Indians Tidbits (2006 season)..

[NJ-Buckeye]

oretty wild that ANY team thinks Wickman is an improvement... :tongue2:

but to be fair.. when your defense consists of Boone and Peralta who mistakenly were told this was soccer and you're not allowed to use your hands... or the erroneous QB football advice given to V Martinex to throw away from the other team so it doesn't get picked off...

but this is NOT the Wicky from years past...

 

[tsteele316]

i was at that abortion of a baseball game last night. i was about 4 rows away from being able to hop the rail and kick aaron boone in the face. let's just say that the fans displeasure with him was made known quite emphatically after his error.

when boone booted that ball i told the guy next to me that the twins were about to have a huge inning as CC has lost it. i could see it in his eyes. he wanted to just walk off the mound in frustration. that's what this defense has done to the pitching staff.

 

[aurorabuckeye13]

After that horrible preformance yesterday, the Indians offense kicks it into gear and Sowers throws a complete game, 4 hit shutout...

Their inconsistency is maddening...

 

[NJ-Buckeye]

I'd give 'em both Sowers and Guthrie... then turn my head so they wouldn't see me laughing...

without a good sauce.. crow tastes terrible .. Sowers looked very impressive

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/23/06

Sowers, offense put it all together

Rookie goes distance, bats produce plenty

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - What you see is what you get.
Sounds fair enough, but when you don't see the same thing consistently, you're not sure what you're getting.
That's the way it is with young pitchers. One time they raise your hopes, the next they raise your blood pressure.
That brings us to Jeremy Sowers, who delivered his best performance since being summoned from the minors on June 25, when he made his major-league debut against the Cincinnati Reds.
More than anyone, Sowers was responsible for the Indians' 11-0 win over the Minnesota Twins Saturday night at Jacobs Field.
In throwing the first complete game of his infant career, he allowed four hits and only one walk.
Is the way a starter -- especially a rookie -- reacts to going out in the ninth to preserve a shutout a sign of his mental toughness and poise?
``I think it is,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``You love to see pitchers finish off games or finish off (difficult) innings. I think that's a strong indicator with a pitcher.''
No runner reached second against Sowers (2-3, 5.12 ERA) and few balls were hit hard. Two of the Twins' four singles never left the infield.
``He controlled the ballgame from the first inning on,'' Wedge said.
In contrast to his previous four starts, Sowers pushed the envelope on his fastball, frequently hitting 91 miles per hour on the radar gun. In the past, he had shown a fastball consistently in the 87-89-mph range.
``The crispness of his fastball early really caught my eye, particularly the ones he threw to (Twins catcher Joe Mauer) in the first,'' pitching coach Carl Willis said. ``Tonight was the best fastball I've ever seen him throw.''
Willis has suggested that Sowers stand taller on the mound to get more downward leverage on his fastball.
``I think this goes back to having good mechanics,'' Sowers said of the improvement in his fastball. ``I don't consider myself a hard thrower. I might go out the next time and feel like I'm throwing a bowling ball.''
Maybe adding two or three miles an hour on his fastball isn't a huge difference, but it can be significant.
``Really, a fastball is only as good as your change-up and off-speed pitches,'' Sowers said. ``What you have to have is good separation between them.
``Guys in this game can hit any speed. What you have to do is confuse them.''
When Sowers, 23, arrived from Triple-A Buffalo, he was advertised as the thinking man's pitcher, a left-hander whose knowledge of his craft and ability to set up hitters was highly developed. He also was touted as a pitcher with almost pinpoint control.
Even though he came into Saturday night's game with a 1-3 record and 7.15 ERA, he frequently demonstrated those skills.
But often, when he had a breakdown, opposing batters' drives landed beyond the fence. In only 22 2/3 innings before Saturday night, he gave up seven home runs.
``In my first four starts, I had some good moments,'' Sowers said, ``but I had some very bad moments.''
So what was going on against the Twins? Is Sowers adapting to the big leagues, making the most of his on-the-job training? Or was it just one of those nights when everything clicked for him?
Nobody will know for some time, but Sowers has a history of success, which is why he was promoted after being a first-round pick in the 2004 draft.
``He's shown for certain in three of his five starts that he's a major-league pitcher who can hold down a major-league club,'' Willis said. ``I think he's definitely taken a step forward.''
This was not a game in which the offense staked Sowers to a gigantic lead and he had to fight boredom to keep his focus. Through five innings, the Indians led only 3-0.
Three more runs in the sixth broke the game open and strangely, the Tribe put together that rally without the help of Grady Sizemore, who was involved in everything else the offense accomplished.
He doubled and scored the first run of the game in the first inning, trotting home on Travis Hafner's two-run homer. Sizemore doubled to lead off the third, but his henchman could only push him to third.
Sizemore was intentionally walked in the fifth, when Jason Michaels' RBI single scored Ramon Vazquez, and in the five-run eighth, Sizemore's third double brought home two runs.
Joe Inglett, a 28-year-old rookie utility player, had another impressive game, bunting for a single, ripping an RBI triple and adding a run-scoring infield single.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/23/06

