying too hard to swing for the fences.
``No, no, there's no pressure,'' said Marte, 22. ``I feel fine.''
Instead, Marte talked about the frigid weather that greets the Bisons at Dunn Tire Park in April and often into May, and how he always seems to get off to a slow start.
Despite his polite denials, the statistics and the mechanics of his swing are indicative of Marte's struggles.
``He has been getting in good hitters' counts, but then he'll try to drive the ball too often,'' Indians Director of Player Development John Farrell said.
For the first month and a half of the season, Marte was batting .232, but has raised his average to .257 in his past nine games.
During that stretch, Marte, a 6-foot-1, 190-pound right-handed hitter, has batted .368 (14-for-38) -- numbers more befitting a player that Baseball America had ranked as the Red Sox's top prospect heading into the season.
``Fundamentally, there was a breakdown on the back side of his swing, which resulted in a lack of bat speed,'' Bisons manager Torey Lovullo said.
``Mentally, he was dealing with the heavy expectations of being traded twice in a short period of time and feeling like he had a new set of eyes he had to open.''
Suddenly, the power that had come so easily for Marte in the past was nowhere to be found. He didn't hit his first home run until May 12 -- in his 138th plate appearance.
Marte hit a career-high 23 home runs in 2004 with Double-A Greenville and then 20 more in his first exposure to Triple-A in Richmond last season.
Indians officials say they are not concerned about Marte's slow start. Veteran Aaron Boone is likely to remain the Indians' third baseman for the rest of the season.
With time on his side, Marte is getting plenty of attention from coaches in Buffalo.
``The first thing I noticed when I got here is that his swing looks very long,'' said Ellis Burks, a special assistant to baseball operations for Indians General Manager Mark Shapiro. ``And I could tell he wasn't picking up the ball well because he's checking his swing a lot.''
Burks suggested that Marte might see the ball better if he focuses on the bill of the pitcher's cap until he sees the ball coming out of the pitcher's hand.
Burks also warned Marte that a long swing in Triple-A won't be exposed as quickly as it will in the major leagues.
``He was putting too much weight on his back leg and that causes him to swing upward,'' Burks said. ``With a shorter swing, he's going to the pitch and hitting down on the ball.''
A role model
Marte, who grew up in Villa Tapia in the Dominican Republic, said he followed the Indians as a youngster because he liked a young power hitter named Richie Sexson.
``I saw this tall guy hitting balls very far,'' Marte said with a grin. ``That's how I wanted to be.''
When Marte first met Sexson in 2003 at the All-Star Futures Game, his agent noticed that the laid-back Marte seemed nervous to meet his boyhood idol.
``I was nervous,'' said Marte, who was playing with Class-A Myrtle Beach. ``But he was nice, and took a picture with me that I still have back home.''
If Marte is pressing to get back to the major leagues (he hit .140 in 24 games with the Braves last year), it has much to do with the people back home.
He is comforted by the fact that his girlfriend, Priscila Riva, attained a visa and is living with him in Buffalo, but Marte misses his parents.
``I am doing better now, but my first year, in short season, I called home and told my dad I was quitting,'' he said. ``It was so tough. I missed home and especially my mom's food -- the chicken and rice and the beans. Oh, how I love her beans.''
His father's response to Marte, then 17, was that this could be the opportunity of a lifetime, telling him he should honor his family and stick it out.
``After that, I worked so hard in the offseason in the weight room and in the batting cages,'' Marte said. ``Then I had my best season (hitting .281 with 32 doubles and 21 home runs at low Class-A Macon), and I knew I could do this. I could be successful and someday buy my mother a new house.''
Simple advice
Three weeks into the Bisons' season in late April, Lovullo called Marte into his office for a pep talk. The gist of the conversation was to reinforce that the Indians were behind him.
``I just told him, `You don't have to be anything better than Andy Marte. We know what you're capable of doing,' '' said Lovullo, who first saw Marte when he played against Lovullo's Lake County team in the South Atlantic League.
In addition to struggling at the plate, Marte's defense also suffered, with many of his team-high nine errors coming early in the season.
``The lapses were minimal,'' Lovullo said. ``It had a lot to do with lazy footwork and (they) were quickly corrected.''
What has impressed Lovullo the most about Marte is how hard he has worked and handled his early season struggles.
``Mentally, he's been a fighter through it all,'' Lovullo said. ``He hasn't shut down at any point. His demeanor has been the same since Day One.
``That's the part most people don't see. They can look at his stats and see he's struggling, but they can't see what happens in the locker room -- how hard he has continued to work and how upbeat he has been through it all.''
A perpetual sunny outlook might be the reason Marte prefers to brush off all the talk of pressure and pressing.
``Whatever it was, lately, his swings have been more productive,'' Lovullo said. ``With the path he's on right now, I wouldn't be surprised if he jumps right up to eight home runs and 30 RBI here in the next few weeks.''
On that point, Marte agrees.
``I can feel it,'' he said. ``It's coming back. My dad always told me that when you work hard, good things will come. It is time.''
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ABJ

