Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/13/06

BASEBALL

Tribe searching for consistency before it’s too late

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


The Cleveland Indians are teetering. One day they look like the pennant contenders they expected to be, the next day they are undone by poor pitching, porous defense or maddening mistakes on the bases.
At some point, it would seem, their considerable talent will carry them into contention, or the growing frustration will drag them clear out of the race. A team can teeter only so long.
Recent events suggest a club headed for a fall:

• The Indians have lost six of their past nine games. Three times in the past eight games they blew a lead in the eighth inning or later, and they nearly blew an eight-run lead in the ninth inning on Sunday.

• Veteran pitchers Bob Wickman and Paul Byrd got into a shouting match Saturday night in front of teammates and reporters. According to various media outlets present, Wickman challenged Byrd to "take it outside" before cooler heads prevailed.

• Veteran pitcher Scott Sauerbeck was arrested and later cut.

• Shortstop Jhonny Peralta has struggled at the plate and in the field, to the point that Ramon Vazquez was recalled from triple-A Buffalo on Sunday and immediately inserted into the lineup to give Peralta a brief break. Vazquez promptly committed three errors.
Indians manager Eric Wedge gave the players a 20-minute pep talk after the win Sunday, in the hopes of keeping their sagging optimism alive.
General manager Mark Shapiro said Wedge remains "part of the solution," because of his willingness to communicate with players and work with them behind the scenes.
Which is not to say Shapiro has identified the problem.
"It’s a moving target," he said. "The area we thought we needed to address has changed. Whether it’s the rotation, the bullpen, the defense — it hasn’t been one area, one specific person or part of the team. We just haven’t played up to our potential."
Shapiro said he has had daily conversations with the on-field staff, other front-office personnel and other GMs, but he deemed it "a long shot" that the Indians could pull off a significant trade in the near future, because so many teams still consider themselves in the hunt.
He also said it is unlikely the Indians will become full-blown sellers at the July 31 trading deadline. Shapiro believes in the value of patience and stability, and he said the expectations coming into the season were too high to justify starting over.
The clock is ticking, though. The Indians are two games below .500, and at the start of play yesterday they were 9 1 /2 games behind the Detroit Tigers in the American League Central.
"We won’t make a move just to make a change," Shapiro said, "but we will make moves to get better."
The Indians already have replaced veteran relievers Sauerbeck and Danny Graves with rookies Fausto Carmona and Rafael Perez, and they eventually might replace starter Jason Johnson with Jeremy Guthrie or Jeremy Sowers.
There are no in-house candidates to replace Peralta, and Shapiro said he sees no need.
"He will hit again," Shapiro said. "He will be a very good offensive player. The only thing that concerns me is his prepitch preparation (at shortstop), which affects his range, but that is something that can be addressed."
[email protected]

 

[billmac91]

I predicted 3rd in the central behind chicago and minnesota....hopefully we finish 3rd and not fourth b/c i definately dont see us finishing ahead of either detroit or chicago

i'd really like to see us pick up a legit a lead-off hitter who will allow us to move grady to the two or 3 spot in the lineup....as is right now, i dont see why we continue to put michaels in the 2 spot even though hes picking it up a little bit.....the loss of howry has hurt a lot more than people expected i think, our bullpen has been shaky at best...i wouldnt mind seeing us trade wickman if we're 10 or so out at the break...maybe pick up some young talent

 

[NFBuck]

.....the loss of howry has hurt a lot more than people expected i think, our bullpen has been shaky at best...

I'll go ya one better...the bullpen has been plum aweful. I turned off the White Sox game the other night when it got to 10-7 because I was flat convinced they were going to come back and win right there in the bottom of the ninth, thats how much faith I have in these guys right now. My favorite part of that whole ninth inning was as the Sox were chipping away at that lead and shellacking our "bullpen" Eric Wedge sat there with absolutely zero change of expression, just a kind of "oh shit, here we go again" look on his face. Show a little friggin' emotion douchebag.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