Ocker on the Indians

Manager is right to show Boone respect

Model player deserves a gradual move to bench

By Sheldon Ocker

<!-- begin body-content -->Why is Aaron Boone sitting uncomfortably on the Indians' bench while Ronnie Belliard or Ramon Vazquez occasionally plays third?
Manager Eric Wedge recently announced that Boone no longer would be in the lineup for every game, explaining that he wanted to check out Joe Inglett at second (where Belliard plays) and Vazquez at third. He also said it might help Boone get back on track if he sits and watches now and then.
Make sense? Only in part. Yes, the Tribe's deep thinkers have a legitimate interest in seeing what Inglett can do. He is the front-runner to become the club's super utility player next year.
He already plays second, short, left and center and is scheduled to log time at third in spring training, though Wedge said he will not be stationed there this season because of his lack of experience.
But benching Boone isn't the only way to insert Inglett in the lineup. Now that the season has become a lost cause, it wouldn't hurt to give Belliard and shortstop Jhonny Peralta a few days off, as well as Boone, but Wedge hasn't said anything about doing that.
As for Vazquez, neither Wedge nor anyone else in the organization has a reason to watch him play third. He ranks as one of several misses by the front office, having shown little ability to play consistent defense (a malady he might have caught from his bumbling teammates) or the skill to be a tough out at the plate.
So is there another reason Boone should become a noncombatant a couple of times a week?
Phenom third baseman Andy Marte is only days away from making his Cleveland debut. When Marte arrives from Triple-A Buffalo, Boone's role will be sharply diminished.
Unless there is an unexpected change of plan, Marte will be the everyday guy when next season begins, but his education will be enhanced if he can kick-start his big-league career by playing regularly the last couple of months this year.
So why not inform Boone that he's history? Just tell him to get out of the way, so the kid can begin adjusting to life in the majors? Surely, Boone isn't blind to his immediate future.
All of this is true, but baseball is a game filled with ritual. Custom and tradition have turned courtesy and respect into almost ceremonial practices, where deference is paid to veterans, especially veterans who have brought something special to the game.
Most Northeast Ohio fans don't regard Boone as that kind of player. For them, he is either an underachiever or a guy whose skills were greatly exaggerated by General Manager Mark Shapiro. To Tribe partisans, Boone is just another player who didn't pan out.
But to any number of baseball executives, managers and players, Boone deserves to be treated with esteem, despite his mediocre numbers. That's the way Wedge and Shapiro see it, too.
Boone is one of baseball's good guys, a positive force in the clubhouse, a stand-up guy who serves as a model of how players should behave under pressure and carry themselves in good and bad times.
For that reason, Wedge does not want to embarrass Boone by suddenly announcing to the world that for the rest of the season, his playing time will go from 98 percent to nearly zero. Instead, the manager fabricated a reason to ease Boone out of the picture gradually.
Even after Marte stows his gear in a Jacobs Field locker, he might not immediately become an everyday fixture. Fans probably won't like that. Most of them see no value in giving Boone any playing time. After all, what did he do for us?
It is true that he didn't hit as many home runs or amass the number of RBI that either Shapiro or Wedge expected, but there were benefits to having him around.
Boone exhibits all the intangible assets that managers and general managers like to talk about, which is why people in both leagues hope he can put the other parts of his game back together for his next team.
By the book?
There seems to be an exception to every rule.
Left-handed pitchers who face left-handed batters has long been an accepted example of playing the percentages, and it works. But not always.
Travis Hafner is batting .323 in 133 at-bats against lefties through the end of the last road trip. He is hitting home runs at the rate of one every 11.1 at-bats against them and averaging one RBI every 4.2 at-bats.
If he were to maintain those averages over an entire season of 550 at-bats, Hafner would amass 50 home runs and 131 RBI against left-handers.
It also is interesting to note that when an opposing manager sends in a left-handed reliever specifically to face Hafner or to start an inning in which he is the first hitter, Hafner is batting .375 (9-for-24) with three home runs and four walks, giving him a .464 on-base percentage.
He even hits the ball hard when he makes an out against these pitchers, on one occasion forcing Chicago White Sox center fielder Brian Anderson to make a leaping catch at the fence.
So is sending in a lefty to pitch to Hafner really playing the percentages? Probably not, inasmuch as he's hitting .304 against right-handers.
Yet managers continue to blindly adhere to the conventional strategy in the face of strong numbers that scream otherwise.
Why do they do it? Are they afraid of the media and fan reaction if they allow a righty to face Hafner in a crucial situation, and he beats them? Do they believe that eventually the percentages will even out?
The next time you see a manager challenge Hafner with a right-handed reliever -- when a lefty is available -- you'll know you are watching a skipper who isn't afraid to go against the book when there's a solid reason.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/24/06