6/6/06

Sabathia has no excuses for bad day, wins award


<!-- begin body-content -->for bad day, wins award
Indians starter C.C. Sabathia had no excuses for a rare crash-and-burn Sunday night against the Los Angeles Angels.
``They had a good plan to attack me early, and I left some balls over the plate,'' he said. ``They hit balls hard off me all night.''
When someone suggested that Sabathia had bad luck in giving up a home run to Vladimir Guerrero on a low-and-outside pitch, he said, ``It was balls over the plate more than bad luck.''
Sabathia gave up seven runs in five innings, following a string of 20 starts dating to last August in which he posted a 14-2 record and 1.97 ERA.
After such an extended run of success, could Sabathia have been thinking it was time for the law of averages to kick in?
``I don't believe anybody in baseball thinks like that,'' he said. ``You can't perform like that.''
MERRY MONTH -- Sabathia was named American League Pitcher of the Month for May. He was 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 45 innings. It is the first time he has won a monthly award.
CONSORTING WITH THE ENEMY -- Sabathia received a message from former Tribe outfielder Milton Bradley, now with the Oakland Athletics, about the series that starts with the Indians tonight.
``Milton sent me a text,'' Sabathia said. ``He said I'm lucky I won't be pitching against him.''
Bradley came off the disabled list Sunday.
Asked if he communicates with Bradley regularly, Sabathia said, ``All the time.''
THE STAUNCH DEFENDER -- Manager Eric Wedge continues to support reliever Guillermo Mota, who gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings Sunday night, including his ninth home run in 25 1/3 innings.
``This is about us helping him fundamentally and mentally,'' Wedge said. ``He cares as much as anybody. It pains me to see him struggle.
``We're going to get him back on track. As bad as it is now, he can be part of it down the road.''
OTHER STUFF -- In his past 13 games, Jason Michaels is batting .352 with three homers and 10 RBI.... Ben Broussard is batting .500 with three homers and five RBI in the past five games.... Aaron Boone is batting .326 in his past 12 games.... The nine homers given up by Mota are the most allowed by any reliever in the big leagues.... Jhonny Peralta has one hit in his past 19 at-bats.
FARM FACTS -- Jeremy Guthrie gave up five runs in five innings as Buffalo lost the first game of a doubleheader to Durham 7-5 in extra innings in Class AAA. Andy Marte went 2-for-3 with one RBI. In the second game, also extra innings, Jeremy Sowers yielded two runs in six innings, Buffalo losing 3-2.
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Dispatch