6/14/06

ONE PITCH, ONE LOSS

Byrd gives up only solo home run, but Indians get shut out by Yankees

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - These are not our grandfather's Yankees. Nor is it what George Steinbrenner had in mind when he doled out almost $200 million for this year's payroll.
On the disabled list: Hideki Matsui and Gary Sheffield; not on the DL but unable to play because of a bruised hand: Jason Giambi.
Injuries have taken the sting out of the Bronx Bombers, but they still found a way to beat the Indians 1-0 Tuesday night at Yankee Stadium.
It was one swing of the bat by Robinson Cano that spoiled an excellent performance by Paul Byrd and dropped the Tribe to three games below .500 again.
``You talk about a guy stringing (good) starts together,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``He's doing it. Paul did a great job for us tonight.''
But Byrd (5-5, 4.80 ERA), for one, isn't discouraged by the Tribe's recent spate of losing.
``I told the guys that we have no place to go but up,'' he said. ``I think of a team like the Angels, when they won it in '02. They were hanging around .500 until the All-Star break, then won something like 18 out of 19.
``I think this team has the potential to do that. We can't continue to play .500 ball much longer, but I think we have the team to turn it around. And until that doesn't happen, I refuse to believe we're not a quality team.''
Chien-Ming Wang started for the Yankees and stymied the Tribe.
Wang allowed only five hits and walked one in 7 1/3 innings, and the Indians never really mounted a threat against him.
``He's got a great sinker,'' Tribe third baseman Aaron Boone said. ``He throws a heavy ball. That's probably the best sinker we've seen this year. He was tough. No doubt about it.''
Of 22 outs recorded by Wang, 14 came on ground balls, including one double play.
``The other guy pitched a whale of a ballgame,'' Wedge said. ``That was an old-school game. There weren't many opportunities. It took a guy hitting a home run.''
The Tribe hit only two balls hard against Wang, and both came in the sixth inning. Grady Sizemore led off with a double over the head of Johnny Damon in center, and Casey Blake followed with a line drive to deep right. But an immediate problem arose for the Indians.
Kevin Thompson made a superlative running catch of the white-hot blast just before he reached the track to rob Blake of a certain double plus an RBI.
Wang (7-2, 4.15 ERA) didn't waste Thompson's effort. He walked left-handed batter Travis Hafner intentionally and induced Victor Martinez to bounce into a double play, just like manager Joe Torre drew it up in the dugout.
``It worked out perfect for them,'' Wedge said. ``He threw a couple of pitches to Haf, but they weren't going to mess around. When he got behind, he just walked him.''
Byrd did his part. For seven innings, he gritted his teeth while the Yankees made him squirm by swatting a variety of poorly struck balls that landed for hits.
There was a late-swing fly ball by Bernie Williams that bounced into the seats along the left-field line for a ground-rule double in the second inning. Williams and Melky Cabrera dumped bloop singles over the infield, and Byrd contributed to his own discomfort by fielding a bunt and pulling Ben Broussard's foot off the first-base bag with a high lob.
But all of this amounted to nothing for the Yankees. Even in the first inning, when they put runners on first and third with one out, Byrd merely struck out Alex Rodriguez, walked Jorge Posada to load the bases and retired Cano on a fly to left.
Rodriguez deserves special mention. Apparently, Yankee fans' new favorite sport is booing the $252 million man. Having struck out three times and flied out to left, it was not a good night for Rodriguez, and he heard about it from 50,000 fans.
Byrd's error to start the third escalated into a two-on, no-out crisis when Derek Jeter singled. But again, Byrd cut down Rodriguez, Posada and Cano to stop the threat in its tracks.
In five of his seven innings, Byrd was unable to keep the leadoff batter off base. But only one pitch hurt him during his tenure: Cano drove a 1-and-1 pitch over the wall in right with one out in the sixth.
``It was just a hanging curveball,'' Byrd said. ``Gosh-dog, I'm frustrated. He wasn't hitting anything hard off me. I just tried to go down and away and hung it. It's a shame that it came down to one hanging curveball.''
Altogether, Byrd gave up six hits, three walks and struck out six.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

6/14/06

Davis sent down, Guthrie back up

Moves made as Tribe seeks right mix in bullpen

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - The Indians continued to seek stability in the bullpen Tuesday by optioning Jason Davis to Triple-A Buffalo and bringing up Jeremy Guthrie.
While manager Eric Wedge (and presumably General Manager Mark Shapiro) remains convinced that Davis' future lies in relieving rather than starting, he has faltered once again.
In five appearances before being demoted, Davis posted an ERA of 11.57 and allowed 12 hits in seven innings. For the season, he inherited 10 runners, and each scored.
``Jason's had some good outings,'' Wedge said.
``His stuff plays up in the bullpen, and so does his personality. He hasn't had a lot of experience there, so we need to stick with him. I think that will be the best role for him up here.''
Davis, a right-hander, made 21 relief appearances this season and posted a 2-1 record and 5.04 ERA in 30 1/3 innings.
Guthrie, a right-hander, is being called up to the Indians for the second time this year. At Triple-A, he compiled a 3-1 record and 2.78 ERA in eight starts.
Although he might eventually make his living strictly as a starter, Guthrie has been evaluated as a pitcher who also can work in relief.
``It hasn't been an issue with me,'' he said. ``I actually enjoyed going back to Buffalo and starting. But obviously, I'm excited to be in the big leagues to do whatever role they put me in.''
Guthrie seems to have turned a corner in his career after struggling in the minors for the past 2 ½ seasons.
``I feel confidence was the key to everything else,'' he said. ``This year, the game has slowed down in my mind.
``When I get runners on base, it's not the problem that it was. When I was scuffling, it was like, `Here we go again,' as opposed to, `Here we go again, let's get a double-play ball.' ''
Guthrie pitched six times for the Tribe from April 22 through May 9 and posted a 4.63 ERA, limiting right-handed batters to a .130 average.
``We've got a lot of young guys in the bullpen,'' Guthrie said. ``They're trying to find the right mix. I don't have a role yet, but hopefully we'll be able to get everything straightened out.''
<!-- end body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->