View from Pluto

PERALTA PLAYING FOR KEEPS Lack of concentration, limited range put player on the spot at shortstop

By Terry Pluto

<!-- begin body-content -->• The Indians must demand that Jhonny Peralta play a better shortstop -- or tell him he won't be the shortstop in 2007.
Supposedly, Peralta wants to remain at short. In that case, he needs to begin playing like it. What we've seen this season is a guy who can't handle the position for a team that wants to win.
• Here's the breakdown of Peralta's 13 errors: April (3), May (3), June (5) and July (2). His 13 errors are second in the American League, fifth in all of baseball. The Detroit Tigers' Carlos Guillen leads the AL with 17 errors.
• It's not just errors. Peralta's range is below average. He seems to have trouble getting his balance after moving a long way for a ground ball, then setting to throw. He actually grew 1 ½ inches and gained about 10 pounds. He's now 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. His body fat is supposedly lower than a year ago. That might be true, but he's still slower in the field than last year.
• The problem for the Indians is that not one infielder is above average. Only second baseman Ronnie Belliard would be considered average on defense, and that's because of his strong arm on the double play. Someone has to catch the ball. The Indians can't return next season with Peralta performing at short as he has so far.
• I think they seriously should consider Peralta at second base. Belliard is a free agent, wants a long-term deal and he might get one from somebody. The Indians like Belliard on a one-year contract with a team option for a second year -- it's a way to try to help him keep in some semblance of condition.
• Peralta does have a strong arm and he can play a deep second base, much like Belliard. They would have to work on his pivot, but it seems he can learn it. At short, he entered the weekend with 13 errors in 91 games. A year ago, he made 19 errors in 141 games. The good news was that after a nervous start replacing Omar Vizquel (nine errors in his first 46 games), he had only 10 errors in his last 95 games.
• Peralta turned 24 on May 28. He signed a five-year, $14 million contract. Did it make him too comfortable? Perhaps. Manager Eric Wedge has talked about Peralta ``needing to focus.'' The Indians have discussed his ``pre-pitch preparation.'' It sounds like they don't think he's always paying attention.
• Peralta knows the Indians have no immediate alternative to take his job. He should be told that they'll find one for next year. Reader Kevin Bresnahan wondered if David Eckstein could be a possibility, but the St. Louis Cardinals' shortstop is under contract through 2007. But the Indians can shop this winter for a glove to handle short. For example, 30-year-old Alex Cora (.315) is a free agent, and he's solid at short, as he showed with the Tribe briefly in 2005.
• The Indians are using newly acquired Asdrubal Cabrera at shortstop in Buffalo. He's the youngest player in all of Class AAA at 20 and has made only six errors in 75 games this season. His range is considered well above average. One scout told me, ``He's a guy who seems to never get the ball on the wrong bounce. Shortstop comes natural to him. You just don't see 20-year-olds play short like he does.''
• Cabrera hasn't hit much this season, only .232 with little power and few walks. But if nothing else, the Indians can say that at some point in 2007, they'll consider putting the kid between Peralta at second and Andy Marte at third because he can settle down the infield.
• Before trading Cabrera to the Indians for Eduardo Perez, The Seattle Mariners skipped Cabrera from Class A to Class AAA because of his glove. He should be in Class AA this season. But the Indians are keeping him in Buffalo just in case an emergency hits and they need a shortstop. He did bat .300 with two Class A teams in 2005.
• It's amazing the Mariners traded Cabrera for the 36-year-old Perez, who is seldom used and went into the weekend 2-of-10. They have 24-year-old Yuniesky Betancourt (.294, 5 HR, 33 RBI, 12 errors) at short, so they believed there was no room for Cabrera. But this could be their Brandon Phillips-to-the-Cincinnati Reds deal in a few years.