6/6/06

Talented young relievers settle into roles with Tribe

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CLEVELAND — Fernando Cabrera has a fastball that can hit 97 mph, a darting slider for right-handed hitters and a splitfinger fastball for lefties. With each step up the Indians’ organizational ladder, he had to convince himself anew that he could succeed with such a repertoire.
His doubts were evident at the start of this season, when he allowed seven walks and 10 runs in 5 2 /3 innings in his first five appearances. He since has allowed four runs in 13 1 /3 innings, with 16 strikeouts.
"Every year is a learning process," Cabrera said. "I cannot worry about doing it quickly. I just have to keep working, relax and trust my arm."
Indians officials trusted it enough that they were willing to include veteran relievers David Riske and Arthur Rhodes in off-season trades that netted third-base prospect Andy Marte and left fielder Jason Michaels.
A season-ending injury to reliever Matt Miller and the struggles of veteran Danny Graves further changed the dynamic of the bullpen. Along with Cabrera, converted starters Jason Davis and Fausto Carmona are learning the ropes as big-league relievers.
Davis has perhaps the best arm in the organization, with a fastball that has registered 100 mph and a tumbling split-finger fastball. Carmona throws a 94 to 96 mph fastball with natural sink.
As Cabrera’s early struggles suggest, talent does not guarantee success. For instance, Davis has struggled when entering a game with runners already on base: All 10 runners he has inherited have scored.
The growing pains were particularly evident in April and early May, when Indians starters frequently fell apart in the fifth or sixth inning, forcing the Indians to use their untested youngsters in key moments. They rarely held a lead long enough for Wickman to save it.
Then C.C. Sabathia returned from the disabled list, Paul Byrd overcame an early-season slump and the rotation, while still not as consistent as a year ago, shouldered more of the load. Rafael Betancourt returned from the DL to assume the role of primary setup man, and the bullpen settled.
Cabrera has reclaimed a lateinning role. Carmona has thrown 7 2 /3 scoreless innings, with seven strikeouts. Davis posted a 1.45 ERA in May before hiccups in his first two outings this month. Betancourt has not allowed a run in seven outings since being activated.
"Maybe the difference is now everybody knows their roles," Betancourt said. "It’s better for you to work that way, to know when you are going to pitch. It was hard for a while because we had the injuries – Matt Miller and myself. They were trying to get everybody in the right spots."
Manager Eric Wedge recently suggested Carmona might not return to the starting rotation. He said some in the organization believe Carmona’s future is brightest as a reliever.
"It’s a compliment to Fausto that he could be either one," Wedge said. "It’s about our need. Right now we need him in the bullpen."
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ABJ

6/7/06

A's throw book at Tribe

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter


<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - It was textbook baseball by these 2006 Indians.
A team that makes far too many errors and can't hold or throw out runners loses because of an error and a stolen base.
``You got your story,'' said Aaron Boone, who committed his ninth error of the season.
Make it Oakland Athletics 7, Cleveland Indians 6 on Tuesday night at Jacobs Field.
It was share the sorrow night at the ballyard, with Scott Sauerbeck and Boone the primary mourners.
It took a while for the Indians to rally from two runs behind to two ahead. But when Sauerbeck walked out of the dugout to pitch the eighth, the Tribe needed only six outs for a win.
Sauerbeck didn't get any of them. He had retired Mark Kotsay to end the seventh, but Nick Swisher led off the eighth with a single and Eric Chavez followed with a drive over the right-field fence for a two-run homer that tied the score.
``I made a decent pitch to Swisher,'' Sauerbeck said. ``But I made a mistake to Chavez, and he made me pay.''
The maddening thing from the Tribe's standpoint is that manager Eric Wedge left Sauerbeck in specifically to get the lefty-lefty matchup against Chavez.
At least the Indians still had a tie to work with when Rafael Betancourt relieved Sauerbeck after the homer. But one out later, Bubba Crosby slapped a routine ground ball to Boone's left. He mishandled it for an error, and Crosby promptly stole second.
``I was playing him close to the line to stop a double,'' Boone said.
``I had to go a long way, and I know that Crosby gets down the line with decent speed, so I had to rush to make the play, and I rushed it too much.''
After Jay Payton struck out, Dan Johnson produced an RBI single that fittingly made the Tribe pay for its faulty defense and inability to keep runners close to their bases.
``They took advantage of the opportunities they were given,'' Wedge said. ``I've said it many times, you have to be tough to play this game. Some losses are tougher than others. You have to execute and make the plays, and we didn't do that.''
Added Boone: ``Obviously, we have to play better. It's frustrating when you know you're better than that.''
It could be argued that Jake Westbrook threw only two bad pitches, or at least two pitches that hurt him. Kotsay hit one into the seats in right field leading off the game. Frank Thomas put a charge into Westbrook's second big mistake, also hitting it over the fence in right for a three-run homer in the third.
Westbrook compounded his problems by giving up a single to Marco Scutaro and a two-out walk to Chavez preceding Thomas' blast.
``He's had a lot of success against me,'' said Westbrook of Chavez, whom he pitched around. ``I felt I had a better chance against Thomas. I pitched him well the first time, struck him out.''
After Thomas' blast, Westbrook settled down, yielding only two more hits and one walk through 6 2/3 innings. He retired the last six batters he faced and was the winning pitcher of record briefly.
The Tribe's fragile 5-4 advantage got a little better with a run in the seventh, but the carefully constructed lead came crashing down on top of Sauerbeck, who relieved Westbrook.
Barry Zito of the A's came into the game with a 4-3 record and 2.09 career ERA against the Indians, his lowest against any American League team. He allowed six runs and 10 hits.
A two-out rally by the Tribe in the second produced two runs on Casey Blake's infield hit, Ronnie Belliard's RBI double and a single by Boone. After that, Zito mesmerized Indians batters until Grady Sizemore lined a solo home run in the fifth.
Zito began to fade in the sixth, when Travis Hafner led off with a home run to the deepest part of center field, and Victor Martinez and Eduardo Perez followed with singles.
Two outs later, it appeared that Zito would escape, but Belliard hit a hard ground ball down the third-base line that Chavez could only knock down for an RBI single. That run gave the Tribe a 5-4 lead, which became 6-4 when Zito gave up yet another run in the seventh on Martinez's RBI single.
Zito did not come out for the eighth, having thrown 122 pitches.
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ABJ