ABJ

6/14/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - Fausto Carmona finds
success in bullpen role
Fausto Carmona is a career starter who has been pressed into service as a reliever for the Indians.
In nine appearances, he has compiled a 1-2 record and 5.20 ERA, but those numbers distort his effectiveness. He made three starts when C.C. Sabathia was on the disabled list and yielded 15 earned runs in 17 innings. As a reliever, Carmona has given up one earned run in 10 2/3 innings.
``Fausto has pitched in the seventh inning with a one-run lead,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``I think that tells you a great deal.''
ON THE DOTTED LINE -- Lehigh catcher Matt McBride, the 75th overall pick in the draft, signed his contract with the Tribe and will be sent to Mahoning Valley to begin his pro career.
The Tribe also signed 13 other draftees, including its 11th selection -- catcher Kelly Edmundson from the University of Tennessee -- and 12th-round choice Daniel Frega, a right-hander from Illinois State.
DONE DEAL -- The Indians received the player to be named from the Cincinnati Reds to complete the Brandon Phillips deal.
He is right-hander Jeff Stevens, 22, who posted a 2-4 record and 4.43 ERA at low Class A Dayton. He also struck out 43 in 44 2/3 innings.
Stevens was a sixth-round pick of the Reds in the 2005 draft and began his career at Billings in the rookie Pioneer League, compiling a 4-4 record and 2.98 ERA.
He has been assigned to Lake County.
FARM FACTS -- Andy Marte hit his sixth homer of the year and third in three games, but Buffalo lost 9-6 to Charlotte in Class AAA. Jason Cooper also homered and drove in four runs.... Lake County's Thomas Cowley (2.30 ERA) did not get the decision but allowed three runs in six innings in his team's 6-3 loss to Lexington in Class A.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

6/15/06

Indians report

Decision not so crazy

Statistics back up having Eduardo Perez pinch-hit

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - Fans watching or listening to the Indians go down to defeat 1-0 Tuesday night might have wondered if Eric Wedge had lost his manager's handbook when he sent Eduardo Perez in to pinch hit against Yankees closer Mariano Rivera in the ninth inning.
Perez bats from the right side, and Rivera throws with his right arm, so what was Wedge thinking?
He read the numbers: For his career, Perez was 2-for-4 against Rivera with a double and a home run, making it a slam-dunk decision.
It was all the more evident what Wedge should do, given that Ben Broussard, the scheduled batter, was 0-for-5 lifetime against Rivera, even though he is a left-handed hitter.
The move did not pay off -- Perez struck out -- but that doesn't mean it was the wrong move.
``Rivera can be very tough on left-handed batters,'' Wedge said. ``Of course, he can be very tough on all hitters, but Perez has had some success against him.''
Wedge is keenly aware that his decision probably was greeted with some skepticism among Northeast Ohio fans, unless they had been clued in by announcers on WKYC's telecast or on WTAM's radio broadcast.
``It's tough for people when they're not privy to all the information and scouting reports,'' Wedge said.
Wedge didn't have to make a last-minute search of the numbers to come up with the Perez-Rivera matchup. A manager's preparation these days includes seeking out answers before situations even arise.
``I talked to Eddie before the game,'' Wedge said. ``Like if Rivera pitched the ninth to be ready.''
<!-- end body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->

ABJ

6/15/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - Eduardo Perez gets
rare start in right field
Eduardo Perez was rushed into the fray to play right field when Casey Blake was scratched before game time because of a strained abdominal muscle.
The last time Perez played right was April 30, 2004, for Tampa Bay. Last year for the Devil Rays, he played two games in left. Until Wednesday night, he had only played first base for the Indians.
WHATEVER HAPPENED TO -- Going into Wednesday night's game, Guillermo Mota hadn't pitched since June 4, when he gave up three runs in two-thirds of an inning against the Los Angeles Angels.
``He's working a few problems out in his delivery,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``We also want to make sure he has the right mind-set when he's out there.''
And when will that be?
``We're going to other guys late in games,'' Wedge said. ``But we want to try to get him back on track so he can pitch late in games. That's what he's done most of his career.''
SILVER LINING -- The Indians lost Tuesday night's game, but they won a ratings battle against the NBA.
WKYC's telecast of the baseball game drew an average rating of 9.3 and 16 share in the metro Cleveland viewing area. Ratings reached a peak of 15 with a 21 share at 9:30.
By contrast, the third game of the NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and Dallas Mavericks, aired on WEWS, drew a 7.4 rating and 13.3 share.
The rating is based on the percentage of area homes that have TVs. A share point represents the percentage of TVs in use at any given time.
MULTI-KUDOS -- Jeremy Sowers has been selected the International League's Topps Player of the Month for May for posting a 4-0 record and 0.88 ERA.... Kinston center fielder Trevor Crowe was named Carolina League Hitter of the Week for batting .565 with three doubles, one triple, five steals and four RBI.... Kinston has clinched the Southern Division first-half title.
FARM FACTS -- Jake Dittler gave up one earned run (two total) in 6 1/3 innings, but Buffalo dropped a 3-2 decision to Durham.... Matt Whitney had two hits to raise his average to .245 and Stephen Head singled twice to lift his average to .215 as Kinston edged Lynchburg 3-2.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Canton