• The Indians believe Peralta can return to his form of 2005, when they said he was an average defensive shortstop with a strong bat for the position. Best guess is Peralta will hit, regardless of where he plays. Peralta's batting average by month: April (.229), May (.270), June (.245), July (.306). Overall, he was hitting .258, with 10 HR and 43 RBI heading into this weekend's Minnesota Twins series.
• Some fans have complained about Peralta's contract. They seem to believe it will make it hard for the Indians to deal him. Just the opposite. Teams will know that he is signed for five years and that can help them control their payroll. They also will look at his 2005 season (.292, 35 doubles, 24 HR, 78 RBI) along with him being the Class AAA International League Most Valuable Player in 2004 and believe he just had an off season. He does have trade value, although that's not in the Tribe's plans.
TALKIN' TRIBE
Braves and Brewers pursued Wickman
• Because Bob Wickman had the right to veto any deal and because he preferred to remain a closer, the Indians ended up with only two real suitors for him: the Milwaukee Brewers and the Atlanta Braves. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers all have established closers. There were other teams with which Wickman preferred not to play. The list ended up as the Brewers and Braves.
• Because they are trying desperately to get back into the playoff race, the Braves wanted to make a deal now. They also had an interest in a few other closers. The Brewers didn't have much in the farm system that was available and of interest. The Indians really likecatcher Max Ramirez, acquired in the Wickman trade, despite him being in Class A. They think he has a chance to become a special player.
• The deal also was appealing to the Indians' management because: 1) They wanted to see Fausto Carmona close for two months, and 2) Wickman is 37, a free agent and has $2 million left on his deal. They wanted someone to take the contract to put the money into the winter free-agent budget.
• Eric Wedge's complaint that the Indians miss the leadership of Kevin Millwood and Scott Elarton sounds hollow. Neither of these guys catches a ground ball, which is the team's biggest problem. Elarton is 4-9 with a 5.34 ERA and on the disabled list with the Kansas city Royals. I'd rather have the Indians looking at Jeremy Sowers, Jeremy Guthrie or even Jason Davis as a fifth starter than Elarton.
• Yes, they do miss Millwood, who is 10-5 with a 4.61 ERA for the Texas Rangers. At home in that tough pitcher's park, he's 3-4 with a 6.59 ERA. On the road, he's 7-1 with a 2.96 ERA. Millwood was 9-11 with a 2.86 ERA for the Tribe last year. He's a good pitcher, but not even the free-spending Yankees and Red Sox would match the five-year, $60 million deal the Rangers gave him. The concern is his elbow, which has ached in the past.
• Yes, the Indians would have won a few more games with Millwood, but his presence would not address the real problem with the team: sloppy defense. Paul Byrd replaced Millwood in the rotation, and he's 7-6 with a 4.28 ERA. Only twice in his past 15 starts has he allowed more than four runs.
• This is the first time Wedge seems to be in a major struggle to reach his players. In his first three seasons, there were problems, but the Indians progressed from 68 to 80 to 93 wins with him in the dugout. This year they might lose 90. They rarely play solid baseball for more than a few days, and for all his talk about ``playing the game the right way,'' they seldom do it.
• Wedge pushed to keep Ramon Vazquez over Brandon Phillips. He wanted the right chemistry in the clubhouse. Fans know Phillips is an emerging star with the Reds. Worse, Vazquez can't even be a backup infielder with the Tribe. He doesn't hit (.182) and seems shaky in the field.
• With the Indians out of the playoff race and veterans being traded, it will be crucial that Wedge finds a way to have his team play smarter, cleaner baseball. Last year, when they lost, it usually was because they couldn't hit. Yes, they had trouble getting down sacrifice bunts, but they weren't the defensive and fundamental flops that they are this season -- with all the key starting players back except Coco Crisp in left field.