6/7/06

Indians draft report

Tribe selects pitchers with first two choices

UCLA left-hander, Hawaii right-hander top picks

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - They were not expected to be the premier players in the draft, but Indians scouting director John Mirabelli seemed genuinely pleased with his first two picks.
Because the Tribe did not have a selection in the first round, Mirabelli had to wait for the 39th choice between the first and second rounds to take UCLA left-hander David Huff, 21, who was 7-4 with a 2.99 ERA in 16 starts for the Bruins.
``He's a certified elite college starter,'' Mirabelli said Tuesday, following the first 18 rounds. ``He has four pitches, and his out pitch is a changeup.''
Huff is not expected to be overly tough to sign, given where he was selected. He probably will command a bonus of about $950,000.
``All indications are that he wants to sign and get his career started,'' Mirabelli said.
Huff was drafted out of high school by the Anaheim Angels and taken in the 19th round last year by the Philadelphia Phillies, when he attended Cypress College.
He was rated the 22nd-best player in the draft by Baseball America. With Huff having already thrown 129 2/3 innings, Mirabelli isn't concerned that he begin his career with the Indians as soon as possible.
``One thing that concerns us is his 130 innings, which is a lot,'' he said. ``To me, there is no urgency to get him out there now.''
If Huff signs in a timely fashion, he will start at short-season Mahoning Valley and possibly advance to Lake County before season's end. He will be on a strict pitch count.
With his second pick (56th overall), Mirabelli chose pitcher Steve Wright, 21, who had an 11-2 record and 2.30 ERA at the University of Hawaii, where he was West Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Year.
Mirabelli calls Wright a ``right-handed version'' of Huff. Neither pitcher lights up the radar gun, but both seem to have a knack for knowing how to pitch.
``Wright has an average fastball (90 mph),'' Mirabelli said. ``He had the best strikeout-to-walk ratio in college this year and one of the best all-time. That's what kind of defines him. There's not too much left to finish him off. He's very smart, has a lot of know-how and savvy.''
Wright is expected to begin his career at Mahoning Valley and possibly advance to Lake County before the season ends.
Before the draft, Mirabelli said the Tribe's organizational needs were finding middle infielders and catchers.
Joshua Rodriguez, 21, the 57th overall pick, meets that goal. A career shortstop pressed into action at third this year, Rodriguez batted .346 with nine homers and 58 RBI in 61 games for Rice.
With the 69th pick, the Indians took third baseman Wes Hodges, 21, who batted .337 with 11 home runs and 64 RBI at Georgia Tech. Mirabelli thinks Hodges, 21, might have been a steal in the second round. Nobody knew why he was having a subpar season until 2 ½ weeks ago, when he was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the tibia, which is expected to heal in a matter of weeks.
The Tribe took a risk with its 75th selection, a sandwich pick between the second and third rounds, by taking catcher Matt McBride, who batted .417 with 12 homers and 61 RBI at Lehigh.
``McBride is one guy who has some upside, so we thought we could take a chance,'' Mirabelli said.
By risk, Mirabelli means that McBride did not play in a premier conference and has not had a great deal of experience.
The Indians took 21 players in the first 18 rounds of the draft, which concludes with 32 more rounds today.
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ABJ