6/15/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK: Byrd not getting what he expected so far with Tribe

Thursday, June 15, 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]
<TABLE style="MARGIN: 10px -3px 15px 5px; POSITION: relative" width=300 align=right border=0><TBODY><TR vAlign=top><TD>

AP Ron Schwane THEY REMEMBER Aaron Boone received some cheers Tuesday from New York fans. The Indians third baseman hit a game-winning home run for the Yankees in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series.​

</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

NEW YORK - If Paul Byrd seems a bit frustrated, there’s a good reason why.
Byrd came to Cleveland to win. And, if you haven’t noticed, the Indians haven’t been doing a whole lot of winning lately.
“That was the deciding factor in why I came here,” the veteran right-hander said Wednesday. “Kansas City offered me more money. I loved the town and had a lot of friends there. But, when it came time to make the decision, I didn’t feel Kansas City had the chance to win that this team did. And, at this stage of my career, that’s very important.”
Byrd may be frustrated, but at least he’s taking out those frustrations on opposing hitters. He allowed one run over seven innings Tuesday in the Tribe’s 1-0 loss to New York. Byrd is 5-5 with a 4.81 ERA this season, but has pitched much better recently after a rough start.
The 35-year-old 10-year veteran struggled through April (8.03 ERA), but has been solid in both May (3.18) and June (3.60).
“I think that, early in the season, I was frustrated,” Byrd said. “I was showing it by overthrowing. My game is hitting the corners, not throwing as hard as I can. I was also walking a lot of guys early, but I’ve gotten a little better at that.”
Right-handed hitters are batting .220 off Byrd, one of the lowest averages-against in the league.
“He’s doing what he wants to do out there,” Manager Eric Wedge said. “What we’re really seeing now is his ability to make adjustments. He’s very good at that, not just inning-to-inning or at-bat to at-bat, but even pitch-to-pitch.”

SAUERBECK RELEASED The Indians have given left-hander Scott Sauerbeck his unconditional release. Sauerbeck was designated for assignment 10 days ago, but the Indians were unable to work out a trade with another club.
BLAKE SCRATCHED Casey Blake was scratched from Wednesday’s starting lineup with soreness in the lower abdominal area of his left side. Blake first noticed the soreness during batting practice. Eduardo Perez played right field, his first start there since April 30, 2004. Perez started two games in left field in 2005.
PRONK IN THE FIELD Designated hitter Travis Hafner will start at first base during at least one of this weekend’s interleague games in Milwaukee, Manager Eric Wedge said. Wedge said Hafner has not experienced the elbow problems that prevented him from playing first base last year.
GOOD COMPANY Indians Pitching Coach Carl Willis said 22-year-old right-hander Fausto Carmona is similar in the way he attacks hitters to New York’s Chien-Ming Wang, who worked 7 1/3 scoreless innings against the Tribe on Tuesday. “He has a good sinker and great strike-throwing ability,” Willis said of Carmona. “He just doesn’t have the command Wang does, yet.”
FAN FAVORITE While New York third baseman Alex Rodriguez was being booed unmercifully by fans at Yankee Stadium, Indians third baseman Aaron Boone heard loud applause when he came to bat Tuesday. Boone hit the game-winning home run for the Yankees against Boston in Game 7 of the 2003 American League Championship Series. “Boonie is always going to get his share of cheers here,” Wedge said.
CROWE INJURED Outfielder Trevor Crowe, last year’s first-round draft choice, has been placed on Single-A Kinston’s disabled list with a strained muscle in his left side. Crowe was hitting .329 with a .449 on-base percentage.
ON THE FARM Double-A Akron right-hander Ronald “Bear” Bay has been promoted to Triple-A Buffalo. Bay was 4-3 with a 3.30 ERA in 12 starts for the Aeros and threw a two-hit complete-game shutout last week that earned him Eastern League pitcher of the week honors.

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

CPD

6/15/06

Cost effectiveness could cost Wedge


Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Bud Shaw
Plain Dealer columnist

Mark Shapiro and Eric Wedge are working "el bow to elbow," in the words of the general manager, to find a fix.

Any similarity between that image and Dwight Clark throwing an arm around Chris Palmer's shoulder while singing "Side By Side" is purely coincidental.

The Browns' organization in its rebirth operated at cross purposes. Shapiro and Wedge have been on the same page all along.

The No. 1 selection in their book club would be "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." But somehow they run a baseball team that has looked surprisingly ineffective.

"He's part of the solution," Shapiro said of Wedge after describing his manager's status as "solid."
Wedge shouldn't be in trouble, not this soon after a 93-win season and certainly not on a team that hasn't shown a willingness to outspend its mistakes.

Shapiro thinks of his manager as a business partner instead of an employee, so his words in support of Wedge are no surprise. Wedge's commitment to involving himself in every facet of the organization earns him that consideration. It also gives a Dolan-owned team its best chance to produce a winner.

It certainly precludes the manager scoffing at the front office's assessment of a "five-tool player." That's how it ended for Charlie Manuel and Shapiro on the topic of Milton Bradley. At least now, the blame is a co-share.