 

[aurorabuckeye13]

Is it just me, or is Joe Inglett starting to remind people of what happened last year with Grady Sizemore?

Hmm a player brought up from Buffalo because of an injury who is only suppossed to provide depth and fill in a few games before going back down. Then they get an opportunity for increased playing time because of another injury. With their hustle plays they make in impression on the Cleveland fans and staff. Inglett went 3-4 with 2 runs and 2 RBI yesterday and since being called up is hitting .345 with 2 doubles and a triple in 13 games. He hustled out a bunt single and a triple yesterday and was a sparkplug for the offense.

I'm not saying this guy is Grady because he is 28, but he's made a good impression while he's been in Cleveland...

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/24/06

Indians swing, miss, lose

Tribe breaks old team record, striking out 17 times against Twins

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The Indians are working on perfecting a new maxim: ``Whatever can go wrong will go wrong then get worse.''
It happened again Sunday, as the Minnesota Twins left town with a 3-1 win at Jacobs Field.
Jhonny Peralta was the perpetrator of another misplay that appears to be turning his teammates into an anguished group of players who are madder than hell and aren't going to take it anymore.
``It seems like in every series -- or even every game -- something like this happens,'' Indians outfielder Casey Blake said. ``We keep shooting ourselves in the foot.... It's tough on pitchers mentally when plays aren't made behind them.''
With Francisco Liriano throwing spectacularly unhittable pitches, the last thing the Tribe needed was another mistake.
Not that it was a totally wasted afternoon for the Indians. They established a franchise record by striking out 17 times in a nine-inning game, exceeding the old mark by one, set on June 4, 2000, at St. Louis.
The 17 whiffs tied the Twins' record for strikeouts in a nine-inning game, previously established against the Boston Red Sox on May 6, 1966.
The latest example of the Tribe's inability to get out of its own way occurred in the third inning with Jake Westbrook on the mound.
Jason Tyner initiated trouble by popping a bunt over the pitcher's head for a single. Could Westbrook have caught the ball?
``I've been thinking about that ever since it happened,'' Westbrook said. ``When he squared around to bunt, I started to charge in. Then I went back the other way, but I gave up on the ball.
``I've been second-guessing myself about that. I keep thinking maybe I could have had it. It's not so much that I didn't catch it, but I didn't give myself the chance.''
At any rate, a fly ball and a force play left the Twins with Luis Castillo on first and two outs, hardly an untenable situation for Westbrook and his defense.
But Nick Punto bunted for a single, and Kelly Shoppach let a pitch get away from him for a passed ball, putting runners on second and third. That situation dictated that Westbrook walk Joe Mauer intentionally, loading the bases.
Remember, the Tribe was one out away from escaping trouble.
Then it happened.
Michael Cuddyer slapped a routine grounder to the left of second base. Peralta had broken toward third just before Cuddyer swung but reversed course in time to snag the bouncer.
But instead of immediately throwing to first, Peralta looked at second to see if he could force Mauer. By the time he delivered the ball to Victor Martinez, Cuddyer was across the bag for an infield hit that scored the first run of the game.
Justin Morneau followed with a single that scored two more before Westbrook (7-6, 4.44 ERA) struck out Rondell White.
``The play should have been made,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said. ``We would have been out of the inning.
``When Jhonny comes across the bag, he has to know that the play is at first. When he didn't make it, it was one run and a chance for them to add on.''
Westbrook refused to make Peralta the bad guy.
``Your job is to stop the snowball effect, make a pitch and get the job done,'' he said. ``If you don't, it's going to be two, three, four runs. And I'm the guy who's name will be in the paper the next day getting the `L.' ''
For a while, Liriano (12-2, 1.93 ERA) was striking out batters at will. Aaron Boone's whiff to end the second inning began a string of six strikeouts that didn't end until Martinez smacked a double with two outs in the fourth.
Something changed radically for Liriano after he retired the first two batters in the fifth inning. Shoppach singled, Grady Sizemore walked and Jason Michaels singled to score Shoppach.
Liriano walked Travis Hafner to load the bases but induced Martinez to bounce into a force play to end the inning. Even though he had thrown only 95 pitches, Liriano did not come out for the sixth, having given up four hits, one run and three walks. He struck out 10.
``We made Liriano work, but he still got us,'' Wedge said. ``He threw some pitches that were just unhittable. Our guys did a good job of making him throw 95 pitches in five innings, but the rest of their staff did a good job.''
Yes, Liriano is leading the league in ERA and the Twins have one of the most effective bullpens in baseball, but Blake, for one, wasn't quite buying it.
``As good as Liriano was,'' he said, ``we should have beat him 1-0.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/24/06

So far, so good for bullpen newcomer

Brian Sikorski giving Indians relief help since trade with Padres

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - So far so good for Brian Sikorski.
Why he had to pitch in Japan for five consecutive seasons (maybe he wanted to) is a mystery for now. But since joining the Indians last week in Anaheim, Sikorski has given the bullpen a boost.
In three appearances, he has given up one hit -- a solo homer -- and walked two in 3 1/3 innings. He also has seven strikeouts and has been throwing 94-96-mph fastballs.
``He's got a good arm and a good fastball,'' Indians manager Eric Wedge said Sunday after Sikorski pitched the seventh inning, walking one and striking out the side.
``He pitched four or five years in Japan in key roles, but he hasn't had much of an opportunity here (in the U.S.),'' Wedge said.
Sikorski returned from Japan in the spring and was signed by the San Diego Padres, who sent him to Triple-A until late May, when he was called up.
In a six-week stint, he made 13 appearances, compiling a 5.65 ERA in 14 1/3 innings. The way he explained it, he was kind of thrown into the mix of relievers.
``Their bullpen was kind of set,'' he said. ``They were looking for guys who could get them to (Scott) Linebrink in the eighth inning. They were using whoever was hot at the time, which makes sense.''
Asked about his penchant for striking out batters, Sikorski said: ``That kind of goes in cycles. My second year in Japan I struck out a lot of guys, but the next year my strikeout total went down, then it went back up a little the next season.''
Many relievers stick to two pitches, Sikorski throws four: fastball, slider, change-up and split.
``I didn't throw my first split (for Cleveland) until today,'' he said. ``It's a feel pitch, and I haven't had a feel for it.''
One reason he uses a wide variety of pitches is his experience in Japan.
``One of the things they'll do is call a split maybe on the first pitch then back it up with a slider or change-up,'' Sikorski said. ``You have to be prepared to throw any pitch any time in the count.''
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