6/7/06

High time for Peralta to bat lower

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Indians manager Eric Wedge dropped Jhonny Peralta out of the third spot in the batting order -- finally.
Peralta is hardly the only thing wrong with the Indians this year, as Tuesday's 7-6 loss to the Oakland Athletics demonstrated. When you score six runs against the A's ace, you should win.
You have to win.
If you're a Tribe fan, you know the story. The pitching is just not there. Sometimes, it's starters. Sometimes, it's relievers. It's almost always something, and you have a sense it might be like this all year for the 28-29 Indians.
That's why the Indians have to score every run possible.
Which brings us to Peralta, whose batting average has sunk to .232 with five homers and 26 RBI as he was written into the No. 6 spot of the order. It now seems a few days on the bench and in the batting cage might be the best idea, because he's a mess.
That's apparent when you dig deep into his statistics.
He's batting .201 against right-handers, .210 with runners in scoring position. He has had only one extra-base hit in the past 10 games, and his 64 strikeouts (in 224 at bats) are fourth highest in the American League.
Wedge said: ``His swing is coming around. It's not where it will be... and he doesn't have much to show for it.''
If you can figure out what the Tribe manager meant by that, then maybe you can guess what's up with Peralta.
Here's what happened Tuesday: He batted four times, striking out three times, grounding to short once.
He struck out on a slow breaking ball in the dirt, a fastball on the fists and a breaking ball away.
This month, he's 1-for-19 with 10 strikeouts. In his past 100 at-bats, he's batting .170 with two homers and eight RBI.
That's not a slump, that's a month.
Bulletin to Wedge: He's not coming around. He's getting worse.
Wedge knows this. There are times when he says things that seem to make no sense -- or mean nothing -- because he doesn't want to publicly criticize a player. That's his right as a manager.
Unfortunately for Wedge, nearly every game is on TV, so the fans know what is going on.
Peralta is not hitting. He's not fielding especially well (three errors in the past nine games), and he never could run.
The Indians have to fix this guy. They are committed to him -- a four-year, $12.75 million deal with a fifth-year option at $7 million.
They also have no one else in the upper levels of the farm system to play shortstop. That's another downside of the decision to keep journeyman Ramon Vazquez over Brandon Phillips. Vazquez is back at Class AAA Buffalo.
Few would have projected Phillips to hit .303 with five homers with 33 RBI and be 11-of-11 in stolen bases for the Cincinnati Reds. But the Indians knew he had the glove and athletic ability to play second base or shortstop in the majors, even if his bat was a question mark.
It's a pure second guess, but it would be nice to have Phillips to fill in for Peralta right now -- and to push him.
Odds are that Peralta will begin to hit. He was the Class AAA International League MVP in 2004, when he batted .326 with 15 homers and 86 RBI.
Last season, he was a .292 hitter with 24 homers and 78 RBI for the Tribe.
Peralta usually seems half-asleep on the field, so it's impossible to read his body language. That would lead to unfair assumptions. Certainly, the 24-year-old does care, and it's obvious that he's pressing and discouraged.
Baseball is a very demanding, unforgiving game. The sophomore jinx doesn't happen at random. It's the product of pitchers paying more attention to young players who have had sudden success, and those same kids maybe not working quite as hard or concentrating like they did in the past.
Peralta said he often starts slowly, but the numbers indicate otherwise. In 2004, he never hit lower than .322 after April 22. Last season, he batted .309 in May with five homers, indicating he was settling down.
Now, he is just unsettled, and that's a real problem for the Tribe.
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Dispatch

6/7/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Indians add personnel to fill infield needs

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CLEVELAND — With six picks in the first three rounds of the draft yesterday and a talent pool considered deep but unspectacular, the Indians addressed the shallow pools in their own organization: middle infield and catcher.
The Indians used their first two picks on college pitchers — left-hander David Huff of UCLA and righty Steven Wright of Hawaii — then took three infielders and a catcher, all college players. They added two more catchers later in the day.
"Looking at the talent in the draft and the picks we had, we thought it matched up," scouting director John Mirabelli said. "It is clearly a system need, and it’s a weakness we could address."
Josh Rodriguez of Rice, Wes Hodges of Georgia Tech and Adam Davis of Florida played on the same infield last summer for Team USA. Rodriguez and Davis can play either middle-infield position; Hodges is a third baseman.
All three saw their stock dip this spring. Baseball America rated Hodges the eighthbest college prospect coming into the season, but he slipped to the 69 th pick. Turns out he played much of the season with an undisclosed stress fracture in a leg.
"This guy’s a hitter with power," Mirabelli said. "We got lucky here. We’re fortunate to get an undervalued player in the second round."
The Indians selected 21 players in 18 rounds yesterday, 16 of them college players, including Lehigh catcher Matt McBride at the end of the second round and pitcher Michael Eisenberg of Marietta College in the ninth.
Huff was their highest pick at No. 39 overall, a compensatory pick between the first and second rounds. Mirabelli described him and Wright as polished pitchers who could handle the competition at high-Class A Kinston, although they will likely begin their careers at short-season Mahoning Valley.
Shuffle the deck