As Shapiro's first manager, Wedge will get time to win here. And he needs it, especially given that the rebuilding phase of the plan made winning an impossibility for the first two seasons.

The theory that Shapiro has given Wedge everything he's wanted - for instance, letting Bradley go because he was insubordinate and parting with Brandon Phillips because Ramon Vazquez was a "better fit" - is used as a way of saying Wedge had better win soon.

Well, Wedge better win sooner than later. Every manager must. He's not a brilliant game-day strategist but he's a strong communicator. Shapiro talks about him working extra with Jhonny Peralta, trying to solve Giullermo Mota's troubles, having "motivational talks with players who need motivational talks."

What exactly are the riches he's received from ownership and the front office other than picking his roster?

The Indians still don't miss Bradley. They could use Phillips, even if Phillips would have been unhappy in a limited role. As it turns out, a fill-in for the slumping Peralta wouldn't be collecting splinters.

Moving Derek Shelton into Eddie Murray's spot as hitting coach was obviously welcome. Giving the manager "everything" is a relative term in the $55 million payroll neighborhood.

My guess is Wedge wanted Kevin Millwood back. Bobby Howry, too. Maybe even Scott Elarton. So did Shapiro. The payroll made it next to impossible.

"It's always going to be tough for us to pay $4 million to a setup guy," Shapiro said of Howry.

The Indians aren't paying the freight on Mota, which doesn't even add up to a saving grace because he's pitched so poorly. At this payroll, it doesn't take too many misses in reconfiguring teams year to year before the manager suddenly doesn't look as smart as he once did.

John Hart used to gripe that he couldn't outspend his mistakes as the Yankees could. Shapiro can't outspend his mistakes even to the extent Hart could.

Wedge better be a solution for Shapiro, because money certainly isn't one.

To reach this Plain Dealer columnist:

[email protected], 216-999-5639

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/15/06

Indians lose for fifth time in six games

Randy Johnson stops Tribe before ejection in seventh

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Mike Fitzpatrick
ASSOCIATED PRESS

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>FRANK FRANKLIN II ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Cleveland’s Jason Johnson kicks the mound while New York’s Johnny Damon circles the bases after homering. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


NEW YORK — Randy Johnson’s control was outstanding all night. Perhaps the only time he missed the target was on his final pitch, which sailed perilously close to Eduardo Perez.

Johnson’s encouraging outing ended abruptly when he was ejected for throwing an inside pitch in the seventh inning, but the New York Yankees still beat the slumping Cleveland Indians 6-1 in a testy game last night.

"This could be a great turnaround for him," Yankees manager Joe Torre said. "It looked like he was proud of his stuff, proud enough to dare them to hit it."

Johnny Damon and Andy Phillips homered for New York, which won its second straight after dropping four in a row. Bernie Williams added a key RBI double and Robinson Cano had three hits, sending Cleveland to its 14 th loss in 16 games at Yankee Stadium since the start of 2002.

The Indians have lost five of six and eight of 11 overall.

Derek Jeter got buzzed up and in by a Jason Johnson pitch in the fifth inning, and Jorge Posada and Jason Johnson (3-7) exchanged words after the New York catcher was hit near the elbow by a pitch in the sixth. That’s when both benches were warned.

"I don’t know what he was yelling about," Jason Johnson said. "I came in on a lot of guys today — I have to."

With Randy Johnson (8-5) nursing a 6-1 lead the following inning, Perez came to the plate with one out and nobody on. The Big Unit threw his first pitch way inside, and Perez pointed his bat at the mound and took a few steps toward the pitcher.

"It was obvious to everybody that he threw at him," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said.

Posada stepped in front of Perez as the benches emptied. No punches were thrown.

"I think both teams handled themselves the way they should," New York slugger Jason Giambi said. "Randy was just protecting his catcher. That’s baseball."

Johnson, who has been struggling with his mechanics, allowed just one run and four hits in 6 1 /3 innings, striking out six and walking none.

Scott Proctor and Ron Villone finished up with scoreless relief.

Cano grounded into a double play after Posada was plunked in the sixth, but Jason Johnson unraveled after that. Williams hit an RBI double, and Phillips’ two-run shot made it 6-1.

Randy Johnson retired 11 straight before Perez’s leadoff single in the fifth.