Dispatch

7/24/06

INDIANS NOTEBOOK

Inglett taking advantage of on-the-job audition

Monday, July 24, 2006

Scott Priestle
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

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CLEVELAND — Indians rookie Joe Inglett laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt Friday night, and a crowd of nearly 30,000 gave him a loud ovation. The next night he reached on a bunt single and was greeted with more applause.
The Indians were built for big innings, not small ball, and their inability to execute the bunt in recent seasons has become a flash point for frustrated fans. Inglett is the rare player who honed the craft in the minor leagues. He said former Buffalo manager Marty Brown stressed it last season.
Inglett noticed and he appreciated the ovation: "It was cool," he said. "If that’s what they like, that’s what they got. That’s my game."
He hit .310 in 6 1 /2 seasons in the minor leagues, with almost as many walks as strikeouts but fewer than 30 extra-base hits per season.
Despite the crowd’s obsession with the bunt, Inglett will have to show more skills if he hopes to stick with the Indians beyond this season. American League offenses are fueled by doubles and home runs.
He has been given a chance to show his full game in recent days, and the results have been encouraging. Inglett started in center field Wednesday and went 3 for 4 with two walks, a double and an RBI. He started at second base the past three games, as Ronnie Belliard recovers from a strained left hamstring, and went 4 for 12 with a triple and two RBI.
Inglett views Belliard’s injury as his chance to audition for a big-league job.
"It always seems like I slip through the cracks a little bit and have to work a little harder to impress somebody. That’s my M.O. in life," he said. "I’m up for the challenge."
Closer to a return

Belliard’s hamstring improved enough that he took batting practice. He does not expect to have to go on the disabled list.
He also does not expect to leave the Indians this season, though his name has been floated in trade rumors. Belliard will be eligible for free agency after the season and said the Indians have not approached him about a new contract.
"But I’m not going anywhere," he said with a smile. "For sure."
The kiddie corps

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, Jeremy Sowers became the sixth rookie this season to throw a shutout. The others are Matt Cain of San Francisco, Justin Verlander of Detroit, Taylor Buchholz of Houston and Alay Soler and John Maine of the New York Mets. Ervin Santana of the Los Angeles Angels was the only rookie to throw a shutout last season.
[email protected]