Manager Eric Wedge dropped Jhonny Peralta from third to sixth in the lineup and moved Travis Hafner, Victor Martinez and the first base platoon of Eduardo Perez and Ben Broussard up one spot each. He hopes it will be "a shot in the arm" to the slumping Peralta and Martinez.
Peralta entered last night’s game hitting .236 with a .350 slugging percentage, and in recent weeks he has shown little of the patience he showed in late April and early May.
"I’m a little bit struggling," he said. "I understand (the move). Maybe I will see better pitching. We’ll see." "
Peralta said he has seen fewer fastballs this season, after his breakout performance in 2005. Hitting coach Derek Shelton has worked with him on waiting a tick longer on each pitch to give him a better chance to recognize breaking balls.
"When I go too forward too fast, every breaking ball down — I swing at everything like that," Peralta said. "It looks good."
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ABJ

6/8/06

Pitching stands out in rout

Indians get 15 hits as Byrd has strong start

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The Indians buried the Oakland Athletics under an avalanche of 15 hits Wednesday night, including four home runs.
Yet pitching was the most significant element in the 11-2 victory at Jacobs Field. With this team, pitching almost always is decisive.
That certainly isn't unusual. Most clubs rise and fall on the strength of their pitching staffs.
But the Tribe has become notorious for its lopsided defeats this year.
In 34 percent of its 29 defeats (10 games), 10 runs would have been good enough for only a tie or a loss.
``It's been a very strange year,'' starter Paul Byrd said. ``Guys have been inconsistent, like myself, when I didn't pitch well early.''
So when Byrd threaded his way through seven innings giving up only two runs, victory was all but assured.
``This is the way the guy pitches,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``He got into a couple of situations, but he got through them.''
That is not to say scoring runs in bunches isn't significant.
The Indians obviously sent the A's reeling with an onslaught that began with four runs in the second inning.
A's starter Joe Blanton (5-6, 5.60 ERA) seemed to have dodged a bullet when Ben Broussard singled but was thrown out easily at second on an apparent missed hit-and-run sign. But Jhonny Peralta snapped a 1-for-23 skid with a single, and the rally was back on.
Aaron Boone contributed the first big blow with a three-run homer, and Grady Sizemore followed with a solo blast. It was the 12th time this season Sizemore has gone deep. Last year, he didn't hit No. 12 until August.
``It felt like the longest I'd ever gone without hitting a home run,'' said Boone, who last went deep on April 19. ``For the better part of a month, I've been pretty consistent and have had good at-bats, but it was kind of baffling because I wasn't driving the ball.
``Hopefully, I've found something to allow me to do that, which doesn't mean I'm trying to hit home runs.''
In Boone's past 14 games, he is batting .352.
Victor Martinez's two-run single in the fourth added to the lead, and Martinez forced in a run in the sixth by walking with the bases loaded. The same inning, Broussard singled to drive in the eighth and ninth runs.
Martinez has struggled at the plate for much of the season, but in his past five games, he's hitting .368.
``I've been trying to get my rhythm back,'' he said. ``I got lucky tonight. Some balls found holes.''
That would include his drive that ``found a hole'' over the right-field fence in the eighth inning for his fourth RBI of the evening.
``You have to keep working,'' Martinez said. ``It's a long season, like a horse race. I've been through this before. I know what it feels like to hit .300 and to hit .200.''
Casey Blake pushed the run total into double figures with a leadoff homer in the seventh.
Byrd was hardly flawless in lifting his record to 5-4. On the other hand, he did not run and hide when the A's threatened.
In the second inning, Bobby Kielty doubled with one out, but Byrd struck out the next two batters. A base-running mistake by Frank Thomas killed a potential rally in the fourth.
In the sixth, the A's loaded the bases with one out, but their only run was driven in on Byrd's lone walk of the game. He limited the damage by inducing Kielty to bounce into a double play.
Byrd's ERA of 5.15 is hardly admirable, though it has dropped from 9.15 on April 22. He has steadied the ship since then, compiling a 3.63 ERA in eight starts.
Granted, Byrd has been treated to enormous run support for much of the season. In his first six starts, his teammates scored an average of 10.6 runs a game for him.
But in his next four, the average dropped to 3.5. Now, he seems to be back to those early salad days with 23 runs in his past two starts.
``I'm going to lead the league in run support,'' he said. ``I'll probably get harassed about that by a lot of people.''
The best thing about Byrd's starts: The Tribe is 8-4 when he takes the mound.
For the umpteenth time this season, the Indians have a .500 record, which isn't going to make much of an impact on the division race.
``I keep feeling like we're going to get on a huge roll,'' Byrd said. ``That's why tomorrow is so important.''
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ABJ