Perez scored on Ben Broussard’s doubleplay grounder.
Perez is 9 for 29 (.310) against Johnson with four homers, a double and seven RBI.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

6/16/06

Tribe avoids sweep

Offense wakes from two-game slumber, beats Mussina

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - By Sheldon Ocker
Beacon Journal sportswriter
Escape From New York, the sequel to the sequel, or how the Indians beat the Yankees.
The Tribe's offense struggled against Chien-Ming Wang on Tuesday and Randy Johnson on Wednesday, but Thursday afternoon the Indians methodically took apart Mike Mussina, the Yankees' most successful starter this season, and won going away, 8-4.
For the second series in a row, the Tribe salvaged the final game of a three-game set, first in Chicago and now in New York.
Mussina came into the game with an 8-2 record and 2.76 ERA, but he has a history of being frustrated by the Indians, against whom he had a career record of 9-8 with a 4.74 ERA.
``It was an interesting game to say the least,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``I thought we did a good job against Mussina. He's one of the best pitchers in the league.''
But on Thursday, Wedge's description of Mussina wasn't quite accurate, as he gave up six runs, nine hits and one walk in 5 2/3 innings.
For five innings, Mussina kept his team in the game, although he entered the sixth with the Tribe holding a 3-1 advantage. Then an unlikely hero took center stage for the Indians.
Mussina got two quick outs, but Ronnie Belliard and Jhonny Peralta singled to bring up Todd Hollandsworth, who didn't figure to change the tenor of the game.
Wrong. Hollandsworth ripped a drive over the center-field fence and into the bleachers, at least 450 feet from home plate. It was his first home run of the season and gave the Tribe a 6-1 lead.
``I had kind of a game plan against Mussina, and I wanted to play it out,'' Hollandsworth said. ``I felt like I had a good approach, looking up the middle.''
Hollandsworth might not have had the chance to get his timing down without leaving his usual spot on the bench.
``I probably wouldn't have done that a week ago,'' he said.
Because of an injury to Casey Blake on Wednesday, plus Wedge's decision to give Jason Michaels and Blake a day off earlier in the week, Hollandsworth was in the lineup three of the past four games.
``It's only human nature that you're going to feel more comfortable when you get regular playing time,'' Hollandsworth said.
As Wedge said: ``It took a lot of guys to step up for us today. Everybody contributed.''
Belliard and Peralta were two of the most prominent contributors. Belliard collected three singles and a double, drove in one run and scored three.
Peralta might have shaken his season-long slump by walloping an RBI double to right in the second, then adding two singles. He scored twice and drove in two runs.
``I found my swing today,'' Peralta said.
Asked if he's had much success against Mussina, Belliard said: ``No, he's tough to hit. Today, he made some pitches around the plate.''
Hollandsworth finished with an RBI double in addition to the homer, amassing four RBI to double his season total.
Cliff Lee (5-5, 5.04 ERA) took care to render the Yankees' offense relatively harmless. In 6 2/3 innings, he allowed only five hits, but three of them were home runs -- by Alex Rodriguez, Melky Cabrera and Bernie Williams.
When Rodriguez and Williams went deep in the sixth inning, Wedge came to get Lee, much to his chagrin.
``I wanted to stay in but it worked out good for us,'' Lee said. ``It's just my competitive nature. I had something left in the tank and wanted to finish the inning.''
All that was fine with Wedge.
``I don't want him to be happy about coming out of a game,'' Wedge said. ``As long as he understands it, and that the purpose is to win a ballgame, that's fine.''
Fausto Carmona retired the final batter in the seventh, and Wedge stayed with him in the eighth, when his normal move would be to summon setup man Rafael Betancourt.
``If Fausto hadn't finished the seventh, I probably would have used Betancourt in the eighth,'' Wedge said. ``But the way Carmona got the last out in the seventh and the way he pitched the other night, he earned a shot the next inning.''
Because of Carmona's early success, Wedge is grooming him to be a late-inning reliever, at least this year. With a three-run lead going into the eighth, it seemed like a perfect spot to give him another test.
Carmona didn't have it easy, however. Bubba Crosby led off with a bloop double just out of the reach of a diving Grady Sizemore in center. Cabrera walked and Derek Jeter was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
But with nobody out, the Yankees managed to score only one run, and Carmona punctuated the outing with strikeouts of Rodriguez and Jorge Posada to end the inning.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

6/16/06

Indians report

Gutierrez might get call

Blake's injury creates opening for outfielder

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - The Indians will be without Casey Blake for at least two weeks and, if history is a guide, probably longer.
That will open the door for Franklin Gutierrez to demonstrate that he's ready to hold a big-league job.
``We'll probably end up calling up Gutierrez, though that's not 100 percent certain,'' manager Eric Wedge said Thursday. ``He's done a real good job down there (Buffalo). He can play all over the outfield, and he had some experience up here last year.''
Blake returned to Cleveland to undergo an MRI exam and other tests after sustaining a strained internal left oblique muscle taking batting practice before Wednesday night's game at Yankee Stadium.
``That's when I first felt it,'' Blake said before he left. Blake was placed on the 15-day disabled list and won't be eligible for activation until June 30.
According to the Tribe's head trainer, Lonnie Soloff, ``Casey will miss at least 15 days. Based on his clinical evaluation and an MRI, over the next three to five days we'll have a better idea of how long he'll be out.''
C.C. Sabathia suffered a similar injury in the first game of the season and did not pitch again until May 2. However, not enough is known about the severity of Blake's injury to project a timetable for his return.
Gutierrez, 23, is batting .288 with four home runs and 22 RBI at Buffalo. He is a talented outfielder who played seven games with the Tribe last year but received only one at-bat.
Wedge was not specific in detailing how he would fill Blake's spot in right field.
``Franklin is going to play,'' the manager said. ``But Todd (Hollandsworth) will play a little more, too, and Eddie Perez also might be out there against left-handers.''
Perez and Gutierrez bat from the right side; Hollandsworth is a left-handed hitter.
``Casey is having a very good year (.304, 10 homers, 36 RBI), so we're taking a hit,'' Wedge said. ``But this gives other guys a chance to step up for us.''
<!-- end body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->