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/25/06

Familiar feeling comes early

Broussard's error on first batter sets up big first inning, loss to Tigers

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - On the third pitch of the game, you could almost feel the pulsating brain waves of the fans pumping out the message: ``Oh no, here we go again!''
First baseman Ben Broussard muffed Curtis Granderson's ground ball for an error that led to five unearned runs.
That hurdle was too much for the Indians to overcome, and the Detroit Tigers hung on for a 9-7 win Monday night at Jacobs Field.
As usual, one Tribe mistake led to a big inning for the enemy. If the Indians learn one lesson from their misspent season, it should be that they can't get away with anything.
There was no real reason why Cliff Lee shouldn't have escaped the first inning without allowing a run. Instead, after Granderson reached, Craig Monroe grounded out to push Granderson to second, and Ivan Rodriguez doubled to score the first run.
But Lee had an opportunity to get out of the inning with only one run allowed after striking out Magglio Ordonez. Instead, Carlos Guillen singled Rodriguez to the plate, and Dmitri Young's single kept the inning alive for Brandon Inge, who capped the rally with a three-run homer.
Game, set, match.
The Tribe has become an expert at turning molehills of nuisance mistakes into mountains of trouble.
This time, some of the blame must rest with Lee, who had ample opportunity to get out of harm's way.
Lee threw 30 pitches in the first, and reached 100 by the time he got through the fourth.
Wedge reached for the phone to call the bullpen.
Even after the first, Lee was hardly at his best, but the only other Tigers run against him came in the fourth on singles by Chris Shelton, Omar Infante and Monroe.
Of the six runs Lee allowed, only one was earned. But a better gauge of his prowess was his hit total (eight).
Jeremy Bonderman is one of the more proficient young right-handers in the American League. However, he has had a glaring lack of success against the Indians, coming into Monday night's game with a career record of 5-8 and 6.17 ERA against them.
In two previous starts against the Tribe this season, Bonderman was 1-1, losing 7-2 and winning 3-0.
After being staked to the five-run lead, he was sailing along without a care in the world until Broussard lifted a two-out drive over the wall in right for his 13th home run of the season.
In the fifth, Joe Inglett led off with a single and Ramon Vazquez hit his first homer of the season to score two runs. Before the inning ended, Grady Sizemore walked, advanced to second on Jason Michaels' ground out and scored on Travis Hafner's double.
At that point, the Tigers still led 7-4, but Bonderman was not permitted to come out for the sixth, having given up four runs and five hits.
Hafner doubled again in the seventh to bring home Sizemore, who had singled, to cut the deficit to 7-5.
That was a little too close for Guillermo Mota, who gave up two runs in the eighth to expand the Tigers lead to 9-5.
But the Tribe scratched for two more runs in the eighth off Fernando Rodney, who gave up two singles and hit two batters to make it happen.
Inglett drove in one run with a single, and Kelly Shoppach's force out scored the other.
The game ended with Todd Jones getting a save when Todd Hollandsworth, pinch hitting for Aaron Boone, forced Broussard at second. Hollandsworth came into the game 4-for-8 with a home run against Jones.
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[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/26/06

Tribe trips up Rogers

Despite seven-run first, win not that easy for Indians

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - It should have been over in the first inning.
With Kenny Rogers an unlikely patsy, the Indians scored seven runs in the first inning, only to see Paul Byrd fritter away most of the lead.
What saved the Tribe's 12-7 win over the Detroit Tigers -- besides six innings of excellent workmanship by the bullpen -- was Casey Blake's improbable inside-the-park home run in the seventh inning.
Any homer that doesn't clear the fence is improbable, but Blake is one of only a few Indians with even average speed.
Travis Hafner couldn't resist needling Blake.
``Haf told me that any self-respecting power hitter would have slowed up at third,'' Blake said. ``I'm just mad I don't have more pop.''
With two outs, one run home and Victor Martinez on second, Blake slammed a drive to straightaway center.
Chasing it, Curtis Granderson slammed into the wall and landed in a heap.
Meanwhile, the ball hit the fence and rolled 80 feet back toward the infield, giving Blake plenty of opportunity to round the bases, allowing the Indians to gain a five-run advantage.
``I felt like I was running pretty good out of the box,'' said Blake, who remembered hitting a grand slam, inside-the-park homer in college. ``I was talking to the ball, cursing it to get out of here. Then I saw him (Granderson) jump up, and I saw the ball carom off the wall.''
Blake's blast was the first inside-the-park homer at Jacobs Field since July Fourth of last year, when Coco Crisp did the same thing against the same Tigers.
Rogers didn't make it out of the first inning, giving up all seven runs on five hits and three walks while retiring only two batters.
It was his shortest outing since May 21, 1993, when he lasted only one-third of an inning for the Texas Rangers in a game against the then-California Angels.
``Kenny obviously was a little off tonight,'' Tribe manager Eric Wedge said, ``and we took advantage of it.''
Against a Cleveland team that usually struggles against him, it was a shocking performance. In the past four years, Rogers has compiled a 6-3 record and 3.23 ERA against the Indians.
But on this night, he was behind in the count to almost every batter, and to the Tribe's credit, the hitters made him throw the ball over the plate. When he did, they hit it, usually hard.
Grady Sizemore, who led off with a walk, was the first of 12 hitters who batted in the first inning. Jason Michaels followed with a hit, and Travis Hafner walked to load the bases.
Martinez singled home the first run, and Rogers walked Blake before Jhonny Peralta doubled to score two more runs. Aaron Boone became the eighth consecutive batter to reach base when he singled to put runners on first and third.
Joe Inglett and Kelly Shoppach struck out, but Sizemore blooped an RBI single to center that ended Rogers' work day. Before retiring the side, reliever Roman Colon gave up an RBI single to complete the rally.
No sooner had the fans finished up high-fiving to celebrate a winm when Byrd gave up a three-run homer to Brandon Inge in the second inning.
That's when everyone in the ballpark should have known the Indians were not going to win in a rout. Maybe they weren't going to win at all.
In the fourth, Byrd became a master of giving up the extra-base hit. Dmitri Young led off with a home run, then Chris Shelton, Craig Monroe and Inge followed with doubles.
Granderson singled home the fourth run of the inning to trim the Detroit deficit to 8-7, the Tribe having scored on Michaels' double in the third inning.
Byrd gave way to Jason Davis, who delivered three strong inning to get the win.
``When you get an opportunity like that and you make the most of it, you feel pretty good,'' Davis said.
Brian Sikorski and Fausto Carmona combined to pitch three scoreless innings and yield one hit to finish it off.
``It took a lot of guts to hang onto that game,'' Wedge said. ``I wonder how many people thought we'd win the game when they cut the lead to one run.''
Granderson's single marked the end of the line for Byrd, who allowed seven runs, 10 hits and did not retire anyone in the fourth inning.
At that point, the battle was joined. The Indians scored another run in the fifth on Inglett's RBI triple, but until Blake's home run, the Tribe was in no position to rest easy.