6/8/06

Pronkville open; not a target

Hafner won't take aim at area named for him

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Wednesday was the opening night of Pronkville at Jacobs Field (no passports necessary).
Indians designated hitter Travis Hafner was not scheduled to make an appearance in the right-field, 800-seat mezzanine area, nor did he plan to send any baseballs into his namesake section of the yard.
``You have to take the same approach when you're up at the plate,'' said Hafner, whose nickname, Pronk, sparked the team's promotion.
Isn't he tempted to hit a ball into the second deck when it's named in his honor?
``Not really,'' Hafner said. ``It doesn't do any good to swing hard and strike out three times.''
According to an Indians' press release, a 474-foot Hafner home run landed in Pronkville on June 14 of last year.
Fans who sat in the area Wednesday night received a ``Pronkville'' T-shirt. The shirts also will be for sale in the team shop.
Hafner had little to do with the creation of Pronkville.
``They told me about it,'' he said. ``I think it's cool. They showed me two T-shirts and asked me which one I liked better. That was about it.''
The nickname is a creation of former Tribe utility player Bill Selby and Hafner, putting together parts of two words, project and donkey.
Hafner prefers to answer to the name Pronk, saying he won't talk to his mother unless she refers to him by that name. However, his fiance hasn't yet succumbed to the siren call of Pronk.
``I still have to get her to call me that consistently,'' Hafner said. ``Before the wedding.''
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ABJ

6/8/06

NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - Youth of bullpen trio
not a worry for Wedge
How comfortable is manager Eric Wedge with three relievers -- Fernando Cabrera, Fausto Carmona, Jason Davis -- who have almost no big-league experience in the bullpen?
``I'm OK with that,'' Wedge said. ``Cabrera already is a late-inning guy for us. I'm confident using him in the seventh or eighth inning.
``Carmona is coming along, and we can use him in the sixth or seventh, regardless of the score. Jason has been inconsistent, but he's shown signs that he can help us. But he still has to work some things out.''
ONE LEFTY NO HANDICAP -- Managers usually prefer to have at least two left-handers in the bullpen, but Wedge has just one, Scott Sauerbeck.
``I've never gotten too caught up in the left-hander vs. left-hander thing,'' Wedge said. ``If you have a righty who can get a lefty out, that's fine, too. You just have to make sure it's the right guy.''
Moreover, finding competent matchup left-handers isn't easy, so it would be difficult to trade for one.
SOMEDAY, MAYBE -- If catcher Victor Martinez continues to have trouble throwing out base runners, will the Tribe eventually turn him into a first baseman?
``Obviously, we feel that Victor is an everyday catcher now and in the future,'' Wedge said. ``But he's no different than any other young player. There are things he has to work on.
``We have no thoughts about doing that (converting him to first) right now.''
FARM FACTS -- Andy Marte, Kelly Shoppach and Jason Dubois homered to spark Buffalo's 5-4 win over Toledo in Class AAA.... Scott Lewis (0.73 ERA) threw four scoreless innings and Wyatt Toregas had three hits in Kinston's 9-5 win over Wilmington in Class A.
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Dispatch

6/8/06

His kind of pitch

In the middle of the sixth inning Tuesday, the Indians played a video promoting "Pronkville" — a section of seats in the second deck of right field, named for Travis Hafner — featuring WWE personalities. Hafner, a die-hard professional wrestling fan, led off the bottom of the inning with a home run.
"It got me fired up," he said.
"Pronkville" debuted last night. The seats were packed with fans waving signs.
Running man