ABJ

6/16/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

<!-- begin body-content -->NEW YORK - Michaels hurts ankle
in crash against fence
One day after Casey Blake strained an abdominal muscle, Jason Michaels crashed into the left-field fence trying to snag Bernie Williams' home run.
It happened in the seventh inning Thursday, and Michaels walked off the field under his own power. However, he sprained his right ankle and left the game.
``We think Jason is going to be all right,'' manager Eric Wedge said. ``But he did bang up his ankle. So right now, he's day to day.''
SWIFT JUSTICE -- Bob Watson, vice president of on-field operations for Major League Baseball, handed down a five-game suspension plus an undisclosed fine to Randy Johnson for throwing at Eduardo Perez on Wednesday night.
Yankees manager Joe Torre was given a one-game suspension and a fine. He will serve his suspension tonight. Johnson will begin his suspension tonight, unless he chooses to appeal.
PROMISING BEGINNING -- Rafael Perez's one-inning, three-strikeout performance, working the eighth inning of Wednesday night's 6-1 loss, was just about the only highlight for the Indians.
Perez, making his first appearance since arriving from Akron last weekend, gave up an infield hit to Derek Jeter then struck out Jason Giambi, Alex Rodriguez and Kelly Stinnett.
``I'm sure he probably was a little nervous when he went out there,'' Wedge said, ``but once he threw a couple of pitches he was fine.''
ON THE DOTTED LINE -- The Tribe signed Marietta College right-hander Michael Eisenberg, the team's eighth-round pick in the draft, plus low-rounders Daryl King, a high school outfielder from Benicia, Calif., and third baseman Dustin Realini, from Santa Clara (Calif.) University.
FARM FACTS -- Charles Lofgren (1.90 ERA) gave up two runs in 5 2/3 innings, but Kinston lost 7-4 to Lynchburg. Center fielder Trevor Crowe went on the disabled list with a strained oblique.... John Drennen had four hits in Lake County's 9-5 win over Lexington.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

6/17/06

BREWERS 6 INDIANS 4

Indians can’t make contact vs. Capuano

Brewers starter strikes out 12 in victory

Saturday, June 17, 2006


ASSOCIATED PRESS

<!--PHOTOS--><TABLE class=phototableright align=right border=0><!-- begin large ad code --><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE align=center><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle>

</IMG> </TD></TR><TR><TD class=credit width=200>DARREN HAUCK ASSOCIATED PRESS </TD></TR><TR><TD class=cutline width=200>Ronnie Belliard of the Indians reacts after striking out against Brewers starter Chris Capuano in the third inning. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>


MILWAUKEE — Chris Capuano is keeping his goals simple as he piles up quality starts for the Milwaukee Brewers.
Capuano struck out a careerhigh 12 and Corey Koskie and Carlos Lee homered to help the Brewers beat the Cleveland Indians 6-4 last night.
"I’m grateful that I’ve been able to be consistent this year," Capuano said. "It’s a nice feeling when you come out of the game and the team is in the game and you got a chance to win."
Capuano (7-4) allowed six hits in seven innings. Cleveland pitcher C.C. Sabathia hit a tworun double in the fifth inning, but that was it for the Indians against Capuano, who didn’t allow a walk.
"It’s an extension of doing what he’s done all year long," Brewers manager Ned Yost said of Capuano, who has pitched at least six innings in each of his 15 starts.
Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said Capuano did a nice job throwing his fastball, curve and change-up.
"But it was more about the location of his pitches and the way he kept us off balance," he said.
Capuano, who is third in the National League with 93 strikeouts, has become the anchor of the Brewers’ staff. With Ben Sheets, Tomo Ohka and Rick Helling all serving time on the disabled list this season, Capuano has turned in 14 quality starts. However, since the beginning of May, his record is just 3-2 with four no-decisions in a span of nine outings.
Protecting a 4-0 lead, Capuano only allowed one hit in the first four innings, but the Indians got to him in the fifth.
Jhonny Peralta’s second hit in the game was a check-swing single to third with one out. Aaron Boone followed with a two-out double and both scored when Sabathia lined a shot off the wall in right, giving him six career RBI.
Peralta, who went 3 for 4, hit a two-run homer off Matt Wise with one out in the ninth to cut it to 6-4, but Derrick Turnbow got the last two outs for his 20 th save in 24 chances.
Sabathia (5-3) allowed five runs and seven hits in six innings as he faced the Brewers for the first time since June 12, 2001, in Jacobs Field during his rookie season.
"I felt like I threw well when I was throwing my pitches right. I ended up with nine strikeouts and too many walks," said Sabathia, who walked two. "I felt like I was behind in the count all night."
After an April stint on the disabled list, Sabathia went 5-1 with a 1.20 ERA in six May starts. June has been a much tougher month: He’s 0-2 with a no-decision in three outings for an 6.88 ERA.
"He came along as the game went on," Wedge said. Sabathia had a rough first inning. Rickie Weeks led off with a walk, took third on a single by Brady Clark to right and scored on a single by Jeff Cirillo. Both runners advanced on a double steal before Clark scored on a sacrifice fly by Lee. Bill Hall doubled in Cirillo and scored on a single by Koskie.