 

[OSUBasketballJunkie]

ABJ

7/26/06

Notebook

Marte's debut closer, but Tribe not talking

Prospect likely to start in '07, but Boone playing third for now; Wedge says Martinez is catcher

By Sheldon Ocker

Beacon Journal sportswriter

<!-- begin body-content -->CLEVELAND - The day when Andy Marte makes his Indians debut is drawing closer, but club officials aren't giving any hints.
``I'm not going to speculate on that until it happens,'' manager Eric Wedge said Tuesday. ``That's out of fairness to everybody.''
``Everybody'' in this case is Aaron Boone, the incumbent third baseman, who will be spending much more time on the bench -- probably the majority of his time -- when Marte arrives from Triple-A Buffalo.
Marte has been all but anointed the Tribe's everyday third baseman for 2007, and the declining fortunes of the team this year have made it easier for the Indians' deep thinkers to give Marte a head start on next season.
Nobody would be surprised if Marte made his Tribe debut at the outset of the next trip Monday to Fenway Park in Boston. It might even be earlier, possibly when the Bisons go on the road Saturday.
There is little doubt that General Manager Mark Shapiro has been trying to trade Boone before the Monday deadline. If Boone were dealt away, it would clear the way for Marte to play every day.
If Boone remains on the team, it's likely that Marte will be eased into the lineup more gradually.
Will Marte's development be advanced or retarded if he plays 35 games or 50 games this season?
``It depends on the player and the situation,'' Wedge said. ``But I do think baseball is different prior to September.''
In the last month of the season, the intensity of opponents who are merely playing out the season can wane. Also, more minor-league pitchers will populate every team's roster, making it more difficult to get a read on a rookie hitter.
Marte is batting .266 with 15 home runs, 23 doubles, 46 RBI and 19 errors, most of them in April and May. He had a big month in June, batting .304 with 10 homers and 22 RBI. This month he is hitting .253 with three homers and 11 RBI.
``I've talked to multiple people about him,'' Wedge said. ``He's doing a good job, but he's still learning. When he does get here, there will be struggles ahead, like there are for any young player. That comes with the territory.''
Toe-ing the line
Victor Martinez and his sore big toe were back in the lineup Tuesday night, but he was stationed at first base, not behind the plate.
``It was kind of a strange thing with Victor,'' head trainer Lonnie Soloff said. ``He was fine when he left Sunday and came in Monday with the toe all black and blue and swollen.''
Martinez fouled a pitch off his foot to cause the problem.
Future at first?
How much first base will Martinez play next year?
``Victor is our catcher,'' Wedge said. ``But we do like to give him a blow by playing him down there (first). It helps keep him fresh.
``Next year, it will depend on who is here and who isn't. But it's a possibility (he'll play some at first).''
Congress doing honors
Bob Feller will appear before a joint session of Congress today to be honored for his World War II military service and the 60th anniversary of his exceptional season of 1946.
Belliard close
Ronnie Belliard (strained hamstring) increased his baseball activity on Tuesday. He took batting practice in the indoor cages and did some throwing and running.
He might at least be available to pinch hit today.
Miller update
Right-hander Matt Miller (elbow surgery) is doing his long-toss program at 105 feet and could start throwing off a mound late next week. Tribe officials still are hoping he can rejoin the team's relief corps in late August.
Farm facts
Jason Stanford (3-4, 3.74 ERA) gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings, as Buffalo defeated Syracuse 4-3. Edward Mujica gave up two runs and three hits in 2 1/3 innings.... Charles Lofgren (13-4, 1.98 ERA) took the loss as Kinston dropped a 5-3 decision to Frederick in Class A. Lofgren yielded five runs in five innings, but only one run was earned.
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[NFBuck]

Almost manage to blow a seven run lead. This team is unbelievable.