The A’s, who annually have among the fewest steals in the league, set up the winning run in the eighth inning Tuesday with a steal off Victor Martinez. It was the 41 st steal in 45 attempts against Martinez.
Manager Eric Wedge placed some of the blame on the pitching staff and said there are no plans to move Martinez to a new position, now or in the foreseeable future.
"Victor showed us last year that he’s able to do it," Wedge said.
Martinez threw out 25 of 121 attempted base stealers last season, the fourth-highest percentage in the league.
[email protected]
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CPD

6/8/06

Blowouts baffling Indians


Thursday, June 08, 2006

Burt Graeff
Plain Dealer Reporter

The Indians are becoming big league baseball's king of routs.

They rout opposing teams, or are being routed by opposing teams.

The 11-2 rout of the Oakland A's on Wednesday night at Jacobs Field is the 23rd time in 58 games that the difference in the score was five or more runs.

The Tribe is 16-7 in these games.

The biggest rout was a 15-1 pasting at Baltimore on April 18.

Some other routs: 14-2 (Saturday vs. the Angels), 15-3 (April 27 vs. Boston), 14-3 (May 3 at Oakland), 11-0 (May 24 at Minnesota), 9-0 (May 28 at Detroit) and Wednesday night's 11-2 thumping.

The Indians have been on the other end of notable routs. The biggest was Sunday night's 14-2 drubbing by the Los Angeles Angels at Jacobs Field.

Some other drubbings: 11-0 (May 29 vs. Chicago), 18-9 (April 19 at Baltimore), 12-4 (May 4 at Oakland), 10-3 (Friday vs. the Angels).

One year ago, it was one-run games that offered little explanation. The Indians were 22-36 in one-run games. The 36 one-run defeats were the most in the majors.

The routs, no matter the direction, are getting little explaining.

"It's really weird," said third baseman Aaron Boone, who had three hits, including a three-run homer Wednesday night.

"I'd like it to keep going this way. I don't know.

"Every time I'm on the bench and we're in one of these games, I'm saying to myself, 'This is bizarre.' "

In the Indians last six games, they have won 11-2, 14-2 and 12-8. They have losses of 14-2 and 10-3.

"We have noticed these games," said first baseman Ben Broussard, whose two singles raised his batting average to .362.

"It's how baseball goes sometimes. Winning big like we did tonight makes for a less stressful environment. The bottom line is that we won, whether it's by one run or 10 runs."

Paul Byrd (5-4, 5.15 ERA) held the A's to two runs in seven innings - striking out four and walking one. "I have no answer for why we've been involved in so many lopsided games," he said.

"I'm just proud of the way we bounced back [from Tuesday night's 7-6 loss]. It's been a confusing year for me individually and us teamwise."

"That's basball," said manager Eric Wedge, when asked to explain the plethora of thumpings.

To reach this Plain Dealer reporter:

[email protected], 216-999-4479
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BuckinMichigan said:
Can someone please tell me why the hell the Indians still put Johnson on the mound? And don't tell me because he has a multi-million dollar contract! Sit him down and bring up one of the promising arms from Buffalo.
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I would love to see what some of the younger arms in triple-a can do but this team has just been very inconsistent this year. The Indians just can't it together. How you can come out one day and win 14-2 and turn around and lose just as bad the next day just boggles my mind. It is gonna be very tough to have a second half like last year but that might be the only way this team has a chance at making the post season. Although there still is some time and you never know the Tigers could stumble but i don't see the White Sox stumbling at all in the second half of the year.
 
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Bucks21 said:
I would love to see what some of the younger arms in triple-a can do but this team has just been very inconsistent this year. The Indians just can't it together. How you can come out one day and win 14-2 and turn around and lose just as bad the next day just boggles my mind. It is gonna be very tough to have a second half like last year but that might be the only way this team has a chance at making the post season. Although there still is some time and you never know the Tigers could stumble but i don't see the White Sox stumbling at all in the second half of the year.
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pitching, pitching, pitching.
Ive been to about 8 bisons games this year and i can say withought a doubt none of those kids are ready for the big leagues. We are stuck with what we have for now , i just hope we dont trade any young good player away for a pitcher.
 
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