 

[JCOSU86]

Wickman implodes in the 9th. Up 2-1, he walks 2, allows 2 hits and 2 runs to blow a great pitching effort by Westbrook (who only allowed 1 unearned run in 8 innings). Stick a fork in them, they are done.

 

[Crashcup]

I believe Wedge is done. Someone has to be held accountable.

 

[billmac91]

wedge shouldnt have the finger pointed at him....this team was significantly worse on paper going into the season so why is it that big a surprise they aren't doing as well as last year....theyre a .500 team with their pitching rotation and bullpen...enough said

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

6/18/06

Tribe losses getting dangerous to view

Wickman blows save in ninth as Brewers win

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->MILWAUKEE - There's an inherent danger for Northeast Ohio fans who choose to watch the Indians these days.
Not only because the Tribe has been losing regularly, but also because in the late innings, fans find themselves holding their breath. How long can someone do that and not suffer some sort of self-inflicted damage?
It happened again Saturday night at Miller Park -- for the fifth time in the past nine games -- as the Indians took a lead into the ninth inning.
Bob Wickman was assigned to get the last three outs. Instead, he gave up two runs to hand the Milwaukee Brewers a 3-2 win.
``There are going to be these kinds of games for a closer,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``Nobody is going to be perfect.''
Wickman's performance was the proximate cause of the defeat, but he had plenty of company. The team's befuddled batsmen went about their business as if they'd seen Night of the Living Dead one too many times on their portable DVD players.
It's not that the hitters were sleep-walking, exactly, but their swings tended to be a tick too slow or too quick, as if they were out of step with the real-time pitches of David Bush, the Brewers' starter.
Bush breezed through eight innings, giving up both runs on four hits and two walks.
``It wasn't so much what he was doing,'' outfielder Grady Sizemore said. ``We stink right now. We can't rely on our pitchers driving in all the runs.''
Shades of C.C. Sabathia, who drove in two runs in the Tribe's 6-4 loss Friday night.
This time it was Jake Westbrook giving the offense a jolt with his first major-league hit (in six at-bats), a single that drove in a run in the two-run second inning.
``I'm probably the least likely to get a hit off anybody on our starting staff,'' Westbrook said. ``Everybody will tell you that. So it was a good feeling.''
Symbolically, the first run of the inning scored on a force play, when Ronnie Belliard bounced to short, and Jhonny Peralta scored from third.
``We've had a lot of games where we should have done a lot better job,'' said Wedge, referring to the offense. ``We have to pick ourselves up and try to win tomorrow.''
Wickman walked two batters after an initial out to set the stage for the disastrous Tribe finish. Bill Hall followed with a bloop single just out of the reach of Belliard, in the hole beyond first and second.
Two pitches later, Geoff Jenkins slammed a line drive to right to score two runs, including the game winner.
``The walks -- that was the whole inning,'' Wickman said. ``I was missing down. I had a pretty good sinker, but I wasn't able to control it. I thought my stuff was pretty sharp, I just couldn't throw a strike.
``The whole inning revolved around the hitters before Jenkins. When he got there, he was pretty much in the driver's seat.''
Keeping the game in order was no easy task for Westbrook, partly because the Tribe's lead was razor thin. Partly because Ben Broussard, one of the more sure-handed first basemen in the majors, let a ball skip through his legs to let in Milwaukee's first run in the sixth inning.
Balancing the error were three superlative defensive plays that frustrated the Brewers.
The first occurred in the second inning, when Franklin Gutierrez threw out Hall at the plate trying to score from second on Damian Miller's single.
Prince Fielder led off the seventh with a ground-ball single to right. Hall followed with a sharply hit ball that should have ended up in the left-field corner for a double.
Instead, third baseman Aaron Boone intervened, making a diving stop then throwing out Fielder at second. Westbrook came to his own rescue at that point by picking off Hall at first.
Just in the nick of time, too, because Jenkins doubled before Miller ended the inning with a bouncer to short.
Westbrook left after the eighth, having allowed an unearned run, five hits, no walks and striking out eight, tying his career high.
``I felt like I threw the ball pretty well, and they haven't seen me,'' Westbrook said. ``That probably made it one of my better games of the season.''
This was the fourth time on the road trip that the Tribe has blown the game in the last inning. It happened twice in Chicago and once in New York. Even in a victory over the White Sox last Sunday, the Indians took a 10-2 lead into the ninth and had to hold on for a 10-8 win.
``The team is struggling a little bit,'' Westbrook said. ``We're getting crushed. We're not doing the little things, and we have to get something figured out.''
<!-- end body-content --><!-- begin body-end -->